return.
renew. reunion
September
2007
Dear
Members, Spouses and Friends of the Carleton College Class
of 1957:
This
is an overly belated note regarding the most fun and productive
50th class reunion in the history of personkind!!! Although
not known as a master of overstatement, I can state unequivocably
that the reunion was a SMASHING success!!! Received have
been a number of notes of appreciation to the planners.
The goals of reuning and renewing friendships, and even
making new ones with classmates, spouses and friends not
previously known, were succeeded beyond the planning committee's
fondest expectations!! Here's an example of some typical
comments from a couple of recently received notes, edited
for brevity:
"........So
many warm comments and so many special memories to savor
after that wonderful June weekend in Northfield!....."
And
from another:
"........We
really enjoyed our time in Northfield. It was much more
fun than I had anticipated. It was great to visit with
friends I hadn't seen for 50 years and pick up like it
was yesterday. Some of us grow up later than others- I'm
glad I finally did. It
has been a wonderful life. I figure I only have 50 years
or so left so I better make the most of it!!......."
The
Sunday morning Memorial Service was an especially moving
event, as many of those present stood up and recalled
memories and characteristics of one or another departed
classmate, perpetuating their existence in recollections
and thought. We all will join them soon enough.
Hopefully,
a number of photos of the 50th reunion events and people
will soon be posted on this website, thanks to the superb
efforts of the informal class photographers, Bob Scott
and Lowell Larson. Also, the College sent along some of
theirs as well. The editing and posting process is taking
longer than anticipated, but keep looking in. And please
feel free to post your own reactions and comments on the
Message Board. Or email me or write me directly, via snailmail,
and I'll post what
you want.
But
back to the present....and the future. It's too bad that
the 55th reunion is five years away (mark it down in June
2012). It also will be an amazingly fun gathering. I'll
keep you informed here of plans and progress.
I
hope your summers have been fun and fulfilling. Keep in
touch!!
John
Sheagren,
President, Carleton Class of 1957
October
2006
Greetings
to all of you,
I hope that everyone had a good summer. We did, although
each year summer seems to get shorter and shorter. If
time flies when you're having fun and if time seems to
go faster the older you get, then I am having a wonderful
time getting old fast.
Here are some program committee updates that you might
want to think about prior to our November meeting. Some
of you may know about some of them already but that's
ok---we need to get back into the reunion biz in earnest
with only eight and a half months or so to go.
l. Earl Neil has been contacted, is definitely coming
to the reunion and will be part of the program. He has
not yet decided on the topic, but I will continue to be
in touch so that we can have a title for our reunion brochures.
2. Tori has graciously volunteered to conduct the women's
breakfast discussion and has a great idea for getting
involvement from the group.
3. Mary Ellen, also graciously, has volunteered to host
a brunch at her home after the chapel service on Sunday.
She is now living in her parents' farmhouse which is commodious
enough for our group even if it rains.
4.Judy Pickle has spoken with Betty Bonham Lies who will
present a session on personal writing---memoirs, family
stories etc. We also need a title for this one. Joe Pickle
will speak to Ian Barbour before year's end to see if
he is up to participating in a panel.
5. I will be in touch with Zoe Donnell before the meeting
to get more information about the Carleton oral history
project and how we might participate. Zoe will be on campus
during the reunion.
6. Cheryl Peake Edelen and Lynn Cullen Callender will
present a couple of piano duets at the '57 dinner.
7. Mert Bell has agreed to be the hospitality purchaser/organizer
with Rodg Arst and Gary Short assisting, graciously, we
presume. It might be a good idea to find a volunteer to
be responsible for decorating the lobby at Watson
8. Clergy from our class will conduct the memorial service
for deceased classmates. Bumble suggested that this might
be better scheduled before the Sunday chapel service,
but I think that may conflict with alumni choir practice.
Cheryl, who attended the memorial service for Tom Robinson,
suggested that Tom's son, a 2007 graduate and accomplished
cellist, might be invited to play at the class memorial
service.
