Category: Classmate News

Hi Dave and Class of ’73

Our lives here in South Florida remains steady and for the most part uneventful.  Julie and I still have our same jobs and will probably retire in those positions.  We both would like to do something different to finish out our working careers, but due to the obvious economic situation, we most likely will not make any change.

Last summer we did the RAGBRAI.  Julie driving our gear and me riding with the other 10000 riders.  For the most part it was a “Bucket List” item for me but we both had a great time meeting people, seeing all of our family and relaxing without TV phone or other electronic interruptions.

Living here in South Florida has had its advantages, we get to go bowl games without a lot of travel.  This year the Orange Bowl and we had lots of visitors.  Seven guests stayed with us and 8 others visited.  Fun times and a great game.  The bad part, unseasonably cold.  47 at game time and 38 and the final buzzer.  Of all the times Iowa has been to Florida we have only missed one game.

Well, keep up the great work on the webpage.  It is nice to read how classmates are doing.

Arnie Moore

Hi Dave 

Nothing dramatic going on here ­ my wife and I stay busy with our medical practices (she is a reconstructive plastic surgeon) and our 9 year old son is getting interested in lacrosse and ascending to higher levels of accomplishment in various video games. 

I have attached the photo from our Christmas card this year.  The dog is real (part German shepherd, part Australian shepherd and part Catahoula) , it just looks stunned.

Thanks for maintaining the icwh1973 material.

Douglas Hetzler, MD, FACS

Hi Dave,

The first anniversary of Tom’s death is fast approaching (Feb. 5th). I decided that while most of my “firsts” have been more apprehension than anything, I’m taking the day off. I just don’t want to get caught off guard or have to work at holding my emotions in check all day. Plus, it’s a Friday and it will be nice to have a three day weekend.  I can hardly believe I’ve managed for nearly an entire year already. The time has gone by so incredibly fast.

One of the last precious gifts my Tom gave to me, was to tell me that when I was ready, he sincerely wanted me to find another love of my life for the rest of my life. So, I’ve started looking around on eHarmony to see what’s out there. I think it will take a good amount of time to find another great man, but believe it can happen and will be hopeful. You know me, my glass is always half full.

My house remodel is nearing its end. All of the painting is done now. Every room and every ceiling was painted. I broke my painter’s last record for number of colors. His last record was nine, and I’ve put 14 colors into the house. He doesn’t think that will be broken any time soon. I had one color, plus two rooms that were wall papered. There is no wall paper anywhere anymore and so much life in the house again. It feels so good. I have a few window treatments to do yet and then will be done.

My dad just yesterday, finally figured out my circuit breaker problem and got it fixed. I haven’t had lights in the hall bathroom, my sons bedroom, and no juice to the plug ins in both upstairs bathrooms since just before Thanksgiving. While changing all the beige outlets and switches to white ones to modern things up, something went haywire and the electricity was lost there. Dad, jack of all trades and master of all as well, kept at it and finally found where the problem was and got it fixed. Not an easy task to be up in my attic with 12 foot vaulted ceilings at age 79. I knew he would keep at it until he got things fixed. Of course the last room he tested and rechecked things in, was where the problem was. It may have taken quite a while, but he got the job done without calling in experts.

My boys are doing pretty well. When Mike, my youngest (23) moved out, Chris (my oldest, 24) moved home, so I’ve had company all winter long, this first winter without Tom. It’s been nice, I must admit.  Chris helped out a lot with moving things for the painter as he went room to room, and my father taught him all about working with electricity. He also helped my dad remove the toilets when the new flooring was laid in two bathrooms, saving me boocoo bucks having a plumber do it, and also learned how to hang medicine cabinets. He helped dad wire and put in all new lighting in all three bathrooms, and put all new towel bar holders in all three bathrooms as well. The house looks pretty different and full of life and color. The kitchen got new flooring and counter tops, along with the new paint. I’m really enjoying it all.

My work at school is fine, managing the computerized lunch system for Linn-Mar Schools. With the state budget cuts, many hourly people are concerned about their jobs for next fall, especially if you are full time. I can see most being cut to part time work to save money. I’m taking a few classes now to have my resume beefed up after all these years so that if I have to go looking in the job market at 55 this summer, I’m prepared and have a good background to start with. Just beefing up some computer skills and all. While I can’t worry about things to come, I can be prepared as best I can.

My folks are in good health and keep very busy. My mom has exceeded 20,000 volunteer hours now with UIHC in Iowa City, and has over 7,000 hours here in Cedar Rapids through St. Luke’s and Linn-Mar. My dad helps many people in their church with their computer problems, and I keep him pretty busy taking care of things at my place when they crop up from time to time if it’s something that I can’t do. Chris and I are so grateful to have someone we can learn from who is so knowledgable. I’m lucky to have my parents yet and feel so for the many classmates who have lost theirs.

