class 
notes
Spring 2025

Don Sammis writes, “The 1984 U.S. players are being recognized in a national TV documentary being put together now—for distribution by the national TV networks. At the request of the volleyball governing body, located in Ohio, we financially sponsored and were active on a day-to-day basis in managing a year-round Olympic volleyball training program in San Diego starting in 1982. I ran the Olympic volleyball training program—as the financial sponsor and also the day-to-day advisor to the program. We moved the training from Ohio to San Diego—primarily because the training done in Ohio was not achieving any results. In 1982, we started our San Diego training (my hometown, and the location of my building company, which financially backed the training). In 1984, the U.S. in volleyball was rated 14th in the world—not good enough to even qualify to play! One of our keys to our success was to put together a jobs program for the players. Another was that we created a portable floor, and we put it down on our own tennis court at our house. We then had informal events whereby we asked locals to pay $100 to either donate to our training program, or watch a match, or both. We put on the ‘tennis court matches’ against Japan, Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, and several other countries. In this way, we raised over a million dollars for the training program! The program was started in 1982. By 1988, we had won two Olympic gold medals and two world championships, and we were rated No. 1 in the world! Now, 40 years later, the program we organized is being recognized for what it accomplished!”

Scott Evans writes, “No news, except I’m now 90 and cherishing every moment at home with Sally.”

Ken Jones and Galen Young report that they are doing well.

Jack Stark GP’11 writes, “I celebrated my 90th birthday at a wonderful party put on by the College. Our large family was there, 22 Starks, and many retired faculty and staff. We came back from our 100-year-old cabin, on Silver Lake, where we spent five months from May through October. Jil (Harris) Stark ’58 GP’11 and I have retired to a lively community in Pomona, Mt. San Antonio Gardens, along with a number of other CMC alumni and faculty, including Alan Heslop. Last, but not least, we have three GREAT grandchildren, all living in Claremont, two from our CMC granddaughter, Aly Stark Velasquez ’11.”

John Devereux writes, “My very loving wife Lee’s mother called me a lucky pup! Yes, I was fortunate to have represented our class at our esteemed classmate and CMC’s President Emeritus’ 90th ‘CAMP STARK’ very enjoyable birthday party. It was celebrated on Sept. 27 of last year at the CMC Quad, with 22 of Jack ’57 GP’11 and Jil ’58 GP’11’s family and about 200 others attending! My special present to Jack was: a gallon of apple juice to remind him of the fun of our freshman class welcome; a small bag of rocks, representing those we gathered while helping clear the fields between the original dorms; plus, a vintage tumbler drinking glass with Claremont Men’s College inscribed on it, given to me by my good friend Thornton Hamlin ’50 GP’99. It was a memorable symbolic gathering. A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR OUR FRIEND AND 1957 CLASSMATE JACK!”

Peter Keady ’57 P’86 GP’23

Walter Parry ’57

Glenn Hickerson writes, “I returned to Brisbane for New Year’s as Radiance is finally approaching sea trials following 16 months of yard work, emerging essentially as a new sailing yacht inside a 2011 aluminum hull we had radiation- and dye-tested and is in like-new condition, having been built by one of the world’s best aluminum boat builders in Amsterdam. The rest of the boat, rig, and machinery is new or zero timed, including her 600HP CAT auxiliary engine and four other engines, two of which were replaced. The engine room has been redesigned, ventilated, and insulated with the latest high-tech materials, LED lighting throughout the boat, and a new solid stainless rig. As you know, we had a defective pre-purchase survey and are pursuing a claim in London from the underwriter for the surveyor. It keeps me busy in ‘retirement,’ but with luck, we may recover some of our losses as it’s a well-liked boat presently being ordered for a year’s delivery and is very expensive. Lots of pressure on Cheryl and myself in this ordeal, which may have led to her having to go to the emergency room and later hospital unexpectedly with very high blood pressure the day before I left. That day, I had three flights for meetings, flying from Monterey Airport to San Francisco to Los Angeles and back, starting my day at 7, and getting back at 9 p.m. when Cheryl returned from the hospital.

“I considered canceling my trip, but Cheryl insisted I continue for sea trials following the extensive yard period. Cheryl seems to be doing well and is meeting with our doctor, a Pitzer undergrad who took many courses at CMC. He plans to send his son to CMC. The doctor specializes in seniors and looks after us very well. The plan is I will return for the February Ojai CMC Board of Trustees retreat and then rejoin Cheryl on Radiance, where we continue from Australian islands in the north to Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and on to the Maldives, entering the Asian Ocean in May hopefully avoiding cyclones en route to Cape of Good Hope and around to Cape Town. We’ll come home to avoid the 4,000 nm trip from Asia to the Cape, planning to rejoin in Cape Town and continue to the Med for the summer charter season.”

Bob Beasley’s unabridged paraphrase of Flavius Josephus’ 2,000-year-old Jewish Antiquities will be out in three volumes this spring. Check it out at www.readbobbeasley.com. “I have entirely recovered from the bladder cancer that hit me in 2024!”

Bob Beasley ’59

Caught up with Peter Adams GP’21 while he was visiting their home in Indian Wells. Doing fine except that he has been treating multiple myeloma. At the present it is in remission.

Sorry to learn of the passing of George Archer. Wasn’t able to talk with him since graduation. Served professionally in the CIA for many years. This made an impression on me because I found him to be one of the brightest people in our class.

Another fatality of this past year was Mike Blanding P’94. I knew him well because I was a catcher on the Stags baseball team, and he was an outstanding pitcher. Still holds many of the pitching records for the Stags.

Had a nice visit with Hugh Blue P’86. He retired with his wife to Sun Valley, Idaho. His favorite pastime there is with an organization called PATH. Involves therapeutic horsemanship, providing therapy for people of all ages with various disabilities. Hugh was been involved with horses all his life.

Another worthwhile endeavor undertaken by one of our classmates, Marty Aufhauser, is Ollie, which is a lifelong learning institute with branches all over the country. I have a friend here in Chicago who has taken advantage of this for many years. It involves taking courses as an adult both in person and online in fields of study that may have interested you but never had the time or opportunity to pursue. Marty has supplemented this with recent travels to Europe.

Daryl Butcher is still living on Maryland’s eastern shore. Still has strong ties with the D.C. area where he and his family spent formative years. Also still has family in California which he visits. Appears to be in good health and still active.

Jim Craft still resides in Pittsburg, Pa., having retired as professor emeritus of labor economics at the University of Pittsburg. Lost his wife whom he met when both were obtaining their graduate degrees at Berkeley. Has two daughters. One of them lives in Atlanta and the other in New York and Vermont. She was previously married to Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle.

Peter Drewliner still resides in Honolulu. Lives on Waikiki Beach. Works in ceramics and engages in several shows a year.

Anthony Espinoza, like others in our class, is recovering from a fall but is otherwise well and residing in Whittier, Calif.

Also recovering from a fall is Stan Hinman in Ottawa, Kan.

Bill Jetter lives with his wife in Chandler, Ariz. They have two daughters that live in California.

Harry Fay, in spite of a very serious illness just before our 50^th anniversary at CMC, continues to do well, living with his wife, Cindy, in Seattle. Works every day with a trainer to remain fit. Unfortunately, his brother Jim Fay ’62recently passed away after several years in a retirement home.

Also residing in Seattle are Gill Powers and his wife, Pam. Gill has suffered for several years from the results of muscular degeneration which has made travelling more difficult. They are in the process of selling their house which they have had for many years in Mexico. They still live in their house on Mercer Island and have a summer home in the San Juan Islands.

Mel Roberts returned my call. I had contacted him for the first time last summer. He had been, like many of our classmates, an ME major at CMC, but unlike others he elected to study engineering at the University of Arizona. As a result, he has had very little contact with CMC, except with Professor John Ferling whom he was close to after graduation. He later obtained his MBA and worked at Hughes Aircraft and finally became a senior manager at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. While there he had much contact with Harvey Mudd but not with CMC. I notified John Faranda ’79 and Michelle Chamberlain at the College that he would be very interested in the new Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences. Mel made no mention of the Colleges during our brief conversation. Like others of us, he was recovering from a recent operation.

John Rice is still enjoying his “paradise” in Vancouver, Wash., near his children. Has the usual wear and tear evident in people of our age but otherwise is well.

Andy Sarkony is one of my neighbors in Glenview outside of Chicago and is an example for all of us—very active. Teaches Hungarian at the local library. For those of you who do not remember, Andy came as a student to CMC as a refugee from the Hungarian Revolution. He is very involved with the local Moose Lodge and acts as its custodian. Goes every day to the local Park District pool to work out and several times a year to North Carolina and Stockton, Calif., where he maintains houses that he owns. After CMC he studied engineering at University of the Pacific and came to Glenview as a civilian engineer to work at the Glenview Naval Air Station.

Rob Stanberry lives in Prescott, Ariz. Just returned from a 48-day cruise and vacation to Australia and New Zealand. Doing well. Playing golf, etc.

John Tone, who resides in Des Moines, had just returned from watching his favorite basketball team, Iowa State. Have received several posts this year from John’s travels. Indicated his travels have been postponed this winter because his daughter has been diagnosed with leukemia. Usually goes to La Quinta this time of year and then on to Orange County. Very interested in the doings of his CMC classmates. Probably the most involved in our class.

Ted Muegenburg not only is still working but has experienced a rebirth. He has practiced law in Ventura for over 60 years, specializing in estate planning. He officially closed his private practice in 2017, but after several attempts to find an individual to take it over and continue he connected with a firm Lowthorp and Richards in Ventura who aligned with his approach towards estate planning. The same year that he closed his own law practice, their house was destroyed by fire. Since then, they have built a new house, and now in his 80s he feels like he has started a new life.

Bill Selman has been bedridden for over 20 years with an undiagnosed neurological ailment. Each time I have talked to him he has been in an upbeat mood. He seems to enjoy our conversations also. Said that after we last spoke, he made a small contribution to CMC. After discussing all the aches and pains with my classmates and others my age, I thought that this was remarkable. Suggest that anyone who remembers him (I did not) give him a call: (714) 981-7607 or (949) 497-3242. After I spoke to him, I all of a sudden felt much better. Intend to look him up the next time I am out there.

And finally, me, Tom Thuresson. Not much change here. Still working my retirement job as a public chauffeur, although our business is slowing down. As a result, am supplementing it with driving Ride Share and private chauffeuring. Still fill in the gaps acting as a substitute school crossing guard. My wife, Sally, is still working as a consultant and nutritionist but is cutting back on her hours. One of our granddaughters, Elise Thuresson ’24, graduated last May from CMC and another, Ava Thuresson ’26, is a junior. We spend a lot of time in San Diego where our daughter, Susan, and oldest son, Peter Thuresson’96 P’24 P’26, reside. A second son, Mike Thuresson ’97, resides in Tokyo, Japan. Altogether we have eight grandchildren, six in California and two in Japan. Our son Mike has lived in Tokyo for 15 years and worked for Japanese companies as well as Amazon. While at Amazon he worked with Self-Publishing. He has recently gone to work for a firm (Maxim) that is strictly in the business of self-publishing. While obtaining that job, he needed a guinea pig and chose me. The book has been completed but is being edited by our granddaughter. Will let you know when it is available.

