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Class Notes
1961–1962
at Woody’s. He figures that if he goes
there enough times now, he might
still remember how to get there when
he reaches the age of 80.
I was able to gather some tidbits
about some other classmates. Don
Wiltshire has been busy reactivating
the Phoenix Alumni Chapter. Elliot
Marcus attended the luncheon held
for President Dan Weiss in Sarasota,
Fla., last January. Dick Toro recently
returned from a business trip to
mainland China. He is planning a
one-month, cross-country trip in July.
Dick plans to be at the 50th. Marty
Newmark reports that he expects a
good reunion turnout from his Pi
Lam fraternity brothers.
By now you are probably a little
tired of my quizzes, which were
intended to stir up memories of our
College days and create some reunion
interest. I heard that some of you did
not do very well on them. So, no
quiz, just remembrances:
•The pregame Lafayette–Lehigh
bonfires
•Pop’s deli sandwiches
•Playing Frisbee with beer trays
•The Deke House fire
•The great basement bars in many
of the fraternity houses
•Interfraternity weekend dances
with the likes of Count Basie
and Stan Kenton
•Basketball games at the old
Alumni Gym
They say that at our age the
reporting of the death of some
classmates each issue must be
expected. A few people have even
suggested that I simply note that they
died and leave it at that. Sorry, not
my style. This time I am especially
saddened because one of the deaths
involves a particularly well-liked
fraternity brother, Bill Hulsizer. Bill
died in March after a lengthy battle
with diabetes. He was living in Boca
Raton, Fla., where he had retired after
many years as a manager for the
International Nickel Co. in NYC. Bill
graduated as a metallurgical engineer,
was a member of Theta Xi fraternity,
and played some lacrosse at Lafayette.
He leaves behind a wife, Carol, two
children, and four grandchildren. A
brother, Ernie ’63, also survives.
Bob Weaver died in January 2009.
I was surprised to find that the College
was not notified of his death for over a
year, since Bob was a popular member
of his community (Darien, Conn.) and
a very successful businessman. Bob had
retired from Chase Bank as a senior
vice president and director of its global
energy group. At Lafayette, Bob was a
member of the golf team, club hockey
squad, and Phi Gamma Delta. He also
served as the sports editor for The
Melange yearbook. Bob’s passion was
golf, and he was a member of the Wee
Burn Country Club in Darien and the
prestigious Royal & Ancient Golf Club
of St. Andrews in Scotland. Bob was
married for 48 years to Linda Nims
Weaver. They married when Bob was a
senior at Lafayette. In addition to his
wife, Bob is survived by two children
and five grandchildren.
Talk about a small world. When at
Lafayette, Ed Auble and Bob Weaver
figured that they were distant cousins.
It turns out that Ed’s grandmother
and Bob’s grandfather were cousins
from relatives born in Pennsylvania’s
Saucon Valley.
I wish to thank those classmates
who responded to my request for
news. I hope to hear from more of
you. Once again, I wish to remind
you to please send Dick Webster an
update (and photos, if possible) for
the reunion yearbook, even if you are
not certain you will be attending.
1962
Jim Hartsel
10755 Moss Hill Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45249-3640
(513) 489-6786
jharts1940@aol.com
President: Jeffrey Ruthizer
Fund Manager: John R. Weis
Reunion Chairs: James A. Lyttle,
James M. Montgomery Jr.,
Gale R. “Sandy” Schwilk
Web Page Administrator: Jim Hartsel
Kay and I returned from three
months in Florida and were happy to
find that the mailbox contained
several items for the class column.
Sadly, there is also the inevitable
obituary, so let us deal with that first.
The College forwarded me a death
notice for Steven Streisfeld, 68, of
Delray Beach, Fla., who passed away
July 28, 2008. Services were held at
the Beth Israel Memorial Chapel,
Boynton Beach. That is all I know,
so I ask any of you who might have
more particulars on Steve’s passing
and his recent life activities to please
forward them to me so we can
properly remember a fine member
of our class.
Howard Rednor, the
correspondent for the Class of ’68,
took the time to clip a long
newspaper article from the Bucks (Pa.)
Courier Times and forward it to me
for use in our class column. I
appreciate Howard’s thoughtfulness,
as it is a warm and inspiring article
about the retirement, career, and
high values of John Rufe.
I think all of us who knew John
during our years on the Hill would
agree that he was a rock-steady
person of high standards and solid
values. I sang in the choir with him
and know that he was a principled
and circumspect person. It is no
wonder, then, to learn that during his
career of over 20 years on the bench
as a Bucks County judge, he earned
a reputation as a caring, fair, and
compassionate (but firm) dispenser
of justice to all who came before him.
In fact, to commemorate John’s
career and recent retirement,
a portrait of him will hang in the
county courthouse in Doylestown,
Pa. The newspaper article featured
a color photograph of John standing
next to the painting and a headline
that spoke volumes about John’s
career: “A Portrait of Compassion.”
John presided over some
sensational, high-profile cases and
became known for his low tolerance of
bad courtroom behavior and cellular
telephone interruptions. But he made
his most significant impressions in
closed-door hearings: overseeing the
fate of foster children in dependency
cases. He made countless heartwrenching
decisions regarding saving
or rendering asunder the ties that bind
families. All in all, John earned a solid
“A++” reputation for coming down
on the side of the children.
Life has not been all roses for
John, though. He was diagnosed
with Parkinson’s in 1994 but has
continued to work and enjoy life
through the benefits of modern
medicine. Since he reached the
mandatory retirement age of 70 last
year, he has remained on duty as a
68 lafayette • SUMMER 2010 For photos, articles, and Alumni Updates, see Lafayette Magazine Online