Spring 1999

Dear Classmate:

Well, there they go again. Only a few months in office and our new administration is acting like…our old administration. It looks as though the times are really changin’. Should Dartmouth, as one pundit put it, move from Greek to geek? Your comments on the situation are welcome here. Or you can save them up for Prof. Dick Birnie at the "’66 Turns 55 In’99 Party" in Charleston.

 

Dartmouth ‘66s Are In Charleston May 6-9 For Their 55th Birthday Party!

I hope you all (or y’all) saw the letter from Al Keiller detailing the events of what promises to be a festive, relaxing and informative weekend. Al and Bob Serenbetz (with the help of spouses Jo and Karen) have assembled a menu of activities that will make the most of your time in one of America’s most hospitable, beautiful cities. Here are the highlights:

A few things that you should keep in mind:

If you have been to Charleston before, you know how pleasant a few days there can be &emdash; and if you have never made the trip, there is no better way to see for the first time what the city has to offer. The balance of organized and on-your-own activities will give you a chance to visit with classmates and discover what makes Charleston special.

 

Class News

 

John Uhlmann, a classmate from whom most of you have probably not heard since sophomore year, writes that "while there is a strong Dartmouth tradition in my family, it was not the school for me. I attended only for a year and a quarter. On the other hand, perhaps it was not Dartmouth. As I have told many people, college had a lot of answers, but, at that time in my life, I didn’t have very many questions. I went on to graduate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and attended Kansas State Graduate School of Milling Technology before being drafted. I served two years in Vietnam and then went into the family business [John is chairman of The Uhlmann Company in K.C.].

"During that period at Dartmouth, I got to know a couple of people pretty well: Don Glazer and Tom Brady. My wife, Tricia, and I have a summer home in Chatham, MA, so it was good to hear that Don is in the area. I have been involved politically for the last 20 years. I ran for Congress in 1984 because I read about a new organization attempting to help take Republican control, the Conservative Opportunity Society, headed by a little-known person named Newt Gingrich. Later on I helped…GOPAC and became acquainted with Newt; he mentioned me in both of his books. I am currently president of the Jewish Foundation of Greater Kansas City and serve on the UJA and United Israel Appeal boards. Daughter Kate graduated from Union College in 1996 and is working for Mellon Bank in Boston; younger daughter Meg is a senior at the University of Rochester." Address: 8221 Nall Ave., Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66208; phone: 913-381-2118; e-mail: JUhlmann@aol.com.

From the far reaches of Excelsior, MN, Dean Spatz reports that he and Carol returned to Bermuda for their 30th anniversary, staying at the same place where they spent their honeymoon in 1968. Their daughter, Sharon ’96, got her Masters in Engineering Management from Thayer/Tuck last June and is in product development at Ford [I hope she sets about redesigning the rear window on the Explorer &emdash; mine has leaked since I bought the car]. Their son, Mark, a Rhode Island ’92 grad, was married in Plymouth, MA, last August and is now living in Seattle with his wife, Jennifer. Dean and Carol continue to focus on the company they founded, Osmonics, she in financial areas and he in development and marketing, but he says that "as we get closer to $200 million it is tougher to do." Address: 28235 Boulder Circle, Excelsior, MN 55331; phone: 612-474-4205; e-mail: ceo.osmonics@worldnet.att.net.

Alison Hodges ’97, daughter of Wallace Hodges, has been accepted to the University of Washington Medical School’s class of ’03. Wallace writes the he is "sorry to hear about Pete Helwig [Pete’s death was reported in the last newsletter]. Remember him bringing the first Beatles album back from Europe and rocking Topliff’s third floor." The Hodges are at 4025 East Garfield, Seattle, WA 98112 (phone: 206-328-3605; e-mail: WRHMD@aol.com.

 

Wells Dow is expanding the ranks of the early retired after 31 years teaching of secondary school: "(Spend) summers in North Haven, ME. Daughter Alicia teaching school in Vail, Tutter [sorry if I have misspelled this one, Wells; word was smudged on your card] at Colorado U. Boulder, Brackett to go to college, and Alex and Conner in 9th and 7th grades." Address: 69 Mirick Rd., Princeton, MA 01541; phone: 978-464-2992; e-mail: WellsD@aol.com.

