Class of 1955
Class Chair:
John Young 260/726-2565; Email: 
Class Notes:
John Young
In the "Winter 2009 Earlhamite" we reported on continued generosity of members of the Class of 1955 as the college's $60 million capital campaign was announced. At that time we reported that $130,365 had been pledged by our classmates. We are pleased to report that Class of '55 commitments now stand at $225,000 and counting with much of that being in the form of deferred giving As of the end of August 2009 the campaign had reached the $47,732,000 level with the end of the campaign anticipated to be June 30, 2011. If you have not already joined our classmates who have stepped forward, please consider such giving opportunities as Gift Annuities and Wills.
If you are not technologically challenged, you should know that you can now connect on "FACEBOOK," "LIFE AT EARLHAM BLOG," "YOUTUBE," and/or "FLICKR." Log onto these sites and search for Earlham to get connected.
We hear regularly from '55 Classmate Rey Caranza who lives in the small village of Santa Lucia, Zacatecas, Mexico. He continues to give of himself in assisting his fellow citizens in projects ranging from starting a library to providing first level health care to the local population and to many in several other small towns in the Sierra Madres Mountain area.
We learned recently of the death of Jack Pickens, who passed away in January 2008. And, while a member of the Class of '56, we were deeply saddened at the death of Tom Mullen. If you attended our 45th or 50th Class Reunion you heard Tom share stories as an "adopted" member of the Class of '55. He will be sorely missed. The passing of Eric Clark of the Class of 1957 was another sad and recent event.
We have heard recently from Jerry and Lisl O'Dell who continue to be world travelers. In September they traveled to Spain and Portugal. Alex and Ids Bronhuyzen of Laren, Holland also stay in touch.
Do let us hear from you so that we can share your news with other members of the Class of '55.
(Posted October 30, 2009)
Marilyn Henderson Schulze
Always good to hear from Earlham friends. I do appreciate this opportunity to share with fellow classmates. Last December, classmates Shirley Mills Binkley and Mona Speicher Lavielle, and their husbands Jerry and Bill, met us in Indianapolis for lunch. It is gratifying to have maintained our friendships. In March our children and grandchildren came to Arizona to celebrate Frank's eightieth birthday. Our children (Jennifer, Joe, Fred) and their families live in the Chicago area, (Sally) and family are in Indianapolis, and Trish '85 and family are in Boulder, Colorado. We are fortunate to have ten grandchildren (ages 2 to 15). Arizona is a wonderful place to visit from October through April. Come if you can. Looking forward to news from all of our classmates.
(Posted May 04, 2009)
John Young
Life seems to get more and more interesting for the two of us as time marches on. We continue to be in excellent general health for codgers.
Our four offspring, spouses and our fourteen grandchildren continue to be an important part of our lives. Zionsville, IN, Milford, OH, Mechanicsburg, PA and Charlotte, NC (soon to be Columbus, MS) provide frequent opportunities to see much of this part of the country. Sister Rebecca '57 and Lowell '59 Strohl invited us to spend time with them in their lovely new condo in Naples, FL recently. We just returned from several days at French Lick, IN at the amazing rejuvenated West Baden Inn (thanks to a Christmas present from our kids.) Gardening (flowers and trees for Gretchen '57 and vegetables for me) are also important parts of our lives. In fact, if things go as planned, we are about to embark upon a Community Gardening project that will keep us very busy. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Portland, IN, the exciting reconnection with classmate Rey Caranza that occurred at our 50th Reunion has resulted in the opening of a library in his village of Santa Lucia, Zacatecas, Mexico. Other health and medically related projects there are currently on the drawing boards.
(Posted April 30, 2009)
Glen Priest
Hello to the Earlham Class of '55 and close neighbors! Bev '57 and Glen send their best wishes to all and hope that the years since our last communication have been good for you and yours. The red log cabin east of Portland, IN, has been our home since 1962, and aside from doubling the size in 1965 of the original small building, and also the growth of our trees, the place looks about the same. We, however, do NOT look the same! (Actually, I DO look the same; it is just the rest of you who have changed so much!)
