Class Notes

River Campus Undergraduate: 1960s

1960
Jerry (J. B.) Post writes that he has written a short piece on “fabulous and fantastic” places for the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Exploration, and he has written the introduction to Maps in Popular Culture, forthcoming from the University of Texas Press. “Exact titles and dates of publication remain a mystery,” Jerry noted last fall. . . . Howard Silbersher writes that he has been practicing family dentistry in Bucks County, Pa., since 1972. Last September, he volunteered to provide dental services to Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans, because many dental offices there had not reopened. “This was an experience that was physically demanding and spiritually uplifting. The clinic was opened by Operation Blessing, an organization that specializes in disaster relief around the world. I saw many patients each day and I did what I could for them, mainly extractions and relief from their pain. The people of Operation Blessing were very helpful and supportive. It was a great experience.”

1965
Ron Epp writes that he has retired as library director at Southern New Hampshire University and that he is writing a biography of conservationist George Bucknam Dorr, founder of Acadia National Park. He can be reached at eppster2@verizon.net.

1966
Gaylord (Chip) Thayer Jr. was presented with a 2006 St. George National Award, one of the American Cancer Society’s most prestigious honors given to volunteers. In recognizing him, the society noted that “Chip was diagnosed with lung cancer in the summer of 2002 and one of his first post-treatment volunteer activities was to serve as a champion for the society’s National Lung Screening Trial, contacting the principal investigators in New England and acting as the society’s spokesperson for the effort to enroll as many former smokers as possible into the clinical trial.”

1967
Alice Hammond Doyle sends a photo and a report from a reunion of suite­mates of Wilder 610, the first time many of the classmates had seen each other for 39 years. “It was a very special weekend of reminiscing, sharing stories and experiences, laughing and talking, wining and dining, and even some sight-seeing. Included in the joyful reunion were Judith Milligan Andrews ’68W; Alice Hammond Doyle; Kathryn Hendricks Erickson; Linda Lindquist Hewitt; Jeanne Tapp Ozols ’70W (Mas); and Susan Quick Rice ’67. Sharon Oppermann Spence ’67 was unable to attend. The group spent much of the weekend sporting blue and gold hats that read ‘WILDER . . .  than ever!’ A wild and wonderful time was had by all.” . . . Michael Gilbert (see ’69).

1968
Bruce Bowman writes, “Finally. It took 15 marathons in 20 years, but I managed to qualify for the Boston Marathon (by a whopping 23 seconds) at the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pa., on Oct. 8.” . . . Cathy Minehan has been elected a trustee of the MGH Institute of Health Professions, a graduate school affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. The president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, she also is a University trustee. . . . Alan Wertheimer ’74 (PhD) and former YellowJacket Mark Waldman ’75, ’77 (MS) are two of the Bowties, a six-man, Rochester-based a cappella group, which has released its first CD, Untied, featuring a collection of popular and contemporary songs arranged in four-, five-, and six-part harmonies.

1969
Judith Benham has been re-elected to the board of directors of the American Chemical Society. . . . Sara Lonstein Gilbert writes that she was ordained as a rabbi last May. She received “smicha” after studying for five years at the Academy for Jewish Religion in California. Sara and her husband, lawyer Michael Gilbert ’67, live in Denver, where Sara serves as a spiritual leader of a small congregation and teaches in the Jewish community. . . . Lance Villard, a legal consultant in Roswell, Ga., was selected to serve on a national team that assessed 131 combined state and urban areas to determine national preparedness in response to natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks. The work was part of the Department of Homeland Security’s presidentially mandated assessment. He also contributed to the report that was submitted to Congress. “Fond memories and special wishes to all alumni,” he notes.