Tom Thuresson ’61 P’92 P’97 GP’24 GP’26

Marshall Sale writes, “We have several alumni and relatives including sons and grandchildren affected by the Los Angeles fires that took place in early 2025. Instead of names, I am hoping that classmates will respond when ready to my class notes and to other CMC grads about how they are doing and whether they need additional help or whether there are other avenues of help from the College or alumni of the College. This event will have long-lasting effects for education and other services. If you want to answer with suggestions or personal comments, just let me know. No doubt CMC is quite attuned and will have lots of ideas and energy in the future.”

Marshall Sale ’62

From Larry Ford, “My retirement life has become a bit more active than I expected. It turns out that aging brings on new challenges that I have not experienced in the past. Fortunately, I remain healthy and physically able, which is a blessing because I have concluded that I need to manage two more moves which were not part of my plan, especially since my IBM career moved me all over the world. So, my happy life with two nice homes that let me spend the summer in the high mountains of Colorado and my winter in the warm waters of Sarasota was just perfect with fly fishing all year long. And then a health scare caused me to change my Colorado home from a small rural community with limited medical facilities to Colorado Springs, which is happening this winter due to an excited buyer. Once the move is complete, I am looking forward to our new home and city. Then as I thought of the future years ahead, I concluded that moving to a progressive living community in Sarasota was a smart idea and have now committed to move to a new community with outstanding facilities, activities, and health care capabilities. Once these projects are completed, I will have time for more travel, tennis, and fly fishing and the comfort of excellent access to support that is often needed at this point in life. Life remains an adventure. CMC started the trip and prepared me well for the journey.”

Wayne Ott writes, “After graduating with two degrees, one from CMC and one from Stanford, as a result of CMC’s management-engineering program, I took a job with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., as an environmental engineer. Two years later the EPA sent me back to Stanford University to get a Ph.D. in environmental engineering, and I spent my next 30 years working for EPA as a research scientist. After retiring from EPA, I became an adjunct professor in air pollution science at Stanford University for several years. I love living in the San Francisco area, where I often enjoy jazz concerts. In December 2024, I entered my second marriage, and we both love visiting Sacramento and Monterey for their annual jazz festivals.

Jim Mason reports, “I have been retired from the Emergency Department at John C. Fremont Hospital for four years. I am still living in Mariposa and still go into the Bay Area one weekend a month to volunteer at Henry W. Coe State Park in Morgan Hill, where I have been a volunteer for 39 years. I have retired from my other volunteer activities with the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and the Mariposa County Arts Council as I have been dealing with medical issues for the last year, including Parkinson’s. I am fortunate that I have a new partner in life, a lady whom I have known for over 10 years. We became an ‘item’ two years ago, and she is a wonderful companion and helpmate. Little did I know that I would be in a new relationship at this advanced age.”

Lee Johnson writes, “Live on 10 acres outside of Bixby, Okla., which is a suburb of Tulsa. Helped start the Liberty Area Fire Protection Association, a volunteer fire department, in 1981. I was the fire chief for much of the time and am still active in non-emergency response activities. I am the Plains Area vice president for the Chevron Retirees Association, as well as the president of the Tulsa Skelly-Getty-Texaco Chapter. I never worked a day for Chevron, but through mergers that is where the pension check comes from. Their retirees’ association is very active, and this year I am in charge of our annual meeting in the Dallas area the first weekend in May. There will be more than 100 people from across the U.S. and Canada attending the meeting. I am also a volunteer docent at the Joseph Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in northern Oklahoma. It is owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy and is the largest single piece of tallgrass prairie anywhere in the world (40,000 acres). I work up there several times a year and enjoy meeting people from all over the world who come to visit. Since my wife, Karen, passed away in May of 2016, I am glad that I have these various things to keep me occupied and mentally stimulated. We both were involved with all of them, so I decided to keep it up. Also enjoy spending time with my son, Rich, who now lives in Tulsa after 20+ years in the San Francisco area, and my daughter, Heather, who lives in Grapevine, Texas.”

John Sanger writes, “In appreciation of the four years of soccer at CMC, Chris Watts helped put together the 1962 Pomona-Claremont Soccer Team Travel Endowment to help present and future teams cover a few expenses. My wife, Randi, and I still keep a small diesel trawler near Seattle to pursue summer wanderings up into British Columbia’s Inside Passage. We still live in Santa Ynez, Calif., and when not in the NW, visit Randi’s family cabin in Maine. Randi’s active in the local women’s hiking group exploring trails in the Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez mountains and canyons. I’m fortunate to keep a rowing shell in the UCSB boathouse for early morning rows on nearby Lake Cachuma and do some hiking also—appreciating life in the slow lane.”

Don James writes, “Time marches on. Our grandchildren are now graduating from college and beginning life on their own. Our oldest son and his wife are now empty nesters. The past 30 years of visiting them every year as a family are now behind us. Sue and I are now dealing with how to fill this void. Good fortune allowed us to spend four to six weeks in Europe every summer up to March 2020, but the 18-hour flight to get there and the 12-hour time difference have lost their charm at this stage of our life. We have not yet decided if we will ever go again. Our last trip was to New Zealand in November 2023. We will be visiting Death Valley in March with our youngest son and granddaughter (16), something closer to home. We are still reasonably fit and remain active on a daily basis, but old age is creeping up on us as the eyes and ears are not what they used to be.”

Darryl Wold writes, “In the memorable words of the Bee Gees, at my age I’m focused on stayin’ alive. But I did manage a hiking trip to Canyon de Chelly in northern Arizona last year, including a stop for lunch in Winslow, and a little time standin’ on the corner with Jackson Browne of the Eagles; looks like that girl in the flatbed Ford is still slowin’ down to take a look at me, right? Dream on. Wife, Carol, and I are keeping busy, doing a little traveling, and enjoying life together.”

Kent Green writes, “I continue to write and support my enterprise resource planning software package, supporting several companies in the U.S., Canada, and Singapore. I’m surprised that I can still do it. You need a very good memory to write software, and my memory is in steep decline. To compensate, I suppose, I’m very focused on my fitness. I play tennis six days a week, work out on a rowing machine daily, and do strength exercises twice a week. I think my software work helps to keep me mentally fit. My wife and I travel a bit, but mostly I enjoy my home, family, and friends at La Costa and from my exuberant years in the commune. The big disappointment that comes with aging is that we watch our friends die. Not long ago, we lost Dick Edelman, Russ Ahrens, and Joe Battaglia. The world is a little less colorful and less interesting without them around.”

Eric Herrick writes, “Over the past five years, I lost track of personal stuff ’bout CMC folk. Used to catch up every two years at Tortuga reunions in Los Olivos … under four hours by road. A couple of Ritchey boys and Lloyd Williams P’89 live in Santa Cruz but there are no local alumni chapter meetings. Barry Zalma swaps notes from time to time—fellow Stoughton Court denizen. I do little apart from family activities but continue hearing property tax appeals in Santa Cruz County.”

Barry Zalma writes, “I am semi-retired, working eight hours a day and walking 25 miles a week to keep my cardiologist away. I do a blog and vlog five days a week preparing digests of interesting insurance law reports from U.S. District Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeal, and state courts. I also have a substack account where I provide detailed information to subscribers on issues relevant to insurance claims persons, insurance brokers and agents, and insurance coverage lawyers. For relaxation I grow bonsai trees where about 50 of them take up a bit of time watering them and cutting off much of their roots, repot and keep them small. I also have some nice roses in my garden.”

Dick McKay writes, “Eighty-three and still rolling along. After four years in the Army, including a one-year paid vacation in Vietnam as a captain and Huey pilot, and 34 years flying for United Airlines, I retired from United as a 747-400 captain in 2001. We still live in Rancho Palos Verdes and love every minute of it. I moved on to fun … flying, driving, and traveling. I fly formation with a group called the Tiger Squadron and I have a five-passenger, 211-mph, retractable gear 1943 Staggerwing Beech Biplane, a stable of classic cars I drive for fun and on rallies in California and Europe, and travel extensively. My wife and I have been to many cool places including Antarctica, the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, on safari in both east and South Africa, all over Asia, the South Pacific, and Europe, on cruises and just enjoying life. I have even been skiing in Dubai … not great. We are fortunate to have many good friends as well as family to share travel and life with and stay busy.”

From Bill Tinker, “We hope this note finds everyone making a speedy and happy recovery from a devastating winter. I retired Jan. 1, 2002, after 35 years of representing clients in litigation with McDonald, Tinker. This ended four generations of lawyers in Wichita. I tried 100-plus jury cases involving many subjects. Since then, we have travelled extensively around the world and within the U.S., volunteered with numerous nonprofits, and played golf—struggling to maintain a single-digit handicap. Except for a few minor hiccups, health remains good. The best to everyone.”

Larry Ford ’63

Larry Berger writes, “Thirty-five Bergers gathered at the Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Ariz., over the Thanksgiving holidays for a reunion … siblings, children, nieces, and nephews, and so many grandchildren traveling from across the Western States and Hawaii to join. The festivities included a day trip to Tucson to visit the ancestral home of Lyman Wakefield, great grandfather, who was sheriff of Pima County in the 1890s. A grand event!”

From Marshall Jarvis P’08, “In October, Joan and I spent several days with our grandson Aidan Jarvis in Rome, where he is on a semester abroad program. He is a classics major at Holy Cross College. Among other activities in Rome, we had an audience with Pope Francis and a private tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Even at age 88 with his medical issues, Pope Francis is sharp, articulate, and inquisitive. We then traveled to Venice and stayed in a small hotel where Vivaldi lived for several decades. We enjoyed seeing several of his works performed in a small church next to the hotel. We concluded our trip with a tour of the south coast of Iceland. With their recent volcanic activity, there have been numerous earthquakes every day.”

Doug Noble writes, “Due to a knee replacement with less-than-optimal results, I am leaving my Silver Lake house of too many steps for a retirement complex in nearby Altadena. After 47 years in the same house, this is quite a change but should be a new and positive experience. Had a great time at our 60th Reunion with a lot of help from Marshall Jarvis P’08 and Steve McClintock.” (Doug has advised that the fires did not reach his retirement complex, and he still plans to make the move there.)

Orley Ashenfelter writes, “I was in Eagle Rock for Christmas, and I am now in San Francisco. I kind of miss a good snowstorm, which just occurred in Princeton—very pretty, all becomes quiet, sleigh rides—problems only if you need to go somewhere! I moved to emeritus status at Princeton at last, giving me flexibility to travel. The spring included a trip to Bordeaux for an honorary degree, both for labor economics and what some now call the Bordeaux Equation, which describes the relation between wine vintage quality and the weather, that I wrote about 40 years ago. Nice to have an equation named after your town!”

