Class Notes by Neil Kiely

Fall, 2018

Spring, 2020

This will be the final Class Notes column before we are together for our 50^th Reunion on campus in June. Planning for this memorable event is well underway and by the time you read this column I hope that you will have decided to join us. There will be many classmates who will be returning to campus for the first time in 50 years….and we can’t wait to see you again! Last week I shared a wonderful dinner with John Hirsch and Rajan Batra. Rajan was on the east coast for a business meeting. He spends over 150 nights per year on the road and is always on the lookout for Hoggers! He was recently meeting with the Minister of Tourism for Bermuda, told him about honeymooning on the island and that he went to school with someone who he thought worked on the island. And that is how he caught up with Bruce Barker who wrote: How very nice to hear from you. I was in Spain when I received your message and I am now back in the UK. It is difficult to believe that it has been 49 years since our days at Mt Hermon. I have thought of you on various occasions, so it was a most pleasant surprise to receive your message. I have been living between the UK, Bermuda and southern Spain for around 9 years now. I have been married to Fay who is Welsh for 22 years, hence living in the UK. I have one son, Daniel, 38 from my first marriage and he lives in Bermuda. I also have two step-sons Matthew 34 and Andrew 31 who live in the UK. I am an architect and had a professional practice in Bermuda for about 15 years before I came to the UK in 1995. I don’t ever hear anything from NMH and so was not aware of the reunion next year. Are you planning to attend? It is indeed a small world. All the best Bruce. Speaking of Bruce, it was nice to hear from Bruce Ledowitz who shared: “I am the host of a new podcast series entitled Bends Toward Justice which asks a simple, but fundamental question—do we agree with Dr. King that arc of the moral universe bends toward justice? The guests in the series provide a variety of perspectives on that question. The goal of the podcast is for the listener to understand what is at stake in this question and to come to a decision. The second project I am working on is a biweekly column in a new online newspaper, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.  The column is about finding common ground in this hyper partisan era.  Anyone interested can just google the newspaper and then my name. As most of you probably know by now, Jake Duvall died unexpectedly last fall while scuba diving off the coast of MA. It was going to be his last cold-water dive of the season. His hobby was as an international diver and under-water photographer. Jake showed up for his first reunion at our 40^th and immediately became a force in our class as he threw himself into reconnecting with long lost classmates. He attended most of the Gene Ward organized mini-reunions every summer where he shared his wine expertise (and many sample bottles!) as well as his gourmet cooking skills and genuine zest for life. He was a great guy who you couldn’t help but love and had quickly become a huge force in our class. Steve Kempe was touched to write: “Obviously, Jake was quite a guy with an interesting life. As an avid diver and underwater photographer, I wonder if we ever crossed paths without knowing it!” It looks like our 50^th Reunion will include a first-time appearance by Tom Kastner who writes: “I am resisting retirement from my career as an architect like the plague and splitting my time between Washington (state) and south Florida (Palm Beach). Alive and kicking and trying to convince my fingers to re-learn the guitar. I am so looking forward to our 50th. Thank you for all your hard work in keeping us informed and energized.” Classmates continue to come out of the woodwork, and I love it! Basil Hostage checks in from the other side of the pond: “Our daughter Jess is expecting her first child in Jan/Feb. Saddest thing, my younger/youngest brother Eric died suddenly in June. Vic dislocated her hip and fractured her pelvis in Sept while we were on a walking holiday in the Dolomites. Hoping to have chance to get to reunion, still hard to plan that far in advance.” John Gordon reports that: “Life is good. Working half time now. More golf. Family is well. Granddaughter Lily will be two in January. Looking forward to the 50th!” Dave Ericson is still selling real estate on the shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington, VT with hopes to scale back beginning in mid-2021. Dave still plays competitive tennis, with his wife Karin, on a national level and they are grandparents of 5. Steve Johnson just bought a second home in the Burlington area (for a while this area was his primary residence) so he looks forward to seeing him more often going forward. Steve is “slogging away in the salt mines” of the nonprofit world, serving on various NGO and foundation boards.  He recently became a MA Supreme Court Access to Justice Fellow, promoting justice for society’s disenfranchised. At a recent meeting he ran into Mark Polebaum, a 2019 Fellow who spent his career in the stratosphere of corporate law in Boston and beyond. They hadn’t seen each other since graduation in 1970. Proving that he is in much better shape than many of us, Gene “Geno” Ward completed a 100-mile hike on the Haute Route in Switzerland, traveling from Chamonix to Zermatt. The route took him over eight 9,000-foot passes and a sum of 60,000 feet of elevation change on the 10-day trip. That was not something on my ‘bucket list’…and still isn’t! Mike Pontius has officially moved to Mexico on a full-time basis. Cornell Hills is so excited for reunion that he made hotel reservations last September. What’s the matter a single bed in Crossley Cornell…. doesn’t appeal to you??!! He offered the following contribution which he called: You Know You’re Headed for Your 50^th Reunion When: You bring your 1970 Reunion hat on vacation to Virginia Beach to take a picture in front of Neptune with your family and remember to do it as you’re driving back home!

Immediately after your youngest’s wedding in New Jersey last spring, you finally complete downsizing and moving to a place where neither you nor your wife know anyone…and your wife wonders why life is punishing her.

In a few short months, your wife falls in love with your new ’empty nester’ home on the edge of the harbor in Baltimore’s Federal Hill with a full 8th-floor view of the downtown skyline and the harbor…and you’re a hero again.

You’re all psyched up to offer a DABS (dance and exercise class) at the NMH Class of 1970 Reunion – with a $1,000 donation on the line – and remember: “oh yeah, gotta replace that left hip soon.”

You schedule the left hip replacement just before Christmas because it’s no big deal. You’ve already been through this with your right hip and were DAB’ing again in a couple of months.

You must get off your butt and invite Ted Swett and Ann to dinner but then rationalize that they won’t have to drive all the way down to Virginia so put it off.   

