50 THE TRINITY REPORTER CLASS NOTES Pelosi’s floor manager in the House, Kevin Stern. He provided great insights into the “sausage making” legislative process. Planning for the 55th Reunion is starting, so if you have ideas for events, programs, activities, etc., be sure to let me know, and I will make sure they get to those involved, including our president for life (DJT is jealous), Larry Roberts , and his Reunion co-chair, Paul Jones . 1969 Class Secretary: Alden R. Gordon, Fine Arts Department, Hallden 09, Trinity College, 300 Summit St., Hartford, CT 06106-3100; alden.gordon@ trincoll.edu • Class Agent: Nathaniel S. Prentice • /groups/trinity1969 Contributions were sparse in the spring of 2021 as class members got vaccinated and began to emerge from C-19 travel and social - izing restrictions. Fred Uehlein sent this upbeat report on his post-vaccination return to travel: “All is well with the Uehlein family. After getting our two vaccinations, we took off to see daughter Emma, who lives with her family in Puerto Rico, and then to visit son Christian and fam- ily in Montana. Wintered in Bonita Springs, Florida, and now back to Cape Cod for sum- mer. Would love to see any classmates who find themselves on the Cape or in Bonita. Still doing a bit of work, starting a new behavioral health company, Ascellus, to help workers across the country. Be well, and let every day bring a smile.” Leighton Smith , who reported this past winter on his baseball book, writes: “All is healthy and safe here in Virginia with my family and me. I started a new full-time job in February as a senior principal systems engineer with Gibbs & Cox. Yes, I know, I’m well past retirement age. But I like working and being busy, and so many of my friends and colleagues have retired and died. So, retirement doesn’t sound that healthy to me. Not yet anyway. My number four kid, daughter Stephanie, got married to James Boggs on April 17, and even though there were pandemic restrictions still in place, all went very well. I am enjoying my 36th year living in Virginia and am watching the value of my house in Arlington that I bought almost 33 years ago continue to appreciate. It won’t be very long before it is worth 10 times what I paid for it. I will take lucky over good any day!” Michael Carius , who hasn’t written in a while, sends these updates on his encoun- ters with classmates: “Recently I had the opportunity to reconnect with Leo and Annie Mallek , my roommate for two years at Trinity, at a Virginia winery. Leo is retired but still quite busy with multiple activities. I also met with Scott Duncan and his wife at a Virginia brewpub. Scott is retired and shared his long history with the Hash House Harriers running organization.” A year ago, Michael accepted a six-year commitment to return as chair-elect of the American Board of Medical Specialties Board of Directors. As a result, he will remain active clinically as an emergency physician for the next five years, which means putting off any dreams of retire- ment. Michael reports, “The past year has been challenging to work in the emergency department, to say the least.” It is with great sadness that I report that Tan Platt , M.D., died on August 19, 2020. As an undergraduate, Tan was a bio major and played football and ran track. He was a mem- ber of Cerberus and Alpha Chi Rho. Tan and wife Nancy were enthusiastic participants at our 50th Reunion. He was on the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia since 1986 and was medi- cal director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services beginning in 2008. Tan is survived by Nancy, children Elizabeth and James, and four grandchildren. 1970 Class Secretary: John L. Bonee III, Esq., 19 Scarsdale Rd., West Hartford, CT 06107-3339; john. [email protected]; fax: 860-522-6049 • Class Agents: Joseph A. Barkley III, Esq., Ernest J. Mattei, Esq. As I submit our Class Notes on June 14 for the fall issue, everyone on our huge 50th Reunion Committee is not only thrilled to think we will be able to have our own special in-person Reunion at Homecoming October 1 and 2 but also feeling a huge sense of psychic relief from the benefits of becoming fully vaccinated and being able to travel and interact once more as we always have done with family, friends, and classmates. As always, working on our Reunion proj - ects with Theresa Kidd of the Advancement Office and Ernie Mattei and everyone else on our 21-plus-member committee is a delight. Ernie has been organizing special Zoom meetings with groups from our class having a particular interest. We’ve had a number of Zoom meetings focused on a sports team or fraternity and most recently a music extrav - aganza with Dan Reilert , Charlie Taylor , and Ryan Kuhn , all of which have been extremely successful. Coming up is a focus on the heady environment of conflictual politics and philosophies fostered by the climate of the late ’60s. Should be a memorable encounter session and possibly worth preserving for the Watkinson Library oral history project to which our classmate Richard Turk has contributed so much, especially with the fine work he has done on our Reunion yearbook. Our class will be presenting to the college two antique doorknobs embossed with the Trinity seal that hopefully will be accepted by the Watkinson Library for posterity. We also greatly appreciate the creative work that Charlie Fenwick has done along with Dix Leeson on innovative modalities for contribu - tions from us, especially via our IRAs/401(k)s. Billy Peelle is working with the Wadsworth Atheneum caterer to provide for us a spectac - ular culinary presentation when we gather at the museum for our Friday night Reunion dinner on October 1. Billy has agreed to permit me to offer my thoughts to make it as delicious and healthful as we can muster. Billy may even have a special contributory surprise for all of us, which we hopefully will discover upon attendance for the evening. With wonderful camaraderie among all of us and the best collection of fine arts in Connecticut wherever we look, we should not feel too deprived that we are not among Trinity’s elms on the quadrangle under the stars as has been the tradition for Friday evening of Reunion. In addition to a great Homecoming football game and a traditional class dinner on Saturday, October 2, on campus, perhaps in Hamlin Hall, we may be able to organize a joint predinner cocktail party with the 25th Reunion. After-dinner disco dancing? Discussions are continuing in this regard as I write. Plus, Tony DiBella will be our memory shaman as he guides us on a traditional Australian walkabout, calling up scenes and events around campus that marked and transformed our college experience as we lived through extremely transformative times. The most important thing is that we actually are going to be able to have our 50th Reunion in person and non-remote, with as many of us as possible. The college has scheduled Homecoming for the very first weekend of October, which should mean that it will be a perfect temperature for outdoor enjoyment and viewing of New England autumn foliage. Bocce may even occur on the quad, but at a minimum, we shall be able to renew the conversations and personal encounters that have always made our friendship and bonds so meaningful to all of us as the years have gone by and that have stayed with us forever. BECOME A CLASS AGENT. www.trincoll.edu/ AlumniAndFamilies/ Volunteer/Class-Agents