Our four darling grandchildren also no longer look as they did! Seth, soon to be 21 years old is finishing his sophomore year at Anderson, where he is a member and soloist in the fine Anderson Chorale. He also plays in the guitar ensemble, plays flute with the Wind Ensemble and is bass in the spectacular barber-shop quartet "On the Fritz." All four young men are voice and opera students of Dr. Fritz Robertson, hence the name! They were the hot topic at the recent Johnny Appleseed District competetion in Dayton, and this after only three months singing together. Among the dozens of plaudits, one judge/director told them to stay with it, for one day they would be a "legendary" quartet! Needless to say, the guys were really stoked! Second grandson Tris, is 19, and he also will be at Anderson this fall. Tris is taking seven hours of college credit courses in Speech and Intro to Microcomputers and is also busy preparing his voice, piano and alto sax Senior Recital coming up in a few weeks. Tris is singing first tenor in our Arts Place Community Chorus, which is directed by his Mom, our daughter Linda. Lucas, 15, has been taller than Grandpa for some time, and in addition to being a fine baritone bass singer in church choir and Community Chorus, he is preparing for his piano recital later in May.
Emma is eight and wowed Grandma and Grandpa the other evening with her performance of one of the songs from Seven Brides and Seven Brothers, currently in rehearsal in Linda's little company Crying Baby Productions. It is wonderful to have Linda and Jordan and the kids living so close to us! They closed The Wizard of Oz two weeks ago, with Luke as the Scarecrow, Tris the Tin Man, and Emma as a darling Snow Fairy and Munchkin; wish you all might have seen it!
We were thrilled to be able to attend the American Choral Directors' Convention in Miami in March 2007, where we heard some fabulous choirs and loved the beautiful weather and the ocean. Also in 2007, we re-traced our wedding trip of 1957, from the exact same spot, my parents drive, and ended up at the Post Chapel at White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico. The chapel was unlocked (slated for an up-date reno) and I walked in and right back into 1957! The place looked almost EXACTLY the same , except for the choir room/balcony having been taken over for a Sunday School room. Amazing!
We see John '55 and Gretchen '57 Young weekly at rehearsal of our fine choir at First Presbyterian, directed by our Linda, and it is wonderful to be able to see Class of 1955 bud Dave Heywood and Carol '57 in their visits from Seattle to their daughter's family in Noblesville. We just returned from a delightful visit to Don '56 and Marie Woods' '57 beautiful home in Durham, NC. The Duke gardens were beautiful, but the Woods' flower beds and natural setting complete with water falls and a pond were equally lovely. Please visit us! We have separate and private quarters for you, and would love a visit from Earlhamites! We continue to be greatly encouraged by the efforts of our new Administration in dealing with the supremely daunting problems facing our nation, and feel great pride in and affection for the Obamas. Their courage and determination in confronting these issues is heartening, especially when many across our nation selfishly hope the new President will fail.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Judy Miller
"In addition to taking watercolor lessons, I am an active member of Bread For The World. A faith based organization that works with Congress to pass legislation that alleviates hunger and poverty throughout the nation and the world. We convene in Washington each June to lobby our Senators and Congressmen in regard to this type of social legislation and find that this pressure is quite effective."
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Alice Hatcher Henderson
Alice Hatcher Henderson and her husband Don are in good health and continue to live in Spartanburg, SC, which is not far from Asheville, NC. I am officially retired after 37 years of teaching college American and European history but continue to teach part-time at University of South Carolina Upstate, specializing in women's history, civil rights history and nineteenth and twentieth century. Our four children and eight grandchildren live in Montana, Oregon, Maryland and South Carolina. All the children have taught or are teaching college. My major interests are political participation (former Democratic candidate for South Carolina legislature, currently Vice President of the South Carolina League of Women Voters) and gardening. My parents created a 10-acre public garden when they retired to Spartanburg, and I continue to work closely with it. I have enjoyed visits recently from Mary Helen Schutz Shortridge and Jean Boniface Nilson. Don and I enjoy camping and last summer spent a month tent camping in Norway, Germany and Austria. We have extra bedrooms for visitors and would love to see some Earlhamites. We are only two hours from Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Rockies.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Chuck Patterson