You feel Neil’s pain for class notes and finally submit something…

Thanks for the submission Cornell and to all of you who ‘answer the call’ a couple times a year. Before signing off for the last time before reunion I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the passing of three classmates, two of whom who I was fortunate to have become closer to in the years since graduation. John “JD” Martin died last July after a valiant fight against Mesothelioma. An ordained Minister JD had spent most of his career in academia. We knew

each other at MH but not that well but when I saw that a Rev. JD Martin had been chosen to lead the St. Andrew’s School in Barrington, RI where we lived, I knew it had to be him…and it was! As it turned out ex MH Faculty member David Burnham had been an interim Head of the school and he and JD had kept in touch. John did a phenomenal job at St. Andrews. The enrollment (quality and quantity) grew tremendously, the physical plant expanded greatly, and the basketball team was often ranked in the Top 25 nationally. We were fortunate to send our youngest son for 2 years and the experience was life changing for him. John was never able to attend NMH reunions as they always fell on the same weekend as his own Commencements. As a result, he was determined and anxious to attend our 50^th even as he fought his illness. While that won’t happen, he was able to reconnect with many classmates by attending a couple of our Hogger mini-reunion Adventures in northern New England. His wife Sheila told me at his funeral that he was absolutely thrilled to reconnect with so many old friends and to make so many new while spending times in the great outdoors which he loved. He even instituted a Mountain Day at St. Andrews! We also lost Jake Duvall last October after scuba diving off the coast of Gloucester, MA. He was an avid and accomplished diver and underwater photographer and pursued both passions around the world. The first reunion Jake attended was the 40^th and I remember him telling me at dinner Saturday night; “I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to get back here with all of you”. From there on he really made up for lost time. It was rare for him to miss one of our Adventures where he exhibited a passion for life like few others. He was a gourmet cook (or so he claimed!) and was extremely well versed in wines from around the world since he sold them for a living. He had a somewhat mischievous gleam in his eye just like he did when he arrived on campus over 50 years ago from Virginia. He was also an incredible musician and Collins Lein wrote and recorded a song about him for his memorial he will share at reunion. Also gone much to early is George “Bush-man of Hog” Turner who died last October. He lived an incredible and accomplished life as an architect, much of it spent in VT. He was a true Renaissance Man who pursued his loves of: music, snow skiing, sailing and mountain biking internationally. His senior year roommate, Bruce Berk, thought he had finally tracked him down and was trying to verify his contact information when he learned that he had died. Bruce then went to look at his yearbook and remembered a funny story. George couldn’t find his tie the day that class pictures were being taken so he borrowed Bruce’s. I just checked and yes, they are both wearing the same tie in their senior portraits!

Look forward to seeing you in June!!

Fall, 2018

I have just returned from an Alumni Council weekend at NMH. I was helping two classes with their reunions, one of which was 1973 as they celebrated their 45th. I also spent time with the 50^th reunion class of 1968.  I picked their collective brains and spent time in their headquarters lounge (Crossley) to help us plan our own in less than two years. Mark your calendars; especially those that have NEVER been back! Rick Brown was inducted into the NMH Athletic Hall of Fame during the weekend. He was a member of the undefeated wrestling team during the winter of 1968 and came up from his new home in the Carolinas. University of Idaho History Professor Dale Graden recently taught a course on Ernest Hemingway in Havana and says; “there is no substitute for reading an author’s work in the same place that they lived”. He has also taught courses in Spain and Venezuela on civil war and revolution and the aftermath. Speaking of Ernest Hemingway, Ed Dehn just completed a one man show on the London stage where he played him in the last hour of his life before his suicide. One of the most difficult parts of the play for Ed was performing with an American accent! He is “seriously considering attending our reunion in 2020”. Dave Hawley returned to campus last year. He commented that it looks terrific. He met Dave and Joanne (Smolensk N ’70) Freeman for dinner. He continues to summer on Sebago Lake in ME. AJ Eckert has no plans to retire from real estate any time soon but he is traveling more. Recent trips include Portugal and Spain and they plan an extended trip to Australia when their daughter moves there later this year. After 40 years with the same company Mark Vokey has taken his printing and sales experience to Journeyman Press in Newburyport, M A. Besides the exciting new challenge he loves the fact that his commute has gone from over an hour to 6 minutes! His children, including an NMH ’00 grad, have blessed him and Melissa with 5 grandchildren—so far! After 10 years of planning and execution Steve Chaisson says that “Co-Housing in Belfast, ME is finally feeling like a normal life”. Gardening and playing music in his studio take up much of his time. Steve still has 45^th Reunion CD’s available from the AJ Eckert and Collins Lein performance if you are interested. I know I enjoy listening to mine. Steve also ‘enjoys the NMH Class of 1970 page on Facebook’. Cornell Hills and Alex Lotocki met for lunch in VA when Alex was dropping his NMH grad daughter at UVA. Some of you may recall Cornell organizing a Saturday morning exercise class at the last reunion. He has refined it further and has offered to initiate one for ALL attendees on campus for the 2020 reunions (classes ending in 0 and 5). He would like it to be a fundraiser toward our class gift with a goal of $1,000. His program is called DABS (Dance Aerobics and Body Sculpting) and is exercise set to upbeat and energizing music. Thank for the offer Cornell. “A hearty ‘Wie Gehts’ from Cornell to Tom Cherry, wherever you are.” John Witty wrote to tell me that his senior year roommate Tom Durwood has written three adult historical fiction novels. It was fun to look them up and see them on Amazon, all with great reviews. Congrats Tom! Rick Lovett’s son Zachary just graduated from his alma mater Yale and his daughter just graduated from Nobles and Greenhough and is headed to Georgetown. She suffered a severe concussion while there and had to take a leave during which she interned at the Concussion Legacy Foundation which runs the brain bank at BU where so much work is being done on CTE with the NFL. At 12:01on her 18^th birthday she became the youngest person ever to pledge their brain to science. Jeff Marks is fully retired after which he went on a ‘fabulous tour of Egypt’. In retirement he is a part time Uber driver and directs a choir in Port Charlotte, FL where they live when not on Peaks Island in ME during the summer. Great to hear from Karl Horne who, after 36 years in the same house, job and marriage, retired in May from Seattle City Light. Their retirement home is on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. “My health is good but requires a daily trip to the gym”, Karl says. As you may recall Tom Baldwin only makes money when he is away from home working as a disaster insurance adjuster. Last year he has hardly been home at all. Stints of several weeks to various cities were augmented by 2 ½ months in Minneapolis and over three months in Philadelphia. In early May the NMH Class of 1970 was well represented at the memorial service of Carroll Bailey in Andover, MA. Neil and Laurie (Reich N’70), Mark Carta, Ted Martellini, Bruce Berk, Dale Silver, Mark Vokey and John Witty were joined by Kerry (McCollester N’70) Smith and Eric Crone MH ’69. It was a wonderful celebration of the life of a wonderful guy and friend of our class. One of the Eulogists was former MH faculty member and Coach Hal McCann. It is the end of an era for sure.By the time you read this I am confident that the 50^th Reunion Committee will have had another on campus meeting and that you will have been contacted by a 50^th Reunion Yearbook committee member. Being with the Class of ’68 for their 50^th really drove home, not only how close our own 50^th is, but more important just how much fun it is going to be. Regardless of your involvement over the years or even your experience as a student I hope that you can put that aside and join us. We want to see each and every one of you in June 2020!