I’ve got a few neighbors imitating me now on light snow days. A year ago I got the idea that when it snows lightly and is powder light, to just put ear protection on and blow it off the drive with the leaf blower. I’m sure that first year the neighbors thought I was out of my mind, but now two others are doing it. It’s great for cleaning off a car outside in the snow without touching it with anything to harm the finish/paint. And two neighbors have borrowed my roof rake after I’ve used it, who have problems with ice dams if they don’t clear some of the snow off their porch roofs before a good thaw in mid winter. Nice to share with neighbors and learn from each other.

Well, tomorrow is Monday and back to work. Stay warm and healthy and I wish everyone the best.

Ruth

Hi Dave,

Mark Stasi and I met up in Denver the day after Christmas.  Thought our classmates might enjoy seeing us in our “silver years.”

Yes, we had a great time together.  Mark and I’ve stayed in touch over the years but only had a few occasions to meet up in person.  He’s really been successful with his orthodontics practice in Denver and is enjoying raising his two sons.  My sister lives in Denver and she hosted our first Christmas without our mother.  Sally did a great job and while it was bitter sweet to all be together we enjoyed being with my father.

And as many have expressed in the past, I want to thank you again for doing such a great job of keeping us all up to date with our classmates.

“May you live in interesting times” is supposedly an ancient Chinese curse. Some would say that life is a little too interesting right now; and people are coping with recent events in different ways. Has the world changed permanently?–and is that necessarily bad? Another question arises: what in this life and this world is really important? Especially in America, many have found that answer in material success and worldly fame. But perhaps an economic crises reminds us of things more important than the usual pursuit of mamon. The beauty of simply resting in the present moment with our friends, our family. Of finding worthwhile goals, larger than ourselves, worth working towards. Taking action to preserve our earth, as well as to benefit the larger human enterprise. A time to prioritize. Criticism coupled to hope for a better future. Stuff like that.

To bring you up to date with this year’s activities:

Chris

Christina Andersen Floral Design, after eleven years, is now an LLC, even as business has slowed down in response to the recession. In mid October Chris opened the doors of her studio at Monroe Center for the annual Hoboken Artist Studio Tour. She once again volunteered to help plan and execute the decoration scheme and floral design for the Hoboken YMCA’s annual Taste of Hoboken gourmet food and wine festival. She also provided flowers for the Mayor’s inauguration in November (see below). A long term project, now reaching fruition, that has kept Chris busy and preoccupied, is the slow and deliberate redecoration of our home. Planning, selecting, and installing new wood flooring and carpeting, a cherry shaker bed, custom built hutch, and a soon-to-come living room wall unit, has been keeping her off the streets. She has also returned to singing in our church’s choir.

Martin

Besides the usual New Jersey Symphony activities, and teaching at Stevens Institute of Technology, Martin has been busy working on the NJSO musician Orchestra Committee (some of the time as Chair). As in all larger orchestras, NJSO musicians are unionized; the Orchestra Committee negotiates labor contracts with our management. This has proven to be a supreme challenge during the current economic crises. The performing arts in general are taking a real beating, and our group is no exception: the Symphony is proposing significant cuts to our season. The players have already rejected one proposal; at this moment they’re voting on a second offer. One principal we are adhering to is that the musicians deserve a fair proportion of the budget-whatever the size of that budget–and if cuts are made, there must be an equality of sacrifice. Martin has let himself feel a lot of stress and angst doing this work but at the same time is stimulated by the task and thinks it a worthy use of his time.

Chris and Martin

Martin’s parents, Ira and Ruth, celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, made a wonderful gift to their family: a week long scenic cruise in July from Seattle to Alaska and back again. Aboard were Martin’s brother Michael, Mike’s wife Roseanne, and their daughter Jessica (who turned 21 on the voyage); sister Ingrid, her husband David, and their son Sean. Our ports of call were Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria. But the highlight of the trip was aboard ship as we explored the Tracy Arm Fjord, arriving at the Sawyer Glacier early one morning-a wall of blue hued ice a mile wide, and as tall as the Empire State Building. Periodically a huge mass of ice would plunge, as if in slow motion, down into the frigid waters of the bay. Forbidding mountains of austere beauty loomed thousands of feet above. We will never forget the visage of inaccessible, untouched nature witnessed that day.

At voyage’s end in Seattle we spent a nice weekend with Chris’ cousin Anne; and got to hear two fine performances of her husband Dennis’ indie band Moraine (check out dennisrea.com). We then traveled to Jackson Hole for Martin’s 18th season performing at Grand Teton Music Festival.

