| Kenyon Class of 1966 Fall Class Letter
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Dear Classmates,
What a bizarre year 2020 has been. However even during this most challenging of years, Kenyon has remained a bright spot and a point of connection and positivity for its community. Two nights ago I shared a cocktail (non-alcoholic of course) with Brackett Denniston ’69, Chairman of the Board, and I was heartened by his report.
In-person instruction just wrapped up for the approximately 950 first-years, sophomores and international students who studied on campus this fall, numbers intentionally kept low so no one would share a room. (Yes, it took a pandemic for a freshman to score a North Campus Apartment for once.) The College developed clear COVID-related policies and protocols that included regular testing for those on campus and the implementation of the “Kenyon College Commitment,” a personal pledge developed in cooperation with the student council that emphasized the well-being of the entire community. Life on campus looked a bit (perhaps radically is a better adjective) different as Kenyon adapted its many facilities to ensure safe access to dining, athletics, research and more.
Our alumni community has shifted to meet the challenges of 2020 with an equal degree of innovation — organizing and attending virtual events, connecting with current students and new graduates as volunteer mentors, and giving back during June’s record-breaking online giving challenge, Kenyon Together. And, though it was heartbreaking to see Reunion Weekend 2020 postponed, we’ve shifted our focus to Reunion Weekend 2021 when the Class of ’66 will celebrate our 55th. Planning is underway and, if conditions allow, it could be the biggest alumni gathering in Kenyon history. (We’ll be sharing more details in the months to come, and we hope many Class of ’66 classmates will attend.)
As yearend rolls around, we are all being swamped by appeals from our favorite not-for-profits. And since most of us are spending less due to ten months of Covid lockdown, we all have more to give this year! So I want to help relieve you of the burden of excess giving capacity. Good things are happening at Kenyon and that is why I have supported it for many years with gifts to the Kenyon Fund. We are all aware of the strain that the events of 2020 have placed on our educational institutions, and obviously Kenyon in no exception.
The Kenyon Fund, like all Endowment Funds, is critical to sustain the school’s future. During challenging times like these, alumni support is more critical than ever. Please join me in making your gift to the Kenyon Fund at gift.kenyon.edu to ensure good things continue to happen on the Hill this year, and in the years to come. And make sure to save some money for an even larger gift next year in commemoration of 55 years since the mighty class of ’66 graduated!
Thank you and stay well!
Sincerely,
Bill Rice
P.S. Scroll down to read our fall class notes.
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| Introducing the Lowry Center & Scholarship
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William E. Lowry Jr. ’56 H’99 was the first Black student in the nation initiated into Beta Theta Pi, was student body president and captained the football, basketball and baseball teams. He went on to serve in many volunteer roles at Kenyon, including as trustee. In honor of Bill’s accomplishments and impact at Kenyon, the Board of Trustees decided to rename the Kenyon Athletic Center in his honor.
Recognizing his legacy, Board Vice Chair Joseph E. Lipscomb ’87 has created an endowed scholarship in Bill’s name to help bring more underrepresented students to Kenyon. Anyone can make a gift to the annual fund portion of this scholarship, or one of many other scholarships at Kenyon, and provide an immediate benefit to a current student.
Support currents students now with a gift to scholarships
Despite a challenging year, the College remains committed to continuing to meet 100% of students’ increased demonstrated need, with donor support. Every dollar you give goes directly to support students this academic year.
Consider giving today in support of:
- Hannah More Scholarship for first generation students
- Kenyon Women’s Annual Scholarship for female students
- Lowry Annual Scholarship for underrepresented students
- Pope Memorial Annual Scholarship for students from urban Ohio public school
And, of course, you can make a gift to the Kenyon Fund’s scholarships and financial aid designation, which supports the education of every single Kenyon student.
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| Upcoming Virtual Events for Alumni
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You're invited to join us this winter at these free events for alumni.
- Alumni Town Halls with President Decatur
Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. ET and Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET
- Five-week mini class with Professor Emerita Pam Jensen
"Democracy & Education: An Introduction to Rousseau's Emile"
Tuesdays, Jan. 5 – Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
- A Celebration of Kenyon Green Initiatives (two-part series)
Wednesday, Jan. 20 and Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. ET
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Class AgentsClass agents are your connection to campus. If you would like to learn more about becoming a class agent, contact Terry Dunnavant at dunnavantt@kenyon.edu.