9. Jim Hecht and Dave Colwell are organizing entertainment
at Club Carleton. How is that going? We'll see at the
meeting! Kelly and Patsey will emcee.
10. If we want to do something about including the college's
common reading in our programming, we should do that immediately
in Nov.
Bumble attended the '56 reunion and garnered a few reactions.
"Need whistles to attract golf cart transport------Too
much overlapping of class program schedules on Fri. and
Sat.requires 'choice' instead of sequencing. Very BUSY.
Watson is good, but far. Perhaps 50 yr. folks could arrive
a day earlier or leave later for more time to converse
and connect."
That seems to be about it for now. I have probably left
an item or two out, but please feel free to remind me
if I have. See you in San Diego,
Nancy
September
06, 2006
Dear
Assistant Agents,
First a sincere thank you to all of you for making this
past year a very successful one for the Carleton Alumni
Annual Fund and for our Class in particular. You may already
be aware that the 2005-2006 AAF raised a total of almost
$5.9 million for Carleton. Fifty four percent of Carleton
Alumni (12,700 donors) gave an average of $464. This total
was $200,000 greater than last year and equaled last year’s
record percentage of givers.
Our Class of 57 gave a total of $74,438 from 129 donors.
The average gift was $577 and our participation rate was
55%. We were slightly above the college norm in both average
gift and percent participation. Our total dollars raised
was $479 below last year and our participation was down
.85 percentage points. Thank you again for your effective
work!
Most of you have worked at this task for several years
so we thought it would be appropriate to share with you
the cumulative results of our efforts over the last 5
years. In that period of time we have raised $400,270!
All of that plus whatever we raise in this fiscal year
will be included in the total announced for our class
at our 50th Reunion. In other words, it we do a good job
this year our AAF contributions will approach or exceed
$500,000.
Now the annual surprise announcement. These fine results
obviously mean that we have a good team in place and Gwen
and I invite you to continue for this year.
Please e-mail your response before September 20 since
we will be going down to Louisiana for a Habitat for Humanity
build in October.
With appreciation,
Lowell and Gwen Larson
Class Agents 1957
July
2006
Cheryl Peeke Edelen's reflections from Tom Robinson's
memorial service:
Yesterday,
Bill and I drove from our home in CT to Washington, DC
and back again for Tom Robinson's Memorial Service, and
I'm presumptuous enough to hope you'd like to hear about
it, and some of the details of Tom's life that I learned.
The
service at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, where he was
very active, was quite traditional, although Tom had chosen
the readings and asked the rector to include a few elements,
which he hoped would make his Jewish friends and colleagues
more comfortable in this setting. A reception followed
in the chapel.
There
were tributes from three mentee/collaborator/ colleagues,
one from an active member of the church, and one from
Tom's baby sister, Jane. The three men all talked about
how important his mentorship and collegiality had been,
when they arrived in DC as young policy wonks concentrating
on China and the Asian Rim. They agreed that his scholarship
and his bulldog insistence on inquiry, thorough analysis,
and hard evidence in the pursuit of policy decisions was
a refreshing, but often frustrating approach in a city
where anecdotal evidence is too often proffered as truth.
The parish representative told of the many social service
programs he had instigated (care for the homeless and
hungry among them), his continuous study and inquiry into
his religious faith, and his personal attention to the
preparations and cleanup of the "coffee hour".
Jane, twelve years younger, told of his introducing her
to the stars and constellation and about their family
growing up in Green Bay, WI.
I
learned that his 14,000 book collection on China and International
Relations will go to Tulane University to help replace
the collection decimated by the hurricane. I learned that
Tom's dissertation on Hans J. Morgenthau's Theory of International
Relations was supervised by Zbigniew Brzezinski. I met
and talked to Tom's children from his first marriage:
a son, Dave-a pilot living in Portland and his daughter
Katherine-a teacher of English language to foreign (central
American) speakers and living in Washington, DC.
