April 2012 - Alumni News - Williams College

CLASS NOTES
1950
Kevin F.X. Delany
3143 O St., NW
Washington, DC 20007
1950secretary@williams.edu
A highlight since we last
communicated was the now
traditional fall hijinks known as
the minireunion. It is an October
ritual where otherwise out-ofshape
homebodies with a little
extra time and loose cash head
for the Berkshire hills to tramp
around campus and Weston Field
to root for the alma mater until
hoarse or frostbitten, whichever
comes first.
By all barometers, this year’s
fandango was a huge success.
Twenty-three stalwarts were
in attendance, including such
worthies as Chuck Alberti, Judy
and Bud Blakey, Sandy and Doug
Coleman, Larry Fitch, Mary and
Tom Hodgman, Morgan Murray,
Nancy and Bill Riegel, Claudia
and George Razook, Ellen and
Pete Thurber, Katie and Norm
Olson plus Edna Lomas, their
able (and very strong) health
aide, your scribe and of course
class president Stan Roller and
fair wife Mary. Also, but hardly
least, among those present were
Kitty Simpson and Eli Reynolds.
Their presence really added
much to our weekend, and we
hope more widows will join us in
the future if they are able to.
Among the features of our
weekend stay were several
faculty seminars: history professor
Scott Wong spoke about
immigration and its discontents.
The following day James
Mahon, professor of political
science, concentrated on how
the U.S. and Latin America are
becoming more like each other.
On Saturday morning we had
our usual class meeting over
breakfast at the Williams Inn.
Stan Roller led off with some
upbeat comments in his annual
State of the Class Address,
followed by brief remarks by
Peter Thurber re: class gifts, by
treasurer Tom Hodgman on class
finances (yes, we are solvent)
and Doug Coleman on admission
policies, particularly relating to
foreign students. The meeting
concluded in plenty of time to
head for Weston Field and the
Tufts football game. Fortunately,
the Reunion Jazz Band was on
hand to warm up the crowd
with some red hot Dixieland on
a nippy weather day. (The game
was a pretty easy romp for the
Ephmen.)
14 | Williams PeoPle | aPril 2012
Wally Bortz ’51 and his wife Ruth Anne celebrate after the San Francisco
Marathon last July.
The minireunion participants
were treated to some fine dining
over the weekend, starting with
a Friday night dinner at the
Taconic Golf Club and Saturday
evening at the always popular
Mezze restaurant. There were a
brief few moments of excitement
at Mezze when one of the wives
in our party had some difficulty
digesting her steak dinner. Pete
Thurber, moving quickly, deftly
applied his Heimlich knowledge,
and peace returned to the dining
room. Pete and Ellen may
find themselves to be popular
dinner guests, at least in the
near future. The evening and the
weekend were nicely capped off
by some late-night jazz at the
Faculty Club.
On the downside, Chapin
Breer Weed died in Flat Rock,
N.C., on Nov. 23. Chapin
served in both WWII and the
Korean conflicts. In WWII, he
was a decorated flight engineer/
gunner on B-17 aircraft. On
two occasions, Staff Sgt. Weed
saved crew and B-17 aircraft
by flying damaged planes back
to base after both pilot and
co-pilot were killed. Chapin
attended Rectory School and
Kent school before entering
Williams. He was a member
of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.
A widower, he is survived by a
daughter, Patricia Ann Taylor
of Dallas, Texas, and a son,
Peter Capin Weed of Fletcher.
Our sympathies go to several
classmates on the painful loss of
a spouse. Gerda Lanes, wife of
our VP Fred Lanes of Newton
Center, Mass., died on Dec. 29
after a long bout with pancreatic
cancer. Fred and Gerda had been
married 58 years.
On Oct. 25 Karin Roach, wife
of Dan Roach, died quietly in
their Buffalo home. Dan and
Karin had been married 59
years. Survivors include their
children Molly ’78, Dan Jr. ’79,
Kate ’87 and Michael ’88.
1950 now numbers 204 strong.
1951
Gordon Clarke
183 Foreside Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
1951secretary@williams.edu
Some wise person once
observed: If one wants to learn
about a gentleman, get to know
his barber. That bit of wisdom
applies equally to class secretaries.
I have my own problems
with my computer, Word, email,
URLs and the like. I am also
on the receiving end of our
classmates’ problems and get
rather cranky when I can’t help
out. Keep trying, guys; every day
we get better and better! Now, to
business.
Don Gregg forwarded a letter,
published by the Washington
Post on Sept. 28, 2011, in which
he expressed some of his views.
This is not the proper forum for
a political discussion, but the
title assigned by the Post is a fine
summary of Don’s views: “GOP
candidates are too small for
Reagan’s shoes.”
Dave Fischer writes from New
Haven that he is busy working
three days a week at a new and
rapidly growing Yale cancer
center. Along with his other
activities, he is writing a history
of the cancer program at the Yale
School of Medicine, with which
he has been associated for 49