Feb. 13, 2025 Class Zoom Recap

Twenty classmates joined the class Zoom. Classmates who emailed they were unable to attend were Margaret Neuse (attending a play in Middlebury), David Rowe (traveling in Spain), Ned Perry (guests), and Lynne Schneider (bicycling up Mona Loa with her husband).

Our conversation began with a personal health update from Peter Byer who is recovering from his second knee replacement… and then further discussion on the challenges and costs of aging. Pam Street Walton shared a photo of Lynne and her husband on their bike ride.  Clif Cates provided some beautiful photos of the newly renovated Sage Chapel, which is now the Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel of Thomas Aquinas College, our Northfield campus. It has been designated as an official pilgrimage site by the Diocese of Springfield. 

Some of us on the zoom had visited the chapel as part of our 60th Reunion Northfield campus tour. The chapel is not often open to the public, as the school is a closed campus. Clif has a connection at Thomas Aquinas in CA whom he will ask about accessibility to the chapel. Weegee Look Brooks pointed out that the Northfield campus was certainly a closed campus when we were there. Others remarked on the immense change in policies and attitude that happened in the 1970’s. Kristin Kellom, who joined our call and previously worked at NMH, spoke highly of the college’s stewardship of our campus…it will always be our campus in our hearts and our memories. 

Some personal updates: Dave Mensel is excited to have acquired a blue Miata sports car; Clif Cates is still a passionate daily player of his Steinway baby grand. Clif shared that Peter Guild manufactured NASCAR engines and is a huge racing enthusiast and still races at 78.

Don Powell asked who has seen “A Complete Unknown,” the film about Bob Dylan’s rise to stardom. This sparked a conversation about the accuracy of the film (the Newport audience was definitely more ’50’s than ’60’s), and some of the performers who had come to Northfield and Mount Hermon. Ferrante and Teicher, and Miriam Makeba came to mind.

Peter Weston reported that Ned Perry wanted the group to know that Ned has a copy of a recent privately published book entitled A Small Life - David K. “Skip” Smith’s Memoir. Skip began writing it soon after he received his cancer diagnosis in 2020. The book only partially reveals the fullness and depth of the life he lived.  It is a relatively quick read and covers Skip’s years at Middlebury and Mount Hermon, his time in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, attending Tuck School of Business, his teaching years at South Eastern Missouri State, and his years of educating students at the American University and Baze University in Nigeria. If you would like to read the book, please reach out to Ned at nedperry10@gmail.com. Ned will also be donating a copy of the book to the NMH Library.

We shifted to personal reflections on our lives and the impact on others. Karen Singer Baker shared her journey, which began with empowering women through childbirth education and led to working with pregnant and parenting women in a residential treatment facility and finally her return to school for degrees in counseling patients with substance abuse. This led to a discussion about opioid addiction, its prevalence in our society, and who buys the drugs. 

Karen Holvik Deitemeyer will attend COPD Foundation Day on March 3, where she will advocate for more funding from the CDC and FDA for COPD and other respiratory illnesses. She hopes for a successful trip and will meet with her new congressman and senator Scott’s staff. We wished her a safe, successful trip.

People went on to talk about their volunteer and pro bono work: Kathy Childs at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Dave Chosiad with the Massachusetts Rivershed Association and the Village-to-Village Movement (not to be confused with The Villages retirement communities). Local Villages connect members to a wide array of practical support services and social connections that allow older adults to enjoy a rich, independent, and healthy quality of life when they choose to age in their homes and communities. While the movement originated in Boston, today there are about 250 geographically-based Villages in the US, and another 25 in development. Need assistance with transportation, light home maintenance, or technology coaching? Contact Dave C. at chosiad@rcn.com to locate a Village near you.

As for regrets, Jim Ault wished he had had more children. 

Topics for the next Zoom Catchup were considered - AI? Yearbook quotes? Recent executive orders and their legal implications? It was decided that more time was needed before discussing the “executive orders/legal implications” topic. Clif, Dave C. and Don P. will come up with ideas and a date for our next call. 

We also talked about our class website. Folks find it cumbersome and noted that information is not up to date. Not everyone uses Facebook. In order to send out contact lists, we would need permission from each individual on the list. That will not happen.

The meeting ended with Don P. sharing that three years ago his daughter (then 51 years old) gave birth naturally - no problems. Wow!

Brought to you by Zoom AI. Edited by Pam and Weegee. 

Looking back... Reunion 2024

To those of you who didn't attend our 60th Reunion, we missed you, and you missed a wonderful opportunity to reconnect and make new friends. The weekend was full of sunshine, laughter and remembrances. We were 39 strong, plus spouses and partners and in Sara Jane SImon Stevens's case two amazing sons. Despite a full schedule planned by the school, we were able to carve out time to be with each other - at meals, in our "lounge" over drinks or walking about campus. We got to sing Jerusalem and the Northfield Benediction at least twice.

Connie Putnam arranged for his band to play for our class and anyone who wanted to join us on Saturday night in a more intimate setting than the big tent in front of Gilder. By the evening's end it was packed and the music was just what we all needed. The Round Top Remembrance gathering was especially moving, with shares from the heart by classmates of those we've lost. Numerous classmates have told us it was the best reunion ever. There will be an encore in 5 years, and we hope you'll join us then! 

The 1964 Reunion Committee

Photos from the Reunion - Updated July 15, 2024 with photos of the full reunion organizing committee - see below

Our Facebook page has a great collection of reunion photos, thanks to Marcia Congdon and Peter Weston! Below is a short selection. Please visit the Facebook page to see more! Thank you to Karen Deitemeyer for hosting our Facebook group!

Classmates gather at Round Top for our remembrance service and reading of the names.

Hanging out together in our lounge in Crossley

Connie Putnam and friends play Chicago blues

We dance

Peter Guild receives well deserved alumni award

At the buffet in Alumni Hall (formerly West Hall)

Eating together

On the steps of the Chapel

Reunion committee members: Pam Walton, Marcia Congdon, Bob Sparks, Weegee Brooks; Dave Mensel, Karen Deitemeyer and Don Powell (see photos below). 

Thank you to everyone who could attend reunion and to all our classmates for your continuing support!!!

NMH Class of 1964 Facebook Group!

Updated: July 15, 2024

Karen Deitemeyer is overseeing and managing the NMH Class of 1964 Facebook Group!  

The group now has 101 members!  There are LOTS OF PICTURES from our reunion! Click here!

Thank you Karen!

How to access your messages on the NMH Class of 1964 website

Posted May 5, 2023

Several classmates have asked how to access the email thread for messages they have sent or received on our website.

Here are the steps:

Click on the little person icon (it’s a torso) in the upper right corner of your main page. It looks like this:

From the drop-down menu, select Message Center, then select the outgoing or incoming email you want to see.

This should give you access to your entire message thread (sent, received, etc.). If you have any issues, please feel free to use the Contact Us function and let us know! 

2022-2023 Scholarship Recipient

Posted: April 04, 2023

We recently received a thank you letter from Gus, our Class of 1964 Scholarship Recipient. Gus is in his senior year and spent a lot of his free time during first semester applying to colleges! He plans to major in mechanical engineering and is considering Santa Clara University and Colorado School of Mines, both of which he has already been accepted to. Gus was involved with the campus newspaper, the Lamplighter, and took a darkroom photography class which has furthered his interest in film.  He also continued to run on the varsity cross-country team and play varsity lacrosse, and to ski on weekends. He is very grateful for our scholarship and the opportunities it has given him! Please see his letter here.