Bill Dawson writes, “My wife, Ruth, and I bought a lovely Spanish-style home in Altadena many years ago to be near my daughter and grandchildren. We could not have foreseen the conflagration that swept over Altadena on Jan. 7. Our home, almost miraculously, survived, as did our daughter’s house about a mile away. Ruth had sadly passed away at the end of 2023, but we all believe that, from beyond-the-vale, she must have protected our homes in the midst of almost complete devastation. In the meantime, my daughter and her family live in a cousin’s home near the Rose Bowl. I am living in our condominium in Northern California until our Altadena neighborhood regains basic public services of water, gas, and electricity. Sadly, it will likely take months and probably years before Altadena regains the pleasant, very comfortable lifestyle it once had.”

Steve McClintock writes, “In late May, we had our 60th Reunion at CMC. Those that were able to make the reunion included Larry Berger, Orley Ashenfelter, Steve Hallgrimson, Dave Moffett P’93 P’94 GP’24, Joe Ulloa, Marshall Jarvis P’08, Bill Dawson, Doug Noble, and myself. It was a lot of fun, great conversations, many laughs, and a few tall tales. For the first time at a CMC reunion, the CMC staff set up a Zoom call and another dozen or so classmates joined us—Class of 1964 leading the way in a new reunion activity.

“In 1964, Larry Berger, Ken Henderson, Phil Mann, and myself were in ROTC and commissioned. All four of us ended up in Korea. Recently, Ken and Phil passed away, and they will be missed. For the last 10 years, I have been associated with the Back Country Horsemen of America. Our goal has been to ‘Keep the Trails Open for All.’ We are located in 31 states and have about 10,000 members. In May, we are having our National Convention in Prescott, Ariz. I was the Arizona National Board member for seven years, but retired about three years ago. My horse, Ranger, a Tennessee Walking Horse, and myself, are a bit older now. Our rides are much shorter, but I am fortunate to still be in the saddle. Best wishes to all!”

From Steve Hallgrimson: “I am writing this from the AT&T Pro-Am in Pebble Beach. On the tee is Sam Kennedy and his caddie, Jimmie Kennedy. They are the son and grandson of our ’64 classmate, Tom Kennedy. It is wonderful to watch the next two generations in competition.”

Larry Berger ’64

Bill Dawson ’64

Steve Hallgrimson ’64

From John Hasenjaeger: Here are a few words to all my fans (or both of them?). Now that I’m officially an octogenarian, Sharon (O’Rand) POM ’68 and I continue to live in our home in Portland, Ore. Three of our offspring and their families live on the eastside of Portland, including two grandsons. We all seem to like each other well enough to have weekly family dinners, as well as celebrate holidays. This is my mark of success in life. I am retired from being both a Presbyterian minister and community college teacher. I continue to engage in both church and academia. We participate in a local Presbyterian church, and I speak occasionally at a Unitarian Universalist: they appreciate hearing about philosophy and modern religious studies, which is not really so much a thing with the Presbyterians. And I continue auditing language classes at Portland State U. I’m currently taking third-year German, refreshing what I learned in two years with Dud Poynter at CMC. I’ve completed a couple of years of Greek and Latin. Spanish is next … if I live so long. In the fall, I sang in three different choirs, which was two too many. I’m cutting back to just two this winter: the German and the Welsh. If you do the math, you realize that this is still one too many, but I just can’t bring myself to cut either of them. My favorite pastime is cycling. My last purely pedal-power bike was stolen a couple of years ago, but since I’m older and have more insurance, it didn’t cost that much to graduate to the e-bike generation. So, I’m still riding all over town year-round, though I tend to be a bit more of a weather wimp these days.”

Peter Armstrong Hall reports, “My family and I enjoyed a quiet and meaningful Christmas and New Year’s with Caroline, my daughter, home from Baghdad, where she is serving with the UN. My son, Felix, was home from Zimbabwe, where he is doing a water management project for Delft and the Dutch water boards. We also entertained guests from Portugal and Belgium and their families. I was recently honored by the Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute in Zimbabwe to participate in their 30th anniversary celebration. I was the first executive director of what has grown into a 15-country initiative, largely financed by member states. The video link, together with the reflections of the other executive directors (governors of central banks and secretaries of finance) was aired at the MEFMI Executive Forum in Washington, D.C., at the World Bank and IMF Meetings in October 2024. Previously, I had shared with Claremont MEFMI’s story and encouraged collaboration.”

A short note from Philip Chrones reads, “I am still here. Hello to all the people who helped me through CMC. I appreciate all of you. Mahalo.”

David Fawcett had this to say about the new Robert Day Sciences Center: “As much as I applaud the opening of the Robert Day Sciences Center, my major concern is the humanities program at CMC and its commitment to the study of literature, history, and politics—free from ideological cant and coercion.”

Here’s what Charles Bullock feels is noteworthy: “I suppose that to turn 80 in 2024 and still be in reasonably good health (knock on wood) would be one thing. However, the best thing is that my wife and I took our fourth trip to Alaska. We did both cruise and land tours for two weeks. My son and his wife, our granddaughter, and two friends accompanied us. There were several highlights, but the best was we got to see Mount Denali. We sailed with Celebrity Cruises with the land tour as part of their package. We started in Fairbanks, then train to Denali, train to Talkeetna, and train to Anchorage. We then took a bus from Anchorage to Seward and boarded the ship. Port calls were made at Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), and Ketchikan before disembarking at Vancouver, B.C. We saw Denali from Talkeetna.”

Stephen Smith writes, “Heidi PIT ’66 and I lived in Reno, Nev., for 28 years, where we thoroughly enjoyed the desert, Lake Tahoe, and raised our six kids. Ten years ago, our kids decided we were too old to be left on our own and strongly suggested that we move near one of them so we could be properly cared for in the event of … you know. So, we moved to Lincoln, Calif., about a block down the street from our oldest son. Our other five kids now live in Oregon, Washington, and Texas. All was well until our son also moved up to Washington a couple years ago. So much for our great plans! At least our health remains relatively good. While we do enjoy Northern California, we miss the desert environment and many good friends on the other side of the Sierra. We do a lot of prospecting and rockhounding in our spare time, then cut and polish newfound gems to create more jewelry for Heidi. She tells me a woman never has too much jewelry! Heidi and I met in 1963 when we both lived in Pasadena. Our hearts go out to so many former school friends, old neighbors, and others who are suffering from losses caused by the Eaton, Palisades, and other recent wildfires in the greater L.A. area. Heidi grew up about six blocks from the fire line in Altadena. The Eaton Fire destroyed her high school best friend’s home. As I write, we don’t know if St. Elizabeth’s School, where she attended sixth to eighth grades, is still standing.” 

Stephen Martin and his wife, Alice Martin, and Steve Rudd and his partner, Martie Vaughan, attended a fundraising dinner at the Family Redwoods Resort in Woodside, Calif. The principal charitable beneficiary was the Hospital de la Familia Foundation that supports a hospital providing life-changing care in rural Guatemala. 

Steve also reports that he represented our class at the annual CMS alumni/student tennis match this year. He writes, “Sixty years after I played on the 1965 varsity tennis team, I returned to demonstrate that I could still stand upright unassisted. I played one set with a 2025 team member versus a former CMS assistant tennis coach and another 2025 team member. We lost 6-4. I played another set with a recent alumnus versus CMS tennis coach Steve Kronseder ’71 and another recent alumnus. We lost again 6-4, but I had lots of fun playing at 5 p.m. under the lights, followed by the traditional BBQ tacos dinner in the team classroom. I recommend you attend your relevant alumni sporting events if you can; it’s a great kick to be back on campus and see all the changes.”

Bruce Bean added that he was favorably impressed by Steve’s willingness to play against the more powerful and more agile youngsters who are our successors. “They, of course, have no knowledge of the battles we waged against national champion Redlands every year we played for CMC. I wish that I could have been there to witness the event, but the effects of an aortic valve transfer and its side effects (plus general grumpiness) suggested that I should not attend.”

And Fred Merkin GP’28 further commented, “You are to be commended for staying in such good shape that you can still play tennis well, including against such young competition. You may well outlive us all. Keep it up!” 

Bill Steuben and Steve Rudd had a wonderful time at Bill’s 80^th birthday party in his backyard in suburban Pleasanton, Calif. The party was a family and friends affair with three dozen people attending and delicious tacos and sangria.

And, finally, Steve Rudd writes, “My golf clubs sit on the back deck looking a bit forlorn. I’d put them there last August hoping I’d remember to play, but then stuff came up and time went by and now it’s winter and the chances aren’t looking good. But there is compensation. The other day my granddaughter was teaching me how to make a fan out of a sheet of printer paper: fold, turn, fold, turn, etc. Apparently, I’m not natural at this. Finally, after one too many Oops, she turned my way and said, ‘Grandpa, it doesn’t have to be perfect.’ Oh, what do we learn from the mouths of babes.”

Thomas Moore tells us that “Cathy, my wife of 53 years, and I live on a hill overlooking Bellingham Bay, Wash., tranquil now and deep blue, though next week a blow from the south is sure to come through and turn it a milky gray. Cathy and I met while we were both volunteering at the Open-Door Clinic in Seattle’s University District and shortly afterwards pulled up stakes and settled in as grad students at the University of Chicago. After both getting our Ph.D.s, we headed out west again and ended up in Bellingham. Cathy retired after 35 years as a clinical psychologist, but I still do some teaching at Western Washington University. After all, 18-year-olds are the only ones who will listen to me anymore. While the winds are still in our favor, we have made many trips to Europe, though now the prospect of nine hours on a flight to Paris is beginning to seem daunting, and we may lower our sights and aim for Tucson instead. My years at Claremont are a blur, though I remember a political science professor whose classes were always listed as ‘Tuesday-Thursday-Skiing’ and an English professor who threw erasers at the back-row students who fell asleep. And Aristotle, whom I teach now, is figuring if I could survive the ghost of the Lyceum, so can students today. Sorry for my rambling account of things, but that’s how my mind works these days.”

Aaron Fuller has produced a prodigious report about his experience as a member of the Churchill Society. His report with photos will be sent to ’67 classmates in a separate communication from Robin Bartlett. If you are interested, please drop Robin a note at rbbartlett01@gmail.com and he will send you a copy. Here is a brief note about Aaron’s recent trip to London attending this year’s Churchill conference: “The conference is always enjoyable. A highlight of this year’s program was the unveiling of a new sculpture of Churchill. It is of ‘Churchill the artist.’ Winston painted a few hundred works including many landscapes both in the U.K. and France. The artist-sculptor who created it, Paul Rafferty, was with us, and members of the Churchill family were there for the unveiling at Blenheim Palace, Churchill’s ancestral home where he was born, proposed to his wife, and is buried.

