SEPT / OCT 2004

Good news. Enough members of the Class of '52 now subscribe to Cornell Alumni Magazine to give us 1/3 more space for Class Notes. This is truly terrific, as you are good correspondents. At least some of you are. There are many of you, and you know who you are, who never write. You may have written a lot as undergraduates, but what happened? Who are you? Where have you gone? What are you doing these days? Last year's lapse is forgiven, but the new dues notices with their open-ended, easy to return, prestamped post cards--eminently suitable for your news--will shortly reach you. No excuses, now.Write!

For now: Graham Jamison now lives in Pine Bush, NY. A retired dairy farmer and retired supervisor of the town of Crawford in Orange County, Graham is now director and chairman of the board of Walden Federal in Walden, NY. He has served with the bank for more than 30 years. Richard Dye, MPA '56, of Pleasantville, NY, writes that he and wife Anita were visited by our webmasters Paul and Polly Prine Herman, who were in from the Northwest enjoying October's fall colors. Dick continues to be active with his international education consulting work, International Education Solutions, which has recently taken him to South Africa, Bangladesh, Jamaica, and two Caucasus republics, Armenia and Georgia. David Murray, Syracuse, NY, also stays busy with his own business. Having retired from Upstate Medical University, where his field was orthopedic surgery, he went back to school at NAWCC School of Horology, Columbia, PA, and now runs "Doc's Clocks," a repair service.

Cynthia Fabian Gray writes from Illinois: "I'm learning to paint, spend time at the Winnetka Thrift Shop, and take courses at our Senior Center. No grandchildren, but one great son, Stephen."Ann Burrhus Kent writes from Walton,NY, that her husband James died in April of last year. Surgery at Sloan Kettering was followed by a heart attack. Their oldest son Dave '78 (MBA, Duke) is spending the next two years with her. He is at Binghamton U., switching careers from the corporate world to high school education. Ann says, "I could have told him 30 years ago when he was helping his kid brother at the dining room table that he was a born teacher, but they don't listen at that age. We'll go back to his home in Falmouth, MA, at the end of the two years and proceed from there."

Irwin Lublin, Los Angeles, CA, reports that in November, Ina Perlstein Loewenberg of Iowa City flew to Los Angeles to visit, "thus renewing an acquaintance that began in 1948 in freshman English." Irwin further reports that the acquaintance has been greatly enhanced via e-mail during the last two years, and that they spent five pleasant days reminiscing,mainly about Cornell. Stephen Michelman, New York, NY, follows up on the 2003 New York Times wedding announcement: "Culminating our eight-year relationship,Margaret Scott and I got married last February. Each of us has one son.We're very happy and we feel extremely blessed." Steve is still practicing law, part-time now, dealing primarily with the elderly and their caregivers. He runs a weekly short story reading and discussion group at All Souls Unitarian Church and, as frequently as possible, he bikes to Chelsea Piers, five minutes away, and hits golf balls.

George Vlahakis, Nashville, TN, says, "Nothing much new," but reports that wife Marina is still undergoing therapy and making gradual progress in her recovery from a stroke in 1999. They were able to spend three weeks in August 2003 with family in Maplecrest, NY. The group went to Ithaca to visit grandson Gregory Crownover, who was beginning his freshman year in Arts and Sciences. They stayed at the Statler and had dinner with George Bantuvanis '51. Mary Anne Cranston Sovocool, LeRoy, NY, is another who says, "Not much new news this year." She has retired, but now tutors junior and senior high school students. She still writes warmly of her Cornell sons and the grandchildren who attend the university.Mary Anne belongs to the Genesee-Orleans Cornell Club and the Cornell Women's Club of Batavia.

Richard C. Smith writes from Moore, SC. "After visiting family and attending Homecoming, Belle and I took several days to regroup and then flew to Portland, OR, to take a weeklong trip on the stern wheel paddleboat Queen of the West up and down the Columbia, Snake, and Willamette rivers. It was a bit on the cold side, but we found it very interesting and enjoyed it a lot." Joan Schoof Hoffman, Bogart, GA, also took a trip: "Enjoyed a two-week cruise with American Safari Cruise Lines from Seattle to Juneau (Inside Passage). Crew of 10; 11 guests. A-1, 5-star, over the top in all respects."You may recall that George Conneman, MS '56, and wife Diane (Knack) received the New York State Agricultural Society's 2003 Distinguished Service Citation in January of that year. News received this year notes that, in addition to their distinguished careers, the Connemans enjoy travel. They had been to Australia, China, Peru, and England in the past and planned a trip to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Herb McCarter ofWest Palm Beach, FL, sent a list rather than a note. The items are ballroom dance and music, tennis, handyman, volunteer nonprofit/charitable organizations, senior single. I'm not sure whether that last refers to Herb's game or status.Word from E.Whitney Mitchell, Stuart, FL: "All goes well. Florida in the winter, Nantucket in the summer. Tough life. Sold my real estate company. Lots of golf. Lots of friends and many Cornell grads nearby."

Joan "Jay" Dudley Goldspinner, Greenfield, MA, after more than 20 years of professional storytelling, had pretty much stopped, but after September 11 returned with a program of stories and poems in varied voices of the Middle East. Under the sponsorship of the Northampton Friends Meeting, she performed the stories to "a lively and interested audience on Nov. 8, '03." Proceeds benefited two peacemaking groups. Jay plans to tell her stories in other places, "to people of all ages, hoping to bring a little more peace and community into the world." The mail brings all sorts of news, and it's all part of life. Herman Stern of Sarasota, FL, writes gamely: "Not much new. But Parkinson's is making inroads in body and mind. I'm definitely not playing with a full deck of cards, but I hang in there!"

Rabbi Ronald Millstein, Great Neck, NY, sent a lot of news on one post card. He announced the birth of his sixth grandchild and first grandson Auriel Micah Wish. Beth MillsteinWish '89 is the boy's mother. Ronald, who is emeritus rabbi at Temple Israel of Jamaica, also wrote that he had officiated at the funeral of classmate Kenneth Katzner on May 27. He keeps in regular touch with Bernie Gold, who retired from Proskauer, Rose LLP and now teaches at UCLA Law School. He also enjoys New York theater frequently with Paul Avrich, retired Distinguished CUNY Professor of History. The Millsteins took "an enlightening trip in Russia--old and new."

Official word: If you were double-billed for dues, or received identical notices from Cornell, know that the university has converted to a new database for alumni information that will offer many advantages when fully operational. Startup difficulties could result in a few multiple mailings for items such as class dues. Please be patient until the bugs are worked out.

As a Class of '52 duespayer or university donor you should receive a complimentary copy of Kafka's The Trial, the book that will be mandatory reading for all incoming freshmen. Check the Class of '52 Web page, http://classof52.alumni.cornell.edu, for news and comments on this class project. That's it. Send news. Please. E-mail is fine, but do fill in the subject line, unless your e-address identifies you. -- Joan Boffa Gaul, 7 Colonial Pl., Pittsburgh, PA 15232; e-mail, jgcomm@aol.com.