Class of '40

We made a difference! The campaign to raise $60,000 for our 60th reunion went over the top with a total of $60,600. I was delighted to present token dollars in a plastic time capsule to President Ramaley at the Presidential Celebration of Classes during Reunion Weekend to represent our class gift. Our class was welcomed to campus at a festive cocktail party graciously hosted by Everett and Doris Bailey at their home. I am delighted to report that we had a wonderful turnout for our special reunion, including Gwendolyn Blanchard Benaroya, Arthur Clark, Esther Moore Doran, Laura Dustan, Florence Wade Eaton, Donald Grady, George Hart, Edward Irwin, Lois Murray Landman, Elliot Pearl, Jean Butler Pye, Heath Riggs, Hugh Ripper, E. James Roberts, Robert Smith, Phylis McGovern Soule, and me. We were disappointed that we did not see Elliott Hawkins, Merriman Hull, Ruth Williams Orstrom, and Norma Woodruff, who had signed up for the weekend but were unable to attend. Eleanor Brody Diamond was on the list of participants, but proved to be elusive. Did anyone see her? Bud Allen, who has given our class superb leadership for many years, is unable to continue as president. He sent best wishes and invited classmates who were here for reunion to visit him at his home in Williston. Others sending regrets and best wishes were Charlie Utter, Alice Hudson Morrow, Mildred Guttormson Emerson, Col. Paul Fahey, Carl Schofield, Elizabeth Komline, Reid Leonard, Charlotte Weisman Wise, and Bob Dunning. Kathryn Worthein Beebe wrote that her granddaughter is attending UVM. Alta Plumb Slack accompanied her best wishes with memories, including Chapel Choir, Glee Club with Professor Bennett, and the New England Music Festival, the military ball with the Glenn Miller Band, and, best of all, meeting her husband, Ransom ‘41. Alta lives in Marietta, Ohio, where she is an active participant in a variety of social, civic, and cultural programs. She will “shoot for the 65th reunion in 2005.” At our class dinner, Provost Geoff Gamble outlined plans for UVM’s future in an upbeat, substantive talk. He gave us the Champagne Toast Award for having the greatest percentage of donors to the Alumni Fund between January 1 and June 1, 2000. A highlight of the evening was an announcement by Provost Gamble that Jim Roberts and his wife, Dorothy ‘42, have established a trust that will fund the Roberts Professorship in Business. (For details, see the summer 2000 issue of Vermont Quarterly.) Our new class officers are Florence Wade Eaton, president; Heath Riggs, vice president; and Mary Nelson Tanner, secretary. Flossie sent a thank you to classmates who attended the Green and Gold Luncheon. She wrote, “You provided my biggest thrill of the week when you clapped for me when I was on my way up to speak for our class before I had said anything. Support like this is deeply cherished and makes me happy to be your new class president.” Charlotte Wiseman Wise reported that she has fond memories of UVM. She enjoyed a delightful, compatible roommate, Lois Ann Redding, and other good friends. Charlotte is the grandmother of Gregory, a potential medical student, and Jennifer, a possible future UVMer. Alice Heath Celia enjoys reading the Vermont Quarterly and keeping up with old friends. Pleasant memories of UVM bring her back to Vermont each fall. Kathryn Wortheim Beebe wrote that her granddaughter is attending UVM. Finally, we received a note from Dr. John Browe, who graduated from UVM Medical School in 1940. He sent a photo of the memorial to the 1,740 men who died at Camp O’Donnell in the Philippines during World War II. Dr. Browe contributed to this memorial, erected near the destination of the Bataan Death March, which killed more than 10,000 prisoners. Dr. Browe was in Camp O’Donnell from July until October 1942.

Class of '41

Shirley Gray Stevenson has moved to “The Windows,” a retirement community in Princeton, N.J., where she and her husband, Nick, have their own home, and various services are available as needed. She wrote that nearby Princeton University offers many interested programs. Shirley would be happy to show classmates around if they are in the area. Mildred Creamer Haller wrote that she and her husband are enjoying retirement in West Chester, Pa. One son lives next door, and another son lives in Underhill Center, Vt., so they visit Vermont quite often and love it more each time. Raymond Betts has been on a boat trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg in Russia, and in July, he had plans to take a fly-fishing trip to Labrador. Harry Noyes wrote that his son, Richard, a UVM graduate, received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Indiana University in 1999. Norman Strassburg plays handball three times a week at UVM’s Patrick Gym with other UVM retirees. The late Archie Post ‘27 introduced him to handball, and he has been playing for the past 54 years. Jack Bloom is a member of the Board of Public Health Museum in Massachusetts. He and his wife, Eleanor, are members of the Board of the International Catacomb Society of which he is treasurer as well. Jack records books for the blind and dyslexic, and he and Lee enjoy many recreational activities. Gil Rood and Richard Tracy ‘40 got together for a week of downhill skiing in Sandpoint, Idaho, last March. They were both members of the UVM ski team, but are better skiers now than they were then. Francis Nye plans to be with us for our 60th reunion in June 2001. Ora Heywood Pike wrote that she has had both hips replaced, which limits her travel plans. Ned Creed is retired and lives in Vero Beach, Fla., where he and his wife keep busy with volunteer work and other activities. It is sad to note that our classmate Ralph Evans died last December. He had received his BS in animal husbandry and later worked as an instructor and assistant professor of animal husbandry at UVM.

Class of '42

Once again we are saddened by the passing of a classmate. Julius Cohen, MD ‘45, died on July 8, 2000. He served as a medical officer in the U.S. Army and returned to Burlington in 1950 to open a private practice in psychiatry. He helped establish an early version of a Patients’ Bill of Rights.

