PA 1958 50th Class Notes

PA 1958 Latest Class Notes

58
Parry Ellice Adam
33 Pleasant Run Road
Flemington NJ 08822-7109
908-782-3754
momad1@patmedia.net

ABBOT            I am skipping the usual plea for news, anticipating our BIG reunion. That should generate plenty of good reading for you. Meanwhile, in mid-January, Sue Moore Ferris and Liz Artz Beim hosted a most delightful mini-reunion in New York. It was a picture-perfect day and location. In addition to the three of us, attendees included Jane Christie, Anne Cole Stephano, Sandy Bensen Calhoun, Nancy Dick, Ann DiClemente Ross, Barbara Davidson Wright, Priscilla Grant Flood, Susan Evans Dunn, Wynne Paffard Delmhorst, Barbara Randall Guy, and Faith White Hyde. It was a wonderful luncheon and kickoff for our 50th. Another gathering was scheduled for February in Cambridge.

58
Dermod O. Sullivan
Smith Barney
590 Madison Ave., 11th Floor
New York NY 10022
800-468-0019
dermod.o.sullivan@smithbarney.com

PHILLIPS            On Oct. 27, 2007, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Andover-Deerfield game was held in Deerfield, Mass. Al Griggs and Tom Gildehaus hosted a luncheon before the game, attended by Manch Wheeler, Gil Bamford, Bob Palmer, Tom Mason, Jeff Eiseman, Ed Frost, Charlie Brennan, and Dermod Sullivan. Unfortunately, Tom Gildehaus was forced to cancel at the last minute, but the group was joined by two members of the football team from the Class of 1959, Hank Higdon and Mike Bassett.
            After cocktails and an elegant lunch at the Blue Heron restaurant, the beautifully restored 19th century town hall building in Sunderland, Mass., the group reassembled at the Deerfield field in a heavy drizzle, and the Blue were treated to another defeat, just like long ago, by the score of 20–9. Nevertheless, it was a great occasion, and an appropriate “kick-off” to our official 50th Reunion on June 12–15. Make sure your calendars reflect these dates.
            Co-host Tom Gildehaus is retired and lives in Davenport, Iowa. He has a house on Cape Cod, as well, and has just returned from three-plus weeks in India to attend a wedding. Tom stepped down in September ’07 after 18 months as executive director of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, a post he undertook as a temporary replacement when the prior director left. He now continues as the president of the board. The Figge is a world-class museum with wide-ranging collections spanning Hudson River School artists, Winslow Homer, Joshua Reynolds, and Rembrandt etchings, among others.
            ’Tis the year for memories, so I asked Tom for his recollection of the game 50 years ago. As you may recall, we lost to Deerfield 14–7. Tom said he played nose guard, and our defense was quick across the line. Deerfield trap-blocked us unrelentingly, opening up the middle, and we trailed 14–0 at the half. Coach Sirota made halftime adjustments, telling the defensive line not to penetrate and to hold their position. Deerfield was reportedly held to minus yards rushing in the second half.
            Manch Wheeler added that Coach Sirota said on that Monday that the players didn’t lose the game. Coach admitted fault for not adjusting sooner to the trap blocks. We pulled within 14–7 in the second half. However, after two long pass completions by Tom Behan to Mark Woodbury, we fumbled on third down on the 4-yard line, and time ran out. Overall, we all remember that great season, as the team went 6–1 and beat Exeter 45–6, identically reversing the score of our defeat by Exeter the year before.
            Bobby Hull remembers that, in the second half, we started to run outside their tackles, who had been pinching in. This led to our only score. Bobby didn’t come back for the anniversary luncheon, questioning why anyone would make the trip to celebrate a loss. However, he said he would have come back for a celebration of the Exeter game; of course he would—he scored two touchdowns in that victory! Bobby is still in St. Louis, and doing charity work. He finally had double knee-replacement surgery in June 2007. After three scopes in each knee, they were barely functioning. The recovery was painful. The good news is, within three months, he was playing golf and, one month later, he was bicycling in France.
            Reggie Barnes recalls his highlight in the Deerfield game when he tackled the Deerfield quarterback in the second half and caused a fumble. Reggie mused that he was so slow off the line (he once lost an inter-squad race for team’s slowest) that the pulling guards had passed him by on their quarterback option play, leaving him a clear shot at the quarterback. Reggie also relates the story of Bob Palmer and Tony Brown visiting him in Tulsa after graduation. After Tony told Reggie’s mother he was going to Stamford, Mrs. Barnes asked how the courses were at Stamford. Tony, who played on the Andover golf team, said, “Great—there’re two of them, right on campus!”
            It is with great sadness that I report the death of Kenneth Russell, who died March 13, 2007, in Port Orange, Fla.