Here we are, with no 67th Class Reunion held this past summer, but hopefully
one in 2021, when/if scientists have created a lifesaving vaccine. However, with
this column, I felt, in a way, as though I was at Reunion, talking to classmates on
the phone. So nice to hear their voices from one coast to the other. And here’s
what they have to say.
Charles Adams, of Surrey, BC, Canada, was only with us freshman year. He was
born in Belfast and went to high school on Vinalhaven. Then came four years in
the Air Force, Korea, and emigration to Canada in 1958. He went to Otterbein
College in Ohio; University of British Columbia; Canadian Institute of Chartered
Accountants; and received his master’s at Western Washington College. He
taught and then became a principal like his father, he said. Father of four (now
three), his daughter and son (a firefighter in Seattle) live close by. He spoke of
his three cabins on Harrison Lake, about two and a half hours away. His
hobbies? “I have no spare time, too busy growing old.”
George and Rita Yardumian Weatherbee ’54 have moved to Wood Pond Village,
Crosby House, 180 Main Street, Walpole, MA 02081. (He said I could print their
new address.) He moved November 2019, and said he has no complaints.
“There are others worse off,” he said, as he spoke of now being cancer-free.
Looking back, he mentioned the bombing of Hiroshima on 8/6/45, because he
was born on that date in 1930. He spoke of the various Maine businesses he
had, how his late son took over, and now that son’s son, Craig, George’s
grandson, is at the helm. However, George does have some three acres of land
for sale in Orono, left of 26 acres sold. As to reunions, it was one of our class
presidents, the late Frank Pickering, who got him going to them. His favorite ice
cream? Chocolate.
Helen Strong Hamilton, of Exeter, NH, who walks two and a half to three miles
every day, begins at 6:45 a.m. and finishes at 8. Good for you! She also loves
chocolate ice cream, in with other flavors, along with Friendly’s Chocolate
Almond Chip, Gifford’s Moose Tracks, and Brigham’s Peppermint.
Ron Bishop, of Cornelius, NC, celebrated his 88th birthday on September 18, the
day before I called. He said his wife, Lorna, told him to follow her, and outside
were people from his church, with signs, balloons, and cake. “I’m still alive,” he
said, “I don’t move around much, but people come six days a week and walk with
me.” Ron said Woody Carville ’54G keeps in touch. As to ice cream? “I’m kind of
partial to Mint Chocolate Chip.”
Dick Searles, of Old Orchard Beach, was playing Solitaire on the computer, and
his wife, Joan, was walking on the beach when I called. They now are the owners
of a 2017 black Genesis (Kia’s top model), a sedan, with 23,000 miles. His
neighbors said it looks like a Jaguar. Dick looked back on our 50th pre-reunion in
Bar Harbor and mentioned at the inn how another class led the singing and how Woody took us to someone who worked with wood. That was a wonderful
Reunion! Ice cream? Coffee.
Dave Field, ATO, of Shapleigh summers, returns to Yarmouth in October, when
he gets “tired of burning wood” at his cottage. Sorry to hear of his wife, Dee’s,
death last year. He keeps in touch with Warren Moody in Anderson, SC, he said,
and “can’t worry about age.” His ice cream is “hard to find,” and I can see why:
Ginger.
Woody Carville, of Orono, gave a pint of his “zero type” blood (as he called it) to
the Red Cross three weeks ago. Good! How does he feel about getting old? “I’m
not,” he said. What is he doing? “Nothing. Trying to stand up straight.” His friend
and classmate, Phyllis Noyes Scantlebury, was in Florida when I called, and
Woody hoped to go there “eventually,” once he got his health plan in place, or
that she’d come back to Maine soon, and they could “talk face-to-face.” Woody
said he sees people at Governor’s restaurant. The best time to buy groceries?
His reply: 6:30 mornings, 8:30 nights. (Not for me.) He’d like to see more of
everyone, he said, but with the virus he doesn’t. He does see his son Doug ’78,
’81G and Phyllis’s cousin Warren Noyes, speaks with his sister and his
classmate Tom Laskey. He spoke of his daughter in Boston, and his one-year-
old great-granddaughter. Ice cream? “Nice and cold and solid. I’m going to eat all
I can find.”
I received this email from Barbara Peters on August 11: “Hi Nancy, I enjoyed the
many class of ’53 reunions that I attended with my husband, and all the various
events that were planned. He always spoke fondly of his college days and
classmates, and I enjoyed meeting some of them at the reunions. I wanted you to
know that Roland died last week, 7 August at a nursing home where he has been
living for the past two years, just five minutes away from our home in Torrington,
CT. I spent every day with him until the lock-down in March, but I was able to visit
him at his window each day. Our son and daughter and I were allowed to be with
him for a short time the day before he died. Best wishes to you and the Class of
’53.” Thank you, Barbara, and our best wishes and condolences to you and your
family.
