17 days ago
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Charles R. (Chuck) Parsons
Our classmate, Charles R. (Chuck) Parsons passed away unexpectedly on August 8, 2016, due to lingering health issues. Chuck attended Deerfield from 1953-55, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1959. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army until 1962 when he joined his family insurance agency and...
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’55er Potpourri
I find that each issue of the Deerfield Magazine is excellent cover-to-cover reading. Kudos to the editors who put together the articles and pictorial gems. In the Spring 2016 issue of Deerfield Magazine, Margarita, Jessica Day, and David (The Signature) Thiel contemplated that the “24/7 benefits of a boarding...
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Frederick (Fred) W. Tiley
Fred Tiley passed away on February 20, 2016. He was an accomplished Orthopedic Surgeon who resided in Salem, OR, for 46 years, and who was married to his “longtime partner” Candice, a Registered Nurse First Assistant. Fred excelled in sports during his year at Deerfield. He related in his...
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A Fresh Milestone
Our always festive 10th annual gala on May 9 in La Jolla and also in celebration of Tim Day’s 79th birthday! In the photo are ’55ers Tim Day, Tom L’Esperance, Jerry Rood, and their spouses Sandy, Merry, and Joyce. 1955
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Two Essential Virtues
Some pictures can be truly worth 1,000 words. Reflecting on a photo with its caption, “Two of the greatest qualities to have in life are Patience and Wisdom,” Carl Hedden continues to be grateful for “the Deerfield experience”. He adds: “As well as Stay Mobile, Finish Up Strong,...
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Bay Area Classmates
Jerry Rood reports: “On March 10th Deerfield held its annual Alumni meeting in San Francisco. Featured were a number of Alumni with special business acumen. Among them was Fritz Maytag ’55. Great to see him again; it had only been 60 years!” Jerry regularly attends and promotes Deerfield get-togethers...
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’55er Potpourri
In Greenville, SC, Lou and Dee Greer have moved “across town to the Cascades-Verdae retirement community. We’ve built a so-called cottage there. We’re looking forward to a leisurely life of leisure.” Lou will continue to coach JV lacrosse at Greenville High School this spring. He relates that his “great...
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The Best Trip
Tim and Sandy Day traveled to Israel in October, 2015, and shared their memorable activities in the historic and imperiled country with us. Tim and Sandy were guided on a 10 day itinerary which included private tours to Bethlehem, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a visit to the...
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Charlie (Sky) Beck von Peccoz
Our classmate, Charlie Beck, died four years ago after battling cancer. He was living in Brewster, MA, with his wife, Marian. Charlie was a Cum Laude student and achieved three Varsity letters in Soccer, Track, and Skiing at Deerfield. In retirement he and Marian “split our time between Cape...
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The Garden Islanders
Our annual get-together in Koloa, Kauai, at the home of Nancy and Tom Crawford found them to be in fine spirits. They surprised Merry and me with the presence of “J.P.”, the Executive Chef of Red Salt, one of the finest restaurants in the Poipu Beach area, who...
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A Good Run
John Frymoyer generously relates his multifaceted professional activities and hobbies plus a smorgasbord of health challenges along the way. He writes: “Indeed, sixty years do disappear rapidly. Despite my absence of communication, I try to read the class notes, avoiding obituaries which appear with greater regularity than one would like; It goes with...
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“Alaska” Rowland
Mark Rowland followed his dream to go to Alaska where he has resided 50 years as an attorney and judge in our 49th state. He says that living in Alaska “is rather like falling in love with an absolutely gorgeous woman who’s seriously mean about half the time! It’s...
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The Essence of Things
Karl Robinson contemplates decades of his continual “quest to fathom the essence of things” since our formative boyhood days at Deerfield: “We speak of the Deerfield ‘bond’ so intimately connected with the beauty of Pocumtuck Valley, a quiet spot set far from the madding crowd. Did we bond more...
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A Lucky Dad
Jack Bacon and his wife, Carol, have adjusted comfortably to their sunny retirement surroundings in Cape Coral, FL. The wise snowbirds trek north occasionally during clement months to visit his roots in The Green Mountains. Jack is a Past Potentate of Shriner’s International in Vermont. He is also the...
