Class Notes

June 2026

Cold winters (and springs) were encountered by many of us this year, it seems.  On a brighter note, Sam Wardwell drove through Williamstown at the start of the ‘76ers 50th reunion and can report that the weather was fabulous, the grounds looked great, the people looked fabulous, and the new buildings are awe-inspiring…great spaces to create, compete, and perform. 

Richard Remmer reported that the bitter cold winter on Long Island resulted in more than a foot of ice on the Connetquot River and the first ice boating in more than a decade.  Richard spent a few days with Dave Moffit, Dan Davison, and Topper Webb scaring bonefish in the Bahamas in April. The weather didn’t cooperate for fishing but conditions were still perfect for laughter. Richard was also able to join Dan Davison in Western NC to celebrate the protection of a stunning conservation parcel by the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and the Open Space Institute (and get in some trout fishing not far from Dan and Betsy’s beautiful home). 

Richard also drew my attention to a great interview with Tom Jorling in the New York Times (He Helped Write the Clean Air Act. He Fears for Its Future), a reminder, Richard writes, of how fortunate we were to have had professors like Tom and Sheafe Satterthwaite. “Tom introduced us to the fascinating world of environmental law, including USSC Chief Justice William O. Douglas’s famous dissent in Sierra Club v. Morton, where he challenged Western law by asking why corporations and ships have standing in court but not rivers or trees. My conservation work with indigenous tribes has brought me back full circle to that concept, including the rights of the Rappahannock River set out in the Rappahannock Tribes’ constitution and an environmental easement sold to [the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]. For classmates who are interested, I highly recommend Christopher Stone’s Should Trees Have Standing. Tom’s mentorship motivated me to attend law school. I was a Bio-Geo-CES major with no clue what I was going to do after Williams. Tom advised me to spend a year working in one of those fields to get a handle on which direction I wanted to go and then attend law school. The advice was great and, to this day, very, very appreciated.” 

Michael Levine and his husband Tom Sedgwick live in Poughkeepsie, NY, having moved from Brooklyn Heights during the pandemic. Michael has retired from his career as a non-profit community development attorney; he volunteers as an usher at local theaters and helps run the local bridge club and manage regional bridge tournaments (and loves playing online); he is also helping several non-profits establish impact investing programs. He and Tom have become avid pickleball players, which Michael reports as being the most athletic thing he’s done in his life. They are frequent travelers, but most of all enjoy spending time at home with their dogs Darlene – a deeply sensitive Blue Heeler, and Wally – a charming malti-husky-poo. Michael loves the limelight, having done improv and stand-up, and was a contestant on the NBC Show “The Weakest Link” – Season 2, Episode 6 – a highlight of the past few years. If anyone lives in or near Poughkeepsie and wants to get together, or have lunch sometime in NYC, please reach out. 

Fred Lawrence has just signed on for a third five-year term as secretary and CEO of Phi Beta Kappa. “We are in the midst of a yearlong commemoration of our 250th anniversary -- like the nation, Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776. This involves events across the country and a capital campaign to support our work advocating for arts and sciences education, free inquiry, and academic freedom. I also continue to teach at Georgetown Law. Last year I taught seminars on higher education law and free speech on campus. Kathy is completing her volume of the Cambridge University Press Complete Works of Henry James. Our daughter Miriam '06 lives near us in DC and our son Noah and his wife Katie are in Bloomington, Indiana. Miriam will be at her 20th Williams reunion this spring and Kathy and I are looking forward to the 50th next year. 

Clarence Otis passed along the sad news that his sister, Deborah Otis Foy '78, passed away last month following a two-and-a-half-year struggle with cancer. Debbie loved Williams. While there, she was a JA and was active in the Black Student Union, the Black Theatre Repertory Company and the Black Movements dance team. Following graduation, she remained active, serving on the nominating committee of the Society of Alumni and as an Alumni Fund class agent. 

Chris Lovell writes that he, Julie ‘78, Hervey McIver (sans Jane who is in the final throes of planning for their daughter Louisa's wedding), and Joanne and Scott Conant, spent an incredible week at the ranch of Jerry Tone and Martha Wyckoff near Cle Elum, Washington.  “It was a magical time in a magical place where we were the guests not only of Jerry and Martha but also of mule deer, wild turkeys, bald eagles, numerous goldfinches and more. Just spending time with these excellent lifelong college friends was more than enough. We are all planning to be back for the 50th.  

Clara and Larry Sanders avoided the chilly Adirondack spring by spending a couple of weeks at a language institute in Antibes, France (next door to Nice) trying to get a better handle on French. “We did the same last year at another institute and it’s a nice way to get exposed to an area and learn to order dinner. We then headed west, eventually crossing into northern Spain and abused multiple pintxo bars…a few days of continued abuse in Rioja before another look at the Sagrada Família in Barcelona before returning home.” They are looking forward to penitence in the Adirondacks this summer. 

Don Sprague snagged a $412 airfare to Rome in October, as he was “eager to explore the city when not leading a tour group. While exploring new sites and revisiting old favorites, it suddenly dawned on me that it was 50 years ago that I had first visited Rome as a student at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies, along with classmates Chris Bonner and Carol Relihan. The late John Stambaugh, Williams classics professor, was a faculty member and a key designer of "The City" course launched that semester and still the core of the "Centro" program of studies. Don looks forward to joining Pat Landers [congratulations on your PhD, Patrick!] from the Spring ’76 Centro group in Rome this June to celebrate the program's 60th anniversary! 

Mark Ibsen continues to practice what he calls “refugee medicine”—this time, the refugees are Americans caught up in the “one-size-fits-all” dragnet of the so-called opiate epidemic. “In prescribing pain medications to legacy pain patients who’ve been on them for one or two decades, I got crosswise with the Montana State Board of Medicine and the DEA. The good news about it all this is that I’m completely and totally committed to medical freedom for my patients and liberation for doctors who have been incarcerated and safety for pharmacists to do the right thing for their patients. I was profiled in the award-winning documentary Pain Warriors, have written one book about it, called Dr. Bison‘s Fables and have another book out soon called Dr. Bison’s Glimmers and Bliss. 

Mark reports that his “partner since 2023, Susan Franzheim, who has been a blessing to me as have been my children, has been stricken with colon cancer and is on hospice. On a more positive note, my son is a ballet dancer with New England Ballet Theatre. He recently told me, “Dad I was born for this.” I told him “I know what you mean…”  My daughter is finishing her PhD in chemistry and looking either for a post-doc fellowship or a meaningful job in the field of organo-metallic enzyme reactions. 

Steven White and his wife Esthela Calderón, a poet and visual artist originally from Nicaragua, had an amazing visit to Williams this spring to give presentations. “I was invited to speak about the Microcosms book and Esthela was invited by the Spanish Department to give a bilingual reading from her new book of ethnobotanical poetry called The Bones of My Grandfather.

Sam Wright just celebrated his wife Kathy's 70th birthday with their three "kids" and five grandchildren! 

Dennis O’Shea reminds everyone that the countdown to our 50th reunion has begun. Be sure to save June 10-13, 2027, for our return to Williamstown. Party of the century!

Submitted by Sam Wardwell