Jean and I just returned from a week-long conference in Orlando. This was an international meeting on hair replacement surgery. Looks like we are on "the cutting edge" for doing our procedures. We are not doing eyebrows, eyelashes, beards or mustaches (or some other unmentionable areas) but are placing grafts on top of the head where it belongs. We had an opportunity to meet experts in the field from other countries, and to scrub in the O.R. with leaders in the world scene. Our technique seems to be pretty much standard. Our plane landed in Orlando just after the tornado front passed through. This Southwest Jet made a harder landing than any that I had made with the exception of the "hard landing" that crashed my formerly owned Cessna. (I had a vapor lock that stopped the engine on takeoff.) Last year I had cataract surgery that allows me to forget the glasses except for very close work. The world is a whole lot brighter. We have also been "downsizing." Over a year ago we purchased a smaller home and finally sold the larger one we built five years ago. In a depressed housing market our former home finally sold but it was a challenge to keep up the additional mortgage payments for over a year on a vacant house. Our next step is a mobile home for travel purposes. Our 150 acre farm in Ohio is a project that we have to manage remotely. It is basically timberland, but the surveyor reported that there in a newly built beaver dam on the property. This will save me the expense of building one. There are also reports of a bear. There may also be honey and blackberries. So far the economy of Northern Alabama seems to be weathering the storm better than some other parts of the country. We all hope that our country doesn't go down the path of some of the European nations. Best regards from Madison, Alabama.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Joe Sharpless
"Since our 50th Reunion in 2005 my life has changed dramatically. My 35 year tenure on the Board of Directors of USA VOLLEYBALL came to an end with the close of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. I had served in that capacity continuously since 1973. During that time I served the Corporation as Corporate Secretary (4-years) and as a Vice President for 23 years, as well as on the Executive Committee for separate terms totaling 11-years. I am now "semi-retired" from USAV activities contenting myself with committee work when and as needed. With SPECIAL OLYMPICS INCORPORATED, I served as the Technical Delegate for volleyball at the Inaugural National Games in 2006, and in the same capacity at the Special Olympic World Games in Shanghai, China in 2007. 2007 was my 4th World Games having served SOI in the top volleyball leadership role from 1994 through mid-2008. I was chairman pro-tem of the Global Volleyball Resource Team and have been nominated for Technical Delegate Emeritus, one of four persons to be designated for this honor. I continue to live in the Phoenix metro area of Arizona, and love the southwest even more than when I first arrived here nine years ago. Without my high profile volleyball activities, I have continued traveling when able and focusing more on local social activities in my community. A highlight of 2008 was joining a tour presented by "Running Strong for Indian Youth" on an Indian Reservation Tour in South Dakota in September. It was an immersion experience I shall never forget. My retirement years have been fulfilling and enjoyable. I am looking forward to more of the same."
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Ken Dorsey
My wife Shirley Ballard Dorsey '53 and I will celebrate our 56th Wedding Anniversary in June 2009. After graduation, I spent 2 years in the U.S. Army and then I worked for B.F. Goodrich in Akron, Ohio for 28 years. We have two children, a daughter and a son. Our daughter and her family live in Ashland, OH and they have 4 children. One grand daughter will graduate this year and the other 3 are triplets, they will finish their first year of High school this year. Our son and his wife live in Fairlawn, OH a suburb of Akron.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Ann DeCou
Still living in Venice, FL on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico--now, with "partner" of almost 11 years, Norm Bennett, originally from Canada. Haven't worked "officially" since retiring here in '96, but have done Board-work and continue to volunteer with Hospice doing patient-care and vigils.
Manage to see my son, Gordon DeCou '80 and wife, Leslie (Ward) '81, frequently, as they live in nearby Bradenton, FL, as well as Blairsville,GA, where they have a lovely lakefront home. Over the years visitors include: Betty (Hunter) & Bill Loucks, Marie & George Oberle '52, Sylvia & Murray Mills '54, Alice (Patterson) Truitt, and, of course, my daughter Laura Dewees '81 and her husband Larry '79, who live in Loveland, OH. There is a lot of Earlham in my life!
