Set Our Feet on Lofty Places 88 Days A Writer and His Image - Alumni

“This is being written on the 64th anniversary of the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of those
events that some Colgate classmates may hardly recall and others remember with the vividness of
yesterday’s headline. I’m of the latter group. As Roosevelt died, dozens of servicemen who would
graduate in the Colgate Class of 1949 were fighting in Asia. And servicemen who would be Colgate
classmates lost their commander in chief.” — David S. Davies ’49
thinking of classmates at Reunion time. Says
he has 4 children and 8 grandchildren in good
health. Ray Krehel, who served Colgate well for
many years, writes from Marcellus, NY, that he
and Anita have had 52 good years together and
are “hanging in there” despite aches and pains
and joint replacements that seem to be working
well. From Pasadena, CA, Gordon Fish writes that
he’s still “reasonably healthy” after 10 years as a
banker, 28 as a rancher, and 26 years retired. He
and Constance just celebrated 55 years of marriage
“and enjoy doing whatever comes to mind.”
Says he hears from Jay Goerk in Manasquan,
NJ, but no one else. Three thousand miles to
Reunion? “No thanks. Out of the question.”
Parker Lille, who retired as a major from the
Marines and lives with wife Mary, p/t in Cincinnati
and p/t out on Lake Moraine Rd in Hamilton,
writes that he has survived heart failure and
stroke and is glad to be alive. He and Mary
celebrated 61 years of marriage Feb 1. Paul B Van
Nostrand writes from Tallahassee that his traveling
is limited and he won’t be getting to Colgate
for the 60th. Dr Robert Fischer writes that “all
of Colgate was great and will be cherished,” but
that he and wife Pat spend their time in the far
reaches of ME with family and won’t be getting
to Colgate for Reunion, though they did make the
50th. Bob was a doughty quarter-mile competitor.
Cee Mills writes from Bluffton, SC, that her
husband, Robert Mills, died last Nov.
Jerry Palatini says that after spending 40
years in FL, at Plantation just west of Ft Lauderdale,
he and Ellie have joined 2 daughters, a son,
and 6 grandchildren in Rome, GA, “to run out the
clock.” He sends best wishes “to our great Class of
’49.” Tom Pearsall writes from Skidaway Island,
near Savannah, that he and Anne, who came
with him to Colgate as an 18-year-old bride, have
4 children and 7 grandchildren, 1 of whom graduated
from Colgate last year. After Colgate, Tom
had a 20-year career as an Air Force officer and
then 20 years as a prof at the U of MN.
The alumni office has provided me with a list
of the slightly more than 200 ’49er classmates
who have died, and I will send that list to anyone
who wants it. So write, call, e-mail, or whatever.
It will be good to hear from you, and I’ll send you
the list.
David: 440-647-5306; davidsdavies@verizon.net
1950
Bunn Rhea
383 Clearbrook Dr
Avon Lake, OH 44012-3117
Dear classmates: It’s understandable that
Colgate’s pres Rebecca Chopp would want to
squeeze in another college presidency before
she retires. Fortunately, she was able to answer
Swarthmore’s call just at the right time. It was,
indeed, an offer she could not refuse. Her leadership
has added immeasurably to Colgate’s rising
stature among liberal arts colleges. We will miss
her, and we certainly wish her well.
Lyle Roelofs, dean of the faculty, will serve as
interim pres during the search process, and Jill
Harsin, prof of history and director of the Div of
Social Sciences, will become interim provost and
dean of the faculty next year. The search committee
will be headed by Peg Flanagan ’80, VP of
the Bd of Trustees.
Phil Sanford, pres of the Class of 1949, passed
along a postcard he received: “A Christmas greeting
from CT,” from the Hyatts in Avon. We were
pleased to learn that Bob Hyatt is doing well
after open-heart surgery. Phil, who lives in Bluffton,
SC, and Bob were “battery mates” on some of
Colgate’s fine baseball teams way back when. A
Lambda Chi at Colgate, Bob worked in the insurance
business for CT General and MI Reinsurance
for more than 40 years before fully retiring in
1984. Robert Hyatt Jr ’84 is also a Colgate grad.
Joe Flatley (Rochester, NY) and a group of
alums and parents met with Rebecca Chopp and
others from Hamilton at Loblolly Pines in Hobe
Sound, FL, in late Jan. He and his fellow guests
were brought up to date by Pres Chopp concerning
the many challenges facing Colgate.