Dennis Mann writes, “When you get to where you are chronologically enhanced or chronologically gifted (take a bow, CMCers!), doing simple things is often a gigantic ‘arschpein’ (pain in the ‘tuchus’). Thus, attending Robin Bartlett’s Vietnam presentation on Armistice Day (Veterans Day) last November was a major challenge. My days are structured around caregiving (exercise and bathing) which occur like clockwork every day—usually between 1 and 5 p.m. Well, that schedule got blown to dust bunnies on Nov. 11. My caregiver showed up at 8 a.m. to get me out of bed, while my wife drove to Riverside to pick up a wheelchair-accessible van (ours was not working). She returned around 11:30, but various delays resulted in not leaving for CMC until 1 p.m. This was still not a problem for a 6 p.m. event, right? Problem No. 1 was that we were dealing with a touchscreen GPS display in the rental van (what is this?). We arrived at CMC by 2:30 and began looking for an unoccupied handicapped parking space close to the Ath. We found one and proceeded to push my manual wheelchair up-slope towards the Ath. (Funny how those slopes just got steeper and steeper as we approached). Talking to a wonderful CMC employee, we learned of handicapped parking right behind the Ath! My wife went back to the van and moved it to a spot at the back door of the Ath while I continued to wheel myself along. Robin’s Vietnam presentation included maps of S.E. Asia and videos of patrols and helicopter assaults to provide context. And when he started to talk about his war, he retrieved his 1st Air Cav Stetson and wore it for the rest of the presentation (black hat with crossed cavalry sabers). If you’ve read his book, Vietnam Combat: Firefights and Writing History, then you find that his presentation was a window to another world. Questions after the presentation were from all over the map. To my surprise, one student got up, identified himself as a former commando in the Singaporean Army before coming to CMC. He asked Robin a nuanced question about PTSD. After Robin answered about his own experiences, this student sat down with a small smile playing on his face. It was obvious that the question and answer had connected the two former soldiers. When Robin completed his presentation, the audience (roughly 120 people) gave Robin a standing ovation. The manager of the Ath told us later that in watching presentations for more than 10 years, he could count the number of standing ovations on one hand. Take some time, copy the click, and enter a land that few of us know anything about. Welcome Home, Robin. Congratulations on a job well done.”

Dennis Mann had further comments about the expansion of the CMC campus. He writes, “Being wheelchair-bound, I will obviously get to see what’s been done by our next reunion assuming all body parts remain in good order. Two key thoughts jump out, though. There’ll be an underpass beneath Claremont Boulevard, for pedestrian traffic to/from the new sports complex. Has anyone considered the effort required for manual wheelchairs to go uphill, in either direction? What kind of slope will be involved for those of us who are differently abled? And realize that not everybody has an electric chair. Second, ROTC looks like an afterthought again, sharing a building or buildings with all kinds of other, unrelated activities. Back to the basement and be thankful for what you have! I understand that ROTC participation has dropped off due to no war and no draft; however, we are providing space and opportunities for cadets for several other colleges and universities, so the numbers are higher than just CMC students. But I sure do wish that ROTC could have its own building, purposed for ROTC and related activities.”

Robin Bartlett adds, “I was truly fortunate to be invited to present at the Athenaeum last Veterans Day. It was a bucket list event for me, and I took pride in having Dennis Mann and Karen, Bob Novell P’94 and Sharon, and Stan Eubanks ’68 and Marilyn attend. I was also honored to have President Hiram Chodosh, Jack Stark ’57 GP’11, along with Jil Stark ’58 GP’11 and my faculty advisor and mentor Ladell Payne and his wife, Jean, attend together with faculty, staff, ROTC cadets, and students. My presentation ran 50 minutes (critiqued and timed by John Faranda ’79 and honorary member of the Class of ’67). I was challenged to adjust my presentation realizing that most of the audience had been born after the Vietnam War and needed some historical and geographic context to understand the presentation. I was assisted in making these changes with early critiques furnished by Fred Merkin and his grandson Nate Perry ’28, Jim Carson, and Tim Galbraith ’87 P’23.

In November, Jim Carson wrapped up another year with the Honor Flight program at Dulles International Airport. He works with a group of volunteers who expedite and assist with the arrivals and departures of veterans’ Honor Flights from across the nation. Each all-expenses-paid flight brings veterans—now mostly from the Korean and Vietnam wars—into Washington to visit the war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery, many for the first time. This national program, whose mission is to celebrate America’s veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at our nation’s memorials, has brought some 300,000 veterans to Washington since 2005. There are 128 “hub cities” across the USA that send flights to Washington, including six in California. If you are interested in making an Honor Flight to Washington or volunteering locally, check out the Honor Flight Network website: https://www.honorflight.org/.

John Percy provides another amazing travel story. He writes, “In 2024, I achieved my goal of visiting 150 different countries. January started with a nine-day cruise to Antarctica and southern Argentina. Antarctica was actually warmer than St. Louis. The high temperature every day was 33° and the low was 31°. I saw lots of penguins and other wildlife. I flew to Santiago and then Easter Island. My guide took me around the island for two days to see most of the Maori Monoliths. After Easter Island, I returned home for a few days to get clothes for the Caribbean. I visited Trinidad, Dominica, Antiqua, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. The weather was great. After the Caribbean, I flew to Puerto Vallarta to join friends from St. Louis. The rest of the year I traveled to Europe, California, and New York for opera and theater.”

While John Percy is a successful world traveler, he relates one significant travel challenge. “I arrived in the Seychelles on Jan. 8 as planned. However, the trip was an ordeal. On Monday morning, I was not able to obtain a taxi or Uber to the St. Louis airport due to a snowstorm. That forced me to walk eight blocks in 10 inches of snow to our airport train. Part of the way had been cleared by some of the businesses. I only fell once during my 25-minute trek to the train. My flight to Philadelphia, scheduled for 2 p.m., departed at 5 p.m., causing me to miss my 7:50 p.m. departure to Doha. The Admirals Club helped me rebook. Fortunately, I had already looked at alternative routes. The best one was a 1:30 a.m. flight on Qatar Airlines from JFK, which would get me to Doha in plenty of time for my previously scheduled connection to the Seychelles. While the agent was booking that flight for me, I purchased an Amtrak ticket to New York City departing at 10 p.m. and booked an Uber from the airport to the Amtrak station. The train arrived at 11:30 p.m. I immediately hired a taxi to take me to JFK airport. I told the driver that I needed to be there at 12:20 a.m. The Qatar Airlines check-in counters closed at 12:30 a.m. He got me to the terminal on time despite some heavy traffic. There was a hassle at the Qatar Airlines check-in counter. The agents told me that the reservation had been automatically canceled as I had not arrived at the airport three hours prior to departure. This is a special rule when other airlines book on Qatar. Fortunately, a manager was able to retrieve my reservation, and I was given a boarding pass. I was sitting at 1 a.m. The full flight left at 1:30 a.m. Qatar served two excellent meals plus a snack. The One World Lounge at the Doha airport is open 24/7 and there were a lot of people there at midnight. The Qatar Airlines flight to the Seychelles left as scheduled at 2:50 a.m. arriving at 8:30 a.m. My guide met me at the airport and drove me to my hotel, where I had breakfast. As I write this, I’m waiting for my room to be ready. Needless to say, I’m exhausted after not having slept for 48 hours. Oh, I forgot to mention that during the last flight, my glasses fell out of my shirt pocket and another passenger stepped on them, cracking the frame around the lens. So now I have to deal with that. What a trip!”

Marty Kaplin commented that his reaction to both the new Roberts Campus Sports Bowl and the Robert Day Sciences Center can be summed up in one word … “SURREAL!” He further notes, “I have been donating a modest amount to CMC each year, but Robin Bartlett introduced me to the Kravis Opportunity Fund (KOF). This CMC fund alongside other alumni and family opportunity funds, supports students with financial need. These students are provided with increased access through a range of benefits including:

• guaranteed funding for a first-year summer internship or experience (including a summer savings grant);
• kick-off grants to cover costs like dorm set-up, interview and Athenaeum clothing attire, and technology;
• grants for health insurance coverage;
• financial support to participate in College-sponsored networking trips, research travel, academic conference attendance, participation in our job showing programs, and other endeavors; and
• travel funding for low-income families to visit campus for Family Weekend.

I have significantly increased my annual giving to CMC, all to KOF. Van Wolbach and I make bets during the year for bragging rights on football games. The money we bet is donated to our fund of choice, the KOF.”

Sandy Mackie commented, “The campus is growing, and my reactions are mixed. For current students it must be an exciting change. But to this small-town boy from Oregon who walked on campus in September 1963, it looks intimidating. Then, I felt comfort in the intimacy of the small campus. Story House was our meeting place, and 10 to 15 students in many of my classes taught by full professors was a joy. I chose CMC over University of Chicago where I was urged to attend, favoring the ‘small college atmosphere.’ CMC in its current configuration and with the planned expansion has many great things to offer students, but the intimacy and comfort of the small college I once knew may be hard to find.” 

Bob Groos is an award-winning photographer and has amazing talent for bird photography. He has developed a marvelous storytelling website focusing on wild birds and adventure travel. He invites you to visit robertgroosphotography.com, where you will find amazing shots you won’t see anywhere else. Bob grabs your attention with stories about how his photographs came about. In his latest post, he portrays the drama that occurs when a tiny bird you won’t often see wages territorial battle against a newly arrived rival. Take a minute and see for yourself: https://www.robertgroosphotography.com/home/all-about-a-ruby-crowned-kinglet-battling-the-bird-in-the-bumper.

Van Smith notes, “Sunset Boulevard is now in ruins: in the catastrophic Palisades fire, one of the city’s most iconic thoroughfares was severely damaged and large swaths of homes were reduced to smoldering rubble.”

Marty Kaplan added, “It’s all horrible, but the decimation of Will Rogers State Park has special reference for us, across several reference points. It was so awful to watch the devastation on TV.”

John Pettit P’91, who now lives in San Diego, had personal experience with the fire. He wrote, “At first the maps of the fires were very crude, and I couldn’t see how my old house and my wife’s old house could have survived. Patty finally got to a map that shows each building in Pasadena. My old house survived, although the fire came within a quarter mile; and her old house also survived, although an elementary school 50 yards away burned down. Ed Stanton’s multi-million-dollar home was one of only five houses to survive in Pacific Palisades. His home was within a mile of the destruction. Also, a longtime friend who lives in Altadena has a house that survived and is one of three on an extraordinarily long block that made it. I figure knowing me is what saved all these houses—I guess I’m the Angel of Mercy, eh?”

Ed Stanton writes, “We were so lucky. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 10:30 a.m., a fire broke out in the northwest corner of Pacific Palisades, Calif. The area is surrounded by hills and much vegetation. If the map of the Palisades were a clock, the fire started at 11 and our house was down by the cliffs at 5. Our house was built in 1936 and we’ve been there for 48 years. I thought there was no way it could travel the approximate eight miles and get to us.