Fall, 2012

By the time you read this our second annual MH ’70 Mini-Reunion will have taken place in Maine. Titled “Turf and Surf” the trip will include a hike up Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park and a white water rafting trip on the Penobscot River. Details and an injury report in my next column! Peter Huntsman checked in with a truly heartwarming story. Deanna, his wife of two years, has been the guardian of her 8 and 9 year old niece and nephew for the last 6 years. It was their understanding that the 3^rd child in the family, Angel, was living with her mother in Japan.  Last fall it came to their attention that Angel (7) had in fact been in an orphanage since she was an infant. For several months they worked with the US Embassy, State Department and the orphanage in an attempt to get custody. In June they flew to Tokyo where they were met by 2 orphanage and 3 embassy officials, and Angel. They brought her home to CT to be united with her siblings Joshua and Jasmine. Angel, who only speaks Japanese at the moment, joins her acquired siblings, sisters 26 and 22 and brother 23. Peter, who the children call “Daddio”, states that “I’m pretty much smiling all the time”. Peter, it is easy to see why…congrats!  Bruce Berk, Greg Szumowski, Jesse Eichenbaum, John Gordon, AJ Eckert, Ted Martellini and Sam Brett recently completed their 24^th Annual Hoggers Golf Tournament, this time in Myrtle Beach. The green jacket was won by Jesse who recently sold his chain of veterinary clinics in NC which will allow him to spend more time in CO where they lived for years before moving east. It would appear that if we ever want to see Jesse or Sam we will have to attend one of these tournaments because I can’t remember the last time either attended a reunion. Mark Jacobsen just celebrated 32 years of marriage but can’t figure out why ‘each year she gets better and I get worse looking’. Mark has also developed a neurological disorder that they are trying to control with meds, so far not successfully. At the moment it is affecting two of his great loves—playing tennis and motorcycle riding. He enjoys bantering with Steve Row, ‘the only liberal Baptist I’ve ever met’. Speaking of Steve Row, heis ‘still in school and still broke’. He still hopes to write and publish two books before he dies; My Journeys as a Pastor and My Faltering Attempts to Harmonize Theoretical Physics with My Faith. Steve, I’m not sure what the 2^nd title even means but if you write it I’ll buy it!   Steve Chiasson just completed his first year as Student Info. Syst. Mgr. in Skowhegan, ME schools. ‘Went better than expected and going forward I can work from home which will help a great deal when we move to Belfast Co-Housing Village in Aug. ’13.’ This move is a huge downsize so they have already started to go through 35 years of accumulated ‘stuff’ in preparation for the move. Alex Lotocki’s daughter just completed her freshman year at NMH and is attending summer school on campus for the second year in a row. She loves it and Alex and wife Susan are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to be on campus multiple times during the year. Alex is downsizing his condo in NYC and recently discovered a 42 year old roll of undeveloped B & W film. It was intact and revealed amazing shots of the campus which showed just how many of the stately elm trees around campus were destroyed by the Dutch Elm disease plague of the 70’s. Alex is looking for a copy of our senior Gateway yearbook and is willing to pay $100. Let me know if you have one you are interested in selling. Bruce Parmly is Property Manager for 180 individually owned units in Topsail Island, NC. He is looking to get back into an executive position with a conventional 3-5 star hotel anywhere in the US. Bruce recently became an ordained Deacon in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Ron Berglas is ‘engaged carefully and happily to Carol’ who he hopes to marry in 3 years. Ron has three children from his previous 2 marriages and is a first time grandfather. His granddaughter lives in London where Ron acted for many years. In addition to teaching Ron is currently broadcasting on the local PBS station in CA. Jeff Marks recently celebrated his 25^th wedding anniversary. The party took place at their second home, which hopefully will be where he retires, in Peaks Island, ME.  Stan Stalla wrote from Bujumbura, Burundi, Africa where he works as a Food for Peace Officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He has held similar positions on several continents during his 33 year career. He hopes to ‘hang up my overseas cleats’ in 2016 and reunite with is US based wife Patricia ‘at our lovely little home that overlooks Maine’s Penobscot Bay. Mark Andrew was laid off in Feb. when gas prices began to fall. He is now working as a consultant in the oil and gas industry. You may remember that Tom Kastner had to pull out of our last reunion at the last minute because of a job interview in Dubai. Nothing happened at that time but he is about to go to Dubai for a minimum of 6 months. He will be ‘working on housing and health care projects, in particular hospital design and construction, for the Kingdom which intends to spend billions.’ He is ‘not looking forward to the heat but I’m thrilled that I won’t have to pay taxes’. Tom Durwood very much wanted to attend mini-reunion this summer but was asked to teach courses at the Naval War College. He will be teaching Basic Communication and Public Speaking to groups of Naval Seals. His eBook, Teddy’s Tantrums, has been released. It discusses a little known incident during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt when in  1906 he summarily dismissed 167 members of the 25^th Infantry in what one historian called, ‘one of the most glaring miscarriages of justice in American history’. I was recently asked to serve a term on the NMH Alumni Council. My subcommittee is the Reunion Advisory Committee (RAC). We work closely with classes about to have reunions in an effort to offer guidance, suggestions and any needed support. This June one of my classes was 1972. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Even though I wasn’t close to many of them 40 years ago I certainly recognized their names and faces and we had lots to talk about since we shared so many of the same experiences. It was fascinating to hear them talk about the two years after we left, especially since they were the first class to graduate after the merger. It is still my goal to gather 100% of your email addresses (for my use only) and to report on ALL of you between now and our 50^th reunion in 2020! Appreciate your helping me reach that goal.

