CLASS NOTES
36
spr ing 2013 | st. Lawrence Universit y Magazine
Gary Conners
wrote that he was interested to
see in class notes the reference to tom r ussell
’57
n, with whom he became friends early fresh-
man year. t hey lost contact after tom went to
west point. gary and tom have 11 grandchildren.
gary and his wife, gwen, have lived in pittsford,
n.y., for 40+ years. t hey recently sailed the carib-
bean with 17 family members, including eight of
the grandchildren. Duplicate bridge is a favorite
pastime now that he has retired four times -- from
eastman Kodak, the University of r ochester, rit
and Micron technology. He still consults for small
companies in the r ochester area.
Sue Rich Parker
said all was well in south Da-
kota, but most of the state was suffering from se-
vere drought. after r eunion, she and Jim drove
through canada with their 15-year-old grand-
daughter, who seemed to tolerate them very well.
t hey were delighted to have her company. a re-
cent read was Louise erdrich’s book r ound House.
sue’s comment: it is a great time one is healthy.
Here’s a reminiscence of our early days on cam-
pus from
Dave Bunis
: "
My very first day, i was a
late arrival and there were no more freshman
beanies available, so already i didn’t feel like i fi . a
rough start to a difficul first year. and then there
were the frat parties to meet the freshmen. Lots
of beer, but since i didn't like beer and didn't want
anyone to know it i would get the beer, pretend
to drink, quietly pour it out, and then go back for
more! Finally pledged phi sig as a junior with the
help of roomy
Ray 'Shirttails' Ryan,
BMOc!”
phil Morey notes that Dave is celebrating his
10
th year as one of the founders of and producer
at the Jewish r epertory t heatre in amherst, n.y.
“
He deserves a lot of credit for his forbearance,
vision and courage in sustaining the theatre,” phil
says. “it has become one of the outstanding pro-
fessional theatre companies in the Buffalo a ea.”
Mary Ann Fitzpatrick Griffin
was invited by the
l962 senior class of Oriskany High school, where
she had taught, to attend their 50th reunion. she
had a great time and was treated royally.
Janis Fowle Bigelow
likes the idea of a theme
for our writings. Of adapting to and impressions
of st. Lawrence during our first year, she writes, “i
remember being so disappointed to learn that i
was assigned to a single room. i thought college
meant a roommate. Julie Beaver whitney ’58n
and i fi ed that second semester. we moved so
that we had two rooms next to each other. One
was where we slept; the other we used as a study.
after that i moved into the Kappa Lodge and had
about 35 roommates.”
Ina Rappe Wishner
remains involved with the
pen and Brush gallery’s relocation plans in new
york city.
Carol Hall Murray’s
fi e children and 15 grand-
children “continue to fill any gaps that we might
have in our schedule.”t hey live in Huntington, on
Long island, in an 1890 victorian that “was never
painted inside, thankfully revealing the carved
wainscoting. it’s been a lot of work trying tomake
it livable inside and out!”
Bob Smith
is still running his business“24/7”but
has “made the necessary plans for several people
to take it over when the excitement disappears. i
speak to the t hin
Bob Smith
frequently. He is still
vertical and enjoying his antique cars and grand-
children.” He also speaks to
Ralph Darling
and
phil Morey every so often.
Last year i studied fencing, something i wanted
to try at st. Lawrence but never got around to. My
right knee protested. i moved on to the study of
Farsi to communicate with my neighbor’s moth-
er. she died, but i continue, on disc. OLLi classes
stimulate my brain. such a joy! i help feed home-
less women some sunday evenings.
1958
Lennelle“Lennie”Dougherty McKinnon ’58
5
Jay Street
Canton, NY 13617
315-386-8216
Cell: 315-323-5267
lmckinnon@twcny.rr.com
next r eunion: 55
th
,
May 30-June 2, 2013
plans are under way for the 55th, and you have
probably already heard from other classmates
encouraging you to“be there or be square”at the
end of May. r eunions are only as successful as the
attendees make them. Let us make this one truly
memorable by having the largest turnout for a
55
th in years. Donations are certainly important,
and giving $5.55, $55, $550, $5,500, or beyond
would be welcome, but donating your time and
effort to attend would be priceless.
Kudos to
Rose Selkis Mahan
,
who was recog-
nized at the washington cathedral by the Dio-
cese of washington for her volunteer work in the
church and the community. r ose is on the gov-
erning board of her church and still tutors, at pres-
ent an autistic teenager. r ose has abandoned the
accordion due to rotator cuff issues, but still plays
the piano, enjoys cards, exercises daily, maintains
a balcony garden, and enjoys spending time with
grandson zach, a kindergartner. Daughter Bry-
na’s move to the Dc area made the celebration of
r ose and r on’s 50th anniversary all the sweeter.
Chris Bunting ’93
(
Ksp fall ’91) of Bozeman, Mont., visited Kenya in 2012 to
see
Chachu Ganya ’96
,
his family, and some of the 180 high school students
“
that we sponsor through the northern Kenya Fund
(www.northernkenya
-
fund.org). i was accompanied by a documentary filmmaker (see videos at
the link) and the director of a foundation that supports nKF. everyone in-
volved had an amazing journey. as always, the people and the landscape of
northern Kenya touch your heart. chachu, who is a member of the Kenyan
national assembly representing the Marsabit District, gave us an intimate
and grand tour. i was also able to visit briefly with
Joseph Lekuton ’91,
who
is chachu’s neighbor and fellowMp.”
chris and chachu are pictured in the Kenyan legislative building. Four Lau-
rentians now occupy seats in Kenya's new assembly; for details, see page 3.
chris continued, “chachu has accomplished a tremendous amount on be-
half of his constituency in just six years. He has built schools, improved exist-
ing schools’ infrastructure and staffi , and is bringing the first hospital and
maternity ward to the district. t he combination of donations from the U.s.
along with a well-intentioned Mp has greatly enhanced the work of nKF.
"
as is customary with the gabbra people, we enjoyed numerous meals
of goat meat, walks in the desert and mesmerizing star-filled nights. i had
the honor of meeting with the elders of the gabbra community who are in
charge of all sacred matters of their people, which was an incredible and
humbling experience. i am looking forward to organizing trips to northern
Kenya in the future so that nKF donors can experience the landscape and
meet the students first hand. i continue to give thanks to the st. Lawrence
Ksp and its early pioneers, who greatly shaped my life.”
Kelly Thayer ’00
(
Ksp fall ‘98) recently completed her peace corps service
in tanzania. she spent two years in a rural village in the southern part of the
country, and her last year on the Maasai steppe with an ng O called african
people &wildlife Fund (
www.afrpw.org).“i
worked with a Maasai community
just outside of tarangire national park. putting my Ksp to use!”she observed.
she started“the slow road home in December, passing through asia firs .”
in november,
Ned Breslin ’88
(
Ksp fall ’87) traveled to Johannesburg, south
africa, to participate in the sanitation andwater for all partnership meeting.
ned is ceO of water for people, as noted in the fall issue, page 28.
are you willing to share a favorite excerpt from a journal you kept on your
Ksp? i’d like to include a few of these in upcoming columns. as always, news,
updates and photos are welcome. i look forward to hearing from you.
Tuta-
onana!
John l insley ’04 (KSp fall ’02)
605
west Olive st. | Bozeman, Mt 59715 |
jlinsley@gmail.com
| (978) 500-6342
(
swahili for "what's the news?")
Habari Gani?