“At around 6:15 p.m., I got a call from a buddy whose house was about a mile north of mine. He said, ‘The fire is in the town, and you have to evacuate.’ We packed two suitcases, both dogs, and we drove 75 miles south to our daughter’s home in San Juan Capistrano.

“For the next two days, I could only pray. On Thursday, my son who lives in Washington, D.C., emailed saying, ‘Dad, I’ve got some very bad news. It appears the fire is burning the hill behind your house.’ By the grace of God, a fire engine from San Luis Obispo came by and put it out. It burned up to our fence but never got to the house. The fire came within five homes of ours, then stopped.

“In closing, could the fire have been avoided? Unlikely. Los Angeles had only one-tenth of an inch of rain since October and the winds were around 70 mph. We’ve had similar droughts and winds in the past. We lost our town and at least 50 of my friends lost their homes. For this, I am grief-stricken.

“Last Sunday,  Jan. 26, we returned to our home; we had power, water, and gas. Fortunately, all the windows were closed when we left so only a slight smell of smoke exists. Since the water is still considered unsafe, we have bottles upon bottles of water. The National Guard prohibits going into the town, and you must show an ID going in and out. I’m guessing it will be several years before life returns to its previous way, but Pacific Palisades will once again be a wonderful place to live.”

John Mazza’s home in Malibu was not in danger this time, although John had to defend his property in another fire several years back due to a territorial dispute by fire companies. That time John spent days standing on his roof hosing down embers. John hopes to be able to return to his home in one to two weeks once power is restored. He expressed gratitude to the National Guard and local police for their secure checkpoints and keeping his home safe from looters.

John Pettit P’91 concludes with an amazing story about the artist Leslie Gerry, whom he became aware of in 2015. “Gerry is an English artist, author, and publisher. Originally, it was the limited-edition book about Stockholm harbor that attracted my attention, but over the years, Gerry produced a number of even higher quality limited editions that I found interesting. He published books on New York, Havana, Venice, Marrakesh, lighthouses, a voyage around Great Britain, and, lately, Arizona. My wife and I have two different timeshare units in Sedona, Ariz., and after acquiring Gerry’s book on Venice, I started to think about what he could do to show the exceptional scenery in Arizona. I emailed Gerry with my idea; and after five years of correspondence and convincing, he consented to come to Sedona, stay with us, and produce a limited-edition book. Gerry finally made up his mind to come to Sedona when I sent him a subscription to Arizona Highways. He took a look at one issue, and he was all in. So, he joined us in San Diego in April 2023, and we took him to Sedona.

“Gerry’s usual method of working was to go to a city and walk around for a couple of weeks, gaining impressions and taking numerous photographs. He then returns home and produces his paintings from the photographs. His books take one to two years to produce. His method of painting is laborious. I made a list of places in Sedona that I thought he would be interested in painting, and my wife, Patty, and I chauffeured him around for a week, saving him time and money. He liked most of my ideas, rejected a couple, and found a few on his own. We went to the Grand Canyon, where we spent three and a half hours late one afternoon; he took 500 photographs. In all, he took more than 3,000 photos during the entire week he was with us. If you want to check out the results, Google “Leslie Gerry Editions,” and click on books and then limited editions. Check out the picture of the Grand Canyon, which will be almost five feet wide in the deluxe edition, and no, he does not use Photoshop. His paintings use Illustrator.”

Robin Bartlett adds, “John has written an amazing story about his trip guiding Gerry through Sedona. His travelogue has been emailed to 1967 classmates along with a number of photographs. If you would like to read/see the story, send an email to rbbartlett01@gmail.com and a copy will be forwarded to you.”

Robin Bartlett ’67

Ted Mogey commented, “Jackie and I are still doing well but keeping in mind that I am almost 79. We enjoy taking Viking River Cruises. In August we celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary and went to Bordeaux for the wine tour. This July we will do the cruise down the lower Danube. I remain highly active in my church and still do gemstone cutting. We are looking forward to a wonderful 2025.”

Rodger Baird P’11 commented that he received Robin Bartlett ’67’s book, Vietnam Combat: Firefights and Writing History in early July. “However, I ended up in the hospital for the better part of two weeks right after that and never started reading. Last week, during our monthly Zoom call, Craige Citron, Stan Eubanks, and I decided we’d designate ourselves as a book club and started by reading the book before our next Zoom call. Then we passed the assignment on to Tom Ryan and Doug Campbell, who had the misfortune of missing our call but got the assignment anyway. So, stay tuned for our reviews. I’m just at chapter 11 now but have found it professionally written and engaging. As my health has slowly rebounded, I’ve gotten back to work on writing the final volume in my “Lotus Trilogy,” a project I blamed on Craige Citron. I find that creating fiction seldom rises to the level of real events in terms of plot twists, drama, graphic details, and so forth, and reading Bartlett’s memoir has only added cement to my notion about this. Whereas the fiction writer might be accused of any number of misdeeds like over-dramatizing gory details or weaving overly complicated plots, history may be revealed in all of its messiness when it really happened. Just think of Iran-Contra for a convoluted mess. There’s nothing salacious about the truth. I think it may be why I find Bartlett’s first-person account so engaging. I’ve run across a couple of other writings by Vietnam vets that were products of their own journeys with PTSD and would pass those links along to you if ever you were so inclined to read them. And, as I read the book, if I were to learn that you never wanted to read a fictional story set in those times, it’d be quite understandable.”

Stan Eubanks added to Rodger’s story: “We started meeting in 2018. Craig Citron, Tom Ryan, Doug Campbell, Rodger Baird P’11, and I went to the Fairfax Market for a get-together to remember old times at CMC. We would tell each other what has happened in our lives, what books we were reading, and about our general health. This occurred on each individual birthday. Later, it became a Zoom call initiated by Rodger. Due to the fact we are all aged and moved to different locations, it was difficult to coordinate a time to call and we chose one date per month to do the Zoom call. And since we all had a copy of Robin Bartlett ’67’s Vietnam Combat, we chose this to be our Zoom Book Club of the month to be completed by Feb. 9. Final note: my wife Marilyn and I plan to go to the Grand Canyon next month.”

Johan Carl commented, “I did not make it to the 60th Class Reunion, as I am sure was noted by many. One of my issues was delays in scheduling a hip replacement and why go to a reunion (or anywhere) if you can’t dance? However, I am most happy to report that on Bastille Day I got a new left hip (certainly better than a revolution) to complement the replacement of my right hip some 13 years ago. I now consider myself ‘the bionic hipster’ and can play tennis at least three times a week without even requiring any painkillers. The focus on surgical repairs for both Carol and me limited our travels to only a brief visit to the Bay Area, where James Arnold P’09 immediately fled to Scotland. This followed by a month in Franklin, N.C., where we went to escape the Texas summer. Oz (Rich Osmanski) has recently reappeared in the communication flow, and Peter Gittlen keeps popping up in my thoughts as well. Rest assured; I continue to ‘live large’ in northeast Texas. Ciao!”

“Not so much news to tell,” Rich Osmanski writes. “Audrey and I are finally the grandparents of two beautiful girls. I had a go at prostate cancer last year, following in my father and brother’s footsteps, and have come out ahead. I have suffered from muscle loss and weight gain (what’s new, right?) after a year of chemo. Mexico is still our home. The people are wonderful, and the country is full of fascinating culture, history, and geography. I have been traveling around the Americas some and thinking of Croatia as a visit next ... anyone care to join me? If anyone knows what happened to my old flame, Katherin Alice Gillen PIT ’68, married with two-plus girls, living in England with a guy who runs a circus (sounds interesting), please contact me. She was last heard from in the ’70s. For some reason, I find myself wanting to know how others I cared for are doing these days. I guess once you get in my heart and head, there you stay! Many I cared for have passed on. Finalmente empezamos a hablar un español correcto, aunque la gente aquí habla inglés y son muy amables al respecto ... no Francia, ¡seguro! Honestly, CMC is not my school anymore, being coed and all. All good, for sure, but I really cared about the people who made it the school and what it was for me. All my schools look so different today. It would be hard to tell the original from when I was a student. The ‘business model’ idea of education seems to be the direction CMC is going. Who gets left behind in all this might be the question.”

Robin Bartlett ’67

Mitch Fisher writes: “We celebrated our 20^th Stag-athalon in Oregon in October. In a tribute to our lost friend and teammate, Dave Wells, these six championship basketballers get together each year: Rick Reed, John McKniff, Brent Hanson ’73, Jerry Groff HMC ’69, Don Lewis, and myself.

“This year, we rented a farmhouse with a tractor and a barn. We visited the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville where the Spruce Goose nests. We walked through a local cemetery. We played golf on the Oregon coast. We barbecued, wine tasted and rekindled old times. Upon our return home, we are usually asked, ‘So, what did you guys talk about?’

“Here are some sample topics of our most recent gathering:

“Meeting Julius Caesar. Chinese ambiguity. Our astronaut from Mudd. Soviet kidnappings, golf, all you can eat buffets, profiling, palette progression, permissive parents. Semi-colons, chemistry, physics, industrial engineering. Muscle shoals. Drones, sea planes and the Spruce Goose. Epistemology. Ontology. Micro-aggression. Discernment. Super crunchy peanut butter. Russian River canoeing. Éminence grise. Baguette and crossbar. FCG. Statistics. Getting into Stanford. Design experiments. Management support. Midsomer Murders. Project management. Angela’s Ashes. Too many electrons. Dollar General. Credit on crab legs. Regression to the mean. Blueberry pancakes and ribeyes.

“We are extremely fortunate to have each other and this incredible bond of friendship. Thank you, CMC!”

Robert Bills ’72

These notes were written during the terrible fires in the Los Angeles region. We know some of our classmates lost their homes during this tragedy, and we feel for them. How sad all this is on many levels. We’re holding good thoughts for everyone affected.

We start our individual classmate updates with big congratulations to Wil Wilkins, who was inducted into the Ted Ducey Hall of Fame for CMS scholar-athletes in January 2025. Wil played football and baseball while at CMC. Very well done. And very good to see Wil recognized like this.

Paul Fisher writes about our friend and fellow alumnus, Reid Dabney PM’12, who passed away in August. “Several of us held a CMC remembrance celebration in September 2024 in Oakland, Calif.  The event was spearheaded by Bob Jacobsen, with Jackson Taylor and myself assisting. Peter Gastaldi P’02, Ken Gilbert, Ron Hanni, Lowell Sears, and Don Waddell also attended and enjoyed each other’s company, despite the circumstances. Reid’s widow, Sherry, was with us and seemed touched. Bob’s wife, Sandi, and several of Jackson’s family attended, including those who were RJ’s golf buddies. Ken won the prize for traveling the furthest and being the most harried. He started the day in Vermont and traveled through Philadelphia, Phoenix, and finally to Oakland. But he made it in time to be able to raise a pint to celebrate our mutual privilege of knowing Reid.”

