Jan/Feb 2006
Classmates: Sorry to have been missing in action the past few months. Correspondence has been sparse, to say the least, except for the occasional obituary. Until the death of John O’Leary, I had followed tradition (as I perceive it) and avoided talking about the passing of classmates. Obviously, as time goes, this type of news could fill up the allocated space, not to speak of being a real downer. On the other hand, as time goes by, it will either be obituaries or grandchildren news, so I guess it is a matter of picking our poison.
In order to avoid reading like a nursing home newsletter, it is important that all of you put on your creative writing caps and tell us something interesting about your lives. Before the next deadline, I will use the listserv to prompt those of you using it to send me some news. As for those who don’t, my begging here will have to suffice. On to what little I have.
Michael Schonbrun gets the prize for this issue (free drinks at the next reunion). He wrote from Colorado to talk about his new business, the irony of which you will no doubt notice. “My little start-up company, Balfour Senior Living, specializing in providing retirement housing and care, continues to grow. We are about to launch our fourth and fifth communities, all in Colorado. Susan and I and our two-year-old twin sons, Adam and Teddy, have moved to a farm 15 minutes away from work where Susan raises paint horses and quarter horses when she is not working as general counsel for Balfour. Riding the tractor around the property, I realize it’s a long way from my old homestead on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Classmates passing through Boulder are invited to visit (mks@balfourcare.com).
“My eldest child, Ethan, is finishing up his PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Colorado in the field of optics, which includes lasers and holograms — further proof that evolution produces improvement in the species, given a father who struggled with the sciences starting in high school.”
Keith Nelson wrote from Hatboro, Pennsylvania: “In June our daughter Melissa earned a PhD in nutritional epidemiology at UNC-Chapel Hill and has accepted a position as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.”
Finally, Albee Budnitz wrote from Nashua, New Hampshire, to inform us that his third child, Hannah, is to be married next August at Queens College, Oxford, UK. Congratulations to the Budnitz family.
Finally, I again will ignore precedent and note the passing of Herb Wright, the TV writer/producer who helped launch Star Trek: The Next Generation. Herb died after a long illness. Known as the “Father of the Ferengi” (it’s a Trekkie thing), Herb also worked on shows such as Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Stingray, Hunter, Space Rangers,and Six Million Dollar Man.
Herb is survived by his wife Elaine, a brother, two sisters, a daughter, and three grandchildren. For a comprehensive obituary, check out www.startrek .com/startrek/view/news/article/13546.html.
Happy New Year to all. I hope 2006 passes with lots of good news about healthy and happy Yalies.