Back to School - 2010

To the Great Class of 1969:

All the students have arrived at Deerfield by now, and the Academy will begin its 212th year - and fifth year under Margarita Curtis - when classes begin on Monday.  Although the Academy has reduced enrollment to a level more in keeping with the "high touch" philosophy of the school, the Admissions Office continues to underestimate the school's appeal.  Ironically, the newly expanded dining hall - a product last December's adversity - can now accommodate everyone, even if conditions in the dormitories remain tight.

As you will see from the summary below, some members of the Great Class of 1969 continued to make hay while the sun was out over the summer recess.  If there is news I have overlooked, I hope you will let me know or will e-mail it directly to Class Notes.

Class News

Wind power continues to be a big issue in Maine, and Jonathan Carter remains in the middle of the debate. Here's a link to an op-ed piece he wrote in July for the Bangor Daily News. While the man who would be King to us was opining, Ed Grosvenor was busy preparing for the 60th anniversary of American Heritage Magazine, which Ed bought a controlling interest in three years ago.  You can watch Ed, Editor-in-Chief and CEO, delivering the opening remarks at the celebration in this clip.

Howie Carr ventured north from his native Massachussets in August to speak at a Republican rally in New Hampshire. Howie was introduced by John H. Sununo, the former chief of staff to President George W.H. Bush and erstwhile Republican Governor of the Live Free or Die State, who began his remarks by saying, "It’s very rare for me to introduce someone more obnoxious and irascible than I am."

Hank Louis was interviewed in a documentary that was aired nationally on PBS in August. You can listen to Hank and see examples of his work by skipping forward to 41:27 of this clip and watching the next three minutes.

Beginning this month you can buy an updated copy of the definitive, five volume work on patent law fundamentals by John G. Mills for a cool $2,800, the price of which should provide John with a comfortable retirement and make college textbooks seem like a positive bargain. The United States Navy awarded John two Edison Awards for drafting and prosecuting patents having the greatest commercial benefit to the nation.  John is also, by his own account, a mean swing dancer on the DC circuit.

Five years ago last week I sent "Beam me up, Scotty!" into cyberspace and, with that, launched Albany Road Redux.  Over 70 postings later, you can find all the news fit to print during that time in the "Lost and Found" search box on the right side of the page. A less successful experiment has been the social networking site I set up using Google Groups in the hope that it might provide an easy way for classmates to interact.  If you have any thoughts about how the site could be improved or whether you think a Facebook page would a better alternative, let me know.

As the the summer days shorten and the shadows begin to lengthen, I am reminded of the brief time we crossed paths on Albany Road and the good fortune I had to be there.  Best wishes to all.

DWS