Ken Gilbert writes, “In late January, we held our second 1973 Class Reunion Zoom call—with 22 classmates participating! It was great to catch up with everyone, including some we haven’t seen for a while. Thanks to Blake Okimoto in Honolulu and several guys on the East Coast, the call covered six time zones! Several themes emerged during the call: some guys are still employed (with the expected lots of lawyers); some guys are not working and/or retired; many folks are doing volunteer work in a wide variety of activities; many classmates have grandchildren (from one to nine); many folks are traveling the country and the world via car road trips, cruises, and planes; numerous classmates meet over lunch or dinner as get-togethers are happening all over the country; lots of golf is being played these days (no one mentioned pickleball); and lots of black-and-white westerns are being watched on daytime MeTV. We could list what each person is doing, but it is probably safer to keep those facts and stories to the Zoom call! In addition to Blake, on the call were Chip Allen, Bill Armstrong, Paul Beninger P’09, Rich Esterkin, Terry Gips, Harvey Goldhammer, Randolph Harris, Steve Hessen, Bob Jacobsen, Craig Luther, Joe McNaught, Peter Nicholson, Chris Runco, Lowell Sears, Jackson Taylor, Tim Taylor, Steve Thatcher, Don Waddell, Roger Winsby, Tom Yost, and me. Our group was summarized by one classmate who said he thought we would all look younger! We are doing these reunion class calls quarterly. They are free-form, with no agenda except to see how each of us is doing. If you can’t make one call, we hope you can make the next one. If you didn’t get an email ‘sent from me’ (aka the College), please let me know so we can get you on the list to join these calls in the future.

“Lastly, my wife and I joined Skip Weiss ’74 and his wife and family at the wedding of his son Nick Weiss ’15 in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, in early January. There were 13 other CMC alumni at the event, friends of Nick, from the Classes of 2015 and 2016. It was a superb series of wedding and family events in a spectacular town near Bogota. The alumni photo taken at the ‘Recovery Party’ (a wise Colombian tradition) is in the Notes for the Class of ’15.”

Mark Rosenthal says “Luckily, I no longer live in Mandeville Canyon, where fire risk was a constant hazard. I hope others are safe and doing well. I continue to be immersed with breakthrough particle physics-based dynamic and pain inventions. This may be the biggest breakthrough for chronic pain since opiates. I expect to publish this year after 20 years of development.”

Ken Gilbert ’73

Skip Weiss P’15 writes, “For those who attended our 50th Reunion from May 30 to June 1, what a time we had. For those who couldn’t make it, please know you were missed. I want to thank the committee for such an enjoyable and productive collaboration. As a team, we met monthly to work on the Memory Book, the class gift, and getting such a strong attendance. And along the way we renewed friendships and made some new friends. From my perspective, it was very cool.

“The following classmates celebrated together for our 50th: Wayne Akiyama, Dick Archibald-Woodward, Riley Atkins, Brent Bailey, Mike Boardman, Greg Breen, Mark Buchanan, Tom Cerruti, Byde Clawson P’07, Chuck Crouch, Tim Donahoe, Bob Ernst P’05 P’10, Jay Flatley P’03, Phil Friedman P’14, Bill Geary, Michael Graber, John Hartnett, Frank Hobbs, Jeff Hudson, Gib Johnson, Kim Ledbetter, John Lucas, Jim McElwee P’12, Will Patterson, Gary Rattet, Tom Rees, Don Robinson, Darrell Smith P’00, Steve Sorell, Jeff Taylor, John Vallandigham, and Skip Weiss (apologies if I missed anyone in this list).

“Friday night’s all-class dinner in the Gann Quad was one of the weekend highlights when the reunion committee presented to CMC President Hiram Chodosh a check representing our class gift which to date amounted to $874,733, a record for the College. Thank you and congrats to all who participated. During the dinner, Jay and Skip were both presented with awards from the CMC Alumni Association, and the evening ended with the first Ward Elliott Memorial Singing Party outside Beckett Hall around a new fire pit that had recently been installed. A huge turnout … and a great time. I’m sure somewhere Ward was smiling.

“At Saturday’s lunch, the class gathered in the Ath to commemorate the attendees with Golden Medallions honoring the 50th anniversary of our graduation (medallions have been sent to all classmates ... let me know if you did not receive yours). Jack Stark ’57 GP ’11 was the keynote speaker, and at nearly 90 years old (September 2024), he was sharp and witty. Not as witty as Greg Breen, however, who provided remarks on behalf of the class in his usual hilarious (and deadpan) sense of humor. Though this time Greg did not shake Jack’s hand and leave him holding a fake one (yes, Greg has mellowed over the years). Later that afternoon, Darrell Smith and Mark Buchanan led a memorial service for the 36 members of our class (as best as we know) that have passed. We gathered around the John Allen ’73 Memorial Tree in the North Quad, read their names aloud, and several class members stood up and shared personal reflections. It was a very moving and honoring occasion. The list of passed class members was recently emailed to all classmates. Email me if you didn’t see the list and want a copy.

“Following our class photo, we met for our celebration dinner in the Athenaeum. Spouses and friends were in attendance as we passed the microphone to share funny stories from CMC, as well as experiences from CMC that inspired who we are today. It was wonderful to hear such a grand variety of personal reflections. Clearly, CMC made an enormous impact on all our lives.

“We’ve decided that ‘reunioning’ will not take a pause for five years. Instead, we are going to initiate quarterly Zoom calls for our class. We will send out the Zoom link, so watch for it. The call will be an open forum. Feel free to join and share anything or ask anything. We realized that meeting every five years is too infrequent. And we’re not getting any younger. But we did adopt a slogan for the 2029 reunion: ‘Stay Alive ’til 55.’”

In other news from classmates, Jim Webster (who tried to make it to the reunion but was dealing with health issues) writes, “Here’s an interesting note. I always like to head right for In-N-Out first thing when I land in Ontario on my visits to CMC, and the good news is that the first location in the state of Washington is now planned to open in 2025! The bad news is that it is almost two hours south of Seattle (in a town called Ridgefield, which is just north of Vancouver, Wash., just across the Columbia River from Portland). But they are inching closer to me, so I’m sure that their strategy is to break through into the Seattle market (kinda like the Walmart strategy where they come into a major market on the fringe to establish themselves and then use the full force of their marketing power to gain market share.) I saw a story on the news today about In-N-Out, and it is now run by the 27-year-old granddaughter of the founder; very interesting story. They are also a very strong faith-based company, and they make no bones about making that clear, even labeling some of their product with scripture verses.”

Dave Rogers wrote in, “I am still on the blue sky side of the daisies, although with assorted health issues that come with the aging process that I have somehow survived (hip replacement, cancer survivor, emergency gall bladder, double inguinal hernia, broken neck, and most recently total shoulder replacement). God apparently isn’t done with me yet. Staying active and having fun with sports and community journalism and photography.”

Riley Atkins wrote in with news about the next stops on his never-ending travel: “As I write, we are in Singapore about to begin a cruise north with excursions in Thailand and Vietnam, ending in Hong Kong by month’s end. Marci and I visited with Kim Ledbetter and Barb and Dave Kitch and Mary at our place before we left!”

Bill Pharr wrote in with some very sad news. “James Tudor passed away in Bend, Ore., his home of around 12 years, on Nov. 9, 2024. I believe the final autopsy was pancreatic cancer. He was first diagnosed around May of 2024. There was a celebration of life on Dec. 7, 2024 in Bend. There were around 135 people in attendance. Jim is survived by his absolutely lovely and talented wife Ree, sons Josh and Jason, and daughter Erin. Jim had a successful career as a middle school teacher in Chino for a few years, right after graduation in 1974. Then, about 34 years or so as a realtor and developer in Fallbrook, Calif. He retired to Bend in 2012, where he enjoyed biking, hiking, a lot of golf, snow sports, and especially bridge.

“I met Jim in John Lambert ’73’s Phillips Hall dorm room in the fall of 1972, and I believe John was the RA. We hit it off right away. He was my best friend in the world. We had a lot of adventures together. I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with Jim over the last few years of his life.”

Skip Weiss ’74 P’15

Steve Nickolas sent, “After leaving CMC, I spent a couple more years dabbling in politics and eventually moved to Maui, Hawaii. While in Maui, I became somewhat of a health nut and started the first bottled water business in that state. In the ’80s, I travelled much of the world, building bottled water plants in countries where much of the population had no access to safe drinking water. I moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., in 1990 to expand my business and focus on consumer products that were based on water science. In the last many years, I was instrumental in starting essentia® water, and most recently Alkaline88®. During the COVID crisis, I started a new company called Think Smarter Products with the objective of introducing hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to consumers. Currently we are offering a variety of these natural HOCl products on e-commerce platforms and are experiencing significant growth, particularly with younger consumers. We are looking to expand the business significantly in 2025. I encourage all fellow CMCers to investigate HOCl and its many benefits. Feel free to reach out to me at steve@thinksmarterproducts.com if you’d like to learn more or if you just want to catch up with me.”

Bob Scott and his husband, Tim McDonald, moved to Sonoma County wine country in 2011 after Bob’s retirement from a 27-year career in the finance field at TRW (later Northrop Grumman). For 10 years, he served on various nonprofit boards as well as volunteering to provide accounting services for many of them. In 2017, both Bob and Tim answered a call to become clergy in their little Episcopal church in Cloverdale. Tim is the priest at the church, and Bob serves as the deacon who brings the needs of the community back to the church for action. But they continue to find time to travel extensively throughout the world, having now visited 86 countries. “A very full but satisfying ‘retirement.’”

Rick Cook writes, “As one who enjoys reading Class Notes, but virtually never offers one, I guess it’s time. I still reside in Greensboro, N.C., and maintain a psychology practice in neighboring Winston-Salem. While I’m trying to work less, I love my colleagues and patients that I’ve worked with over the years, so it’s hard to let go. My wife, Rose Marie, retired from teaching three years ago. Our daughter, Jamie (40), is a vice president with Wrangler (Kontoor) and lives up the street from us. She and her husband have a 3-and-a half-year-old son who loves spending time with his grandmother. Our son, Tim (37), is a mechanical engineer with Johnson & Johnson in Jacksonville, Fla. He and his wife have a 5-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son. We enjoy visiting them as often as we can. I’m grateful for the educational start that CMC gave me, but still trying to figure out how I got so old so fast!”