 Spring, 2012

As mentioned in my last column an MH ’70 Mini-Reunion was planned for August 2011. The driving force was first time reunion attendee (40^th) Eugene “Geno” Ward. Twelve classmates registered for a three day, two night adventure in the White Mountains of NH. Participants included: Gene Ward, Alex Lotocki, Andy Perry, Mark Carta, Bill Brundage, Tom McCarty, Jon Romig, Steve Johnson, Bruce Berk, Jake Duvall and Neil Kiely. Robert Horne was scheduled to join us but a last minute family issue prevented his participation. We met at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and were then driven by AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) van to the beginning of the Airline Trail. We hiked over 18 miles in the course of the three days, most of it above the tree line. Five of the highest peaks in the state included: Washington (6288’), Adams (5799’), Jefferson (5712’), Monroe (5372’) and Madison (5366’). We stayed in Madison and Lake of the Clouds AMC huts. It was an incredible experience but probably the most physically demanding three days of my life. It was the first time anyone had seen Tom, Bill or Jon in 41 years so having them participate was terrific. Although there were varying degrees of ability and experience on the trip everyone was wonderful about not pushing too hard and enjoying our time together. We ate breakfast and dinner together in the huts. They were delicious and plentiful. The weather was unusually spectacular. We had all prepared for the worst; rain, snow, cold. According to those in our group who have hiked this area in August, we were very fortunate to not experience the severe conditions possible. We hit some drizzle as we came down through the clouds but that was a minor inconvenience. After the trip we had lunch at Smokehouse right outside No. Conway where we laughed, told stories, received souvenirs courtesy of Gene and promised to make this an annual event. The ‘hiker friendly’ restaurant was kind enough to give us a private room which was a good idea as we were more than a little ‘gamey’! As we all talked about at the last reunion we plan to have more ‘mini-reunions’ going forward. There is a trip to ME in the works to climb Mt. Katahdin and go white water rafting later this summer. In addition, the six MH and N ’70 attendees at Vespers last month (I am writing this on New Year’s Day) agreed that since we have so much fun when we get together we really should make a more concerted effort to plan mini-reunions. Ideas are being discussed for events that would appeal to a wider range of classmates (male and female) and which would not have limitations on the number of participants. If you have any thoughts (and they don’t have to be in New England) please drop me an email. I can tell you that the Alumni Office is trying to start an NMH Club of Southern New England. If that happens we would have access to some interesting and enjoyable events for all. Mark Carta just announced that he is opening his own law firm. The new firm, Carta, McAlister & Moore, will locate in Darien, CT and concentrate on employment law and commercial litigation. In my last column I mentioned Tom Baldwin and the unusual lifestyle he leads due to his occupation. Case in point; he has been in RI since August 31. He was sent here right after Hurricane Irene did so much damage in New England. He works as an independent insurance adjuster, making sure that the field adjusters properly (and quickly) document and remedy residential insurance claims. He drove here from Oklahoma City. Other than a short stint home for Christmas he has been here ever since. He will complete his work here in January. He only gets paid when he is in the field working and commented that, “it is strange to make my living as a result of disasters which cause physical, emotional and financial pain to our customers”. I have enjoyed reconnecting with Tom over the last couple of months. We have gotten together a couple of times. He also attended Homecoming and Christmas Vespers on campus. His mother used to work at the school and still lives on Main St. in Northfield. When I returned from Homecoming I sent a broadcast email to both classes (MH and N ‘70). It was an attempt to connect with everyone and share the events of the weekend. What followed was totally unexpected but wonderful. My email generated a great deal of comment and discussion. It started with a response from a Northfield classmate. The back and forth went on for a couple of weeks and included many. For the most part it was a positive dialogue which demonstrated some of the frustration and misunderstanding that still exists among many classmates about the closing of the Northfield campus. I especially appreciated the insight of Jonathan Blackman, a former Trustee, who was able to add his first hand perspective on the decision making process over many years. I think the discussion was a valuable exercise and exchange of different ideas and viewpoints……so positive that I have been encouraged by many to share it with the school and/or with all of you. This discussion is a perfect example of why it would be helpful and important to have emails for every classmate. You can send yours to me (N to Deborah Brooke) and be included immediately. If you would prefer that I not share your email with the school I can do that as well; and already have for several classmates. Sorry that this column is so short but I am on deadline and frankly have not heard from any more of you. Hope you we can change that in 2012!!