I
had written Tom's wife, Young Shin Yoo and received a
heartfelt reply. She was truly appreciative of our presence
because of how importantly Carleton-and the Reunion Committee
recently-have figured in Tom's life. I urged that she
and Aaron to stay on at Carleton next June, after their
son Aaron graduates, to attend our reunion as Tom's representatives.
She was pleased with the idea, and I hope she will have
the courage to come. I know it won't be easy.
Tom
was very proud of Aaron's skill and ability as a cellist,
telling me at our 45th about his participation in the
DC Youth Symphony. Aaron acknowledged yesterday that he
is still playing. NOTE NANCY MANCUSO: Perhaps performing
in Tom's honor (accompanied or unaccompanied) would give
him a satisfactory reason to stick around for reunion.
Performing as a part of our remembrance service would
be a good venue, I think. What say you?
I
brought home several copies of the service bulletin and
a copy of a selective listing of his publications. Most
importantly, his widow, Young Shin Yoo, presented me with
a copy of the memoirs he had started but was unable to
finish. He did get himself into graduate school (1959),
and there is much about his school days; the women in
his life; various crucial mentorships including those
of Belle Burridge's father, and Professor Reginald Laing;
and his experiences at Carleton.
And
so, you can imagine, it was a memorable day, and one I
wanted to share with you.
-Cheryl
Peeke Edelen
June
2006
Dear
Members of the Class of '57:
We have recently learned of the death of Tom Robinson,
who was battling metastatic parotid cancer. His course
was rapidly downhill despite aggressive efforts to treat
and palliate his illness. We will miss his sharp intellect
and critically focused commentary, as so well demonstrated
at his session "U.S.-China Relations" delivered
at our last, 45th Year, reunion program. Our heartfelt
condolences go out to his family and close friends.
Sincerely, John Sheagren and Katherine Youngblood,
50th Reunion CoChairs
June
14, 2006
Dear
Classmate,
I
couldn't have been more surprised, when Belle Burridge
Scott invited me to join the Class of '57's 50th Reunion
Planning Committee as a non-grad representative. This
group of about thirty-five of your classmates has been
meeting twice a year since 2004 in enticing, usually warm,
venues to plan an extraordinary weekend for your class
which will be held June 14-17, 2007 in Northfield. Mark
your calendar and begin to make plans.
Renewing
these friendships and bonding with this now mature group
of adults, which I had known quite casually, has been
a wonderful experience, At reunion we want to open that
circle and include you in it. I'm particularly interested
in encouraging non-grads, like myself, to return. Bill
and I attended the 45th,, and we were impressed with the
variety of events and activities available for us, as
well as the chance to reconnect with our classmates.
The
campus is, of course, beautiful. Watson Hall, where we'll
stay (if we get our reservations in quickly), is air-conditioned
and the living room looks out on the Japanese garden.
It is set up well for meetings and casual, small-group
conversations.
The
program committee has been quite secretive about the details
of their extensive plans, but Lynn Cullen Callender and
I have been invited to play piano duets during dessert
in Great Hall on Saturday night, and to that end, we rehearsed
(a bit) when I was in the Bay Area recently.
At
that time Dick Patsey and I met on his lovely deck to
finish our work on the vignettes of your adventures at
Carleton. If you didn't get yours turned in, either send
it to me (cedelen@earthlink.net)
or bring it with you. They are always welcome. I will
compile them for the record, and have them posted on our
website. Incidentally, you can reach our class website
by googling Carleton College, clicking on Alumni, then
Class Pages, then 1957. Consider adding to what's there.
We're
going to have a grand reunion beginning exactly one year
from today, and it will be made ever more meaningful,
if you are there.
See
you in June 2007,
Cheryl Peeke Edelen
January
2006
Dear
Classmate:
Larry
Gould used to say that once a part of Carleton, always
a part of Carleton, which makes you a permanent part of
the Carleton Class of '57. We hope that you will also
want to be a part of our Class' 50th Reunion Gift.
Maybe
you are wondering why in the world you would want to share
some of your hard earned assets with Carleton?
