P.A. 1964
Tom Seligson
15 Bradley Street
Westport, Ct. 06880
February, 2003

Much of the fun of Dewolf Fulton's ecology-inspired mini-reunion in Rhode Island came from visiting classmates who have been out of sight for some time. Matthew McClure has been a stranger literally since graduation day. In fact, when I first saw him, I assumed he was one of the local tree experts Dewey had recruited. Matthew is much thinner than he was as Cappy, very GQish in style, and modestly soft-spoken about all he's done since PA days. Most of you may know that back in the 70s, he not only contributed to writing the illustrious Whole Earth Catalog, but was a founding member of The Farm, a well-known commune in Tennessee that grew to 1500 members on more than 1750 acres. "It was like building a town from the ground up," Matthew recalls. It was on the Farm that the creator of our listserve got his start with computers. He and other commune members wrote and self-published a book, The Big Dummys Guide to CB Radio, which sold so well, they needed a computer system to handle invoices. Matthew has been in software development for the last 20 years. He helped start The Well, which was rated by Wired the most influential on-line community in the world. He's also been involved in a number of start-ups. Matthew is currently focusing his considerable talents organizing an on-line advocacy group to promote renewable energy, and help reduce America's dependence on oil. You can check out his web site at www.energyfreedomproject.org. Matthew has been married 9 years to the lovely Leela, and the two have five kids from previous marriages. He stays in touch with Rennie Potter and Rob Auld and said he had such a good time at this mini-reunion - "I made a lot of new friends," - that he plans to return to the next one.

It was also great to catch up with Dan Cooper, who could vie with Randy Roden for the title of having changed the least. Dan now works in administration and sales for a 10-person company that makes multimedia training programs for businesses, mostly retailers. The job gives him the opportunity to play with all kinds of electronic toys, which he enjoys. What surprised me was hearing that what Dan didn't enjoy were his days at Andover. "It always terrified me," he confided. "I still can't get close without getting a real knot in my stomach." Who would have guessed that our class president, who was always a model of grace and calm, felt as insecure as the rest of us? One of the continual satisfactions of seeing each other as adults is realizing how much we had in common as boys. That bond makes growing older together all the more rewarding.

John Morey has gone through an interesting career change. After graduating from M.I.T., John worked in his family's machine tool business, which was a pioneer in the manufacturing of computer-controlled machine tools. In fact, their first computer-controlled machine is in the Smithsonian. John ran the company from 1984 until 1994, when he sold it to LSB Industries. He's now sharing all that technical wisdom as a teacher at a technical high school for students in New Yorks Orange and Ulster counties. John teaches Computer Aided Design and manufacturing. Next year, John will also be teaching engineering, as an Adjunct Professor at SUNY Orange. Fran Crowley has a hidden technical ability I just learned about. Apparently, when he's not negotiating high level printing jobs for Spencer Press, where he's a top executive, Franny builds model railroads. The American Flyer train set his father bought him back when he was 13 has now grown to where it can barely fit in his house. The 15 by 30 foot miniature world boasts four separate tracks, which can be run simultaneously, and is connected by 4000 feet of wire. Many of the individual cars are extremely rare, and the whole set-up has been valued at more than $150,000. Model railroads are obviously Franny's second love. For their 19th anniversary, he gave Pat a heart necklace. She gave him a rare model engine.

A recent copy of the Yale Bulletin highlighted the news that Dick Brodhead, who's been dean of Yale since 1992, has been appointed for a third five-year term. Heres what faculty members have to say about Dick. "It grows increasingly clear that he will enter the history books as one of the legendary deans. His performance is brilliant. Students love him, the faculty trust him, the alumni are in awe of him." Another said, "He is to articulation what Michael Jordan was to basketball, and can handle difficult situations with dignity, grace, and good judgment." Dick has been at Yale ever since Andover, having earned his BA, Master's Degree, and Ph.D there. He's been on the faculty since 1972, and he's continued to teach during his deanship. A specialist in 19th-century literature, he has written on Hawthorne, Melville, and Faulkner. In 1979, Yale honored Dick with one of its highest accolades, the William Clyde DeVane Medal for Outstanding Scholarship and Teaching. All I can add is Dick, you make us proud.