1963 - 45th Reunion

Eleven members of the Class of 1963, many accompanied by their spouses, made their way back to the mother ship for the 45th Reunion. Sending regrets but unable to attend because of illnesses, prior commitments, unavoidable conflicts or intractable lethargy were Wayne Brenckman, Bill Friedewald, Bill Lehmann, Bob Mueller, Bob Grummon, Seth Weingarten, Steve Joseph, Lee Talner, Peter Gregory, Judy Davis, John Mahoney, Rick Back, Dudley Danoff, Allen Flaxman, Ben Harris, Pete Tishler, Larry Tremonti, Jim Dalsimer, Gordon Cohen, John Conte, Bill Porter and Gene Profant. Many commitments were offered for attendance at our 50th in 2013.

Our small but very congenial and talkative group lingered through extensive conversation and reminiscing at Friday’s clambake and a marvelous Saturday dinner at the Q-Club. Art Ackerman, who has been bringing Western medicine to the backwaters of developing countries over many decades, continues to do so, most recently in Africa (Tanzania and Rwanda) and the Caribbean (Antigua). Colonel Craig Llewellyn, fully retired from his longtime Army career, splits his time between Florida and Vermont, while teaching and assisting in the establishment of emergency preparedness teams and procedures at universities. Sheldon Pinnell, a Duke faculty guy since 1973 and self-confessed workaholic, sold his SkinCeuticals Company (for which he developed research-based sunscreen and antioxidant skin protection and restoration products) to L’Oréal, and continues to spend full days in his lab at Durham, having a good time. Dave Fulmer, on the other hand, has his good times at the front end of a fishing rod. Back at the turn of the millennium, Dave decided that he had had enough of managed care and other regulatory baloney and would retire from his internal medicine practice in Princeton, N.J., and start enjoying his seven grandkids. Alex Gaudio continues his full-time retinal disease practice in Hartford, Conn., now with his son, Paul, and spends one day every week maintaining his academic connection at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston. Hal Kaplan finally retired from his gastroenterology practice in July 2007, but continues in his “part-time” medical affairs consulting slot at his old hospital in Meriden, Conn., while finding more time to enjoy his 10 (and still counting?) grandchildren. Mike Fessel, also still hanging out in the New Haven area, practices internal medicine, and, along with Hal, enjoys a clinical appointment to the med school faculty, trying to teach the art of effective communication with patients and family. Andy Edin continues his active internal medicine practice in Minnesota. Part of a large multi-specialty group, he now arranges his patient schedule on his own terms, allowing him time to enjoy his longtime hobby of hunting in Minnesota (these days, without shooting), as well as in any number of remote locations. Alan Shapiro remains happy in an active urology practice in Tinseltown. Helen Walsh, long since moved on from a career in anesthesia to one in psychiatry, is quite active and happy with a part-time Massachusetts practice limited to geriatric psychiatry. Also still engaged in a part-time psychiatric practice is Jay Pomeranz, who in his free time wields a very competitive tennis racquet in Springfield, Mass.

Twenty-nine classmates contributed to the 45th Reunion Booklet, providing a variety of long and short glimpses of their personal lives, with fascinating details beyond the limited scope of this article. Copies will be distributed by mail to all members of the Class of 1963. This mailing will be the first phase of an intensive campaign to encourage maximum attendance at our 50th reunion, scheduled for June 7–8, 2013. SAVE THE DATES!

Harold Kaplan