Joe has maintained a close relationship with
Colgate over the years. After leaving the campus
in 1950, he graduated from the U of Rochester
School of Med and Dentistry in 1954, spent 2
years at OH State U Med Ctr, 2+ years in service
at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research,
and 2 years back at the URSMD in a medicine
and cardio/pulmonary fellowship. He then
practiced medicine and taught at URMC (Strong
Memorial Hospital) for more than 36 years. In
1996, he retired from practice, but he is still active
teaching med students, interviewing/evaluating
prospective med students, and serving on committees
of the URMC Board.
In the winter, he and wife Mary spend about
3 months in FL, where they occasionally run into
Howie Sutliff. Mary is an avid gardener, which
keeps them busy at their home of 47 years in
Brighton on the outskirts of Rochester. They are
also involved in several volunteer and family
activities (3 daughters, 6 grandchildren), play lots
of golf, and make short trips to their farm on the
Hudson River 35 miles north of Albany. The farm
has been in their family since 1862. It is where
Joe grew up; the daughters/families love to go
there.
Also in the Rochester picture were Dave Kluge
and Bob Dickerson. Joe, Dave, and Bob graduated
together from URSMD in 1954. Dave practiced
genl surgery and Bob orthopedics. Both are
now retired. These 3 remain close friends and
enjoy being together. Dave was instrumental
in starting a class scholarship fund at URSMD
and Colgate. Both funds are substantial and are
of immense help to students of limited means.
This is extremely important to Joe because he
received scholarships/job opportunities from
Colgate and URSMD, without which, he says, he
would never have been able to experience higher
ed at any level.
For many years, Joe has assumed that he was
the youngest (DOB 12/27/29) in the Class of 1950.
But he has seen the identical claim made by Alan
Jolly (Bowling Green, KY) or by others on Alan’s
behalf. It has turned out that Alan’s DOB was
9/8/30. Well, OK, nothing wrong with being the
2nd youngest, I guess.
Paul ‘Moon’ Mulligan and yours truly squeezed
in a nice lunch here in Avon Lake in late March.
For one more time we shared the memories
sparked by many football trips in the ’40s. Moon
looks great, better than his 81 years should allow.
We said good-bye to Norman W Keller, who
died “peacefully at home” Oct 30, in Greenwich,
CT. A Sigma Nu at Colgate, he received his MD
from Cornell Med School in 1954. He retired in
1992 from his internal medicine practice of 35
yrs in Greenwich, and volunteered with the
America Cares Foundation with 3 clinics in
Norwalk, Groton, and Danbury. William C Helms
succumbed to cancer May 2, 2008, in NYC. Bill
was a member of Phi Kappa Tau and majored
in sociology/anthropology. And Earl Abell died
Nov 15. He was a WWII vet, and had a wonderful
story about landing in the Philippines, only to sit
on the beach for 2 days waiting for MacArthur
to arrive for a photo op, which required several
takes, to which Earl had a ringside seat. Earl was
a DKE and was predeceased by 2 brothers, John
’44 and Edward ’46 — both DKEs. Earl’s dad, BTW,
was Earl C Abell, one of Colgate’s greatest linemen
and on Walter Camp’s 1915 All-American
team.
Stu Miller wrote us with the latest on Jerry
Shively, “the successful businessman, pilot,
balloonist, scuba diver, and restorer of antique
cars and vintage French farm houses,” who also
squeezed in an MBA from Harvard in 1952 and
retired in 1990 to live in the UK and France. Jerry
has written his 1st novel, and Stu says Jerry is
“one hell of a good writer.” His book is about an
RAF test pilot and British commando stealing
the latest Nazi fighter (that threatened to turn
the tide against the vaunted Spitfire) from a
German field near Cherbourg. Stu calls it “a wonderful
page turner” and a “fun read” with movie
potential.
