| Kenyon Class of 1963 Spring Class Letter
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Hello, fellow classmates, from Chicagoland!
What a crazy rollercoaster 12 months this has been. Finally, on January 20th, things began to pop, and many of you, myself included, have had the vaccine. If you're following the news, however, we seem to be experiencing another spike, so be careful out there!
I asked Terry Dunnavant, Annual Giving Operations Coordinator, to give me an update on our class size. She reported that we have lost two more classmates since Neal's fall letter:
Steve Hesse on November 8th, 2020
Rene Wachs on January 15th, 2021
Our current scorecard looks like this:
- 144 graduated in 1963
- 35 are deceased
- 95 are active
- 9 are lost
- 2 have requested no contact
- 3 are uninterested in hearing from Kenyon
I also listened to a class agent conference call in mid-March. The call announced that the goal for our Bicentennial Capital Campaign, ending in 2024, has been raised from $300,000,000 to $500,000,000. That means a lot of heavy lifting for everyone in the Kenyon family, more particularly for us, the class of '63! I was fascinated with the explanation and description of Designated Giving possibilities. This call had six Kenyon staff participants, each describing a specific Designated Giving opportunity. Kenyon has surely changed since we graduated 58 years ago when Bill Thomas was running that office. It was almost a one-man show in those days. Take a look at https://forward.kenyon.edu/ways-to-give/kenyon-fund/ for specific information on Designated Giving possibilities.
We had a good response to my request for classmate updates which you'll find below. For those that responded, many thanks.
Here are a few bullet points before I remind you to send in your annual gift:
- Kenyon plans to resume normal operations this fall.
- After a record number of applications, Kenyon has enrolled the class of 2025.
- In January, Kenyon received $100,000,000, the largest gift in our history. This will be used to fund three new resident halls on the south campus.
- Reunion will be virtual this year. We will all be invited to a virtual tour of the new Chalmers Library. Please watch for more information between now and May 15th or register here.
- It was exciting to read about two more ’63 authors, Bob Scott and Dave Colley. You'll read about their works in our class notes. It would be interesting to learn how many other authors/writers we have in the class of ’63. Maybe this is a Neal job!!!!
Finally, yup, here comes "the ask"! The college is counting on us to make our gifts in this fiscal year, ending in June of 2021. Kenyon would also like us to participate in a 36 hour "Kenyon Together" giving challenge which will kick off the morning of May 19th when the virtual reunion begins. This is a chance for you to stay connected by helping today's students and making a gift to one of the scholarships that are available. You can make your preferred choice by using that same link provided earlier in this note or clicking here. Or, you can call Terry at 740-427-5579.
Take care everyone. Enjoy your class notes. Be in good health and spirit and think Kenyon, class of ’63 when giving.
Calvin
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Support current students now with a gift to scholarships
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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 to:
- 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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| Virtual Events for Alumni
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All alumni are invited to join us at these virtual reunion events in May:
- Opening Ceremony/Virtual Hospitality Tent
4 p.m. ET Sunday, May 16
- Kenyon Together 36-Hour Giving Challenge
from 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 19 – 9 p.m. ET Thursday, May 20
- Town Hall with President Decatur
7 p.m. ET Thursday, May 27
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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.
• Calvin Frost
• Neal Mayer
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Class of 1963 Spring Notes
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Ted Walch: All is well in Los Angeles. Teaching virtually goes much better than I thought it would, but not without a lot of clever preparation, which was made possible by a smart, tech-savvy former student. I turned 79 in September, and although I know it seems strange, I plan to continue teaching until they tell me to stop, or to quote BEYOND THE FRINGE, "until I'm too old and sick and tired and stupid." Until then, I can't imagine life without teaching. I am especially blessed to have a generous and supportive employer, Harvard-Westlake School, where I am surrounded by smart kids and smart faculty. It's rich company.
Bob Macdonald: Life will certainly be different after Covid so I’m really grateful for family and friends. I missed international travel and being with family this past year. I connected with 1963 Alpha Delt classmate Lester Alford and discovered we have the same wedding anniversary date of January 27, 1968. I greatly appreciate all Alpha Delt Graham Gund has done for Kenyon!
Neal Mayer: Vaccinated! Second shot of Pfizer on February 22. But still not ready to travel or eat inside a restaurant! Hope you are all safe and well!
I continue to practice law and having worked from home since 2005 I was well prepared to deal with the pandemic from a work standpoint.
Miss seeing our children and grandchildren. All things considered, we are very fortunate!
Robert Scott: I have had both my Pfizer shots and minimal side effects. As for news, I might refer you to my Amazon author page www.amazon.com/author/scottro (by the way, my novels and a few others are free and the fifth in the series is coming soon as well as the sixth, probably this summer) as well as another page referenced in the bio where I publish items under Haywood Roberts so that my publications are not confused with my son, who is highly published as a full professor of economics, finance and real estate on the Jersey Shore. Same name only Jr for me and III for him. Best not to confuse our publications. Bio on both gives you a bit of what I have been up to over the years. I include that so people interested in my books know the background for writing them. Most are available in Kindle, paperback and hardback and I try to make these free in Kindle editions as much as Amazon allows. Again my best wishes and hope you can stay healthy and safe.
Gene Kraus: Got my shots and since Joe was elected have decided not to move to Panama right away.
Jim Keyes: Have recently joined the committee at SheHasAName, an anti-human trafficking support/information group. Specifically, I will join a group to discuss demand reduction for sex and labor. On a brighter note, I feel as if I will shoot my age in golf.
Tom Fleming: I am now completely retired from my second career as a hospital chaplain. Marilyn and I recently moved to a cottage in Wesley Gardens Retirement Community in Des Moines, WA, a suburb of Seattle. We continue to spend much time in Telluride, CO and now do mostly cross country skiing in the winter. I have taken up golf and play when weather permits but I do have a very high handicap! We both are in good health, never got Covid-19 and have received both doses of the vaccine. Much time is spent with our 5 children but unfortunately one adopted daughter died recently. We also have 9 grandchildren but no great grandchildren yet!
David Colley: My wife and I have so far weathered the pandemic. I was actually quite productive during lockdown and at our age we stayed locked down - ventured out only to pick up curbside groceries. We were both vaccinated a month ago with Moderna and are beginning to come out more. During these last 12 months I finished a book, my 10th, to be published by Casemate, an English publishing house. The title, Folly of Generals, How Eisenhower's Broad Front Strategy Lengthened World War II. It delves into several areas where Eisenhower and the supreme command failed to take advantage of allied breakthroughs on the western front that might have ended the war sooner than May 1945. It's also an oblique critique of historical analysis of the war. Most historians take for granted previous accounts of battles without researching whether those accounts are accurate. So I am plunging forward with several other manuscripts and looking forward to enjoying the spring.
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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 College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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