After the release of his bestselling book, The Second Best Business Book Ever Written: The Pursuit of Thought Leadership in Sales, Marketing, and Life, which was the No. 1 new business book in America and the No. 2 bestselling business book in 2024, Tom Marks declined the option for a follow-up book with his publisher, Inc. Magazine. He has instead launched the first Digital Retirement Collective in the U.S., called “The Peaceful Retiree.” Although there are 27 contributing editors, “we’re always looking for more,” writes Tom. With thousands of subscribers across the country, as well as thousands of daily web visitors, after only 12 weeks, “we’re shell-shocked at how fast this has grown as we tap into our audience of over 55 million retirees,” continues Tom. If anyone would like to submit an article, they can do so at: https://thepeacefulretiree.com/submit-article. Or, if you’d like to become a contributing editor, you can reach Tom at bepeaceful@thepeacefulretiree.com.

Jim Carroll sent a note from Kiawah Island, S.C., that he “continues managing investments for existing and new clients. In September 2023, I joined a relatively new boutique called Ballast Rock Private Wealth, and we’re having a lot of fun. Any golfers who read this should come and visit!”

At the beginning of 2025, Doug Mirell moved from Greenberg Glusker to Nolan Heimann, an intellectual property boutique law firm. At that firm, Doug plans to continue his IP/entertainment and general litigation practice, including representing those considering pursuing defamation, invasion of privacy, publicity rights, and related claims against media entities. Last year, on behalf of SAG-AFTRA, he testified in Sacramento before three separate committees in support of now-enacted artificial intelligence legislation that seeks to prevent the unauthorized use of digital replicas of deceased personalities. Doug is continuing to work with SAG-AFTRA on federal legislation to curb AI misuse of living and deceased performers. Also last year, Doug celebrated his 40th year of marriage to Loyola Law School Professor Laurie Levenson; they became grandparents for the first and second times—their son Solly had a son in January, and their daughter Havi had a daughter in February.

Al Harutunian ’77

“I am out of the office and will be checking emails rarely. If there is an urgent question, please contact….” This is a common response I receive when I send emails to my classmates from 1975. They’re tripping (as in vacations, not drugs)! So, I asked my class: Did you take a memorable trip, with a fellow CMCer while you were in school, or even after?

David Getts reminisced: “Following graduation in 1979, Tim Irby and I (both CMC/Stanford management-engineering grads in 1979) did a four-day backpacking trip from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite (8600’), over Donohue Pass (about 11,000’ and part of the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails) to Thousand Islands Lake (9800’) and then down to Silver Lake (7500’) on the June Lake loop (about 25 miles or so). It was a glorious trip, although Donohue pass was still somewhat covered in snow (in June). I still hike this area occasionally in the summer from my family’s cabin on Silver Lake. Nothing like the Eastern Sierra Nevada!”

Certainly a best man, Gary Engler writes, “I had the beautiful experience of attending the destination wedding of classmate Gary Lichtig near Bordeaux, France, a few years ago. Classmates Richard Dorman P’20 and the late John Knott also were there. Three days of great fun, great food, great weather, and great stories never to be forgotten.”

John Faranda adds that although he has been around the world as CMC’s ambassador-at-large, one of the most fun trips was with Bill MacGowan and his family to explore Russia (back in 2013 when that was politically acceptable). A private tour of the Amber Room of the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg and seeing Giselle at the Bolshoi in Moscow were highlights.

“I (Clint Greenbaum) took a trip with Howard Kroll ’78 to San Diego in 1978, and of course, being movie fans, we stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado (Some Like It Hot). We had reserved the cheapest room, but at check-in we were upgraded to a huge suite in the new wing, on the second-highest floor, overlooking the resort and the ocean. We couldn’t believe it! We went out to dinner, got back late to the room, and we discovered why they gave us the suite. It was directly under the dance floor of the disco, where we had just been. The constant noise was like a herd of cattle (I know, being from Kansas). We bought a bottle of wine in the hotel shop and drank it on the beach until the disco closed at 3 a.m.”

The debonair Brian O’Connor did even better: “I attended a debutante ball at the Hotel Del Coronado in 1976. Probably danced at that same disco. Being from Kansas, I actually liked the sound, but then again, I wasn’t trying to sleep through it.” (All these years later, and I never knew that Brian, like me, was from Kansas! Anyone else?)

Eric Weber P’13 reports, “I’ve been doing ‘Thursdays with Jerry’ Zoom calls with retired CMC Professor Jerry Eyrich P’83 and his former students. It is great fun and entertaining with subjects ranging from artificial intelligence to the Fed’s inflation rate target. Former students and friends from a wide range of years participated. Jerry is so happy, and it is an amazing experience for me. We are going to do a spring initiative with new subjects and new/old friends and students. Jerry will be 95 in May!”

Clint Greenbaum ’79

Mike Kahmann and Pete Sherwood recently completed a bucket list item together, scaling Mt. Whitney on Aug. 26, 2024. The summit ascent capped an eight-day, 55-mile backpack trip across the Sierra Nevada range. Mike and Pete met as next-door neighbors in Benson Hall freshman year. Over the years, they have stayed in touch, cheering on each other’s career and family achievements. Over the past few summers, they have reconnected over a shared love of backpacking in the High Sierra. (“Type 2 Fun,” as Mike says!). On an earlier trip, Mike and Pete agreed to the challenge of hiking across the Sierra when they turned 65. 2024 was that year! It was beautiful and difficult all at the same time. Afterward, Pete said, “That was really great…. Let’s never do it again.” Mike agreed. 2025 will feature another, less ambitious hike in the Sierra.

Ken Wechsler ’81

Pam Hinds writes, “This summer, I was inducted as an endowed chair, and I am now holding the Rodney H. Adams Chair in the School of Engineering at Stanford University. I have another six months left as chair of the Department of Management Science & Engineering and am looking forward to a year-long sabbatical starting summer 2025. I’m excited to spend that time traveling and writing.”

Janette (White) Shelton writes, “I have been fortunate enough to be living back in my family home for the past 14 years in Del Mar, Calif. My husband, Doug, and I are both retired now. I volunteer at the San Diego Zoo several days a week, and he has taken up biking again now that he has the time. Our boys live in Southern California too, and for that we are very grateful. Our oldest, Reiner, is a paramedic in downtown San Diego, and Marcus is an aerospace engineer in Los Angeles. We have two spoiled pups, Lucy and Caleb, and a desert tortoise, Tankie.”

Russell Skibsted reports, “Lisa and I moved to Georgia in 2023. We love the quasi-country life—quiet, no traffic, and lots of trees and animals. Michael is a junior at the University of Georgia, studying biology and ecology, and pursuing his podcast, CheloniaCast, where he and his partners interview the leading researchers in turtle conservation and biology. I’m still doing biotech, and probably always will. Had a great time last November with Art Alvarez, Dave Eby, Blake Issacson’81, Eric Jenican ’80, Jon Stott, Steve Schiro ’80, and Dave Flatten ’80 watching Justin Edwards ’25 break all of the Stag rushing records in the Stags’ destruction of Cal Lutheran. Open invitation should anyone be passing through the Atlanta area.”

From Sam Walker: “I worked at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., for over 20 years. In my last few years there, I felt called to pursue my artistic talent—something I had always known I had but never fully explored. Since I worked remotely in central Virginia, I thought I could relocate near an art school while keeping my job. However, I soon realized that serious art training required full commitment. Meanwhile, at Heritage, my job was split between parts I enjoyed and parts I didn’t. Though they assured me they’d eventually focus my role on what I liked, that never happened. Then one day, they decided to remove the part I enjoyed and expand the part I didn’t. I knew immediately this wasn’t for me, so I resigned. Heritage was a wonderful place to work, but this change pushed me toward a new path. I soon found myself at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, where I’ve been studying classical painting for four years and am now in my fifth. It’s an intense, top-level program with outstanding teachers, and I’m currently in the still-life phase of the course—loving every moment of this journey.”

From Jeff Pollack: “After 28 years in our beloved Marin County, MaryAnne and I sold our house and moved all the way east to Arizona. We happen to be close to spring training for the San Diego Padres, which allows us to see Ken Wechsler ’81 every year now at their fantasy camp. I’m not sure what semi-retired looks like, and I thought I was there after the last five years as the director of risk for Marsh in the Bay Area. However, I was offered and accepted a position with DBM Global as the chief risk officer and couldn’t be having more fun. This will be the last lap around the track, and I still enjoy the challenges. Look forward to hearing from my classmates.”

Nohemi (Gutierrez) Ferguson ’82 P’17

From Tammie Krisciunas: “I asked for any tidbits, and specifically for your bucket lists, and the things you treasure. As we get older, stuff happens, and ideally, when the music stops and you’re the one who doesn’t get a chair, you’re content that you played a good game. And, any of you reading this now didn’t go out in the early rounds. :-)

I’ll start with excerpts from emails you all don’t get to read. :-)

David Deeds writes, “We were recently ‘hiding’ in Spain and Italy for three weeks.” I forgot to ask if that was a mini-sabbatical.

Bill Service P’17: “We treasure time with grandsons, 7 and 10.”

Skip Sanzeri: “My wife and I made sure to spend a lot of time with our sons and their wives this holiday season.”

Peter Hutt: “We’re planning some fun travel next year, including our daughter’s Scottish wedding in August.”

You get even less from the emails sent from: Brent Lower, Jay Lugar, Jim Brock, Peter Gale Nelson, and Victor Nierva. But know that they thought of you all while they typed kindness for me.

Chuck Brownstein writes, “Here’s a very bittersweet update I have to share with our class. I’m beyond sad to report that my Berger roommate Glen Glazar passed away recently from ALS.  Thankfully, over the past couple of years, we were able to have mini reunions with Victor Nierva, Scott Perlman, and Paul Milne. If you feel so moved, please consider contributing to Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS. Augie Nieto ’80 P’08, founder of Life Fitness, was diagnosed with ALS in 2005 and dedicated his life to finding a cure. On a brighter note, this lifelong bachelor (me!) finally found the woman of his dreams (Elisabeth), and we tied the knot in May! Helping to celebrate were Jon Appelbaum, Victor Nierva, Scott Perlman, and Tricia Knott ’84. A great time was had by all! Elisabeth and I have our bucket list of places to go and concerts to see. There’s still so much left to do! Thankfully we’re both retired.”

Tom Stewart P’10 P’17 writes, “In early September, I made a trip to Nova Scotia to see my RA buddy Jay Lugar (this was inspired by reconnecting with him and his tales of Canada at the 40th Reunion). Jay and his wife Peggy drove me and my wife, Marcia, around Nova Scotia and showed us some of their favorite haunts. What a beautiful province! We especially enjoyed the Public Gardens near the Citadel in Halifax. We then continued on a tour of other parts of the Maritimes. To other CMCers, we have recently moved to Guadalupe, Calif., so if you’re in the Central Coast area, look us up!”

Suzanne (Schork) Graeser writes, “Scott and I are good. He hiked to Everest Base Camp (Nepal) in October. Quite an adventure. I chose a relaxing trip to Santa Fe with a friend. In May, we travelled to Spain (Sasha studied abroad in Seville) and Amsterdam (Bryan lives there) to visit our kids and then went on a walking wine tour with the family in Italy. We got to spend more time with our kids this holiday season, which was great. Our daughter is finishing her senior year at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania in spring 2025. Our son lives in Amsterdam, where he works for Uber as a product manager. We have three cats and a dog, so our home is never really quiet. All is good.”