Chris and Martin (especially Chris) have been involved since the Spring in the election campaign of Hoboken mayoral candidate Dawn Zimmer, who ran on an open government, anti-corruption platform in corruption-famed Hudson County. Against the odds, outspent but with a large team of volunteers and grassroots support, Dawn was the top vote getter in a field of seven candidates; her three council seat running mates were elected outright. In the subsequent mayor runoff against the Hudson “political machine” candidate, she “lost” by 166 votes (there were election irregularities.) The machine candidate was declared the winner and was sworn in on July 1. Barely three weeks later, while on our cruise to Alaska, we heard that the newly elected mayor had been arrested by federal agents on bribery charges along with 145 others, in a sweeping raid based on a two year investigation. In the wake of these events the mayor resigned, and a special mayoral election was held in November, which Zimmer won by a huge margin. We happily attended the inauguration, which featured, among other things, Chris’ flower arrangements. Dawn even mentioned them in her inauguration address.

We are now in Chris’ hometown of Rockford, Illinois, for the holidays. For the first time her mom Gini’s home is not the central gathering place for all the visiting relatives-because Virginia is now in assisted living and the house is up for sale! We are all having to deal with the emotions and the practicalities of these changes. Chris’ sister Janet in nearby Roscoe graciously hosted 27 for Christmas dinner.

We will be back at home in time for the New Year.

Hoping everyone is having a fine holiday season!

Love,

Martin and Chris

Dear Family and Friends,

Holiday Greetings! I believe it is 4 years since I last sent a holiday card and that’s far too long. To catch up: We still live in Sarasota, Florida where I teach at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, a graduate acting program of the School of Theatre at Florida State University, and also at New College of Florida, which is the honors college for the state of Florida. I enjoy my students at both institutions and consider myself lucky to teach at a conservatory and a liberal arts college both so highly ranked.

Robbie is 15, soon to be 16. He goes to Booker High School in the Visual and Performing Arts Program where he takes 4 academic and 3 theater classes each day. He decided he wanted to do something fun with high school (I approve). He’s getting very good grades and taking AP Language and Composition. He’s made friends both within and outside the VPA and recently went on his first date. He also sings with the Sarasota Youth Opera. Robbie is very interested in writing and more recently has become interested in photography. He is currently writing a story about an old enchanter and his younger assistant who are building a clock to measure the heartbeat of the universe.

Last summer we moved to a house in Sarasota that we love. It was built in 1955 and lovingly restored and remodeled by a friend of mine. We have plenty of space, a big yard, and a guest room. (Escape the snow, come visit!) Each room is painted a different color and the whole house seems full of energy and focus. I am looking forward to learning how to plant a Florida garden around what we already have: two orange and grapefruit trees, lots of ‘air plants’ and a seagrape tree, to name some.

We miss being able to go to Iowa City in the summers since I last wrote, though we have visited my parents twice a year. The sad news is that I mostly work. The happy news is that I mostly work. In the last 4 years I’ve traveled to teach Eginton Alignment, present papers, and to perform. Robbie has almost always come with me. We have been to Paris, the Cevennes, Vermont, New York, Elsah, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yaroslavl, Russia. The non-working highlights of the Russian trip were a tour of the 13th century Tolgski Monastery and the drive through the burned-out countryside between Moscow and Yaroslavl, which was a shattering experience. The past three summers we’ve met up with friends from American Repertory Theatre Institute and Atlantic Theater in Burlington, Vermont. While I teach Robbie is a junior counselor at Camp Greylock, on the shore of Lake Champlain. This year I co-wrote a play, Rat Race: The Secret Life of ThemePark, co-composed a music/movement/text piece, Living and Dead: The Gettysburg Project, and directed and choreographed a playwright’s workshop of David Smith’s Man with a Blue Guitar, for which Robbie researched and created all the sound cues.

The most memorable event of 2009 for me was participating in Merce Cunningham’s Memorial celebration at the New York Armory in October. Along with the current company and 21 other alumni, I danced in his honor. The oldest of us was 72, and the youngest 23. All the musicians were there, even John Cage, whose laughing voice (on tape) suddenly filled the huge space. It was both a deeply moving tribute and a family reunion. That time I went to New York alone. I spent a lot of my two days walking many half-forgotten streets, and realized how many layers of life I have lived. Robbie says his year didn’t really have a highlight; it was all pretty cool. He particularly enjoyed it when his grandparents came down to Florida to see us and his uncle’s family, who were visiting from Germany.

Here’s hoping that the past four years have brought you and your family joy, interesting experiences, and new ideas to pursue ­ and that 2010 will be a safe and universally healthy year for all!

Best wishes,

Margaret and Robbie