Fall, 2011

By the time you read this 12 “Hoggers” will have (hopefully!) completed a 3 day hike in the Presidential range in NH. This mini-reunion was organized by the originator of the terms ‘Hog” and “Hogger”, our own Gene Ward. Pictures and lots of stories to follow I’m sure! Hearing from many of you who have or are about to turn the Big 60. Congrats to all who have achieved this milestone. I also heard from Hap Schadler who said he is, “still the baby of the class at 58”. He just returned from a 30 day cruise through the So. Pacific. Worst part was realizing that many on board (his age) were already retired! I was thrilled to hear from Ross Doloff’s wife Care who says that Ross is home and ‘continues to push hard in his stroke recovery following surgery two years ago’. He gets around with a cane and is acclimating to computer use which has been frustrating since he had been ‘somewhat of a computer geek’. Ross ‘thinks fondly of his MH days and would love to hear from classmates or have them visit in Boston’. rdolloff@comcast.net.  John Hargreaves was recently inducted into the Franklin & Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame for cross country and track where his career included 8 varsity letters and being named ‘most outstanding male athlete’ in his graduating class. John “JD” Martin, Head Master of St. Andrew’s School in Barrington, RI wrote saying, “I had nothing to report until yesterday (6/16) when Dale Graden blew into town and knocked on my door”. Dale grew up in Barrington and used to play in the SA gym. He was accompanied by his 8^th grade daughter Louisa. They were going to visit Dale’s mother in ME and planned to visit colleges along the way. “He looked great. Stays in shape hiking and lifting and is gregarious as ever” quipped JD. Hey Dale…I live about 6 miles from JD!! Because of the economy Steve Row has been ‘reduced’ to a substitute teacher. He teaches calculus, statistics, chemistry, French (‘thank you Mr. Weber’) and music. Looking for a part time job with local newspaper. He was editor of a paper in NJ for 8 years. Also works as a pastor in Baptist church, much to the chagrin of his Presbyterian colleagues. Fighting the aging process by working out regularly and he still rows the Head of the Charles every fall with former Harvard teammates. Jon Rounds and his wife Eve become empty nesters this fall (Jon—take it from me; it’s temporary—they’ll be back!) and with three tuitions is reminded (too late) of the need for good financial planning. He is one of the founders of a technology strategy startup, Cloud Technology Partners. Typical of most startups we have had ‘lots of success but with negative cash flow’. He would be happy to speak with classmates interested ‘in moving business applications to the cloud’. Derek Cavanaugh just returned from his 5^th trip to China where son Jake has lived for 5 years. This 2 week trip to Shanghai was to celebrate Jake’s marriage to Jade Li. Alex Lotocki is thrilled that daughter Isabelle will be entering NMH as a frosh in Sept. She is ‘super excited about going’. Alex and Susan are also excited but somewhat anxious about having their only child leave the nest so early. Alex continues to enjoy his new position with JPMorgan. By the time you read this it will be over but maybe some of you will have caught a performance on the summer reunion tour of AJ Eckert’s band “The Magnetics”. They played up and down the east coast. Tom Baldwin thinks he and his wife Trisha ‘live such boring lives’. He works long hours (often 7 days a week), they have no children (‘and are not expecting any’) which is why “I don’t have anything exciting to report” However, ‘it’s nice to check in every once in a while so thanks for the opportunity’. You may recall that Wayne Cochrane moved to Binghamton, NY a few years ago when his partner Carol accepted a new position. Well, because of the lack of stimulus money he has been looking for a job for 4 years in his field-the public and nonprofit sector. Says he used to ask himself; “Is there a God?” but now asks himself; “Are there any jobs in Binghamton?” Mark Jacobsen is an Engineering Manager with Eaton in SC where ‘the best part is living on a lake, having virtually no snow and being 15 minutes from work’. In my last column I reported on Steve Chiasson and his involvement with Belfast (ME) Cohousing and Ecovillage. He has since been appointed Chair of the Steering Comm. They will break ground this summer on 36 energy efficient homes creating a self-sustaining planned community. This truly unique and fascinating concept is growing in popularity and there are now over 100 nationwide. Check it out:mainecohousing.org. Matt Quint still working in PR in CA but recently moved from Silicon Valley to Sonoma County. Last October he extended a trip to Boston and attended NMH Homecoming. “The campus looked amazing in the fall foliage and the students are more accomplished than ever”. A former coxswain, he attended crew coach Chuck Hamilton’s induction into NMH Athletics Hall of Fame and was amazed that ‘he remembers all of us’. In January Mark Carta was elected to serve as managing partner of the 22 member law firm in CT where he has practiced for 16 years. As wonderful as that was the highlight of his year was attending the graduation of oldest daughter Sarah who received a Masters in Social Work from Washington Univ. in St. Louis. Although it will be ‘ancient history’ by the time you read this I was thrilled to hear from Dan “Peach” Petrie. He was co-creator and executive producer of an ABC summer series called Combat Hospital which ran from June-Sept. He also echoed the sentiment of many, “I find it very hard to believe we’re all starting to turn 60. Surreal.” Jerry Fraser is still in Portland, ME but no longer edits National Fisherman however he continues to publish it along with WorkBoat. “This is a good job with a great company.” He continues to refine his golf fame and had full intentions of attending reunion before a work related crisis surfaced. Edmund Dehn is about to open in a play in London in which he plays a manic depressive in an asylum. He commented that it was ‘good to hear of George Lewis-the roommate who landed with this weird Englishman in Jan. 1970!’ Well, Rajan Batra has officially made the move to the ‘left coast’ after purchasing a home overlooking the ocean in San Clemente. “We have lots of room and an open invite to friends and classmates.” Jake Duvall journeyed to Indonesia last Nov. for a 30 day cruise which included 65 scuba dives in 85 degree water. This was his third such expedition and he is already eager to return again. Please remember that this is your column and it doesn’t work unless you do. I welcome your input and updates to my email address. Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Summer, 2008

