P.A. 1964
Tom Seligson
15 Bradley Street
Westport, Ct. 06880
January, 2001

With mini-reunions recently being held in Boston, Philadelphia, and at countless golf courses in the Bay area, it was about time, we finally got it together in New York. Didi Pei and his wife Beatrice hosted a gathering that included Bill Matassoni and Pamela, class diarist Randy Hobler and girl friend Alexa, Richard Kalin and his wife Toby, Dave Walker who brought his sister-in-law, and Paul Gallagher, John Axelrod and yours truly. The event was scheduled around John's annual art buying and selling trip in the Big Apple; this year he was in town putting together a consortium to buy his Latin American Art collection. The date ended up coinciding with the final days of Florida's laborious hand count, so naturally much talk was about George's chances, and the cost of D.C. hotel rooms should our next party be during the Inaugural. (The following day Dade County canceled its counting so I'll predict that by the time you read this, we've already celebrated our classmate's victory). Congratulations also go to Charles Durfee who was on the ballot, along with George, in the town of Woolwich, Maine. Charles was running unopposed for re-election to the school board. He reports: "I can say with pride that I out-polled George (having no one running against me), and didn't spend a dime in the process."

Our listserve, which offered an informed and erudite commentary during the election, continues to be a valuable tool for keeping us together, both on-line and off. Didi uses it to arrange dinners with classmates around the country, during his many business trips. He's hooked up with Matthew McClure and Rennie Potter in San Francisco, Mike Cathcart, or was it Pat, while in Los Angeles, and he caught up with Eric Chase while at home in New York. Eric was speaking at the Museum of Broadcasting. Eric is a regular guest on "Good Morning America," "Larry King Live," or "Charley Rose," where the retired Marine Corps colonel is often invited because of his expertise on military matters, particularly the law of war. Eric teaches the provocative subject at the Marine Corps University in Quantico. He's also a warrior in his day job: working as a litigations partner with the New Jersey law firm Bressler, Amery & Ross, where his specialty is representing automobile dealers in disputes with factories and importers. He's published widely on both his favorite subjects, and his book, Automobile Dealers and the Law, is in its sixth edition.

News on other classmates: Doc Downing e-mailed "I was sitting in a seminar on Seniors Housing, trying to get enough CLE credits to keep my law license current, when I thought I recognized the voice of the Co-Chair of the program. Since I was in the back of the room (in order to make quick exits), and could not see the seminar leaders very well, I opened up my materials to discover that the Co-Chair was Jeff Wright. Jeff is a senior partner is national firm based in Rochester, which specializes in assisted living and nursing home facilities transactions." Doc himself was recently featured in an article in "Black Meetings & Tourism" called "Who's Who in Gaming." Doc is president of Ascendx, which, since 1988, has provided services to the gaming industry. The company now has an office in Atlantic City, and does business with every casino. John Bixby's versatile career has taken him from covering southern politicians for the A.P. during the 70's and 80's to fueling airplanes and laboring in factories during the early 90's. He's now back in the news business, as an editor with Bloomberg, specializing in commodities. "There's a logical progression here," he said. "From writing about politics, to learning about the people they claim to represent, to now finding out how money really works." John is living in Park Slope, with his girl friend Janna. Both John Eichleay and John Bemis have stuck to one profession. John Eichleay is a lawyer with Thorp, Reed & Armstrong in Pittsburgh, where his specialty is estates and trust work. He stays in touch with Nat Semple, who received his liver transplants at a local hospital, as well as Rich Bissell. John Bemis has been selling organic produce for the last 25 years from his Hutchins Farm in Concord, Mass. But his world is now expanding. An article in the Boston Globe about European interest in John's organic blueberries quoted John. "A smart farmer is always looking for a new market," he said.

I had a great catch-up phone call with John Gage. "Curley Jack," as he was known at Andover, went on to Yale, then Harvard Medical School, and is now an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the Stonybrook Long Island campus of S.U.N.Y. John's missed our reunions, but returns to the campus to visit his son, William, who's a lower, alongside DeWolf Fulton's son Marshall. John retains fond memories of his own time there, and says "Ted Hammond was the best teacher I ever had anywhere." John is on his second marriage, and I willingly concede to him the honor of being the classmate with the youngest child. His daughter Margot is two, while my Justine is now three and a half. Maybe we two old codgers will visit them together when they're both PA students in 15 years.