CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine 35
34 winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine
1960
AnnYounger Moore ’60
41 Brookside Drive
Wilbraham, MA 01095-2122
413-596-9335
Next Reunion: 55
th
, 2015
In April, Archie Urciuoli ’59 and his lovely wife,
Maggie, hosted a 75th birthday party for ATOs
and their spouses at their beautiful Casey Cay
home in Florida (there was a picture of this gath-
ering in the summer issue, page 39). More than
50 were present, including a surprise visit from
Tony Scalise ’43 of Tick Tock fame. What an amaz-
ing three days it was: Hawaiian party/pig roast,
golf, tennis, swimming, sightseeing, reminiscing
and, finally, a lovely reunion dinner at the Oaks
Country Club!
It was great to see somany "fit and vibrant" class-
mates!
Bruce Benedict
and Ann Somerville '63
of Norwalk, Conn., are parents of five and grand-
parents to 16, and they summer on Nantucket.
Bruce is still working at ISE in New York.
Doug
Campbell
and Diana, who live in Boca Raton,
Fla., are parents of two and also grandparents of
two. Doug is retired as a vice president of Morgan
Stanley, and spends his time as a volunteer men-
tor to young disadvantaged boys. He and his wife
have traveled extensively.
Wilton "Buster" Cogswell
and Cathy live in
Colorado Springs, where Buster is still a practicing
attorney and Cathy assists in his office. They have
five children and nine grandchildren. They also
travel as often as possible.
Matt Forelli
and Martha attended the reunion
just asMattwas recovering fromkidney transplant
surgery. He has served as chairman of Precision
Gear Inc. in College Point, N.Y., and he and Martha
have two children and four grandchildren.
Dan Goodyear
and his wife, Dale, from Robe-
sonia, Pa., were both tremendous "assistants" to
the Urciuolis during the festivities. Dan is retired
as a steel foundry executive and has owned and
operated a large llama breeding farm. He has also
been a very active pilot since graduation.
Rob Johnston
and Melinda Leithead ’62, from
Perrysburg, Ohio, were present. They have two
children and five grandchildren, and Rob is retired
from sales, but is still active as an independent
sales representative for G&R Marketing.
Sam Sammis
attended alone as his wife, Jinny,
was singing with a major choral group that week.
They live in Greenwich, Conn., and Randolph, Vt.,
and are the parents of two and grandparents of
six. Sam is still active in the real estate business he
founded in 1971, New England Land Company,
Ltd., in Greenwich, and he and Jinny own and
manage the Three Stallion Inn in Randolph.
It was such a surprise to receive an email from
Melinda Yowell Small
last summer. She lives
on the coast of Maine, and since retiring from
Bowdoin as a professor of psychology has volun-
teered as a guardian for children in state custody.
She currently works with four children of various
ages and recently "graduated" an 18-year-old
with whom she started working at age 6! She also
served for many years on the board of a regional
housing agency and is a trustee of the University
of New England. For many years she and her hus-
band sailed, and she now enjoys photography,
breeding rhododendrons and traveling to exotic
sites. She has a guest cottage available for anyone
who wants to spend time in Maine!
I was also thrilled to receive a message from an-
other classmate,
Doris Bobbett McGinley
from
Venice, Fla. She and husband Bruce have daugh-
ters in Rochester, N.Y., Minnesota and Colorado,
so they get to travel the country visiting them!
Along the way, they often take in the sites at
National Parks and monuments. Dorie is an avid
bridge player (Diamond Life Member) and has
a collection of over 600 salt and pepper shakers
which she has picked up on her travels.
A sad message from
Jim Niland
's son, Tim, tells
of Jim's passing on July 27 in Las Vegas, where he
had lived since retirement. He was predeceased
by his first wife, Georgia Bowers '61, and is sur-
vived by his second wife, Antonia, and two sons.
While at St. Lawrence, Jim was a standout athlete
in football, and he remained a Gold Circle mem-
ber of Alpha Tau Omega. He had a long career in
banking in Schenectady, N.Y., and retired as vice
president of the trust department. He was an avid
historian who loved to read and listen to jazz and
classical music. For more, turn to "In Memory."
Jeanne Giffin Wright
informed the University
that in June she was inducted into the Manches-
ter, Conn., Arts Hall of Fame. A resident of Man-
chester for the last 52 years, she is a painter and
craftsperson and past president of the Manches-
ter Arts Association. Her banners are on display
at several local schools. A native of St. Regis Falls,
N.Y., she is also a musician. After college, she mar-
ried Richard Wright, a 1957 Clarkson graduate,
and they had three children. She also has three
cousins who are St. Lawrence graduates: Jack
Covell ’55, Tom Covell ’58 and Bruce Covell ’68.