• Jack Buckley
• Burt Dibble
• Jim Foster
• Lowell Gaspar
• Larry Leventon
• Carl Mankowitz
• Tom Mason
• Jerry Reynolds
• Bill Rice
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Larry Leventon writes: In anticipation of our 55th Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend next May 27-28, 2021 (subject of course to health concerns) in Gambier, so far I have 10 rsvp’s. I have reserved 25 rooms at the Holiday Inn 3 miles away and have tentatively reserved excellent meals venues for both Friday and Saturday dinners. No deposits will be requested until 60 days prior, but it would be most helpful to know if you think you will be attending. If I haven’t heard from you already, please email me. Remember our 50th reunion parting cheer “55 if we’re still alive”!! We are looking forward to our 55th--best to all and stay safe, stay healthy.
David Perry: My professor wife is teaching her classes and studying for her Ph.D on Zoom, and my freshman daughter is attending high school on Zoom. I am their IT consultant and support system. We've been living in Bronxville, a suburb of New York, for 45 years. davidperryny@gmail.com
Richard Cantine writes from American University of Beirut: I wish good things for all my Kenyon classmates, especially the tennis team. Liz and I are well. Son Tom, wife, three grandchildren, and two Bernese Mountain dogs moved from Seattle to New Jersey in May in a rented camper for job with Amazon. We survived. rcantine@aol.com
Lee Bowman: All Ok here in the UK with Covid, and we are well-installed in East Sussex, 60 miles south of London, with our son, Fred, wife and two 'tinies' taking over our guest cottage to get out of London. I'm commuting up to London once a week or so to see clients for Kingstree....and still doing it on a large BMW motorbike to avoid the dodgy train services!!!
Had a great call with Coach Bob Harrison, who I played soccer for all three years I was at Kenyon (With one year at Aix-en/Provence!) and that prompted a number of thoughts about his leadership!
It would be fun to visit Gambier, especially with pals like Rutter, Schmidlapp ’67, cousin Andy Bowman ’68, and all the Betas and lacrosse players from the mid '60s...but until then.......All the best from me and the Bowman family in Southern England!!!! lee.bowman@kingstreegroup.com
Jake Rohrer: Obviously, 2020 has been an unusual & challenging year. Perhaps a bit like those first few months at Kenyon so long ago! Andi & I have navigated the 24/7 routine pretty well. We had a fun trip to Hawaii at the beginning of the year; but since then, we have only had one short trip to N. California to see our kids & grandkids...and for only a couple of hours each! So what have we done to stay sane? Lots of walks here at the beach...golf once the courses opened up...Zoom cocktails with friends...daily swims in Newport Bay...and 6+ months wearing only shorts, no trousers! We hope all of you have fared well and continue to do so until we return to whatever "normal" will be. rohrerj44@gmail.com
Gerald Reynolds: Ironically, spending four winters at Kenyon College on the Swimming Team prepared me well for the past six months of voluntary quarantine: eat, read, swim, sleep, repeat! I swam an hour a day in our neighborhood pool this summer, maintaining my sanity, but losing 26 pounds. Claudia and I are well and adjusting to the sad reality that the radius of our retirement travel has temporarily shrunk to 15 miles. Thankfully, I have been able to continue teaching part time at George Mason University and serving on three voluntary Boards, all via Zoom, during these challenging times. October is Medical Month as various Ologists freeze, cut, prod, poke, measure and otherwise treat my aging body. Looking forward to our 55th Reunion! Reynolds.jerry@verizon.net
Martin Madorsky: In the past year prior to Covid -19, my wife and myself, as well as 6 other members of my immediate family, and numerous friends of my youngest son went to Hanoi Viet Nam, for my youngest son's marriage to a lovely Vietnamese woman whom he met at the University of Chicago School of business. My wife and one of our Granddaughters then went to Bhutan for a week, and 5 days in India before returning to London to spend a few days with my daughter and 2 other granddaughters. We then returned in late December to hunker down to this Covid 19 situation. No travel, no restaurants, just hibernation since. We wish good luck and fortune to all. martinm624@gmail.com
Richard Nolan: Life in the time of Covid has been different, occasionally disappointing, but never difficult. Like many, Gretchen and I spent much of the last seven months, avoiding crowds, wearing masks, and socially distancing from everyone who came close. When we shopped at our local market and picked up the mail, we did so as seldom as possible and then only early in the morning when few were around. We were disappointed when we had to cancel several overnight events in Yellowstone this September, and we’re frustrated not knowing when we’ll be able to travel again.
