CLASS NOTES | FALL/WINTER 2025 | 37 at an independent living facility in Lake Bluff, Ill., with a group of new friends. I still get out twice a week for lunch to solve and resolve the world's problems.” I (Wes) had a wonderful conversation with Donald Drack. Interestingly, Don served in the Army for two terms, one before Lehigh and one after. While at Lehigh, he earned a varsity letter in basketball and baseball. After his second Army term, Donald answered an ad in The New York Times. The result was a personnel job in Florida, where he has lived since. During this time, he has traveled to 106 countries for both business and vacations with family. He has children in New York and New Hampshire, where he also has a house. Don reports that having a house in Florida for the winter and New Hampshire in the summer is really the best of both worlds! Donald is in good health and is enjoying the wonders of the Sunshine State. I (Wes) have a vivid memory of my father telling me about his Lehigh days. I fed this info to ChatGPT, which wrote the below for me. Echoes from the Skies: A Red Baron Tale from Lehigh’s Class of 1925 “It was sometime in 1922 or 1923 when students at Lehigh University sat riveted in a classroom, listening to a lecture by a man named ‘Professor Brown.’ Among them was Weston Wardell Sr. ’25. What made this lecture memorable enough to be passed down through generations was a single, bold claim: that Professor Brown had shot down the infamous Red Baron. Wardell’s descendants recently revisited this story, sparking historical curiosity.” My daughter, Linda, and I have delved deep into the historical records (old Epitome yearbooks, Brown and White student newspapers and faculty meeting minutes from the early 1920s), spoken to the great folks at the University Archives, as well as two museums in Canada that center on Capt. Brown’s legacy. “Captain Arthur Roy Brown, born in Ontario in 1893, served in the Royal Air Force during World War I. On April 21, 1918, Brown became internationally known when he was officially credited with shooting down Baron Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron. Richthofen had amassed 80 aerial victories—the most of any pilot in the war—and was a legend in his own time. His scarlet-painted Fokker triplane became an icon of early air combat.” Try as I might, I haven’t been able to verify that Capt. A. Roy Brown ever actually spoke at Lehigh. What we did find was a passing reference in The Brown and White (Vol. 51 no. 28 — 2 February 1944): “‘Warsages’... consisting of ten 10-cent war stamps made up into attractive floral pieces suitable for dates’ shoulders were made up by the Bethlehem Garden Club under the direction of Mrs. Sydney Brown, wife of the former Lehigh University professor who has the distinction of having shot down the famous Baron von Richthofen in the First World War.” Professor Sydney Brown was a decorated RAF ace pilot during the War and a member of the History Department from 1922-1942. Was it this professor Brown who gave the speech my father remembers? Did Capt. A. Roy Brown visit campus or the environs to speak? “The story is one of those fascinating campus legends that blend personal memory with world history,” wrote ChatGPT. “While the documentary trail is faint, the anecdote provides a remarkable intersection between Lehigh and a defining chapter of 20th-century warfare…. Stories like Weston Wardell’s remind us that history often lives not only in books, but in classrooms, conversations, and the memories passed between generations of Mountain Hawks.” Does this story ring true for any of you? Do you have other memories of days gone by that we could dig into? Call Wes at 302-998-7020 to share! Stay tuned for the next chapter in the saga of the pilots Brown. ’52 Bill Erdman, (407) 644-0391; 1171 Willa Vista Trail, Maitland, Fla., 32751 wce96@seeoursite.org; seeoursite.org/lehigh From Bob Reisman’s son Larry ’82: “Every time I see Dad, he says he owes you an email. Today, he was reminiscing about Lehigh and I showed him his page. After reading your comments on how long a white male born in 1930 was expected to live, it led to: ‘What is the expectancy of a 94-year-old today?’ On average, it looks like a little more than three years. Not many days left, so my sister and I try to speak to my parents daily. I trust Dad will browse away in his free time and hopefully email you at some point. He still does the shopping, but I’m not sure he would admit it. He and Toby celebrated 67 years together in 2024. They moved to the Vero Beach area in 1994. Bob’s grandson, my oldest son, Rhett ’16 and his wife, Brielle Gemberling ’19, both graduated from Lehigh. Hang in there— and thank you for what you do for Lehigh!” Bob Hoyt passed June 5 at his retirement home in suburban Philadelphia. There isn’t enough room in this column to do justice to all Bob contributed to Lehigh and our class. He was one of the most faithful news reporters over the past 73 years. The Class of ’52 column will miss his news, commentaries and challenges. Bob’s passing makes it very difficult for me to update the column this month. I do Lehigh’s Class of ’52 column and our website (seeoursite.org/Lehigh) plus my and Kay’s high school websites. It is a traumatic event each time I move an active person from the websites’ active section to the deceased section. Sadness and tears make it difficult to close his or her website chapter. The realization of how meager and incomplete the information about their life achievements and joys I have been able to communicate to you, their friends, is depressing. I cheer myself up by trying to visualize how much joy those that we have lost have given to their loved ones. I pray that I will be able to finish my odyssey as an enabler, not as a grump. Stay safe and loving. ’53 Herb Roemmele, 12133 Plantation Way, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 33418; (732) 796-3013; herbertroemmele@gmail.com On a cloudy and slightly rainy day, five brave members of the Class of 1953 made their way back to Old South Mountain for our 72nd reunion. Our spirits were strong and our love for Lehigh was most evident during the parade and at our evening dinner. No one could have told our reunion story better than Nick Gentile. Hence, I’m using his letter as our main class report. “Herb, Bob, Jack, Warren and Eleanor, “Just wanted to share some thoughts regarding our joining on Saturday. Herb (Roemmele), I am sorry I didn’t get to see you before you had to leave on Saturday night. I feel confident I speak for all of us in saying we were proud to have you speak so eloquently for our class. I wish you had more time to speak with my grandson, who was looking forward to the conversation. My daughter suggested we set up a Zoom meeting so he can pick your brain as to what the stock brokerage business is all about. “Bob (Guilda), seeing you after 72 years was such a treat. I enjoyed listening to your life’s journey and enjoyed meeting your lovely wife, Marge, and your daughter, Susan. Hope you were able to see the Goodman Campus before you left. Let’s keep in touch. “Jack (Platt), seeing you is something I always look forward to. I also was so interested in your business career. I am proud to know you. My best to your lovely wife, Julie, and your daughters, Donna ’93 and Kelly. My son, Mark ’77, always looks forward to seeing you, as you are a significant part of his wrestling world ever since he met you. Take good care of yourself and your family, and I
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