Zeke Mavodones, of Poughkeepsie, NY, sent me this email in July: “Celebrated
my 90th on July 26 as follows: Serenaded in church hall after services; nine-car
drive-by caravan of Masonic Brothers honking horns; Vermont and
Massachusetts families came to house next day and celebrated with cakes,
candles, foods galore; now Albany family coming on Saturday for more
celebration; also Facebook messages galore from many past and present years,
that all took the place of the U. of Maine Reunion. So far it has been like winning
the Lotto of Life.” Congratulations, Zeke!
Vance Bakeman, of Greenville, SC (his new address as of February 2020, with
condos, cottages, assisted living, with some 800 people), is just fine, as is his
Dalmation, Luna, 7. This is his last move, his 20th he said. We talked and talked.
He was in a store. (I couldn’t write fast enough.) And my notes? Horrible! Vance
grew up on a chicken farm in South Brooksville. He received scholarships (no
college debt), “but worked a lot,” he said. (One job was at Balentine Hall.) He
lived at the North dorms (Sig Ep-no fraternity house), then Sig Ep-Corbett
building, roomed with Fred Hutchinson ’58G at some point, and said Fred Tarr
’59G would come over. This chemical engineer lived in New York and worked in
the city on 42nd Street on the 42nd floor and traveled about half the time.
Goodyear was mentioned, atomic energy program in Ohio, saying how he got on
a bus with Dwight Holmes ’52 in Ellsworth; met his wife, Helen (died 2014), in
Portsmouth, Ohio; basic training in Fort Knox, KY, for six months, finished at
Army Chemical Center. He mentioned going to our 50th Reunion and the name
of Ralph McGibney (Sig Ep, chemical eng). Last year he did come to Maine, Blue
Hill, to a great-niece’s wedding. “Delightful,” he said. Sorry, Vance, for any
mistakes.
Lois Welton Byrne, a Chi Omega, of Oceanside, CA, two miles from the ocean, is
a very happy soul, even though her community of well over 1,000 people, with
two pools, free movies and more, is quarantined. She’s staying home, with her
son and daughter-in-law shopping, and her daughter “conducting the whole
thing.” All live close by. Her daughter has two daughters, a son, and a grandson.
Her son is retired. She spoke of her late husband, Jack, a Navy captain, with 34
years service, who once gave her a full-length mink coat (which she still has).
She spoke of her college roommate, Charlotte Troubh, who is moving/or has
moved back to Maine, and was once her bridesmaid; also, Pat King Burke, a
roommate, who was at Maine for two years. Lois, with “friends everywhere,” has
sold more than 100 paintings, but now has turned her attention to the stock
market every day, adult coloring books, jigsaw puzzles, and more. She glowingly
talked of her two implanted artificial eye lenses, “didn’t take five minutes,” she
said. Her favorite food? “Ice cream, all of them. Put ice cream in front of me and
I’ll smile.” At that moment: Neapolitan (chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla),“ for
indecisive. I’ve got to get a press agent.”
Along with Roland Peters, we have lost four more classmates (that I know of)
Always so sad. Life is too short, no matter the age. The class sends its heartfelt
condolences to their families and friends: Doris Ramsay Smith, Scarborough, ME
(6/26/2020); Jean Hoyt Tauscher, North Chesterfield, VA (7/1/2020); Richard
Hefler, Windham, ME (6/27/2020); and Robert McTaggart, Longmeadow, MA
(6/15/2020). I wish I could write about each and every one. We will miss you all.
I can’t end on such a sad note, so let me tell you about the Senior Alumni Virtual
Reunion held September 23-24. I had never gone to a Senior Reunion in Orono,
having gone to our individual class reunions, so this was a new adventure for me.
I borrowed my daughter’s laptop (My PC didn’t have a camera), took a few
lessons (not enough), and there I was, watching/listening on two afternoons to
the university president, the Alumni Association president, deans, various
speakers, students, alumni, saw tables/graphs, and singing of the Stein Song. It
was great, but of course I was happiest joining in on one of the senior class socials, to actually see and talk to the ones who had registered for this great
event. I asked some what their favorite ice cream was: Woody Beach, Triple
Chocolate Ecstasy; Pat Gagne Bryant ’59, Pistachio; Ralph Pilsbury ’61, Maine
Blueberry; Janet Bishop Butler ’55, Butter Pecan, and Paul Butler ’55, Vanilla.
What’s yours?