Bruce Parmly checked in after being MIA for several years but he did a nice job of filling in some of the time gaps. From ’74-’94 he worked in the hospitality industry managing various hotels. As you may expect the ‘burn out’ rate in hospitality is quite high so Bruce enjoyed a variety of capacities for the next 13 years with Home Depot. During 7 of those years he was moonlighting as a chauffeur so that his wife Paula could stay home and focus on their three children. Two years ago AAA Guaranteed on Time Limousine offered him the position of Sales Director. He is enjoying this new position as it allows him to utilize some of his hospitality skills to increase business. Bruce is based in Clinton, NJ and would love to hear from classmates: bparmly@aaagotlimo.com. I received an interesting note from Peter Horne ’71. He said that many in our class may remember him from band and choir. He had many recollections of the origin of “Hog” and “Hoggers” which I have posted on our class page on the NMH web site. He also reminded me that our class and ‘71 swapped a couple of students with David Barradale moving up to our class and David Hawley doing a 5^th year to graduate in ’71. Cornell Hills checked in after reading that Andre Pegues was trying to reach him. He was so excited that he almost fell off his seat in the ‘library’. His wife thought he had lost his mind as he walked around the house mumbling “well, throw you a fish”—an inside joke with Andre apparently. He remembers the band Copesetics which they played in together along with classmate Rodney Antrum.  He and Trevor Swett live fairly close to each other and keep threatening to get together. Cornell is in good health after losing 50 pounds and having hip surgery. Heard from David “Whitey” White after too many years of silence. He started by talking about his recollection of the origin of “Hog”. I posted his comments on our class page as well. Dave has been teaching and coaching and has been the only lacrosse coach at Salmon River Central since ’76. He continues to play lax himself and also coached the Iroquois National team in the world championships. His two daughters (Joni Sarah and Jade) both attended NMH for two years. Dave was the first Mohawk to attend NMH and since then over 30 have attended. NMH gave Dave a ‘terrific education, wonderful experiences and great friendships’ and he has been blessed to return to St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation and share those with his community. “The Hog is a very special place so thanks for helping me keep in touch—I love to hear about the school and classmates”. Leonard Way contacted me even though he never graduated from MH. After junior year he attended Taipei American School in Taiwan. From there he attended UC Berkeley and UNLV before getting his JD from U.AZ Law. Divorced with no children he has lived in San Francisco for 28 of the last 38 years. His varied and interesting career path includes; truck driver, deep sea diver, paralegal and legal technician. He currently works in internet advertising, having migrated most recently from the legal field. He would love to hear from classmates at: leonardway@hotmail.com. After repeated attempts I finally heard back from Kevin Leslie but was disappointed in his initial response: ‘just not into that old school thing’. I persisted and was thrilled to receive an extensive update which began with: “It’s been a long road since those Hog days”. It sounds like Kevin’s road has been filled with many accomplishments. He is a Professor of Pathology at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, MN. He is also a consultant at the Scottsdale Mayo Clinic Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. He is very interested in pulmonary pathology, especially pulmonary fibrosis and has lectured extensively around the world. In 2005 he co-authored a medical textbook which was awarded “Medical Textbook of the Year” honors. Great to hear from you Kevin-thank you and don’t be a stranger. After numerous attempts using an email address that he hasn’t used for 8 years Basil Hostage contacted me from northwest Germany (near Netherlands). He has been in Germany since 2000 after spending 21 years in Northumberland, UK. Married 27 years to Vicky who is a self employed English teacher their daughter Jessica works for Merrill Lynch Energy. Basil works in sales for 3P Services where he became a partner earlier this year. 3P offers ‘in-line pipeline inspection services to the oil and gas industry worldwide’. Basil admits that ‘it is a rather more technical environment than I ever thought I would end up in but is nevertheless quite interesting’. He is thrilled to reconnect again. Although he has communicated from time to time with Mark Vokeyhe very much looks forward to attending an upcoming reunion. Nice to hear from Don Melson who is extremely busy as Vice President and Corporate Controller of Analogic Corp in Peabody, MA. He is ‘doing well’, has two sons at Boston College and spends as much time as possible at their vacation home on Lake Winnipesauke in Meredith, NH. Wayne Cochran has been on the move. Since 2007 he has moved from Waterbury, CT to Poughkeepsie to Binghamton, NY where his significant other Carol recently moved her endocrinology practice to Lourdes Hospital. Wayne is looking for work preferably as a Program Manager for a Community Development Agency which is what he did most recently.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to check out our class page at: www.nmhschool.org. As you can see, I am doing my best to contact classmates that have fallen off the radar screen. If you are one of those please send me your email address and a news update. We all look forward to hearing from you.  

Fall, 2007

I am beginning to run out of active email addresses so I may have to resort to contacting you by snail mail if I don’t hear from more of you directly. I have been heartened by the response to my personal solicitations via email and it has been great to hear from many of you for the first time since graduation. Check out the now active Class of 1970 page on the NMH web site and feel free to add copy, programs, pictures or the like to the site. By the time you receive this you may have already read in a previous issue that Professor Bruce Ledewitz has had a book published: American Religious Democracy: Coming to Terms with the End of Secular Politics. “The book argues that the 2004 Presidential election marked the end of the era of separation (between Church and State): in law, culture and politics”. The book is dedicated, in part, ‘to the men of Mt. Hermon who taught me to love’. Bruce is a Professor of Law at Duquesne University and the father of 3 NMH grads: Anna ’97, Benn ’00 and Julia ’04. I finally tracked down Daniel “Peach” Petrie who is spending the summer in Victoria BC where he is directing an adaptation of Patricia Reilly Griff’s Newberry award winning book, Pictures of Hollis Woods, for Hallmark Hall of Fame. It will be the 230^th in this acclaimed series of television films and is scheduled to premier on CBS in Nov. ’07. Dan resides in Sherman Oaks CA. Mark Jacobsen reminds classmates that the welcome sign is still up at his lake house in Greenwood SC. Mark is already making plans to attend the next reunion. Bob Horne is positive that MH ’70 is responsible for “Hoggers”. Bob is CMO for a mobile phone marketing company in NYC. He too would love to hear from classmates in the area: bobhorne@optonline.net. Alan Strauschecked in for the first time in years. He retired in ’06 after 30 yrs in private law practice on Wall Street. Much of his career included international travel which indirectly led him to his current passion; working with three organizations to help rebuild and revitalize Afghanistan. Married 28 yrs to wife Katherine they live in a newly renovated 1842 row house in Greenwich Village with 14 yr old daughter Abbi and summer in East Hampton CT. You may have read about his NMH “State of the World” speech in the Winter ’07 Magazine. “It was a great experience” and “the food was surprisingly good”. Alan has not been in touch with many classmates over the years but recently found himself reflecting a great deal about our Commencement because of the anniversary recognition ceremonies taking place for Jackie Robinson, our commencement speaker and father of classmate David Robinson. Jerry Fraser observes that “after four years at the Hog, to say nothing of 35+ years of newsletters there are classmates I have never met”. Jerry, I have an idea-mark your calendar for our 40^th reunion June 2010! Ted Swettacknowledged that “after 37 years I suppose it’s high time I checked in with MH ’70 whose members I remember with great fondness”. After college Ted spent time in NYC before law school at UVA. Married Ann, ‘the love of my life’ in ’79. Ted lives on the MD side of DC where he is a partner in a litigation firm. Son Trevor is Yale ’07 and daughter Brook Yale ’09. Enjoys DC Shakespeare Theater and summers on the Vineyard and Outer Banks. Recently took up golf and is determined to progress beyond being a ‘terrible hacker’. Would love to here from classmates (ted@swetthome.com), ‘especially history’s greatest roommate David Paige’. Steve Johnson writes that “after 20 years in Lincoln MA we’re decamping for Charlotte VT. Wasn’t cold enough in Lincoln. Drafty 1799 house on a point on Lake Champlain with rooms and ghosts to spare: come up y’all. Had lunch with Jim Hokans who continues to commute to Africa from Winchester, MA. Always the iconoclast that Jim”! Last year Steve attended Ross Dolloff’s retirement party from legal services and Ross ‘played some pretty funky guitar licks’. Great to hear from Biff Watsonin Nashville where he is “still surviving in the music business, producing about 8 acts for various labels”. He is also playing guitar with hit recording artists such as Carrie Underwood. Son Fletcher plays bass with Johnny Cash’s granddaughter, Chelsea Crowell. Daughter Paige is a soph at Auburn. Still playing tennis and is ‘determined to be a great player by age 65’. Dave Ericson and his wife Karin will become empty-nesters this summer when daughter Christie gets married.  One more favor. NMH shows 55 classmates for whom they have no contact information. While some of these did not actually graduate for whatever reason they remain a part of our class forever—as well they should. I would ask for your help in finding the people below as I can’t help but think some of you know exactly where they are. I am going to begin this month with names of the missing that actually made it into the yearbook. Please let me know if you have any information on the whereabouts and contact info for any of these individuals: Doug Smith, Richard Davis, Richard Thompson, Owen Stull, Mark Wohlgemuth, Kim Igleheart, Basil Hostage, Carter Blocksma, Bruce Barker, Mark deGuzman, John Dubrow. That’s all for now. This is your column so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Fall, 2006

