Jeffrey Gold: After practicing Ophthalmology for 50 years, I closed my practice at the end of 2019. Now, in order to keep my mind active, I'm doing a bit of work for insurance companies, working from home because of COVID-19. Vicki and I have been happily married for 56 years. Our two daughters are married with kids. Our oldest grandson is at Johns Hopkins in a pre-med program. His brother is a student at Amherst College, studying remotely this semester. He is part of the O-line, loving football. Our granddaughter attends a private school in Portland, OR, learning remotely.
Walt Nielsen: My wife Karen and I continue to cocoon to avoid the Covid-19 virus. We spend our days doing crossword puzzles, reading, hiking Arizona trails, gardening, and virtual-visiting our 4 children, 5 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren whose numbers were recently happily augmented by great-grandson River’s arrival. Karen and I also enjoy on-line lifelong learning courses offered by Arizona State University. This fall I’m taking classes in art history, bats, birds, volcanoes, jazz, memoir writing, movie history, and storytelling. A downtown Phoenix gallery is currently exhibiting several of Karen’s paintings and my nature photographs. Karen's have far better odds of selling than mine. I hope the entire Kenyon community is staying healthy.
Michael Claggett: Michael Claggett continues to enjoy and celebrate life in Paris (where he’s lived for the past 15 years).
He is keeping fit both physically and mentally....and is actively involved with startups as a coach mentor investor....helping them to better define the motivations and appeal of their target audience, their strategy and their selling propositions. Life is good."
Henry Pool: About 14 months ago we relocated to the Pittsburgh area after spending 2 years in Florida. Being close to family and friends prevailed over the weather. Since being back we have spent a fair amount of time redoing the house to make it our home. All of the inside projects finished up a couple of months ago. As the house sits on a relatively large flat lot, our final project was to build a pond in our backyard. That project has just been completed. Now one of our activities is allowing our golden retriever to take a daily swim.
Thomas Bond: My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in June, but had to cancel a planned trip to Alaska with family, due to the virus. I continue to practice psychiatry and teach part-time and enjoy it. Still playing doubles tennis and golf. Health is good except for my knees.
John Hattendorf: John Hattendorf continues his research and writing in naval history. One of his several publications in the past academic year is a chapter that reevaluates the career of “Admiral of the Fleet James Lord Gambier, GCB”. Lord Gambier was born in Bermuda so is among the British naval officers studied in Sean Heuvel and John Rodgaard, eds, From Across the Sea: North Americans in Nelson’s Navy (Helion, 2020).
Mike Reed: On June 30, after 52 years of practicing law with the Chicago based firm of Vedder Price, I retired. I will remain in Chicago maintaining a residence in the Lincoln Park neighborhood with my spouse Camille Olson who practices law with the firm of Seyfarth Shaw, also based in Chicago. My plans include continuing to serve on the board of trustees of a local hospital and the boards of two private foundations. A focus on fitness will continue. Travel plans have been put on hold.
Charles Verdery: I remain in the Richmond VA area where I moved upon completing my MBA at Wharton in 1966. I have raised three biological children as well as three step-children. All are self-sufficient and have produced 15 grandchildren. I have become a serial entrepreneur having owned a number of businesses and still own and operate several. I have been an avid birder for the last 30 years and have traveled through north, south and Central America in pursuit. Tennis is a regular activity with a little golf throw in. My main contact among old Kenyon friends is Louis Berney ‘66. We have taken a few trips together including to Barrow Alaska, the northernmost settlement in North America.
Perry Lentz: May for us was marked by the unceremonious --- so to speak--- graduation of our grandson Amos DeMartino ‘20 with his classmates. He and his family (mother Robin Lentz '88) adjusted just marvelously, achieving compensatorily--- which may not be a word?--- among much else a videoed testimonial spanning the length and breadth of folks who'd known him, a memento which a "real" graduation ceremony would never have produced. A granddaughter Etta is beginning her junior year at the College of Wooster to which all students have returned, and a grandson Bram is beginning his sophomore year at Bowdoin to which only the first-year students have been invited for this fall semester. You all with surely recollect that I've always been painfully introverted, so I've been training for this pandemic world all my life--- what's the big deal? I've just finished an arduous yet exhilarating three years as the Senior Warden of Harcourt Parish, the conclusion of which coincided just perfectly with the final draining away of my energy and vitality. Jane and I are still loving life here in Gambier, although the rigors of home-ownership are becoming tiresome. All the best, to you all!
Joel Kellman: Betsy and I are doing ok in this current environment of several pandemics. As to the health pandemic, we have been careful—and then, at a fully masked consultation with a doctor, the doctor tested positive the following day and we are in quarantine for 2 weeks—so far so good, really not complaining about our situation, just saying, be careful——I think we all are about 78—. I will miss our customary week-end this fall in Gambier and visits with Jane and Perry and maybe a hello with Fred if he is in town. If nothing else, I have been in touch with several classmates and others of South Leonard fame with whom I would not typically connect. One more thing, Joe Adkins ‘63 and Peter Glaubitz ‘62 organized a Zoom call with Coach Harrison and it was great to be in touch with the Coach who is living in Florida and is somewhere over 90 years. I am still hanging out at work, but have only been to the office once since March. Stay well all.
P. F. Kluge: Gambier is stunning on an autumn day. This morning we drove around Knox County for an hour, ooohing and aaahing at the leaves. Pamela and I were like a pair of gawking kids. When you're in your seventies lots of things can let you down. Top of our list: we cannot travel to Austria, which we have visited regularly over many years. So many things, it seems are breaking up, breaking down, breaking apart. But reading, writing, walking, gardening engage us. In your seventies you have to accustom yourself to various subtractions, which are regrettable. But what remains becomes even more precious.
David Newcomb: No real news at present. Like most of us, I am hunkered down, sheltering in place as we say. Under the circumstances, no news is good news. Hope all is well with you.
Chris Scott: In 2018, Susie and I sold our Columbus home of 31 years to our daughter, Betsy, and her husband, Jeff Gugle, and built an addition for us. We live here with Betsy and Jeff and their children, Abigail (12) and Emily (7). Our son, John, and his wife, Tracy, live in the Cleveland area, with their children, Lauren (16) and Andrew (12).
Following graduation from Kenyon, I was awarded an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School.
After a lengthy banking and business career in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Mexico City and Columbus, I earned a Certificate in Mediation and Dispute Resolution from the Capital University Law School. I served as a mediator in private practice, for the Better Business Bureau and as a court mediator for the Franklin and Delaware County, Ohio, court systems. I retired from mediation in 2018.
This year of Covid-19 has been eventful for us, as it has for everyone. Betsy, as the Director of the Lower School for the Columbus School for Girls, had to suddenly implement a virtual education program for Grades 1-5 (150 students). From March until June, her office was at home. In September, the school went back to classes on campus, four days a week, with online programs on Wednesdays. Jeff has also had his Huntington Bank office in another room of the house. When they were home, the girls did their schoolwork in their respective bedrooms, while Susie and I conducted our own activities in still different parts of the house. It was interesting sitting at my desk, listening to classes from upstairs, Betsy's school administration from her office and banking business coming from Jeff's quarters.
I send my very best to all my classmates, and best wishes for a different and better year in 2021.