All things considered, however, we’re lucky. We live in the Montana mountains where it’s been easy to avoid any risk. We’ve spent numerous enjoyable hours this year sitting on our porch with a glass of wine gazing at towering mountains in the near distance, watching birds at our feeders, and listening to the cows and sheep grazing nearby. When we hiked, we often saw no one all day. Once snow falls, cross country skiing will be much the same. dnolanmt@gmail.com
Burt Dibble: Somehow, I find it a little surprising that I am still practicing at this age. Doing hospice medical direction about 20 hrs/mo. Mae continues to practice law about half time. She has accepted a position as an interim select board member to fill an uncompleted term for 6 months here in Rye NH, significantly complicating our lives, and I continue on the town zoning board. Her firm has a Florida office in Cape Coral, which has lead us to a condominium there this past Spring, where she will continue to carry on some practice and I can do my work remotely. I never contemplated being a snowbird, so this is a real pivot in our lives. Two sons still in Colorado--47 and 50 (shocking, isn't it!)-- with no plans to move east. 4 grandchildren making do successfully with remote schooling. Looking forward to next Spring and hoping we can meet in person. fbdibble@comcast.net
Thomas Mason: Hello Classmates-- I’m still teaching at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. I’ve got three courses—all online—on American and British history. That keeps me out of trouble. In some respects, it’s the perfect job during COVID since they let me work from home. My wife, Christine, has been retired from the University of Indianapolis Library for a couple of years. She was volunteering as a docent at the Indianapolis Museum of Art pre-COVID. The museum has reopened but with reduced docent tours, so she’s looking for other options. Our daughter, Charlotte, has moved from Colorado to Alaska with her fiancé, who got a new job there. She transferred her graduate program from the University of Colorado to the University of Alaska, so she’s a resourceful lady. Like all of us, I hope the COVID goes away soon, not least so we can reconvene in person for our 55th reunion in May! thomas.a.mason@comcast.net
Bill Rice: Lynn and I have enjoyed a quiet summer in New England observing Covid restrictions. Heading for Florida soon and we’d welcome any classmates to visit us at the Ocean Reef Club. Still working part time and enjoying it.
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If you missed the chance to share your news for this letter, you can submit a class note at any time via class.letters@kenyon.edu.
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Kenyon is grateful to the following donors for their generous support of the College, including the Kenyon Fund, during the 2019-20 fiscal year. An asterisk (*) indicates a donor is a member of the Henry J. Abraham Society for loyal and consecutive giving. An obelisk (†) indicates an individual who is deceased. Please note that as of July 1, 2019 Kenyon’s annual giving societies have changed. Visit kenyon.edu/societies for more information.
1966
Annual Fund Total: $46,262
Class Participation: 66.67%
President's Society
Donors of $50,000 or more
Michael D. Bulmash PhD P'14*
Philander Chase Society
Donors of $10,000 to $24,999
Laurie Jarrett (widow of James W. Jarrett)*
William P. Rice*
Bexley Society
Donors of $2,500 to $9,999
John J. Buckley Jr., FACHE*
Eric S. Busch*
Frank B. Dibble*
John C. Jenkins P'99 '03*
J. Dustin Wees*
Peter A. White P'01*
Kenyon Society
Donors of $1 to $2,499
Brian A. Bidlingmeyer P'96 '03*
William E. Campbell*
Stuart W. Campbell
Richard A. Cantine*
John M. Cortelli*
James S. Cowlin P'11
Harvey Fernbach MD, M.P.H.*
Gary E. Friedlaender MD*
Lowell S. Gaspar MD*
William B. Gibson*
Norman C. Hartsel
Ken S. Honbo MD*
William W. Judson MD
Daniel E. Koblentz MD*
Lawrence F. Leventon*
Martin L. Madorsky MD*
Carl S. Mankowitz MD*
Louis H. Martone MD P'95 '00*
Thomas A. Mason*
David A. McKellar*
John W. Morrison Jr., MD*
Robert P. Moyer*
Richard T. Nolan
Charles F. Peace IV*
Gerald E. Reynolds
John C. Rohrer*
Michael C. Sivitz MD*
Victor H. Sparrow III
Gordon L. Todd
John H. Welty*
Stephen B. Zinn MD*
George Wharton Mariott Society
These alumni have included Kenyon in their estate plans or have made other planned gifts.
John J. Buckley Jr.
Michael D. Bulmash
Frank B. Dibble
David W. Foote
Dr. Carl S. Mankowitz
David A. McKellar
William B. McKnight Jr. P'95
Richard T. Nolan
William P. and Dorolyn Rice
John C. Rohrer
Mr. and Mrs. J. Dustin Wees
Peter A. White
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Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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