Stu goes on, “I need to correct Cheever’s report
in the last Scene: I never got schistosomiasis or
raced feluccas on the Nile. A small group of us
hired a Nubian crew in Aswan to take us down
the Nile, stopping at all the famous archeological
sites. We camped at night on small islands along
the way, and used the Nile to bathe. On a bet, I
swam across the Nile, but landed so far down
stream on the other side that the Nubians had to
come and get me, and then pull the damned felucca
up stream from the shoreline.” Apparently,
one does not have to worry about schistosomiasis
in a fast-moving body of water like the Nile.
Nancy and Dick Yale tried to escape the
sub-zero of Binghamton and spent a month in
Naples, where it was, unfortunately, cold. Both
of them have gone for repeated tests, Nancy for
MRIs and CT scans to look for causes of pain,
Dick for a 2nd bone scan to weigh his continual
risk for fractures. He says he must continue
Fosomax and Calcium +D, 1,000 g daily. “On Fri,
April 3, around 10:30 AM and unbeknownst to
us, the Binghamton Massacre of 13 began as we
were heading to Colgate for the Colin Powell
lecture that night. We stayed with Prof Emeritus
Bob Elgie and wife Polly, who drove us to lunch
at Symeon’s, near Utica. As we were leaving,
they introduced us, being from Binghamton, to
the owner. He told us the massacre news, which
was shocking. Despite the news we did enjoy the
Powell lecture about leadership and community
involvement, which was aimed at the students.
As we returned home on Sat, we followed the
news on XM-CNN. Then, on Mon, at the museum
where we are members, a memorial was held for
a docent who was killed in the massacre, as she
was teaching English to a class of immigrants.
Binghamton is devastated, but is healing as you
read this. Best wishes.”
Odds and ends: The Colgate football team has
joined Villanova and the Natl Marrow Donor Program
(NMDP) in their effort to recruit 5,000 new
members to the registry. On April 18, the Colgate
players were in Cotterell Court to assist members
of the Colgate community and area residents
interested in joining the registry. Thousands of
patients with leukemia depend on the NMDP
registry to find a match.
Something new on the campus for most of
you would be the Blackmore Media Ctr, located
on the lower level of the Coop. It is the “state-ofthe-art”
home of the student-run radio station
(WRCU 90.1), which is attracting increased usage
and relevance.
And, for the 3rd time, Donovan’s Pub has been
redone. Ribbon cutting for the newly remodeled
pub was held Feb 17.
Keep the news coming, please. I’d really appreciate
it.
Thanks, and go, ’Gate!
Bunn: 440-933-4137; b.rhea@oh.rr.com;
b.rhea@50news.com
1951
Nels MacCallum
1915 Clark Rd
Rochester, NY 14625-1830
Jack Filler opens with an update from Sandwich,
MA: “I remember you fondly and appreciate the
linkage you provide to Colgate, where in June we
became a 3-generation family thanks partly to
generous alumni support.” (Congrats on that fine
accomplishment, Jack. I remember you fondly,
too — starting from those freshman baseball
days.) “In 2001 I retired from the nation’s oldest
congregational church after 20 years of ministry
and bought an 80-acre horse farm in NC, where
our youngest son taught equine science at the
university. When he moved on, we sold out and
returned home to Cape Cod, where I practiced
as a clinical therapist for 20 years. Now we
are learning the art of retirement, somewhat
reluctantly. But, like our classmates, we recognize
the necessity. Hope you remain well and active
and can still chase a grounder to shortstop.” (I
can, Jack, but the ball has to bounce at least waist
high and there has to be a designated thrower to
get the ball to 1st base.)
Chuck Harff writes from Sewickley, PA: “<strong>Our</strong>
past year has been one of great joy and of great
sorrow! The joy was celebrating our 50th anniversary
with a month-long trip to Australia, followed
immediately by meeting our son Todd ’88
and family for a 3-week tour of S Africa, visiting
game parks and driving the garden route from
Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Sadly, on our return
we found that our son Blair ’84 died in a farm
accident on his farm in Watertown, NY, where
he was a vet. Simultaneously we learned that
my wife, Marion, has cancer, for which she has
had a number of rounds of radiation and chemo.