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The Shaker Heights Kit
Kit Main, who lives with his wife, Sara, in Shaker Heights, OH, took his grand kids down Orlando for a week exploring the adventures in Disney World. Next year they’ll be “up in Maine again.” Kit and Sara see a lot of their two daughters who live less than...
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Memories
Lou Greer became a centerfold celebrity 53 years ago! “Today was a significant anniversary … 70 years since Japan announced their surrender in 1945! It was also the anniversary of the famous kiss photo in Times Square, taken by Life Magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt. Well, that attribution brought to mind that...
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Reunion # 60 !
It was invigorating to see and chat with the 19 classmates who attended our Reunion. It was indeed a span of 60 years for a few of us! The entire Pocumtuck Valley was resplendent in a Deerfield letter sweater green hue due to the many rainy days there this...
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Pony Duke
We lost another one of our beloved classmates, Pony Duke, last October. The following obituary was written by Pony’s oldest son, George. Pony and his sons loved the outdoors and the mountains of Montana and Wyoming. At the time of his death, Pony was the oldest living member of...
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’55er Potpourri
In May, Lou Greer informed me that “I have retired as class secretary at Amherst. My final class notes are practically ready for submission. I will actually miss communicating with my fellow Lord Jeffs regularly, but I’m a little tired of being the pestermeister-in-chief. My legacies are not...
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Overlook Dedication
Jan and Pat O’Donnell, and I attended the Overlook Dedication ceremonies in Tim Day’s honor at the end of March at the National Museum of the Marine Corps located at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. Over 200 senior officers and invited guests attended the memorable three day...
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Far Away
A while ago I reported that we had moved from Stanford to Cold Spring New York. This was part of our plan to return to London, where we are right now. Were we in Cold Spring we would certainly have come along to our Grand Reunion. As it is...
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Mike Grant’s Letters
Over the past ten years since our 50th Reunion, Mike Grant , our Class Captain and gifted letter writer, has shared reflections and insights with us in his annual letters. Some excerpts from them are especially appropriate for us now as we anticipate with fondness and wonderment the upcoming...
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John F. Thorn
It is with sadness that we report the passing of our classmate, John Thorn. His obituary was written as follows: “John Franklin Thorn, 77, passed away on Friday (6-13-14) at home. Born on April 24, 1937 in Greenfield, he was the son of Franklin H. and Muriel J. (Johnson)...
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2015 Reunion
Our Grand 60th Reunion will be happening in just seven months! Let’s all re-visit the Pocumtuck Valley, look to the hills, relax, reminisce, and regale in the spectacular Deerfield setting with our classmates. We’ll have a contest to see how mellow we’ve become – an oxymoron for sure! The...
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Defending Honolulu
“Here is a quick update on my situation” from John Moran: “Had a law practice in Phoenix for 30 years, moved to Hilo on Hawaii Island in ’94 and Honolulu in ’97 . Still working and enjoying it, mostly, defending the City & County of Honolulu. Everyone sues the...
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Bob Merriam Remembrances
The number of spontaneous responses to the announcement of Mr. Merriam’s passing reveal the pervasiveness of his stature in all of us during our formative Deerfield Days. Here are a few ‘55ers’ recollections of our devoted mentor: Bill Morton: “Bobby was one of a kind–a big influence and mentor...
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Robert L. Merriam
Bob Merriam, 90, our legendary coach and mentor at Deerfield, passed away on July 23, 2014, at his home in Conway, Mass. He will be sadly missed by all of us. His obituary was published in The (Greenfield) Recorder ( www.recorder.com ) on July 26, 2014. A Memorial Service...
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Second From Left
A Carl Hedden update relates his participation in a church choir sing at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York, the fourth largest cathedral in the western world. Carl claims that he is “the bald guy, second from left, in the second or third row from the top....
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Fall Potpourri
Be sure to catch the magnificent travelogue with photos by Peter and Happy Esty on our website, http://deerfield.edu/alumni/class-of-1955/class-notes . Peter and Happy are creating daily memories along the way during a nine month “zig-zag” safari across the USA in their camper van. They’ll be settling in November into a...
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The Perils of Jerry and Joyce Rood
Constantly on the go travelers, Jerry and Joyce Rood added to their adventures amid their sojourn at the Four Seasons Residence Club at Aviara. They were evacuated due to a rapidly spreading brush fire near the Aviara resort and had to endure an evening down the road at another...