AndoverMagSpring2015

stay connected...1939PHILLIPSJoseph F. AndersonMeadow Ridge100 Redding Road, Apt. 2118Redding CT 06896803-767-1667jfanders@truvista.netAs I write, it’s February in Connecticut, withsnow piled high outside and temperatures flirtingwith zero. Fortunately, we don’t need to brave theoutdoors. Instead, we just postpone those doctors’appointments. The cold weather also provides anopportunity to talk with some of our classmatesand write these notes.I begin with the sad news that Jack Castles hasdied at his home in Callawassie, S.C. Jack, a goodfriend for many years, spent summers in Vermontuntil recently with his lovely and most engagingwife, Mindy. In 2014, they made Callawassie theirpermanent residence. Jack is remembered atAndover as an excellent wrestler, never losing amatch. That skill continued at Yale, where he wasalso undefeated during the regular season. His loneloss was in the NCAA tournament to someonefrom one of the Western states. Jack spent manyyears as an attorney at Lord Day & Lord in NewYork. His passion in later years was golf, and mostafternoons in Vermont he spent considerable timeat Ekwanok on the practice range, honing his game.He was very proud of two teenage grandsons withsingle-digit handicaps.Win Bernhard favored me with another mostpleasant phone visit. As you may remember fromthe last notes, Win graduated from Harvard inthree years. After service with the Ninth Air Force,he returned to school for graduate work in earlyAmerican history. He earned a PhD degree andthen began a teaching career at the University ofMassachusetts, which lasted until his retirement,several years ago. Win credits Andover and histeachers with stimulating his interest in history.Like most of ours, Win’s recollections are dimmedwith age. He does recall his French teacher, JamesGrew, and his classmate Tom Flournoy. In hisearly 90s, Win is soft-spoken, obviously quiteerudite, and thoroughly nice to talk to. His wife of57 years, Mary Elizabeth, is also a scholar: She’san expert on Emily Dickinson, considered one ofAmerica’s most important poets.Danny Dannenbaum continues to be full ofwit and sharp of mind even though, like most ofus, he requires the help of a walker. His infirmityseems strange to me, as I haven’t seen Danny sincehe was a 15-year-old, navigating with great skillthe Andover pool. I asked Danny if he was readingmuch, and he responded he was currently readinga book about pianos. This suggested anotherquestion: “Did you or do you now play?” Dannyresponded in the affirmative but quickly added thathe gave it up because he found Bach too difficulta challenge. He and his wife look forward to theupcoming summer and spending time at the familyhome in Maine.An effort to reach Jack Sullivan put me intouch with his daughter and son-in-law, who livein New Canaan, Conn. It seems Jack has had a hipreplacement and is currently receiving therapy atWaveny Care Center in New Canaan. We wishJack well as he continues to gain strength with hisnew hip.Faelton Perkins likes his new home in Ewing,N.J. Like most of us, he has downsized, in hiscase after living for 32 years in his Connecticuthome. He and his wife, Pauline, have eightchildren between them and many grandchildren.The Perkins family has many happy outings atChristmas and other times throughout the year.Of all of our classmates, I suspect Faelton is mostdiligent in maintaining his Andover ties. We spokewith affection about the late Don Quarles, whomFaelton saw often on his visits to Cape Cod.Herb Fletcher continues to live in Tarzana,Calif., with his wife of 67 years. I asked Herb,a retired member of the Academy of MotionPictures Arts and Sciences, about this year’s Oscarnominees. He told me he had not been activefor several years, so his opinions were minimal.His health continues to be good, although hehad a recent two-day visit to the hospital withan infection. “It took a lot out of me, but I’verecovered nicely,” says Herb. He speaks proudly ofhis children and grandchildren. The Fletchers’ sonPhillip ’75 graduated from Andover and Columbiaand is an attorney with offices in London andWashington. Their daughter is a highly successfulspeech pathologist. A granddaughter is a studentat Duke.As noted in the last class notes, my wife, Molly,and I now live in a beautiful life-care community,Meadow Ridge, in Redding, Conn. I’m in awheelchair most of the time, the result of a nerveproblem in my legs. It’s different but manageable.Molly and I will celebrate 67 years of married life inMay. We’ve enjoyed a full and active life, like mostof our classmates in the Class of 1939. If I haven’tcalled you, please call me at 203-544-7089. Bestwishes to everyone.1940ABBOTNadene Nichols Lane125 Coolidge Ave., #610Watertown MA 02472617-924-1981This year I’ll travel again to see my families. I’llgo to London for a month, then on to Dubai andto Islamabad, Pakistan, for two months. In Aprilall the Lanes planned to meet in Atlanta for mygranddaughter’s wedding. I expected to be homeby the middle of April.PHILLIPSBlake Flint1762 Bay St., No. 401Sarasota FL 34236-7751941-955-9396cbflint@comcast.netIn an earlier column I had lamented that theClass of 1940 had no returnees to the reunionin 2014. Lo, there is Manny Cadenas smiling atus from the pages of the fall issue of the alumnimagazine. I have not been able to reach Manny fora reunion report; he and Brad Murphy are ourtwo reunion stalwarts.Dick Hale and his wife, Janine, have beenmarried almost 50 years. Dick spends time at twohistorical societies and still maintains ties withforestry and logging groups, having taught forestryat the University of Maine. Dick lives in Bethel,Maine, in the midst of ski country. Asked if he evercomes South for the winter, Dick replied that hecame to Florida for a two-week visit to a friend, andthat was enough!Don Forsyth is still living independently, inWebster, N.Y. He reports that life is good, providedone follows two instructions: (1) Play golf at leastonce a week, using an executive cart, and (2)Play cards with friends at least twice a week. Donalso goes three times a week for exercise. He alsomentioned that when standing up straight, hehas a tendency to fall over backward. This soundsfamiliar, as your scribe has felt the same sensation.Bars Barian lives in North Chatham, Mass., onCape Cod. At 94, Bars is still living independentlyand still driving. He doesn’t even use a cane! Heput an addition on his house so his son could movein after retiring. While Bars does drive, he doesnot drive far. Happily, he is able to take a bus intoBoston when he wants to attend the symphony.(Note: Isn’t it amazing to realize some of us areliving so long we see our children retire?)It is with sorrow that we report the deaths ofthree more classmates.Arthur Eno died Aug. 6, 2014. Louie, as weknew him, was a lifelong resident of Lowell, Mass.Except during college and the war, he never livedmore than 20 minutes from the city. Louie wasaccepted into Harvard at age 14 but spent one yearat Andover first. He served in the Signal Section ofthe Army in Morocco, Italy, France, and Germany.After a year at the Sorbonne, he returned to the U.S.to get his law degree from Harvard. He was deeplycommitted to Lowell, writing histories, and servingvarious commissions and associations. His wife,Ann, survives him. They were married 56 years.Tom Barrows died Jan. 25, 2014. Tom servedwith the Combat Engineers, 106th Infantry Division,in the Battle of the Bulge. (The 106th tookthe brunt of the battle.) After returning home, hebegan working for the Shepard and Morse LumberCompany, and he went on to become president.Tom was a longtime resident of Weston andMarblehead, Mass., and had deep attachments to66 Andover | Spring 2015