Happily, Blair’s 3 children are doing well, with the
oldest graduating this year from St Paul’s, where
he is captain of the hockey team. Best regards
to all. PS: Please say ‘hi’ to Joe Flatley ’50 MD
and Bob Reiners.” I will. We see Joe and Mary at
Colgate and U of Rochester functions and at their
club, Oak Hill, where I believe he is still a singledigit
golfer on their championship course (US
Opens, PGA, Ryder Cup, etc). Bob and Margie are
our closest friends and we get together often; in
addition to our Colgate connection, Margie and
Audrey have been best friends since jr high days.
Bob is a 14 handicap at his club and Margie plays
a fine game. Chuck and Marion, we are all deeply
saddened by your sorrows in the past year and
send our sincerest condolences. <strong>Our</strong> son Kyle
has been a resident of the Watertown/Alex Bay
area for more than 20 years; still playing senior
hockey at 48 and coaching his 14-year-old son’s
hockey team. He didn’t know Blair well personally,
but as did the whole community, he says
he admired Blair tremendously, liked him, and
appreciated his accomplishments for the area,
and particularly for its hockey world. He says the
entire community has felt a great loss. Audrey is
a survivor of 2 breast cancer episodes — 1997 and
2004 — both diagnosed early and successfully
treated; she is cancer free. We hope Marion’s
treatments will be as successful.
Rich Heath sends a note from his winter
home in Amelia Island, FL. “We have the honor of
being the tennis family of the year of the NE Section
of the US Tennis Assoc.” Rich and daughter
Susan play (and are successful) in some natl father/daughter
tourneys. And he and his sons —
Tim, the new pres of the NE Tennis Assoc, Steve
’80, Jeff, Scott, and James — compete in and help
promote and manage association tourneys. Keep
being and doing well, Rich!
Jay Hodes writes: “After 50 yrs in LA, 30 in
the same house, we have moved and are now
settled in Santa Rosa, CA, 60 miles north of San
Fran. Despite the stress of moving and leaving
old friends, we never imagined how wonderful
this new life could be. The transition from a
city of millions to this community of 160K has
been easy, thanks to the help of our children and
grandchildren who live nearby. We are grateful
that we are both healthy and still able to enjoy
the wide range of activities available to us here,
intellectual as well as physical. Life is good. One
day at a time.”
Don Smith reports from New Castle, PA, on
a Colgate day in FL: “Nice to talk with you on
March 17. My notes of the March 16 lunch: an
informal but wonderful Naples alumni club
meeting was held at Erin’s Isle Irish Pub. In attendance
from ’51 were Pat and Austin Murphy,
Peg and class pres Tom Walbridge, and Nancy
and I. Other classes were represented by Shirley
and Bob Preston ’50, Herb Dietzel ’52, and Eileen
and Jim Robertson ’67. I had called Tom DeLessio
but Marion said they had a long-planned trip
with 30 church friends and couldn’t make it.
They were missed. The good Lord willing and the
crick don’t rise, we hope to make it again next
year. Prexy Tom also sowed the 1st seeds for our
60th in 2011. In general, health level was good,
all things considered. Lots of aches but nothing
unexpected at our age. Long-time friends from
New Castle, Bob Reed (Grove City ’50) and wife
Lynn (Carnegie Mellon ’53) also joined us. Pres
Tom offered to make Bob an honorary member
of our class if he would pick up the tab for lunch.
Bob allowed as now he already had too many of
his own college obligations. The joke of the day
came from Jim Robertson ’67. I asked him how a
grad of a liberal arts Colgate could get to be the
captain of a US Navy nuclear attack sub and he
responded ‘It’s a liberal US Navy.’ Closing comments:
New friends are like silver, old friends are
like gold. Never miss a chance to polish old gold.
Start thinking about 2011! Go, ’Gate! Go ’51ers!”
Sad news: Zack (Ernest L) Taylor passed away
on Jan 17 in Easton, MD, after a long illness. Next
of kin is his widow, Melissa.