As I write this column it is exactly one year today that I was playing golf at Northfield as part of our successful 35^th reunion. If you weren’t there, start planning now for the 40^th! This column is the result of a more personal touch. I randomly emailed 12 classmates and asked them to submit an update. I am very pleased with the results and hope you are as well.

Chuck Brakeley has been in the insurance industry for most of his career. At one point he was with Aetna where he was the Supervisor of classmate Dave Ericson. He is now a VP with Patriot Mutual. He and his wife Diane live in Cape Elizabeth, ME where he enjoys golf in his spare time. He has also joined a book club but insists that ‘the books be no more than 1” thick and must have been made into a movie’. Sounds to me like not much has changed in 36 years! Two children; daughter Jesse getting married June ’06 and son Dan designs computer games in Seattle.

Jerry Fraser also lives in ME (Portland) where he is Editor in Chief/Publisher for National Fisherman. He joined the publication in 1997 after a career at The Boston Globe. In his current position he doesn’t get to write as much as he’d like but ‘it is an enjoyable gig because it keeps me in contact with the fishing industry’ which is ‘facing its share of challenges’. He too has taken up golf and doing so ensures that he ‘remains humble’. He saw Jeff Marks on occasion when he was with the local NBC affiliate before transferring to Augusta, GA. Jerry was disappointed that Jeff did NOT send any Masters tickets his way. Married 29 yrs, he and his wife just bought a house lot in Ogunquit and love having their grandchildren nearby.

Another Maine-iac (30 yrs) checked in from Wellington. Steve Chiasson and his wife Barbara live in a ‘cozy house’ they built themselves on 18 acres-it even includes a year round trout stream. They both work for the same school district and love it. Steve is Elementary Technology Integration Specialist (computers, A/V) and his wife is a social worker. Steve plays guitar in an acoustic band (www.evergreenmaine.com ) and runs a ‘boutique’ recording studio out of his home. Two children; Aaron (23) studying and working in Seattle and Trina (20) a Jr at U of So ME. By the time you read this she will hopefully have completed a Portland, ME-Portland, OR bike ride to raise money for Bicycle Coalition of ME. Steve stays in touch with Linc Baxter and spent time with him on the Cape last summer. Based on a picture Steve sent (assuming it is as recent as he says!) he has not changed too much in 36 yrs.

Richard Popper checked in from Wilmington, DE where he is a partner in the states 2^nd largest law firm. He specializes in estate planning and administration and is very active at the national and state level serving on committees involving estate, trust and tax matters. In his spare time Richard is a competitive bridge and scrabble player. His interest in bridge began at MH where he was a member of the Bridge Club all 3 yrs. He is now a District Director of the American Contract Bridge League.

Was thrilled to hear back from Steve Kempe who although only at MH for junior year is considered a MH ’70 alum. He left to return to a private day school in Dallas after which he attended Univ. No. TX. Three names that come to mind when he thinks of that year include his roommate Jake Duvall, ‘Skip’ Hostage and DG Blanton N ’70. Co-inventor of 4 international patents he is Pres. of International Cellular Corp. in Houston. They develop and manufacture spray-on acoustical and thermal insulation for worldwide applications to include: Euro Disney, Hong Kong Convention Center and many of the newer Las Vegas casinos. He lives in Richmond, TX with wife Nancy, 4 dogs, 3 cats and 3 horses. They have two children, Ryan (23) and Kelly (22). Steve is also a licensed pilot, flies sail planes competitively and enjoys, golf, tennis, fishing, hunting and scuba.

Tom McCarty lives in LA where he owns The McCarty Co. They manage and expedite land use and permitting for large developers. In addition to many large residential developments they have worked on such notable projects as The Kodak Theater, the new home of The Academy Awards. Fond memories of MH include singing in the choir and rowing crew where he learned the value of teamwork so important in his business today. He and Julie, his wife of 30 years, have twin daughters Megan and Shannon (26). Tom doesn’t get East often but hopes to join us for one of our future reunions.

Carl Bannwart owns Power Magnetics Inc in Trenton. He lives right over the border in Yardley, PA with his wife Ilene and son Ross (14). His business is doing well at the moment but it was a struggle for the last five years.  Belongs to a reform temple where Carl converted to Judaism in 9/05 on the same day that Ross had his Bar Mitzvah. Visited NMH last fall as a possibility for his son. Keeps in touch with Wayne Cochran and Mark Wright but would love to hear from others as well: carl.pmi@verizon.net

QUESTION: Is the Class of 1970 responsible for the mascot/nickname Hoggers? Steve Chiasson seems to think so. He was recently surprised to hear that the school has once again adapted and embraced the Hogger. It had disappeared for many years I believe. It is now actively used and appears on the football helmets, clothing etc. If our class is in fact responsible I would like to hear the evolution of the story and see us get proper credit (perhaps a story in the NEWS?). Steve seems to think that it might have originated from either John Durbrow or Eugene ‘Geno’ Ward but I have been unable to contact them. Steve and Linc played in a band on campus called “The First Hog Blues Band”. Can you shed any light on this question?