If
you have already decided to be a part of our class gift,
please read no further, but refer to Bill Comer's letter
of August 29 for inspiration as to how you can make that
gift even larger than you have imagined. A copy can be
found at: www.Carleton57.com.
If,
on the other hand, you are still wondering "why would
I?" maybe I can suggest some reasons you will want
to be a part of the '57 Reunion Gift.
First
to review some of the tried and true reasons to support
our College:
We only paid a portion of the cost of our education and
it is fitting that we help others have the same opportunity.
We had a great time on campus and/or made great friends
who are still an important part of our lives.
We believe in the liberal arts mission and recognize Carleton
as one of the top providers of that opportunity to an
increasingly diverse student body.
Of
course, all of these reasons are still valid, and any
one of them might be a sufficient reason for you to make
the most generous gift you are able. However, for me a
variation on reason three is very compelling: Carleton
is training experts and leaders to who will make a significant
difference in the world. Here are two areas of special
importance to me.
Environmental
Concerns
Carleton
prepares scientists, mathematicians, and policy-makers
of all kinds to carry on the important work of understanding,
preserving and respecting our environment. Carleton is
a leader in environmentally friendly projects. The beautiful
new wind turbine, built just one mile from campus, is
now generating theequivalent of 40 percent of the College's
electric use. Carleton's Prairie Project (110 acres of
restored prairie land so far) is another example of environmental
activism. You may read more about the restoration in the
most recent Voice. Be sure to visit the prairie (near
the Arb) next time you are on campus-duringour reunion,
for sure.
Human
Rights and Diversity
I am pleased to know that Carleton is a leader
in diversity and human rights in many important ways.
Racial diversity on campus has been steadily growing,
and the Alumni Affairs Office has sponsored three highly
successful reunions for alums of color. The Gender and
Sexuality Center works tirelessly to make Carleton a comfortable
place for Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender students, faculty,
and staff alike and works to educate all about these issues.
Even more than before, international students are taking
an ever more important place on campus, creating a deeper
kind of cultural understanding for all.
These
are two of my concerns in our world today and for tomorrow.
What are yours?
So,
while we all need to continue to support those things
we have come to care about in this complex world of ours,
giving to Carleton through our 50th Reunion Gift may turn
out to be an additional and important way to make a difference.
Please
give some serious thought to how being part of our 50th
Reunion Gift can benefit you, advance your top priorities,
and help Carleton. And, please make sure your calendar
is marked for June 14-17, 2007 when we will all gather
for a truly grand celebration.
Sincerely,
Ruth
Harkison Waterbury
Co-chair, 57 Gift Committee
PS:
Did you know that you may dedicate your 50th Reunion Gift
to specific programs or purposes that matter most to YOU?
January
9, 2006
Dear
Class of 1957:
Warm
greetings from Carleton. I'm writing today to invite you
and a guest to these upcoming convocations at the College
that are supported by the Class of 1957 Revolving Lectureship
Fund:
Derrick
Bell
"Martin Luther King Jr.: The Twentieth Century Jesus?"
Friday, January 20, 10:50 a.m., Skinner Memorial Chapel
Unfortunately, the luncheon following this program is
full
A
compelling voice on issues of race and class in American
society, Derrick Bell was the first African American to
be tenured at Harvard Law School and the only faculty
member to relinquish a tenured position to protest the
school's failure to appoint women of color. Professor
Bell is the author of eight books, including Ethical Ambition:
Living a Life of Meaning and Worth, We Are Not Saved:
The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice; and Race, Racism
and American Law. He currently teaches at New York University
School of Law.
Mahmood
Mamdani
"The Secular Roots of Radical Political Islam"
Friday, April 7, 10:50 a.m., Skinner Memorial Chapel.
Luncheon to follow at Severance Great Hall.
Mahmood
Mamdani offers an important voice in current debates on
Islam, the war on terror, and the changing role of Africa
in today's global context. A native of Uganda, Professor
Mamdani is on the faculty of Columbia University, where
he directs the Institute of African Studies in the School
of International and Public Affairs. He is the author
of several books including Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America,
the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror and Citizen and
Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism.