“St. Lawrence has benefited me much on how
I have spent my life,” she says. “I am very happy I
got a degree from SLU, because it has made me
feel equal with everyone I might meet. I look back
with pride upon what I owe St. Lawrence for the
part it has played in my life.”
1961
Hulit Pressley Taylor ’61
1713 Surrey Lane, NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-625-0203
Next Reunion: 55
th
, 2016
After many years of silence (52 to be exact!),
Jim
Heary
wrote,“I figured it was about time I brought
you up to date. Our granddaughter, Ellie Miner
’16, is a sophomore at St. Lawrence. She’s third-
generation; both my son and oldest daughter are
SLU graduates. We have eight grandchildren.”Jim
is still practicing law inWatertown, N.Y., but taking
more time off. In the fall, he andMolly went to Italy
and took a cruise ship back to the States. For Janu-
ary and February of this year, they rented a condo
in Bradenton, Fla.
For Reunion Weekend, our class was represent-
ed by
Jack Jobes
and
Tony Perry
, who helped
John Perry ’63 celebrate his 50th Reunion, and
by
Dave Walton
, who accompanied his wife,
Karen MacDonald ’63. Talk about classmates
we've not heard from!
I was pleased to have a note from
Jane Graham
Tsighis.
She wrote, “Regards from an inactive
classmate who is still on the right side of the grass.”
Sad news to report.
Jerry Kovacs
died at the
end of July. How wonderful that in April, Jerry at-
tended an ATO reunion hosted by Archie Urciuoli
'59 in Florida. (There was a photo of this event in
the Summer
St. LawrenceMagazine
.)
Bob
and
Betty Horwitz Graham
spent three
months last winter in a condo in Punta Gorda, Fla.
During the summer they divided their time be-
tween their home in Massena, N.Y., where they’re
doing some renovations, and their boat on the
St. Lawrence River. They also visited their children
and grandkids in Michigan and St. Louis. Early this
year, it’s back to Florida to “dodge another North
Country winter that at times can seem intermi-
nable. No one who spent time at St. Lawrence has
forgotten that feeling, I'll bet!”
Hal Schwartz
is kept busy as president of the
Rotary Club of Rye, N.Y., and as grandfather to two
more born just months apart. Last spring, he and
Sue enjoyed a scenic cruise on the Douro River
from Porto, Portugal, to Salamanca, Spain. They
also visited friends in Denmark and were able to
tour the islands of Bornholm and Christiansø, in-
teresting sites not on the normal tourist itinerary.
Craig Ruhm
reports that his trip to Hawaii for his
son’s wedding was very special. A Quaker ceremo-
ny was held outdoors at their home overlooking
a spectacular mountain setting and the recep-
tion was a traditional Hawaiian luau. All the family
stayed in beach homes on the North Shore.
Ken Shilkret
keeps busy with his various vol-
unteer activities and visits to his grandchildren in
Pennsylvania. He and Patrice, his significant other,
won their golf league (which is for 40- to 70-year-
olds) and vacationed in Saranac Lake, Lake Placid
and Burlington, Vt. After twisting his ankle, scrap-
ing his knees, getting bruises and almost knocking
Patrice into a ravine, he has eliminated mountain
climbing from his bucket list!
Kappa Delta friends from the ’60s gathered last February in Kissimmee, Fla. Front from left are
Nancy Palmer Appich '63, Helen Badger Druce '63
and
Ann Newnham Lloyd '63
, while
behind them from left are
Betsy Barratt Lutz '63, Jean Southerland McKee '63, Elaine Hol-
lenbeck Stewart '65, Meg Griffin Southwick '61
and
Ann Breitner O'Reilly '63.
Although
Chico Kieswetter
spent most of the
summer rehabbing a new knee in Sarasota, Fla.,
he did see several alums from various classes.
Ned Brewer
is semi-retired from selling commer-
cial real estate in Ft. Lauderdale. While spending
a month in northern New Jersey, Chico spoke to
Al Pierce ’59, who is remodeling his Vermont ski
house. When on Long Island, Chico stopped to
visit an old next-door neighbor, Chuck Luyster
’62 and his son, Todd ’93. Chuck has retired and is
playing golf and spending extra time at his sum-
mer home in Southold, on Long Island. Chico said
John Dabrowski
was training again for the Ma-
rine Corps Marathon.
While spending a week at Chautauqua Institu-
tion in western New York,
Steve Anderson
ran
into Dan Sullivan ’65, and also met up with some
childhood friends. “We had grown up in James-
town, N.Y., left for our education and careers,
and here we were together again, over 50 years
later,” he pointed out. Steve is considering retir-
ing from managing partner of his international
management consulting firm and has a question
for those of us who have retired: “What are your
best guidelines for a successful retirement from
work that you love, but recognize the need to
spend more free time on things that are impor-
tant, other than work?”
