River Campus

Undergraduate

1953

Daniel Offer has published Dialysis Without Fear (Oxford University Press), a family guide for dialysis patients who want to learn how to travel, work, and continue to celebrate life’s joys while suffering from kidney or renal failure. Daniel, who brings firsthand experience to the topic, wrote the book with his wife, Marjorie, and daughter, Susan Szafir.

1958

John Rathbone, class correspondent, writes:

Under the coleadership of Margie Taylor Adams and Jerry Gardner ’65 (Mas), we are planning for our 50th Reunion in October 2008. Now would be a good time to drop me a line about your lives and plans for the reunion to include in upcoming issues of Class Notes.

Speaking of the 50th Reunion, Jerry writes, “Margie and I are calling classmates to serve on Attendance, Communication, Gift, and Program Committees. If any of our readers are interested in serving on any of these committees, please contact Margie at hknana@comcast.net, or contact me at jerrygardner@mindspring.com, or call me at (404) 873-6208.”

On their drive back from Port Orchard, Wash., where John and Val Evans Rathbone ’60W (Mas) visited their daughter, Elizabeth, and her family for a few weeks, they stopped to visit with Dayton and Lola Vincent. The Rathbones report that all is well with Dayton and Lola, who guided them sightseeing at the Tippecanoe historical site and a “working 1920s–era” farm near West Lafayette, Ind. John notes that the farm brought back memories “from pre–U of R days, when I was a mere lad—and our area of central New York was generally 20 years behind the times.”

In June, classmates Bob Cushing, Pat Shea, Peter Tarrant, and John Rathbone met at the Green Gables restaurant in New Milford, Pa., for lunch and an afternoon seminar of “Embellishing the Past,” consisting of reminiscing and tall tales. This has been a twice-yearly event for the group known among themselves as the Non-Royal Order of the Gentlemen of Girth (“Enrootgog”). The classmates are looking for new members, not necessarily gentlemen (and not necessarily “of girth”), who may be in the area. Val Evans Rathbone also attended the seminar and took the photo.

Sally Goddard sent this item about a get-together she and Charleen Dorwald Drotning had in September: “Char Drotning is a super event planner! We had a fantastic three days together in late September, along with her friend, Mary, enjoying the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, just across the Niagara River from Char’s former home in Youngstown, N.Y. The weatherman cooperated for our winery tour and the rains didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for five excellent plays, visits to two small museums, plus fine and casual dining, visits with some of Char’s friends, enjoyment of lovely gardens in full bloom, and pleasant conversations with our B & B hostess and other guests over delicious breakfasts. We are tentatively planning another trip there in 2008, possibly just before the college reunion weekend, and any classmates are welcome to join the fun! (Contact John Rathbone for either Char’s or my e-mail address.)”

Joyce Timmerman Gilbert has written that they are traveling to Europe again. When they get to Germany, Joyce says, “We’ll be staying with the parents of our German ‘son,’ Eckart Baum, an exchange student from 20 years ago. The elder Baums live near the Bavarian Forest; also near Passau, which is the center for the 55 Europaischer Music Festival. We’ll attend some of the festival performances in both Germany and the Czech Republic. We’ll also visit Ecki and his French wife, Sylvie, (plus their son and daughter) in Prague. While in the area I’ll be putting together a music-focused tour for 2008, if various calendars are willing. The Austria part for August is in Eisenstadt, south of Vienna and close to Hungary. That 2008 tour will also include Hungary, including Budapest and the northeast (near Slovakia). Planning is the fun part!”

Jerry ’65 (Mas) and Pat Gardner are delighted to announce they are “finally” grandparents. Ella Maxine Gardner was born on September 26, 2007, in Los Angeles. The proud parents are Pat and Jerry’s son, Bradley ’96, and his wife, Ida. Jerry writes that Pat and he will probably be making frequent trips to the West Coast to baby-sit. Pat and Jerry saw Ella Maxine in Los Angeles on days 3 to 5 and were looking forward to having the family visit them in Atlanta for Thanksgiving.

—Contact: John Rathbone, 2375 Brookview Dr., Hamilton, N.Y. 13346; jbone58@dreamscape.com.