Secondary school teachers aren’t the only ones who need a break &emdash; college profs deserve some rest, too, and Will Morgan is planning on just that: "After 25 years at the Univ. of Louisville, I am taking early retirement. Carolyn and I are moving to Providence, looking for work as a teacher, writer, etc." You may still be able to catch the Morgans at 1719 Gresham Rd., Louisville, KY 40205.

The Sunday Times of Sydney ran a lengthy and interesting article last December on George Trumbull, who heads Australia’s biggest insurer, AMP, and is building a financial empire in Britain. To quote the article, "few people better illustrate the integration of the Anglo-Saxon economies than (this) American who runs an Australian company but spends a lot of time buying British businesses. Last week, (he) was in Britain securing the 2.7 billion Pound purchase of the mutual insurer NPI…In the past 12 months, (he) has taken over the British fund manager Henderson, completed AMP’s demutualization, the largest flotation in Australian history, launched a bid for rival insurer GIO and tried to buy Scottish Amicable." The story goes on to profile the strategy behind each of George’s business accomplishments, note that "he talks a mean game but may not be as tough as he appears" [but we know that], and report that "his daughter works in Chicago and his son is about to graduate from Princeton." Be sure to give a call, George, when you and the family come here for his graduation.

Another classmate making news is Dr. Julian Whitaker, a leader in the field of homeopathic medicine and founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute Medical Clinic in Newport Beach, CA. In an article titled "American Doctor Teams With Vitamin Company To Provide Angelic Donation To Third World Children", Business Wire reported last December that Julian and Doctors Preferred, Inc., "are giving the gift of health to millions of children around the world by donating $1 million worth of multivitamins and minerals to the Vitamin Angel Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting malnutrition." The donation &emdash; which went to Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Pacific &emdash; featured the Forward multivitamin formulated by Julian, "who uses natural remedies in combination with traditional practices."

A couple of months ago, Bill and Jane Higgins traveled to Princeton to visit some close friends who moved here from Cincinnati, arriving in time for our first snow fall of the season &emdash; which also triggered the infamous, annual Nude Olympics, in which sophomores celebrate that first snow by undertaking ritualistic high jinks in the buff under the close supervision of steely-eyed, heavy-breathing university proctors. Alas, we missed the midnight festivities (bad planning on my part), which are about to go the way of the Greek system at Dartmouth, according to the humorless administration here. Nevertheless, the following day we all enjoyed catching up over lunch before the Higgins entourage moved on to visit with Bob and Karen Serenbetz.

Lost in the shuffle of preparing the last newsletter were two notes that arrived in the Fall. Erv Burkholder sends "greetings from deepest, darkest Moscow. I’ve been living in Russia the past year working up a US-style broiler integration with a Russian joint venture partner. Needless to say, things have gotten a bit hectic…to the point that it’s not clear if we can proceed in the current environment. The country lacks only a functioning government, banking system, tax collection system, and even a handful of honest bureaucrats. I can’t think of any of the essentials it does have except a lot of hungry people who, unfortunately, can’t afford even one chicken in their pot." Hopefully Erv has either weathered the storm or is safely back in the US by now.

In the second wayward note, Rich and Debbie Kaiser report that they had dinner in Aspen with John and Sydney Freeman, whom Rich had spoken to periodically but not seen for 27 years. "John keeps busy skiing, golfing and flying his own plane," writes Rich. "He’s developed a business selling aviation fuel, service and maintenance to the airplanes at Aspen airport. In his ‘spare time,’ he practices orthopedic surgery with an interest in sports medicine. John looks great [I would, too, if I worked in two of Aspen’s most lucrative businesses: buzzing around the great Western ski areas and breaking bones], sends his regards to our classmates, and promises he’ll fly himself in for our 35th!"