Henry Olsen writes, “Here’s my 2024 retrospective: The past year was another busy one. Presidential election years are always frantic for someone who writes about politics for a living, and I penned pieces for Politico, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, The Spectator, National Review, the New York Post, and a bunch of smaller publications. All while doing my weekly podcast (Beyond the Polls) and teaching nights at the Catholic University of America and Hillsdale College’s D.C. Master in Public Policy program. Phew!

“The year was punctuated by the sad loss of my father, who passed away at 88. I was able to spend most of his last months with him, a gift I will always cherish. Trips, I had a few! The Virgin Islands in February (to ‘cover’ the GOP VI caucus), Santa Barbara, New York, Houston, Florida—all work-related but still enjoyable. Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Salzburg, and Argentina were more vacation-themed, although I still had panels to attend or present at for the European jaunts.

“2025 is shaping up nicely. I intend to write a book on populism (in the early phases of outline drafting) while keeping up a restrained writing schedule. I will still teach and have trips planned for Phoenix in February (conference + vacay) and Montreal in May to see my son, Henry the Fourth, graduate from McGill University.”

William (Bill) Jones writes, “In terms of bucket list things … last year (2023) I went to London around Christmastime. It was beautiful. We saw a lot of Christmas decorations and lights and also did a day trip to Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. The one thing that surprised me was how busy some stores got! A few of the famous big stores were absolutely packed. I didn’t even go in Fortnum and Mason … just too packed. One thing I enjoyed was going to some of the stores that sell shaving products, like DR Harris and Taylor of Old Bond Street. These places are frozen in time, in a good way. It’s easy to imagine Winston Churchill stopping in to get some aftershave. One thing I want to do is see Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The pictures I’ve seen look fantastic, but I want to see it in person. The Netflix show “The Mechanism” is a miniseries about a giant political corruption scandal in Brazil called the “Car Wash Scandal”—and the series has some spectacular night photos of Brasilia. I’m not sure when I will be able to go.

“We live in Claremont, not far from the colleges. My son (Sammy, age 12) is busy with school and activities. He has expressed an interest in learning French, so we signed him up for some group lessons at a school that uses the Pitzer campus for classes. Around Christmastime, we went to North Carolina. We saw Asheville, including the Biltmore House, and saw two small towns near there as possible retirement places—and Hendersonville.

“I’m still working for a bank in SoCal as a chief appraiser, and my wife, Juliet, is an ICU nurse at Pomona Valley Hospital. I turn 63 in a little over a week! Amazing how time flies.”

I wish everyone a happy, safe, and peaceful 2025! As always, please send me stuff. You like reading what your classmates send me … let them read about you.

Your devoted class liaison, Tammie Krisciunas

Tammie Krisciunas ’83

Nick Bagatelos writes, “I sold my business about three years ago after co-founding a glass technology start-up in 2019 to manufacture vacuum insulating glass, which improves commercial glass performance by an order of magnitude. We promoted ourselves as the ‘oldest start-up founders you’ll ever meet!’

“I moved to Incline Village, Nev., (north Lake Tahoe) about two years ago. Jennifer Tsang came to visit with her sisters in summer 2024! Anyone want to come visit? I have a few extra bedrooms, and I’d love to host some old or new CMC friends.

“I had the pleasure of seeing U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas with John Hussey, Chris Donally HMC ’87, and Keola Caindec on Oct. 19, 2024.

“I traveled to Berlin in January 2025 with Todd Thomas ’89 to visit the bowels of Berlin’s recycling center to examine robots that remove wood waste from U.S. landfills with his new company WoodchuckAI.

“My two young CMC buddies have amazing new start-up businesses in the health sector. Clay Spence ’16 is expanding Nimbus Health across the U.S. to improve the lives of people with severe respiratory disease. Michael Swift ’16 just launched his AI/immunology start-up in San Francisco to save the world from infectious diseases.

“I am grateful for the amazing people I met at CMC during my family’s tenure on campus, and I look forward to meeting more bright CMC souls in the future.”

Jennifer Tsang writes, “Summertime in Chile. My dearest classmates, you really should try to visit this part of the world in our warm season … unless of course you prefer the ski season, which is also a popular vacation destination alternative. Reach out if any of you are ever interested. Over the past three decades, we’ve had only a few Stags visit, Nick Bagatelos and Dave Spencer, way back in 1994. Dave did return again years later.

“Over the past 12 months, I have needed to travel stateside to accompany my sister through a series of medical interventions. Fortunately, she’s had positive results, and the family time together was wonderful. Moreover, during those three visits, I was able to connect with quite a few CMCers— David Orlando ’84 and Dave Suguro ’84, Steve Hardy ’85, Daren Hengesbach ’88, and a handful of members from our ’86 generation: Penjalee Kennedy, Kevin Finigan, Bill Tarkanian, Nick Bagatelos, and John Hussey. Daren always shares his home with me on my visits; thanks, D, always love the time together. Incredibly generous Nick also opened his Lake Tahoe home to my sisters, eldest daughter, Penni, and I for a week of R&R in May, where we almost got snowed in our last evening!   

“Spending time with these incredible people made me realize that the depth and intensity of the friendships we developed in Claremont is so unique, and undoubtedly the everlasting positive effect of eating in Collins Hall three times daily, going on nighttime food runs, studying, playing sports, partying, traveling, sharing the good moments and the challenges, and sometimes even suffering (particularly during illnesses, exam season, or writing our theses) so closely together for four years …  most of my post-graduation work and social relationships pale in comparison. Look forward to seeing you all at our 40-year reunion next year … put it on your calendars NOW! Fondly, Jen”

Jen Tsang ’86
 

From Eric Steinwinder: “Spurred on by our epic gathering at CMC for the 35th Reunion, I’ll be meeting up with Ben Nutley and Hayato Mori to cheer on Tobin Hess as he competes in the Pana’ewa Stampede Rodeo in Hilo, Hawaii, on Feb. 15. Go Tobin, Let ’er Buck! Doing our best to get Steve Craig to join us and see Suzanne Shriner while on the Big Island. Over the summer, I had the good fortune of seeing Pete Gordon again (first time since 1989) and meeting his wife, Celeste, during their long road trip around the U.S. with their dogs. Pete is happy and healthy, retired from the Forest Service, and has promised to join us on campus for our 40th Reunion. We’re counting on you, Pete!”

From Brian Menard: “Audrey and I have stateside friends who said during their first visit to Panama, ‘You live a vacation every day.’ More accurately, amid life’s ebb and flow we do try to live a little bit of vacation each day, even if it’s only enjoying a cocktail on the balcony watching the sunset over the Pacific. Last year I sang with five different choirs, including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony twice (with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and the Orquesta Filarmónica Nacional), the Brahms Requiem, and various collections of shorter pieces. This year I’m cutting back to only three choirs, with plans including the Fauré Requiem and the Verdi Requiem. Our Phoenix-based chef daughter visited in December to cater a four-course dinner that we hosted for international education consultants. And we see our other daughter when we can shoot up to Washington, D.C., for time with our 4-year-old grandson ... and I am thrilled that Jack Spirakes—whom my grandson calls ‘Uncle Jack’—steps in to spoil him when I can’t. Meanwhile, since the pandemic ended, we’ve averaged six visits and 16 people in our guest room annually, but I would love to include more CMCers in those numbers. Let me know if you’re game for a tropical escape!”

From Sheri (Ward) Muntean: “Still living in Anacortes, Wash. Last year, I retired from the CPA firm I founded and traveled the world with my husband. He passed away in May. Loving writing, working at my daughter’s skate shop and gallery, making art, and spending time with my kids and grandkids. My oldest grandchild of eight is now 13 years old, and one more is on the way!”

Finally, from Todd Thomas: “In December, Spencer Cashdan P’22 got remarried! The Slugs threw him a little bachelor event in Phoenix because, as Jeff Forden said, your buddy only gets married a second time once! Chris Sevrens, Chris Baker, Jason Northrup, Eric Steinwinder, Kirk Peacock ’90, Joel Reynolds ’90, Alan Lundgren ’88, Jeff ‘Condorr’ Forden, and myself were all in attendance. Congrats, Spanky!”

Todd Thomas ’89

Paul Kramer wrote, “This year will be the 20th year of my own business, AutoKennel. It is a car dealership in Orange County specializing in vintage European collector cars. Our youngest daughter graduated from Lewis & Clark last year and is now an HR manager at Smith Tea in Portland, Ore.  Our oldest daughter lives here in Orange County with her husband, and they had a baby boy a little over a year ago. Yes, that means I’m a grandfather. Feels weird just typing that. My wife and I are empty nesters, but it doesn’t feel that way as we are always busy. Most of my life is consumed with cars. When not working or doing family excursions, I’m participating in a half-dozen vintage car rallies each year.”

Scott Torrey P’23 P’26 shared, “As my role as CMC Alumni Association president came to an end in July, I am going through some minor withdrawal from monthly visits to CMC. I was on campus recently, and the Robert Day Sciences Center is really coming along. I’m now splitting time between La Quinta, Calif., and Reno, Nev., and now that I have a new hip terribly addicted to pickleball. My oldest son, Zach Torrey ’23, is now up in Bellevue, Wash., and living the dream at Amazon. My youngest, Luke Torrey ’26, is a junior majoring in data science and economics. As many of you find your ways to the desert or Tahoe, please reach out—as always love to visit with CMCers. I do get to see Josh Goldstein and Matt Phillips out here in the desert which has been awesome.”

Ingrid Ensing ’91 P’27

Eric Wise ’91

From Kristal DeKleer, “As many in the Class of 1998 begin their countdown to 50, I inquired about any birthday celebration plans. While I didn’t get any specific updates, I can share some reporting from the field that shows that we are demonstrating remarkable maturity. John Nelson is a partner at Procopio, a corporate and litigation law firm, and he shares that his son, Andrew, will be CMC Class of 2029! Andrew received a four-year Army ROTC scholarship to attend, and he plans to major in math and data science.

“You may have heard that the Class of 1998’s very own Dianna ‘DT’ (Turner) Graves was named the vice president for student affairs at CMC. She is looking forward to her annual reunion with Melissa Paulissen, Mendy (Boettcher) Minjarez, and Cindy (Maresso) Gray and reports that she is an empty nester.

“Nikki Enersen and I spent a recent weekend in NYC (dinner and a show!). She is currently based in Washington, D.C., and it’s been great to hang out more. Sometimes I even get to see her awesome daughter, who graduated from Duke and works downtown. Way to go, Class of 1998! Our hearts are with all of our classmates and fellow alumni whose lives have been disrupted by the L.A. fires. Please know that we stand with you.”

Kristal DeKleer ’98