Neil Schilke writes, “The Schilkes are going to Reunion! With cautious optimism, we have begun to travel. We just completed a wonderful bus-tour-blitz of the National Parks in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. This was followed by a scenic train ride through the Rockies from Moab, Utah to Denver, with a stop in Glenwood Springs. Then, a side trip to see Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. For 2022, we’re planning our fourth trip to Iceland and a Mediterranean Cruise, but on June 9 – 12, we’ll be in Ithaca.
I decided quite a while ago that I’m going to my 60th Cornell Reunion. It will be the ‘last big round-up.’ There will be more reunions going forward, but reality says that the numbers will diminish. I feel compelled to give it one more shot. I want to see classmates, many who have become good friends and others that I look forward to meeting for the first time. And I want to see Cornell. It is such a beautiful place. It’s changed a lot over 60 years, but many parts of the campus conjure up memories, mostly good feelings and some bad, as well. Hope to see you there!”
John Lowrie poses, “Where were we on 9/11? Jackie and I were watching the History Channel’s documentary tonight on 9/11, and I thought of the many of my ‘62 classmates from the NY area who must be reliving that terrible event. This is magnified by the messages about friends lost in just the past year. Thanks to all the Class Council friends who are keeping us bound together as we prepare to gather for our 60th next June.”
This item about Ted Thoren may seem like stretch, but it’s a fun factoid. It appeared in a newsletter produced by the Cornell Baseball Alumni Organization. Ted Thoren was an honorary member of our class.
“Did you know? – In the fall of 1968, after garnering All-State honors as a pitcher in New Jersey and scoring 800 on his Math SAT, Hugh Cregg matriculated at Cornell to pursue his dream of becoming a Big League baseball player and Engineer. As many of us have found out, the fall of Freshman year at Cornell is quite an adjustment. Hugh found that juggling Baseball, Engineering, and a burgeoning interest in music spread him very thin. A subsequent discussion with Coach Thoren convinced Hugh that playing for the Big Red was not in the cards. He eventually dropped out of Cornell and began a music career. Changing his performing name to Huey Lewis, he carved out an impressive niche. His band, Huey Lewis and the News, is legendary, selling over 30,000,000 albums worldwide.”
Mary Davis Deignon writes, “My husband, Paul B. Deignon, ’62 had been suffering for many years with sarcoidosis. He died on May 23rd, 2021. We were married for 58 very good years.”
David Hill, in Basking Ridge, NJ: “I turned 80 on February 20, 2021, and I look forward to turning 100 in 2041. I sing tenor in a German chorus and bass in the church choir. I enjoy having my son, his wife, and three granddaughters living two miles away. My wife and I are fully-vaccinated and feeling very blessed with no COVID.”
Helen Chuckrow writes that she has published a small book, Memoirs, which “recounts my strange path from an agnostic socialist background to a professional Torah reader.” In retirement, she tutors boys and girls for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
Nancy Williams Clark sends along a new address for her and husband Tom Clark ’63, MBA ’64. They can be found at 241 Shaker Museum Road, Old Chatham, NY 12136. “Luckily last year we sold our farm and moved to the north end of the farm with 70 acres and two streams on two sides. The home is on one floor and is delightful, with 11 windows in the main room looking out onto the pastures. Along with our cottage in Maine, we are settled. We are also lucky to have three of our family at Cornell right now – two of our grandchildren and my brother’s (John C. Williams ’65) grandson. Our triplet grandchildren are applying to colleges now. I have just had ankle replacement surgery so I will be ready for our 60th reunion in June. Frank Quirk and I are planning fun things to do. It is going to be wonderful to see those classmates who were friends in college and those whom we have befriended over the years. I want to see all of you there. We are the lucky ones! With a three-week-old new ankle I am not figure skating, hiking, biking, or walking. Hope to renew my abilities soon!”
Alice Dalton Brown sent along news of her solo exhibition of 80 oil paintings and pastels at the My Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea, from July – November 2021. “It was extended from its original close date by two weeks because for some weeks it was the most popular museum exhibition in Seoul. When it closed, November 7, 2021, the director, Taegeun Yi, emailed me that a total of 110,000 visitors had come to see my show, 8,000 in the final weekend! I visited the museum twice for a few weeks and was given every courtesy imaginable. It was an amazing experience.
One of the pieces in the show is owned by the Johnson Museum at Cornell. It is ‘Retreat Grasses,’ a pastel study for a 6’ x 10 1/2’ oil painting, ‘Summer Retreat.’ This photo shows these two pieces in one of the rooms. It is a pleasure to share this with my Cornell classmates.”
Now that 2022 is upon us, and we can make reservations for our 60th reunion, please consider joining us. Consider, too, sending us your favorite memories to share in the months leading up to June.” And, just for fun, here’s a flash from the past — a video of music groups performing on the Ed Sullivan Show 60 years ago!