This submission has been prepared by Neil Kiely. If you have news, address updates or can help solve the Hogger question please contact me: neil@marketinginmotion.com.

Fall, 2005

Well here we go again! Don’t know if it is a good thing or not but we are submitting our second class notes column before you have even received and read our first attempt. As they say ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ so here we go.

A reminder that we are intent on getting as many current email addresses as possible so even if you don’t think you have anything newsworthy to send, please send us your current email address. Thanks in advance for your help.

Mike Pontius lives in Mt. Pleasant SC with his wife Lydia, 3 dogs and a cat. Son Matt lives across town. After retiring from his former company Mike and his wife decided to start their own full service web site content business, Just Imagine. Their business partner is classmate Bob Nardozzi who lives in the neighborhood and having recently retired from Time Warner after 24 years had ‘nothing better to do’.

Biff Watson and his wife Marion Worley are thrilled to be new grandparents. Bella was born a year ago to their daughter Michelle. Biff continues to work in the music business, lately producing Lauren Lucas for Warner Bros. and Aaron Tippin for Lyric Street. Biff is still playing on many records produced in Nashville and on TV shows for CMT and NBC. Son Fletcher is part of the band Prom Night which just signed with Infinity Cat Records and daughter Paige plays volleyball and is a senior at Harpeth Hall. Recently hooked up with Collins Lein and enjoyed reliving their days with the popular campus band Phoenix.

Mark Jacobsen moved from NJ to Spartanburg SC in ’98. After 7 years with Siemens he was laid off and for the last year has been Engineering and Quality Manager in Greenwood SC, 65 miles from home.  To cut down on the commute they bought a lake house in Greenwood. He has also purchased a single skull but has not rowed since one season on the CT River. Plays double tennis weekly at the 3.5 level. Married for 25 years with 3 sons (19, 17, 16). In good health and shape: ‘maybe being scrawny at 17 paid off later’.

Dale Graden is an Associate Professor of History at the U of Idaho. He is also the head of the Faculty Union and now has to deal with those ‘headaches’.

Kenneth Polivy has been an orthopedic and spine surgeon for the past 20 years at Newton-Wellesley Hospital near Boston. The practice has grown from 2-10 physicians. Married 30 years to Lydia with 4 children: Daniel is a software engineer with Microsoft, Adam is a recently married graduate of U of Rochester and a Clinical Research Asst. at Beth Israel/Boston, Emily is a sophomore at Brown Univ. and Elana is a junior in high school. “Would love to hear from friends living in the Boston area”.

Tom Durwood ‘had a blast at reunion’. As a result he is trying ‘to be as well adjusted to life as Dave Ericson and his cool wife Karin’. Hope to see Jesse Eichenbaum, Sam Brett, Jamie Melton and Rock Holzberg at the next reunion. Two children: ‘mature beyond her years’ daughter looking at East Coast colleges and ‘fiercely independent’ son who is a student at UCLA interested in a career in real estate. Lives near John Gordon in CA. They recently played tennis and John says that Tom is ‘still better than I am’. John has also taken up golf and recently broke 90. He participates in an annual golf tournament, held this year in Lake Tahoe where the green jacket was won by Jesse Eichenbaum. From the “It’s a Small World Dept.”- John’s daughter and Tom’s son are friends.

John Rounds is still happily married and living in Brookline MA where his 3 sons (16, 14, 13) are very much into sports. As a result he spends a great deal of his time spectating from a field chair although he said he does try to go to the gym at least twice a year! He is a partner in a 2 year old start-up with an exciting vision but typical cash flow problems. In a year ‘we will either be in the Wall Street Journal or washing cars’. In ‘an effort to give something back’ he is also on the Boards of 2 organizations that support children’s learning and development.

Derek Cavanaugh lives in the Bay Village area of Boston where he owns and manages retail properties. He also works as a senior investment officer for Mass Housing Investment Corp, a private non-profit bank lending construction monies for affordable housing and community development. Derek has 4 children: Jake (23) is teaching English in China, Jess (21) is a college junior studying in Nicaragua, Nan (18) is a freshman at UMass and Laura (15) is in high school. Keeps in touch with and sees Ross Dolloff.

Dale Silver left HI in ’95 for Dallas. He works for a company that has the retail products license for On the Border restaurants (tortilla chips, salsa, margarita mix).  He and Gina, his wife of 21 years, have 3 children: Tiffanie (19) is on an athletic/academic swimming scholarship at U of AR, Dale Jr (17) is senior in high school and Andrew (14) is in 8^th grade. He is in ‘reasonably good health’ and enjoys golfing and fishing when he can find the time. Tom Baldwin checked in from the road. When he returned to our 30^th he said he owned his own company and ‘was living large’ but the reinsurance market ended that ride. He is now an independent property adjuster and lives Oklahoma City with his wonderful new wife of 3 years. He is rarely home however as he spends 10-11 months a year traveling the country from catastrophe to catastrophe. Steve Johnson claims that ‘reunion ’05 was one of the best’, especially seeing Tom Durwood after 35 years and off-roading the muddy rutted areas behind MH with Collins and Alex—in the latter’s citified BMW! Still in the philanthropy consulting business advising the wealthy how to give their money away. In short I am ‘trying to change the world with other people’s dough’. Two sons at St. Paul’s (would not be the case if NMH were on one campus when they were applying!) leaving my wife and I to deal with our estrogen filled 13 year old daughter.

Mark Carta reports that he has just completed his 27^th year as a civil trial attorney, the last 10 of which have been with a firm with offices in Darien and New Canaan, CT. With three daughters he keeps quite busy. The oldest is a freshman at Loyola, Baltimore and the other two are at home attending the local high school. Mark is in the process of renovating an 1865 cottage in Rowayton, swims three times a week, serves on several charitable boards and tries to take one major trip a year. Just returned from Scandinavia. Highlights included “hiking in the Norwegian fjords and wandering through back street art galleries in Copenhagen”.