N O T E S LEHIGH DISPATCH Editor’s note: Welcome to Lehigh Dispatch, where you can fnd out what your fellow alums are up to. Thanks to our dedicated correspondents for the work you do to keep our extended Lehigh community together. Please send Class Notes to your class correspondent, or, if unsure of the class to which the news applies, send to classnotes@lehigh.edu. ’51Dick Allen, 15010 Shell Point Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33908. (239) 243-0969 (H); dickelise2@gmail.com A reunion is defned as “an instance of two or more people coming together after a period of separation.” By that defnition, we, the Class of ’51, did not have a reunion this year—as I was the only ’51er to attend. Considering our advanced ages, the COVID situation and air travel difculties, staying home was wise, and I applaud you all for doing so. That said, the larger event was a grand afair. Later classes were well represented. The festivities opened with the Thursday night Alumni Awards banquet held in the Iacocca building on the Mountaintop Campus. Award recipients were invited to the stage one by one, as their names were called, while their graduation pictures were projected on a large screen. Midway, some imaginative wag stopped while crossing the stage, turned and took a picture of his youthful image to loud laughter. Group pictures were taken later. Friday night, there was an all-classes bash in a large tent set up next to the STEPS Building of former New Street. A Lehigh swing band played as food and drink were served. People gathered at tables or wandered around greeting old friends. It was an outstanding event. Saturday morning, the parade was held, with the procession marching across the lower campus fromWilliams Hall to the Alumni Memorial Building. The band led of playing traditional Lehigh marches. Next came yours truly, marching along holding a 1951 sign and wearing an “Undefeated” jersey with all our scores displayed on the back. I tried to keep cadence with the band. Next came golf carts of ’52ers and then all the rest. Afterward, I got to meet our fne editor, Jessi McMullan ’05. Our picture appears in the Celebrations section. A picnic on the lawn followed. The fnal event for me was the Saturday night class dinner. Thirty-plus members of the classes from the 1950s were gathered at tables in a large room in the ClaytonUniversity Center, known to us as Packer Hall. ’52Bill Erdman, (407) 644-0391; 1171 Willa Vista Trail, Maitland, Fla., 32751 wce96@seeoursite.org; seeoursite.org/lehigh Hal Wissmann wrote, “I worked 33 years at GE and Honeywell. I retired in 1985 as computer systems test manager fromHoneywell in Phoenix. Retired and joined wife’s real estate company. We both retired in 1998. Spent several years RVing, boating and fshing. Sadly, Charlotte passed away in April 2022, after 65-plus years. Now living at our mini-ranch in North Scottsdale. Age-related vision problems limiting activities.” Bob Arndt was my eyes and ears at our reunion and gave this report: “Four* of us from the Class of ’52 attended—Dick Schmidt, Ralph Fortney, Wally Field, and I. Stephanie Fisher, of the Lehigh staf, helped to organize us, making our theme sign and providing golf carts to rest our 90-year-old legs. We were the frst class in the parade, and as we passed the reviewing stand, we tried to sing the Alma Mater. We were the best-looking class, but we were not rewarded for our handsomeness or our musical eforts. Dick said, ‘We’ll just have to try again at our 75th.’ “Lunch at PackardLab featured tasty food and good conversation. Ralph and I went to hear President JosephHelble’s ’82 comments on the State of the University. Dick said, ‘The Lehigh campus looks beautiful, the best I’ve ever seen it. Lehigh buildings and grounds are to be commended.’ Ralph enjoyed the Bethlehem City bus tour. The dinner was held in theUniversityCenter, andwhile sipping our pre-dinner drinks, President Helble joined us.Wewere also joined byDick Allen ’51 andBill Burgin ’56. I don’t know if wewill have a 75th class reunion, but if we do, Dick and I are going to give it a try. Hope youwill join us.” Editor’s note #1: From the information above and below, *fve (Arndt, Field, Fortney, Hoyt, Schmidt) ’52 classmates attended our 70th reunion. Editor’s note #2: Bob Arndt also included three pictures that can be viewed on our website. Bob Hoyt wrote, “I was the ffth* member of the class attending but was late for the parade. I was standing at the ’52 post awaiting a go-cart, which never came. I heard the announcer proclaim “The Class of ’52,” but I wasn’t there. I missed a lot. “However, here is some personal information: I moved to Dunwoody Retirement Community in Newtown Square, Pa. I’m going to my condo in Nantucket this summer. I have all of my original joints, no hearing aids, walk unaided and can drive my car. Four of my six children live nearby, as do my 16 grandchildren and my four greats. Not bad for an old guy!” Dick Schmidt also wrote, “Carolyn and I went to all the major reunion activities. We are glad we made the long trip fromArizona. We were with son Curt ’75, and a granddaughter, Alivia ’16, fromMaine. Curt received the Alumni Award on Thursday, same as I received in 2017. We are going to Maine for a grandson’s wedding. We may be getting too old for all this traveling, but what the hell! We moved into a retirement facility recently. They feed us, clean up after us and provide many activities. I stopped working, part time, 18 months ago—arthritis and back problems. We should start planning for our next reunion in 2027. And Hoyt, try to be there on time.” I received the Alumni Award for service to the Class of ’52 this year. Thank you to those who were responsible for selecting me for this honor. ’53Herb Roemmele, herbertroem mele@gmail.com, 732-796-3013 Your class correspondent is thinking ahead to our 70th reunion. Mark the date of June 8-11, 2023. We fully expect to make history by smashing all attendance records for a 70th reunion. Our president, Joe Workman, and his fellowBethlehemclassmates are working FA L L 2 0 2 2 | 4 3
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