Class Notes

River Campus Undergraduate: Slater Society–1950s

1945
Clifford Swartz ’51 (PhD) writes, “I had two books published in 2003: Miracles, Among Other Things, a collection of verse plays for church presentations—not as religious events but as entertainment—and Back-of-the-Envelope Physics, a collection of 100 simple calculations that reveal surprising things about the nature of atoms and stars and ordinary materials.” . . . Hendrick Van Ness ’46 (MS) is coauthor of the seventh edition of Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, with J. M. Smith and Michael Abbott.

1950
Kenneth Hubel, class correspondent, writes:

Robert Placious graduated from high school in Rochester in 1941, worked for two years for Bausch & Lomb, and entered the service in 1943. The G. I. Bill supported his study of math and physics as an undergraduate, and later he earned his doctorate in physics under James Van Allen at the University of Iowa. He moved to Washington, D.C., during the Korean War, met and married his wife, Terry, and was associated with a federal laboratory during his entire professional career. He and Terry recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Bob is active in his church, with the Association for Retarded Citizens, and with an organization for the research and understanding of autism. (221 Booth Street, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; (301) 977-7116; bobcp(at)erols(dot)com).

(Mary) Lou Reinhardt married classmate Alan Miller (NROTC) soon after graduation and followed his ship around the Mediterranean for his three years of active duty with the Navy. When they returned to Rochester, Alan worked for the R. T. French Co., and they raised their two children, Janet and Alan Jr. In 1972, Alan became purchasing manager for a new plant in Springfield, Mo., close to the Ozarks and its lovely lake country. While golfing in 1997, Alan died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm after having led an active and healthy life. Mary Lou’s observation: “Life goes on—just dimmer.” She still golfs, serves as a hospital volunteer, and remains an associate of the Women’s Board of Rochester General Regional Hospital. (1868 East Meadow Drive, Springfield, MO 65804; (417) 883-8584; mrylou5(at)cs(dot)com).

Jim Scheible ’59S (MBA) found his options were affected by the Korean War after graduation—he was inducted into the Army and assigned to the Chemical Corps School as a photographer. He participated in the first atomic tests in Nevada that used troops. He married Dorothy Mulcahy in 1954 and had four children, including a set of twins. In 1959, he earned an M.B.A. at Rochester while working as a product engineer for Kodak. In 1986, he retired as department head after a 35-year career with the company. Jim and Dorothy have four grandchildren. They and their family have a four-acre vineyard overlooking Canandaigua Lake, where they make a sparkling white wine and grow regional grapes adapted to growth in the local climate and soil. Jim is a volunteer with SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business, an adjunct of the U.S. Small Business Administration. He lunches monthly with classmates Tom Lodato ’61S (MBA) and Carl VanVoorhis. (51 Sky Ridge Drive, Rochester, NY 14625; (585) 264-0301; arcturus(at)rochester(dot)rr(dot)com).

—Contact: Kenneth Hubel, 2562 Oak Circle N.E., North Liberty, IA 52317; (319) 626-6562; khubel(at)southslope(dot)net.

1952
University life trustee David Kearns has been elected to the board of directors of the American Institutes for Research. A former chairman and CEO of Xerox, David currently serves on the executive committee for the Harvard Project on Schooling and Children.

1956
Don Schaet writes, “In May, there was a reunion of the 4-56 Basic School for newly commissioned second lieutenants in Washington, D.C. John Griffin and Dale Clark also attended. That was the first time the three of us had been together in 48 years.”

1957
Ken Guenther received American Banker’s lifetime achievement award last December.

1958
John Rathbone, class correspondent, writes:

As a followup to her last weather report from Florida, Margaret Taylor Adams writes that she and others in the Naples area had been “incredibly lucky,” as all the hurricanes went everywhere except Naples. On her vacation, she had a great time in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah; took in a Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah; and made a decent profit gambling a few bucks at the airport.

Charleen Dorwald Drotning writes that she has “no special, earth-shaking news, but 2004 was a busy year.” Char spent six weeks in New Zealand, went to her daughter’s wedding in Bellingham, Wash., in March, then spent a week in Whistler, B.C. In April, she spent a week enjoying theater in London. In July, she attended her son’s wedding in Portland, Ore., then spent some time sailing out of Bellingham and around the San Juans. She also fished in the Catskills in May and September, and spent November in Spain. After the holidays, she planned to return to New Zealand and was looking forward to winning masterpoints at the American Contract Bridge League’s national event in Pittsburgh.

Mike Dunn and his wife, Georgie, took their dream vacation to Turkey last September. They chartered a 41-foot sloop in Orhaniye, Turkey, and sailed the Aegean Sea for 14 days with two other couples. They joined a flotilla of nine other boats and stopped at a new port on the Datca Peninsula every night. The country is so filled with history, they say, that they could not miss the opportunity to take another week and visit Ephesus, the region of Cappadocia, and Istanbul. Their consultants for this trip were Sid and Rebecca Shaw, who sailed their 35-foot boat across the Atlantic four years ago and have been sailing the Mediterranean every summer since. The Shaws have left their boat in Italy for the winter and plan to return for more adventure next April.

Jane Allyn Piliavin passes along her best regards and says she enjoyed her 50th high school reunion.

Dayton and Lola Vincent are winding up another teaching vacation in Koln, Germany, and will be doing a bit of traveling before returning to the States.

I’m sorely grieved to announce that Bob (Chris) Christensen died on July 6 in Fredericksburg, Va. This was a very sudden catastrophe—I’m heartened to know he and his wife, Patricia, had a good time earlier last year with family.

Chris, a native of Worcester, Mass., and a proud Eagle Scout, received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Rochester and his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. He also was a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College in Fort Belvoir, Va.

Chris served more than 26 years in the United States Navy, retiring as a captain. His last tour of duty was on the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. His Naval honors included the National Defense Service medal, the Vietnam Service medal with four gold stars, and the Meritorious Service medal.

After serving in the Navy, he was planning director of land development for Xerox Realty Corp. in Leesburg, Va., then vice president for Koger Management Group. He also was president of the Mineral Springs Plantation Homeowner’s Association and was a graduate of the leadership development program at Leadership Loudon in Loudon County, Va.

Chris was a dedicated man, whether it was to his studies as an engineering student, to his family, or to his honorable career as a Naval officer and, later on, a facilities manager. Anyone who knew Chris was left with a feeling of respect for him.

—Contact: John Rathbone, 2375 Brookview Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346; jrathbon(at)dreamscape(dot)com.

1959
David McCullough is the author of The Unending Mystery: A Journey Through Labyrinths and Mazes.