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Beverly Beane
My mother who lived with me the last 11 years of her life, died just two months short of her 100th birthday. I sold our jointly owned home and moved into a small condo near my sister and her husband. I continue to enjoy reading, traveling, volunteering and participating in a Great Decisions study group. In 2008 I was blessed with two GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN. Madison Grace Beane was born February 25th and Caleb Derek Chang was born March 11th. I am looking forward to our next reunion.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Norm Wright
A fifty five year of post Earlham life history in ten words or less, can that be done? I think not. I returned to the farm after graduation to await my turn for Air Force Pilot training. I was finally called in Jan. 56' for the 1.5 years of Flight school. I returned to the Ohio Air National Guard and eventually the Air Force Reserve. I was able to manage our farm and also fly various missions for 8 years. Melinda received her RN in 1958 and we were married. I received an offer from Eastern Airlines in 1966 which I couldn't turn down, so we moved to south Florida and have been here ever since. I was able to participate in several Air Force activities and receive a 20 year retirement. I took early retirement from Eastern 3 years before they closed the doors. We purchased a equipment rental business in 1985 that continues today. We have three children, all born while we were on the farm, Debora lives in Blowing Rock, NC, near our summer home. David and Jon both live in Ft.Lauderdale where we spend winters. We have three grandchildren, all in high school. We celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2008 and shared with many friends and relatives a party during Christmas holidays. In 2001 we did a major adventure on our boat, traveling the "Great Loop". Leaving Ft. Lauderdale we went to New York City, up the Hudson River and across the Erie Canal to Buffalo, through the Great Lakes to Chicago and down several rivers to Mobile, where we took the west coast of Florida back home. This took 7 months and was an indescribable experience. We now do less ambitious trips in our 5th wheel RV or our plane. There is so much of our country we have not seen yet.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Martha "Jeff" Langley Rimov
Gene and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this June. Besides working our tree farm and recreating on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula, we are involved with building and maintaining the Olympic Discovery Trail which is part of the Pacific Northwest Trail stretching from Montana to the Washington Coast. For maps, see http://www.OlympicDiscoveryTrail.com. Life has been good to us.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Ruth Pitman
My "baby" sister Eleanor Pitman Brady '58 and her husband Dale moved into a retirement community this winter. If that is not enough to make one feel old! I keep busy playing the recorder, a great instrument for old folks, and pursuing several Quaker interests that take me on trips about four times a year. For local errands I am enjoying a new bicycle that has some very satisfactory comfort factors. Let me know if you are
coming through the Cleveland area.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Judith McGinnis
I am completing my fifth year teaching English composition and Oral Communications for the four high school levels of Alpha Omega Christian School. I have 14 students this year and am enjoying my interaction with each of them. Having taught in public school, I am thrilled with this opportunity to teach motivated, respectful and fun students. All but two of the current students have been home schooled. I am very impressed with their progress--at least one grade level above their age and all planning on college--should finances allow. My biggest surprise was how much fun they are. I suppose I was thinking of goody-two-shoe types, which they aren't. I have often said I learn more than I teach. This is certainly true in this learning environment, for I am truly blessed by this experience.
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Harry Stephens
Good to hear that a number of you from the class of '55 are still alive and well. I retired from the private practice of Family Medicine July 2001. Since then we have stayed as busy as we wanted in church activities including singing in our adult and our senior choirs. I have been an active deacon until about 1 year age. We still spend much time preparing medicines for each of our TIME Mexico Ministries caravan which we conduct into the interior of Mexico twice each year. After having made all the arrangements ahead of time we travel to medically underserved areas setting up our operation in their primary or secondary school. We consult with patients medically, perform lab tests and xrays as needed and prescribe appropriate medicines from our pharmacy. We also perform some less complex surgeries making an operating room out of a class room. We do such things as herniorrhaphies of all kinds, vaginal hysterectomies, thyroidectomies, lumps and bumps, D&C's hemorrhoidectomis, varicose veins, etc. During these periods of contact with the patients we minister to them spiritually. We share with them what the Bible says about all of us being sinners. The only forgiveness from sin comes as we confess these sins to God and ask Him to come into our lives and make us His children. Once we have done this we are born again to have fellowship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and are assured of going to heaven when we die. What a deal!! Other than some of the expected diseases of old age Dianne and I are doing very well. The Lord willing we will celebrate 60 years of happy marriage this Oct. 6. We have 4 living children (one in Heaven with our Lord following a car accident) about 10 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. Life is good!!
(Posted April 29, 2009)
Obituaries:
Margaret Kaiser
Margaret Anne Kaiser, 78, of Richmond, died unexpectedly Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, at Reid Hospital. She was born July 1, 1931, in Richmond to James L. and Edith C. Condon Dolan and lived in Richmond all her life. Margaret Anne retired as a school teacher. She taught at Randolph Southern Schools and with Richmond Community Schools at Nicholson School. During her career, she received the "Teacher of the Year" award from Instructor Magazine. She attended Earlham College and Miami University of Ohio. She was a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. degree, and received an M.S. degree in education from Indiana University. She also served on the University of Illinois Alumni Board of Trustees. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Richmond and attended St. John's Catholic Church in New Paris, Ohio. Margaret Anne was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority, Preserve Richmond, Inc., Heritage Club, Woman's Club, and Kappa Kappa Kappa Sorority. She enjoyed the theater and traveling, making 36 trips to Europe. Survivors include her husband, Joseph; her daughter, Mara Kaiser (Robert) Braunger of Washington, D.C.; and cousins. Margaret Anne is preceded in death by her parents.
(Posted August 05, 2009)
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