Writing this column in mid-April, and you’ll
be reading it in late July. Maybe it’s the reaction
to the economy blues — or some other malady, or
whatever — but we’ve had a dearth of classmate
responses. When you get your response request
(or anytime you feel like it), please take time to
drop a note. Or a phone call. We want to stay in
touch.
Nels: 585-381-5352; nelsaud@webtv.net
1952
Jackson T King
476 Grace Tr
Orange, CT 06477-2619
I had a nice call from Ted Stratton, former QB
and fraternity brother, who spends half the year
in PA and half the year in FL. He is giving serious
consideration to spending the entire year in FL.
He is retired, plays a lot of golf, and is in generally
good health.
I had a 2nd discussion with Dick Merrill
concerning his interests in attracting military
service vets to Colgate. Dick and his wife stay in
the Hobe Sound area of FL from Oct to April. He
just performed in a play in Hobe Sound that had
3 full-house performances. Dick acted as a “tin
man” with a funnel on his head. Dick is planning
on returning to the Rochester area before May
1. Apparently Art Thompson had a greater part
in the play as he sang “Did you Ever” from High
Society and “Thank Heavens for Little Girls,” a
Maurice Chevalier tune.
Donald Veit, 80, passed away Dec 7 in Calverton,
NY. He is survived by his daughters Victoria
and Nancy. He was predeceased by his wife,
Jean, in 2005. At Colgate, he majored in history
and was a member of Phi Delta Theta, econ club,
psych club, football, and student govt.
Thomas M Ohlweiler Jr, 80, died on Jan 20 in
Jacksonville. He is survived by his widow, Carol.
While at Colgate he was a member of ATO, chorus,
class gift committee, econ club, hockey, Konosioni,
Maroon Key, and Masque & Triangle.
William R Kern Jr, 79, died on Feb 9 in New
Castle, NH. He is survived by his widow, Anne.
While at Colgate he majored in poli sci and was
a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, football, lax,
and sailing. His sons, John S Kern ’76 and David S
Kern ’83, both graduated from Colgate.
I would certainly appreciate hearing from you
by phone, mail, or e-mail.
Jack: 203-795-9111; jtking@kingandshaw.com
1953
Lou Wilcox
20727 Cove Rd
Bivalve, MD 21814-2004
I write this in April to bring you all summer
greetings! I sure hope that you are having a good
summer, and that the economic world is looking
down upon you with favor.
My winter included a trip to FL to bring Jane’s
mother back north for the summer, but alas,
mother decided it was too cold to go north and
stayed in FL until it warmed up here in MD. But,
the highlight of the trip was a visit with Cathy
and Ted von Glahn. Ted and I roomed together
in our sr year and had not seen each other since
graduation save for an all-too-brief visit at the
50th Reunion. I am pleased to report that Ted
and Cathy are living happily in a golf community
in Osprey, FL, a town that, as Ted says, does not
exist. We talked of a million happenings both at
Colgate and after Colgate. The most interesting
thing Ted said to me went as follows. He said
that when he started out on Wall St, a man’s
word was as good as gold. But, he said all this
changed toward the end of his career when
morality went down the drain. In fact, he said
he wished he had retired earlier because his last
5 years on the job were no fun at all. I saw the
same thing in academia.
Gene Schulze and I e-mail back and forth
frequently, and he usually includes some gem
from the world of finance with a quote. His
most recent quote, in Shakespeare’s words:
“I’ll give you such an aigue!” (Old English for
ache). Gene’s worldly piece to me was titled,
“AIG suing taxpayers for its own Panama tax
dodging.” And then leaping from the worldly to
the daily mundane, Gene wrote: “I’m impressed
with your garden plantings. I think of myself as
a gardener, and I’ve only gotten to plant peas
outside and spinach and tomatoes inside. Have
leeks still growing in the garden from last year
and a few strawberry plants survived, and my
blueberry bush started last year. I go back to FL
for a week soon to pick up my wife and dog, and
there I have a container inside a pen (to keep the
animals out and the plants in during hurricanes),
which has beans, broccoli, and tomato plants
starting. My wife is getting addicted to orchids.
A friend gave us a desert rose plant that started
off well but is looking a little sickly now, even
though the FL growing conditions should be
ideal.” Gene virtually commutes back and forth
between FL, where he winters, and CT, where he
summers.