Care for apple pie? Contact Barbara Brewster Howard. Barbara donated two homemade apple pies for a fundraiser at a Florida church, and each sold for a hundred dollars or more. Nice going. Lucille Clark Myron and her husband have moved to Napa, Calif., after 44 years in Los Altos. Lucille and her daughter recently visited Ireland, and this summer she and her husband planned to cruise the St. Lawrence from Quebec to Rhode Island. She is a library volunteer and she also attends gardening classes.

Class of '43

I am always eager to get mail from classmates. Some of you have taken advantage of my email address above and have communicated electronically. For those of you who have decided not to go online, I also welcome “snail mail.” I do have some things to report: I ran into Mary Beth Bloomer at a Sammy Kaye Concert (bring back memories?) at the newly-restored Paramount Theater in Rutland, By the way, a trip to Rutland to see this beautifully-restored theater would be a delight for all. Mary Beth had just returned from a trip to Peru with her son, Bob, Jr., as a companion and interpreter. She had a wonderful trip and was particularly thrilled to visit Machu Picchu. She was off again around the first of August to Alaska and was looking forward to many new sights and experiences. This is a study tour, so we know she will be an authority on Alaska upon her return. Several months ago, I received a warm letter from Catherine Peterson ‘42, better known as “Petey.” Petey and I were sophomore and freshman respectively at Robinson Hall in 1939-40. She sent me several snapshots of the freshman and sophomore girls who lived there then. (We were all so gorgeous!) She thought I might have the opportunity to share them with others, and I hope I will. One photo really amused me. It was of a group of us sitting on a knoll in the back of Robinson, where we had gone to smoke. Each of us is holding a cigarette in the manner of the movie stars of the period. I doubt any of us was enjoying it, but we did feel very sophisticated and wicked. I also ran into Sis and Charlie Shortle and Patty Pike Halleck and husband Hal at summer concerts. All looked so good to these “old eyes.” We are not getting older, just better. Email is a fast and efficient way to communicate. For instance, Lyn and Howie Vreeland emailed the following: “Unlike a lot of old folks who decide Florida or Arizona is the place to park oneself, in 1997, we bought a small condo near the Pi Phi House on South Prospect Street in which to someday go permanently. The Corbetts, the Carpenters, the Littles, and Janet Rood all live on the same street. Burlington is a great city for us country bumpkins. There may be room on our street for others from ‘43.” Now there’s a thought. Keep the news coming.

Class of '46

June 2001 will be here before we know it. Put it on your calendar now and plan on another great reunion, May 31-June 3. Our class was small, but that seems to make reunions even better. If you could serve on a committee or have any suggestions for our reunion, please get in touch with me at the above address. See you all next June! Mary Jane Thornton and sister Lucianna Thornton Stermer ‘49 spent six months exploring and living in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. They were joined by Leonard Thornton ‘57 and wife Joyce, and they all enjoyed much talk of UVM. Jacqueline McCormick Smith has been spending time in school volunteer work. She feels that today’s teachers need all the extra help they can get. Jacqueline also finds time for her adorable grandchildren. Laurel Hansen Reed has been doing nature trips to Olympia National Park’s rain forest, to Victoria, British Columbia, for whales, and Machias Seal Island in New Brunswick. Her summers are spent in Vinalhaven, Maine, and winters, in Punta Gorda, Fla. Barbara Morgan Adams and daughter Carolyn ‘79 spent ten days at Cambridge University in England. While Carolyn took continuing legal education courses, Barbara enjoyed the art and architecture of Cambridge. After Cambridge, they toured Scotland and Wales, searching genealogical and historical records. Jacqueline Swasey Smith enjoys reunion every year with Martha Perry Lyon and Connie Brownell Hall. She is still active in the Cornish, N.H. UCC as organist and with the choir and Women’s Guild. She also attends meetings of the Cornish School Association and Historical Society and visits the elderly. Jacqueline is proud to be the grandmother of 20.

Class of '47

The Burlington High School’s Edmunds School Centennial was a mini-reunion for many of the class of ‘47 from Burlington. It also gave us a chance to see friends from other classes at UVM. Mathias Spiegel wrote that he still lives in his hometown, Brooklyn, N.Y., and practices law in New York City. In the ‘50s, he served as a U.S. government lawyer in Washington, D.C.; in the ‘60s, he was executive assistant to the Attorney General of New York and then worked in New York City government, contributing to the Third City Water Tunnel and the “Riverbank” Park; and in the ‘70s back to private practice. Children (his and hers) number six, and five grandchildren. Mathias enjoys tennis and ice skating, and he is a potter as well. He adds to the list of fine UVM teachers Muriel Hughes, Robert Long, Andrew Nuquist, and Lyman Rowell, with special thanks to Dean Elijah Swift for understanding and insight.

Class of '49

I was happy to hear from a few classmates who sent in news for this issue. It is difficult for all of us to keep in touch between reunions, so let’s use this column as a way of spreading the news. Wilma Murphy Dempsey and husband Bill ‘50 of E. Weymouth, Mass., celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at a party hosted by their eight children and their families. There were many UVM alumni at the joyous occasion. William Matthews of St. Ansgar, Iowa, was awarded a 50-year membership in the American Legion by the state of Iowa and his local post. He wrote, “I am proud of my five years of service in the U.S. Army during World War II. We won!” Irene Urie Vollbrect of Fremont, Calif., is enjoying her husband’s return to good health. They are again able to travel in their motor home. Lena Bessette Vargas and her husband, José, of Garrett Park, Md., recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have five children and seven grandchildren.