I
hope you can join us for these wonderful lectures and
the post-convocation lunch with Professor Mamdani. Seating
is limited at this luncheon, so if you would like to attend,
please contact me at your earliest convenience at 507/646-7590
or jaustin@acs.carleton.edu and I will reserve a place
for you.
My
best wishes,
Jane
Austin
Associate Director of Stewardship
January
2006
Our
half-century reunion is only a year-and-a-half away, and
preparations for that celebration are picking up steam.
In particular, a special DVD will be published and will
feature many pictures, stories of classmates, and various
escapades on (and off) campus. We need your help, however,
to make this memorable. Would you write anecdote(s) or
send photo(s) with appropriate captions about your experience
at Carleton from 1953 to 1957? Here is your chance to
bring to light all those heretofore secret and perhaps
even a bit risqué activities you remember so fondly
but that didn't make it into print at the time. We are
looking for photos and tales of up to 250 words illustrating
your life and time at school, perhaps symbolizing how
things were then, and possibly comparing those days and
years with how things are today. At Reunion, when we will
see the DVD as a group, you will have an opportunity to
respond to your friends' memories.
Can
you spend a little time and brain power on this? It will
provide a lot of fun for all of us, and we have attached
a sample memory on the issue of mixed dining. Remember
that hot issue? We are depending on your prompt and enthusiastic
response. You can send drafts electronically to the Class
of '57 Reunion Committee in care of Luke Hasskamp at:
lhasskam@acs.carleton.edu, or by regular mail in the
enclosed envelope. We need your submissions by February
15, 2006, so as to begin compilation and editing.
Mark your calendar and make your plans for our 50th Reunion
in June 14 - 17, 2007, and thanks for the memories.
Yours
sincerely,
Dick
Patsey and Belle Burridge Scott
Publicity Committee Chairpersons
Attachment:
Forsooth! Mixed Dining After Spring Vacation?
FORSOOTH!
Mixed Dining After Spring Vacation?
Back
in the golden olden days, boys lived and ate in dorms
close to the classrooms and library, and girls (except
for those in Gridley) lived and ate in their outlying
dorms. A social committee on which I served thought it
would be nice if boys and girls (as we were called in
those far-off days) could eat together-lunch only, and
after spring vacation. This was an extraordinary, and
for most of the boys, an unpopular idea. Imagine having
to "mind your manners" in front of the girls.
Imagine having to walk all the way to Evans for lunch.
Imagine giving up all that noontime study/or whatever
activity to sit at lunch with the girls. It would never
work. Before spring vacation a squeakily close referendum
was held to determine whether this experiment-just spring
term lunch-would go forward. Well, the rest is history.
Perhaps, our little experiment planted the seeds for the
Language and Dining Hall. There men and women can now
eat three meals a day in one another's company, but then
it's also located closer to the center of campus than
Myers, Nourse, or Evans. What was your opinion on this
hot issue? Did you vote Aye or Nay on Mixed Dining? Come
to our 50th Reunion and fess-up.
Cheryl
Peeke Edelen
Fifty
Years Ago At Carleton Eating Was Dining
In
the Evans Hall basement dining room, we had round tables
set for eight with white linen tablecloths and napkins.
When everyone was seated, the kitchen door swung open
and the wait staff, a.k.a. scholarship students, would
emerge, balancing large oval aluminum trays with our dinners
hiding under aluminum covers. Our meals would then be
served to us from the right, restaurant-style. When we
finished, the plates, with all the silverware, were removed
from the left. We then held our napkins by diagonal ends,
twirled them around, and placed them like eight radii
from a point in the center of the table. The rationale
for this quaint custom was that the staff could then pick
up all eight napkins simultaneously by grabbing the ends
in the center of the table. Wouldn't it be fun to know
how much linen was used on campus and what the laundry
bill was? Did you balance those trays, serve those dinners,
and pick up all that linen? Do students still have formal
dinners? If not, when did that disappear? If you know
or have memories to add, come to our 50th Reunion, June
14-17 2007 and tell us about them.
