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 Reunions 2013-Hot Not Bothered May 2013 and reunions went out in a blaze of heat -- yet our 41st gathering had enough sizzle to dispel the notion that the year after a major has the dulled pulse of a hangover. There was plenty of ’72 snap, crackle and pop to serve notice that we hang around, not over. By mid-May Fritz Cammerzell wondered aloud, "What’s going on?” as several class members registered for the first time for our off-year class dinner. As reunions approached, he wondered if the tent in his backyard would be big enough. Classmates began slipping into town on Thursday to take part in various gatherings and by Friday, events were in full swing. Merc Morris led the traditional Outdoor Action Tree Tour with an emphasis on shade trees. Nikos Monoyios and Valerie Brackett joined the crowd darting from shadow to shady patch across the upper campus. The Friday night highlight was our jacket-wilting class dinner where old hands and new hands were shaken (not stirred) into our 2013 mix. For a genuine melting pot, it couldn’t have been nicer. Undergraduates Connor Michelsen, Sam Ezratty and Dylan Ward sharpened their hospitality skill set (as did Freddy and Henry Cammerzell) and we settled into a dusky soiree’. Fritz Cammerzell, Phil Caton, Pam Lloyd Coulter, Daryl English, Don Fletcher, Jim Graf, Randy Harris, Doug Harrison, John Hepburn, Jim Hinton, Charlie Hughes, Ruby Huttner, Brad Johnson, Art Kent, Charlie Kireker, Tad LaFountain, Paul Le Vine, Matt Mancuso, Mark Markiewicz, Elisa Marshall, Jim Marshall, Bruce Merrifield, Nikos Monoyios, Merc Morris, Bob Murley, Skip Rankin, Larry Sanford, Bob Saunders, Mike Schneider, Bill Sharpstone, Rob Smart, Yaffa Ventura-Beck, who arrived from Israel for her first reunion and Bob Wright. Class President Bob Wright welcomed everyone and presented Fritz Cammerzell with an orange apron embroidered Chez Cammerzell as a thank you for his gracious hospitality and service to the class at every reunion. For the record, the Class of 1972 has a tent big enough for all. Our class Executive Committee was scheduled to meet Saturday morning in a third floor classroom oven in Dickenson Hall. The first order of business was to jettison formality for the open air seating beneath our tent at the class memorial plaza. Easy, breezy and then along came the Princeton Band drumming a reminder of why we were here. The committee became speechless; the band played on and it was time for lunch. The tent got bigger. Joining the Friday night crawlers were Hank Bjorklund, Gene Brissie, Ralph Bulle, Steve Burns, Bob Daniels, Andy Dayton, Norman Flitt, Alfred Glossbrenner, Chris Godfrey, John Hardy, Jim Hart, Kip Hewitt, Dave Jones, Barbara Julius, Dave Kimball, Fred Kurz, Chris Loomis, Rod McNealy, Dennis Murphy, Tom Schrader, Bob Scully, John Sethian, Bob Tate, Tony Tichenor, Al Wen and Art Wood. Classmate of many hats, Ed Strauss earned another as he donned the colorful cap signifying his post as P-rade Marshal. He left early for cat herding rules and graciously marked our station on Cannon Green where only shade was in short supply. Gerry Drum, David Hingston, Cye Newman and John and Chris Van Horne swelled the sweltering ranks. Our lead cheermeister, Jim Robinson, was away for his prep-school reunion, leaving big shoes to fill as the P-rade began. It only took three people to do so. Ed Strauss and Fritz Cammerzell directed and Merc Morris fired the locomotives, enthusiastically, if not effectively . Noteworthy in this P-rade were several classmates honoring their family alumni. John Hardy joined his father for the 75th reunion of 1938; Don Fletcher followed with his uncle, Donald Fletcher ’39 who, to his nephew’s admiration, walked the entire route. Rob Smart honored the passing of his father last year by walking his class, ’41, and Bruce Merrifield joined his white-gloved father, Bruce Merrifield, Sr. who flashed us a palms up ’42 at our locomotive. We finished our passage along the
P-rade at the reviewing stand sending outgoing
President Tilghman a final class locomotive and giving incoming President
Eisgruber a sampling of the least he can expect from us. It was prime was number 41--sixty-six strong for ’72 in 2013--a not so off year for any class. Photos of the event are available here>> and here>> and here>> |
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