50th Reunion

I suppose I am now much in the minority amongst us in that continue my business career as an analyst/stockbroker at Herzog Heine Geduld, Inc., while most of you have shown the good sense to put your feet up, gather the golf clubs, tennis racquets or boats and live the good life. However, with modern communications provided by Herzog I seem to be able to live the best of both worlds, helped in particular by my informal partnership with my associate of over 30 years, Jim Kreines, who lives 20 minutes from the firm's NYC Office and takes care of all the internal problems of our business.

Our Esopus, NY farm covers 110 acres and we still have - 5 horses, 6 dogs & 13 cats. We still WO R K. My relaxation time is more split between attending to the animals and in summer riding about mowing with one of our tractors, or in winter plowing snow with our Jeep truck or blowing it with the big John Deere snow thrower behind the 75horse, our biggest tractor. At least I have found a young farmer who lives nearby who rents our orchards which freed me from pruning, spraying, picking fruit, etc., as well as dealing with the steadily worsening labor and pesticide regulations, selling the fruit (usually at a loss), and similar aggravations.

Robert Pease
Barbara is more involved than ever in local politics since she has been a Town Councilman in Esopus for almost three of her four year term (and apparently looks to run again) as well as Town Recycling Educator, plus many other Ulster County involvements. She seems to average about 6 or 7 lengthy meetings per week so our problem is never one of boredom or too much leisure time. Daughter Jenny recently suggested that as gift for our forthcoming 30th Wedding Anniversary she'd take over the property during her holiday so that we could take off, but Barbara said, "Just come up here for a few days and we'll go out to dinner a lot since where else are things any nicer? If we go away, we're either in public rooms or in our bedroom." We rent the Cottage; the newest tenant loves animals with three dogs of her own so she plans to look after all of ours when we go on my annual biz trip to Europe (providing she can learn to drive the stick shift truck for getting water, hay and feed to the horses! She's an artist, very nice, but having a tough time finding her way around Ulster County.)

Children: Daughter Ann (38) is a traditional homemaker with two athletic sons and one bouncy daughter. Her husband Rich (they were classmates at Drew Univ.) will be playing shortstop for the New Jersey "over-30" All-Stars in Cooperstown, NY the weekend of August 6th. Son Sandy (34) has one son Alex and runs a gourmet-to-go/catering business named Culinary Experience in Upper Montclair, NJ. Son Ian (28) and Debbie (Hartwick '88 classmates) have an almost three year old daughter and twins due in August. Ian just in the last few days resigned from his girl's soccer and men's lacrosse coaching positions at Hartwick to become a member of the Tabor Academy English Dept where he will also coach soccer and lacrosse (and knowing Ian probably something else in winter as we- perhaps wrestling). Barbara is overjoyed that he'll be using his brain as well as his muscles and probably do a great job guiding young people as he was doing in Virginia at a lesser prep school just out of Hartwick. He won't have to recruit new athletes, so they ought to have far better family life in Marion, MA. Daughter Ja, (26) (Hartwick '90) is Curator for the Rye, NT Historical Society, lives in Rye Brook.

Amherst: College, even though much disrupted from normal by our wartime situations, was a great experience and certainly a broadening one. The many friendships that have weathered these 50-plus years a tribute to the fine group of people the College attracted and still does. My loyalties have, with time, spread as is obvious from the foregoing paragraph still enjoy putting on the white Beer Jacket with Amherst emblem on the pocket that I wore long ago when we Phi Garms went down to Barsi's!! The years been remarkably kind in that I am still able to wear and still enjoy a cooling draught, a very dry Martini and the many other pleasure of life. See you all soon!

Robert Pease
Living alone, now - most of the time - in a two-level condo. Playing tennis with other old geezers every day that weather permits. Funny thing, though. They've played all their lives and peaked long ago. I only started five years back and am still getting better. Fun. The big news - my novel O.U.I (Operating Under the Influence) went through a first printing and is about to exhaust the second. A second novel, DEAD AHEAD, is selling well. A book of poetry, WHEN BLOSSOMS OPENED IN THE SUN, has high praise from "Randy Williams", former Editor-in-Chief at Little, Brown, and a collection for youngsters (ages 3 to 83) titled CHILDREN ONLY, is launched and sailing away. INVISIBLE BOUNDS, a collection of short stories, will be next. Much more to follow.

My son Arthur is Executive Editor of the Siemens Review, in Munich. Son Adam is with NASA on the west coast. Daughter Susan lives in Amherst now.

When I was young
the seasons turned
so agonizing slow
that days alone
seemed tears which now
like minutes come and go.