 

Kit Combes was kind enough to send a gentle correction: "Thanks for including my update in the newsletter. With any luck, it may prompt a few folks to resurface. FYI, one word got changed in the editing that may cause some puzzlement for classmates watching my then-wife bloom during Spring term: Andrea was born a few weeks, not years, after graduation. Also, I sent along my daughter’s name complete with typo: the Dartmouth ’99 is deRaismes (no ‘n’). Thought I’d send you these just in case you or the College pours all this stuff into some database." Thanks, Kit; my editorial synapses must be closing more slowly these days.

Just when you may have thought that the Class of ’66 scoreboard had worked its way beyond controversy and melded into the fabric of Hanover life, Robin Carpenter writes that "when I read Jeffrey Hart’s column ["New Stadium In Princeton Is An Insult To Ivy League Football"; Valley News 12/15/98], I knew right away I had to pass it along…I’ve not seen the new stadium, but can pretty well imagine it based on Hart’s description, and my sense is that my reaction would be about like his [calling the new stadium frivolous and ‘Disney World inspired’, Hart was offended by the overall design, the skyboxes, the scoreboard bearing advertising messages…actually, the whole thing].

"What I especially wanted to share with you, of course, is the brief passage remarking on Princeton’s new scoreboard. Considering my earlier objection to the commercialization of our modest Class of ’66 scoreboard, I would have to think that were I a Princeton alum I’d be going ballistic. It’s only a matter of time, I suppose, until we have luxury skyboxes at Memorial Field…In truth, of course, my sympathy is all with Professor Hart’s lament. What my sympathy really signals…is that Hart’s world and mine &emdash; our values, our views, our identities &emdash; have all but disappeared. Into thin air, so to speak. How did everything change so fast?" Realizing the risk associated with making a conjecture, one thing that has changed is the ability of colleges to provide endless, deep-pocket funding for athletics and other student activities, which in turn has forced campus organizations to seek sources of revenue such as the sale of ad space on electronic scoreboards. Many of us are undoubtedly grateful for being able to see the numbers from the far end zone seats our class always gets, even if it means having to view an occasional message from Dan and Whit’s. If others of you would like to voice an opinion on this, please do so; you could help guide decisions on future Class projects.

Back in the Big Apple, Jamie Stewart became First Vice President of the New York Fed as of February 1st. Jamie is the bank’s eighth First VP, and comes to the post from the Mellon Bank Corp., where he was Vice Chairman. His distinguished, twenty-seven year career includes executive positions with Crocker National, Bank of America and Bank of Boston, as well as his current membership on the board of directors of the US Chamber of Commerce.

 

Bob Bach, who passed along the news about Jaimie, writes that he, too, has "joined Alan Greenspan and his Merry Men at the Fed, although in my case in Washington and at a significantly lower level than Jamie (but still not too bad for someone who never worked for a bank before). Jennene and I moved to Washington in December. I have taken on the Compensation and Benefits area of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (and, of course, stand ready to help Jaimie in any way I can, Sir!). My former company, General Signal, was taken over last July by SPX, which makes two companies in my career shot out from under me. I figure if it happens at this new employer, we will all be in trouble. Looking forward to seeing all the ’66 ‘usual suspects’ at our May gathering in Charleston." Keep those good rates coming, guys.

 

Governor Gus King is moving closer to the national stage: in December, President Clinton appointed him to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent Federal agency established in 1966 to advise President and Congress on national historic preservation matters, assess the effectiveness of programs and make recommendations for improvement. In addition, the Council reviews Federal projects affecting properties on or eligible for the National Register and is responsible for issuing the President’s Historic Preservation Award.

Finally, Dr. Bill Ramos has gone interactive: "I’ve finally entered the 20th century (just in the nick of time). Check out my new Web-site at www.drramos.com."

That’s all, folks! Please keep in touch and make plans to come to Charleston for a memorable 55th birthday party.

Sincerely,

Jim Lustenader
7 Boudinot Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
Home phone: 609-924-5935
Business phone: 800-526-8712 x3307
Business fax: 973-359-3401
E-mail: jlustenader@dvc.com