Yes, your ole scribe does a bit of gardening,
though not as much as he did in ME, where I
had an acre under cultivation and here I have 2
plots 20 x 30 and 5 raised beds. Asparagus is up
early this year, and the strawberries are in flower,
again early. Shallots, garlic, and onions I planted
last fall are off to the races and I will harvest
them in July. Tomato and pepper seedlings are
happily growing in my shop and will move to
cold frames soon. Robin Jaycox is also an avid
gardener and grows a prime crop of tomatoes
each summer in Hamilton. He also has many
lovely flower gardens. So, yes, I understand we
should really turn this column into a gardening
column in the summer … but you all will have to
send me notes of what you are gardening!
Bernie Siegel checked in with word of
another book, Faith, Hope, and Healing: Inspiring
Lessons from People Living with Cancer. He says,
“I am doing much caregiving and still lecturing
and getting invited all over the world but do not
choose to travel at this time in my life. Prefer being
home with the love of my wife and houseful
of animals. Peace.”
Bob Troup wrote: “Gen and I left grand old
NY for southern FL several years ago and have
seen a lot of school activity. Football against
FAU (we won), basketball, tennis, and a yearly
luncheon with the president. It’s quiet time now.
Golf, those books I always meant to read, and my
grandkids — they came down with my daughter
a few years ago and they’re still here — are fun.
If anyone comes down, please call and say hello.
We are 15 miles south of West Palm airport in the
village of Golf. God bless.” If anyone would like
Bob’s number, please contact me.
Two class members have passed on since I last
wrote. James Beverley, who spent 44 years as a
stockbroker with Salomon, Smith and Barney,
and Charles W Green, who earned his master’s
degree at Colgate. My apologies, I have no more
info on either James or Charles, but when I get
it, I will pass it on. In the meantime, I send condolences
to their respective families and friends on
behalf of the Class of 1953.
That’s all for this round-up. Sure could use
more news from each and every one of you lest I
have to bring back for exhibition some of Bernie’s
invented characters. Have a good summer! And,
if traveling this way, do stop in here at Bivalve.
Lou: 410-873-2944; bylou13@comcast.net
Maroon’d…
in Adirondack Park, N.Y.
Annie Stoltie ’96 lives in Jay, N.Y., with
her husband, Drew Sprague, and their
son, Asa. She’s the editor of Adirondack
Life. Stoltie is also the co-author of The
Adirondack Book, a guidebook to the
region. Here are her tips:
Hike… the park’s hundreds of state
trails. For a high-altitude experience,
head to the High Peaks Wilderness Area,
where you can scale the state’s loftiest
peak, Mount Marcy. Hard-core hikers
should try the 132-mile Northville-
Placid Trail, an epic route that runs from
one end of the region to the other.
Paddle… the St. Regis Canoe Area, the
Saranacs, or the coastline along Lake
Champlain. For a wilder ride, raft the
white water on the Hudson, Moose, or
Sacandaga Rivers.
Learn… about the Adirondacks’ cultural
history at Blue Mountain Lake’s Adirondack
Museum. The Natural History
Museum in Tupper Lake has cool exhibits,
live critters, and outdoor trails. Fort
Ticonderoga showcases the Adirondacks’
role in American history.
Experience… Whiteface Mountain in
summer and fall, when its trails are open
to mountain bikers and its gondola is
open to leaf-peepers. Drive the Whiteface
Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway,
then take an elevator to the summit
for a 360-degree view of the park.
Stay… at the elegant Mirror Lake Inn,
in Lake Placid, the luxurious Lake Placid
Lodge, or, for hikers who want proximity
to High Peaks trailheads, the rustic
Adirondak Loj, also in Lake Placid. The
Hedges, in Blue Mountain Lake, has
lakeside cabins perfect for families; the
Point, built by the Rockefellers, is an exclusive
getaway on Upper Saranac Lake.
Have tips for people who might be
maroon’d in your area? Write us at
scene@colgate.edu and put Maroon’d in
the subject line.
48 scene: Summer 2009
News and views for the Colgate community 49