Last summer,
NatalieBeaumont
decided to stay
put with the idea of going west in February when
East Coast weather is at its worst. She’s resumed
ballroomdancing and ran into an Italian instructor
to whom she taught English when he first came
to the U.S. seven years ago! Natalie keeps in touch
with
Cinnie Baldwin Luscombe
and hopes to
see Cinnie when she visits her daughter in New
Jersey. And I hope to see her when she visits her
younger daughter who lives in northern Virginia!
Small world: in mid-August, while visiting his
daughter and grandchildren in Brunswick, Maine,
Jay Fleisher
enjoyed a wonderful reunion with
Jeanne Baldo White ’60, who also resides there.
“We reminisced and had great fun stirring memo-
ries of SLU,” Jay said. “Top on the list were such
things as boonies in Pyrites, Black Label sessions in
Billy’s, Pi Phi houseboy antics, and the like.”
They had lunch one day on Bailey Island and, can
you believe it,
Paul Taylor
and I were vacation-
ing about a mile down the road! If only we had
known! Next time Jay’s in the area, he’s going to
knock on
Bob Boothby
’s door. Even though “re-
tired,” Jay continues to be involved with profes-
sional activities, mainly inAlaska, and global travel,
most recently to Iceland and Machu Picchu.
JimPritzker
and his family had a delightful sum-
mer in New England, celebrating lots of birthdays
and anniversaries. Their oldest grandchild is at
UPenn to study pre-med.
Floyd Sandford
sent an email from a public
library in the “lovely village of Broadway in the
Cotswolds. In fact, with their warm yellow stone
and frequent thatched roofs, all the villages are
lovely here.” For a month, Floyd explored National
Trust sites in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, hiked about
30 miles on the Dorset Coast Path, and then con-
tinued hiking in the Cotswolds.
Sandy Towle
hopes to have his second book
in the Caleb Frost series,
The Assassins' Game
, out
soon. He says that independent publishing is ef-
ficient for launching books, but not for marketing
them.“I'm literally selling my first book,
China Red
,
out of the trunk of my car,” he said. “I understand
that John Grisham started this way.”
Carole Sperzel Clark
and Bill planned to spend
the winter again in Palm Desert, Calif., and enjoy
getting together with SLU friends who will be in
that area.
Bob Steer
’s travel is still restricted, but
he’d love to know if you’re in Calgary, Alberta, es-
pecially for the Stampede.
Wishing you a happy, healthy 2014. And as
always, I hope to hear from you at least once
this year!
1962
SteveWahl ’62
7899 E. Soaring Eagle
Scottsdale, AZ 85266-1280
480-575-5300
Next Reunion: 55
th
, 2017
Greetings again from sunny Arizona, with thanks
to classmates who have provided me with news.
My composing task is especially fun when I hear
from someone for the first time! That honor this
time goes to
Dick Decker
. Dick retired in 2004 af-
ter 42 years as a teacher and guidance counselor/
director. He and Kathy, his wife of 48 years, spend
half their year in Ballston Spa, N.Y., and the other
half in Summerfield, Fla., just north of “The Vil-
lages” known to many retirees. The Deckers have
two sons, one teaching second grade in Saratoga
Springs, N.Y., and one in business in the Orlando,
Fla., area. Like many of us, Dick and Kathy enjoy
traveling, including cruising the Mediterranean
and points in Europe. At home, they enjoy live the-
ater and the movies.
Retirement in Florida has called another class-
mate.
Sue Skiles Gill
tells me that she and her
husband, T.J., have sold their B & B in Madeira
Beach, Fla., after being tied to it for 13 years. They
will remain in St. Petersburg, where T.J. is very in-
volved in local theatre and Sue in three choral
groups. The Gills also look forward to doing some
traveling after settling into their new house. In 13
years as innkeepers, they had only two real vaca-
tions together. They plan to do some catching up!
Dave Boyer
officially retired from his second ca-
reer, teaching chemistry at Monroe Community
College for about 10 years after leaving corporate
business. The call of Canton still rings in some of
our ears: Dave reports that his family, including
four grandkids, spent a week at Star Lake last sum-
mer, about 30miles fromCanton. His oldest grand-
son, Nate, is in high school, so Dave and Carol set
up an admissions tour of our almamater. Nate had
a great experience on his first college visit thanks
to the efforts of the Admissions personnel. Dave
also enjoyed seeing how the campus continues to
grow in its physical plant and programs.
Do you have a son or daughter who is
starting to look at colleges?
Plan a visit to St. Lawrence and learn
about Laurentian Legacy Grants:
or
1-800-285-1856.
Laurentian
Parents!
Join fellow program participants for special receptions,
speakers, and more!
alumni.stlawu.edu/france-program-50th-anniversary
FRANCE PROGRAM
50
th
Reunion, May 29 - June 1