Cheryl
Peeke Edelen
March
2005
Dear
non-graduate members of the Carleton Class of 1957,
We
- Ann Ballinger Robertson, Barbara Sharp Gould, and Cheryl
Peeke Edelen - non-graduate voices from your Carleton
past, intend to persuade you to meet us in Northfield
for our 50th Carleton reunion, June 14 to 17, 2007. What
have you been doing these past fifty years? Each of us
left Carleton before graduation for our own reasons and
now, fifty years later, we are eager to return to reconnect
with all of you. Even though we may not have walked across
the stage at Commencement, we are still important members
of the Carleton Class of 1957. You'd probably be surprised
by how many people you remember - and how many remember
you!
Ann: Leaving Carleton many years ago was one of the most
difficult decisions I had made. Yet at the time I felt
so very far away from family, and several close friends
were also leaving. It is too simple to say that it was
catchy! I have regretted transferring as my first two
years at Carleton were much richer academically, in extracurricular
activities and most importantly, in the friendships that
I had made. Coming back for our 45th was a delight! From
first sightings of Belle Burridge and Bob Scott to the
last moment of the weekend was one of renewal. Needless
to say, I (and Bill, too) look forward to our 50th!
Barbara: I left Carleton after my sophomore year and transferred
to Washington U. in St. Louis, because I was engaged to
Spencer Gould '52, and I wanted to be near him. I cherished
the friends I had made at Carleton, and still keep up
with some through Christmas letters. I thoroughly enjoyed
our 45th reunion - the excellent activities, the student
helpers, the exhibits, the campus, and especially reconnecting
with my classmates. The 50th should be even better!
Cheryl
- or Cherry as I was then known: I left after our first
year and finished at Northwestern University. My reasons
for leaving may have had more to do with my age and maturity
than with the College, but they included some disappointing
class choices, the isolation of fourth Evans, and an adolescent
need for a social life I didn't find at Carleton. I've
always believed the women I met at Carleton were quite
remarkable, and Bill and I attended our 45th reunion in
order to renew those meaningful acquaintances.
The
45th Reunion offered an amazing choice of activities.
We discussed a Common Reading book, heard lectures like
Bill Comer's on current Alzheimer's Research and Tom Robinson's
on China and the Pacific Rim. Our arts, crafts, and publications
were displayed. The Women's Breakfast let us glimpse each
other's thoughts and experiences. A poignant meeting in
the undercroft of the chapel marked the lives of those
who are deceased. We hiked in the Arb, visited Mai Fete
island, and worked out in the new fitness center. There
was something for everyone-and no required vespers or
chapel (although the Alumni Choir sang on Sunday morning,
but that was optional). At a gala dinner dance at The
Grand in downtown Northfield, we danced to Jim Hecht's
Quartet.
The
Planning Team for the 50th Reunion of the Class of '57
met in San Antonio in September. The planning was remarkable,
the ambience was noteworthy, but it was the reconnecting
with those thirty-five classmates that was truly rewarding.
We hope you will write June 14-17, 2007 in your date book,
send us your ideas for activities, and join us at Carleton
that weekend.
Ann
Ballinger Robertson , Barbara Sharp Gould , Cheryl Peeke
Edelen
bomaggie@together.net
, BGouldEphr@aol.com
, cedelen@earthlink.net
February
2005
Dear
Classmates:
Know
what? Our Carleton College Class of 1957 50th Reunion
is in sight! It's scheduled for June 14-17, 2007. Already
a planning group, green beanies in place, is working to
make this our biggest and best reunion. (It's hard to
beat the 45th, but we're going to try!) We are hoping
that you will attend big time, bringing yourself and,
if possible, all your significant others. Reunion is still
two and a half years away, but won't you nonetheless put
it on your advance calendar?
The
50th anniversary is, of course, a landmark for every class,
but the Class of 1957 hopes
to review and demonstrate its special and outstanding
nature, in many ways. For instance,
we want to:
