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InspectorThey Were Lost, But Are Now Found


This page profiles class members who have been on the “lost” list for a long time, sometimes since leaving Darrow, but who have recently gotten back in touch or have recently been tracked down. This page also profiles classmates from whom we have not heard for a considerable amount of time. Ned is working hard to find more missing classmates and to update us on those who have reconnected as we build up to our th reunion. Some, but not all, of this information also appears on the Class News Page as well.


 

FOUND: Duane Lehmann

Lehmann

 

 

 

 

Duane was originally in the Class of 1961, but did not graduate and was "put back" to our class on the alumni rolls. He's shown to the left in 1959-60 on drums in the jazz band with his father Walter on clarinet and a bunch of other talented musicians. Duane left school at 18 and enlisted in the Navy. He made a career of it and lived in Hawaii for the better part of 25 years. He was never much of a correspondent and was on our "lost" list most of the time. He had grown up in New Lebanon and when Walt died, Duane returned to take care of his mother, Carolyn, and we were in touch off and on. But then after Carolyn died in 2010, Duane disappeared. The school looked for him but picked up a rumor (from the post office in New Lebanon I think) that Duane was deceased.

 

I never confirmed his death so put him back on the "lost" list and kept trying to find him. A few weeks ago I found an address for his wife, Florence, in Tampa, FL. Eventually I made contact with her and she confirms that Duane is alive and kicking, living with her there.  I spoke with him briefly, and he says "Hello" to everyone.

 

 

 


 

FOUND: Arthur Cummins


Back in May, when I was trying to track down “lost” classmates to invite them to the reunion, I found an attorney in Louisville, KY, Arthur J. Cummins III, who is the son of our classmate Arthur. The elder Arthur was with us just for part of our junior year, and  he went by the nickname “Buzz” back then. His son was kind enough to give me his father’s phone number; I called and left a message. Arthur (our classmate) doesn’t have an e-mail address, but I e-mailed a couple of photos from our yearbook to the son, and he passed them along to his dad.

Arthur didn’t call back in May, but yesterday he did, and we had a nice long conversation. He was very happy to be “found” and thanked me for making the effort to track him down. He had mostly pleasant memories of Darrow (though, as someone raised as a southern gentleman, he recalls being somewhat shocked by the language his roommates used—though he doesn’t remember who he roomed with.) He recalled the beauty of the campus, especially in the fall, a brilliant English teacher who smoked Turkish cigarettes (that would be RLB), playing football for Harry, and the athleticism of Ed McIlvain. He knew that Ed had enlisted in the Special Forces, and was saddened to hear (or have me confirm) that Ed was killed in Vietnam.

Arthur did not come back after junior year; he went back home to Louisville. He said that at that point in his life, he was not comfortable in a boarding school; he missed being at home. Before Darrow, he had been at the Cheshire Academy, in CT; after just a couple of weeks there, he had simply run away, and crashed with his married sister, who lived in downstate NY.  He said his brother-in-law took him under his wing and searched for another school for him, finding him a place at Darrow.

After finishing high school, Arthur attended the University of Louisville, but he didn’t finish a degree. In retrospect, he suspects he had undiagnosed ADHD or another learning disability. We spent most of the conversation filling him in on what Darrow has been through, and he was delighted to hear that it has thrived. I didn’t get any information about Arthur’s career, but he did mention three grown children. He is now 69 and retired. He prefers written correspondence, doesn’t have a computer, doesn’t use e-mail or the internet. If anyoDescription: F:\NED'S PHOTOS\Darrow '62\Classmates\Cummins\scan0003 - Copy.jpgne who knew Arthur 52 years ago wants to send him a letter, let me know and I’ll give you the address. Meanwhile I will correspond with him and pass on any other news I get.

In this cropping from the football team picture in the 1961 yearbook, that’s Arthur at right in the back row.  I imagine he’s changed a bit since then. Perhaps we’ll see him at a future reunion.

 

 

 


 


With the help of an internet “people finder,” Ned has tracked down Bill Hanna, who was a member of our freshman cohort in 1958-59, but left Darrow after that one year and has been on the “lost” list for pretty much the entire time since. Bill’s family moved to California in 1959, and he graduated in 1962 from Newport Beach H.S. After college, he went into the Navy, served a year in Vietnam. Eventually he went into his father’s business, making boating equipment. After more than 30 years, he’s still managing the company, though he’s tapering off and hoping to sell the business. He and his wife live in Laguna Niguel, in Orange County. Their daughter is grown, married an Australian and lives north of Brisbane, which gives them reason to visit Oz, a country Bill says would be his second favorite place to live if he had to choose one. Bill was slightly amazed that Ned found him, but happy to be found. He acknowledges that after 53 years, most of his memories of people he knew at Darrow have faded, although he did ask after Sloan Auchincloss, and was looking forward to exploring the class web site. He was intrigued with the thought of the 50th reunion—said he’s never been to a high school reunion—but he’s planning a trip to Maine in May, and didn’t think he’d be able to make two such trips a month apart. In any case, he’s off the “lost” list and on the e-mail list, so he’ll be able to keep track of class happenings. Welcome back, Bill!

 


 


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We have found John Obrien, listed as “lost” for over 35 years. Ned located his brother in Connecticut, who gave us John’s cell phone number, and a minute later, Ned and John were speaking for the first time since 1959. John was at Darrow just for one year, when we were freshmen. He roomed with Don Walsh and Mike Terry in Neale House, played JV football, hockey and Lacrosse. A brief history of his life in the years after Darrow appears in the class newsletters from 1968 through 1972. When we last heard from John, 40 years ago, he was living in a geodesic dome in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; not long after that, we lost contact with him. Nowadays, his home is a 27-foot sailboat moored in Puget Sound. He still has many vivid memories of Darrow, and spoke with Ned about Mr. Heyniger, his roommates, Pete Loomis, his housemasters (Beaver and Durfee), and playing lacrosse for Horton, which John said was the first time he had real success as an athlete. John is now aware of our reunion, though he’s far away. If any of you who knew John want to contact him, Ned can give you the phone number. 

 

 


 

We may have found “lost” classmate, John Spencer, who was at Darrow for our freshman and sophomore years. John grew up in Claverack and currently owns a small business in Copake, where he is also a town justice. Ned has written to him to try to confirm that he is indeed our classmate and ask if he’d like to get back in touch; in the meantime, here’s a photo and bio that Ned found on the internet:

John Spencer (Republican) for Town Justice.  John is finishing up his first four-year term on the bench and is seeking re-election.  Twenty-one years of service with the NYS Police, along with his current term on the bench, has afforded John the knowledge of the court system.  He stands above reproach in respect for the law and the people he serves.  He has served on the Copake Economic Advisory Board prior to becoming Town Justice and is a member of the West Copake Reformed Church.  John lives in Copake Falls with his wife Joan, and his two daughters, Jessica and Jayme.  He owns Spencer Painting & Wallpapering, LLC and has been in business since 1998.  John says, “It is has been a privilege to serve as your Town Justice and I look forward to continuing my service as Justice.”

Update: Judge Spencer has replied to a note from Ned saying sorry, he's not our John Spencer. We'll keep looking, but John is really, deeply lost.

 


 

Ned has "found" former clasmate Jonathan McCann, who attended Darrow for his sophomore year, and counts a number of '62 members (and others) as good friends. Following is a letter he sent to Ned in response to his inquiries.

I have been meaning to respond to your original email of a week ago, however, current obligations have delayed that response. I did, indeed, attend Darrow School for my sophomore year. In all honesty, I found it to be one of the more depressing places of my past. Part of that was due to the location lacking sunlight, but also due to the strict regulations that were imposed upon the "inmates." I was lucky to find an alternative boarding school which sat at the top of a mountain, was filled with sun, and where the rules and regulations were more suited to my personality.

I enjoyed knowing a number of people at Darrow and have been racking my brain for names and faces. I did room with Damon [and was very sorry to hear that he passed on], David Griswold, and Andy Duvall. Due to some childish pranks played upon Andy, he elected to move to another room and we inherited David Fisher. My friends included Buff Weston, David Hoon, Hagopian, Bill Heiniger, Peter Ruth, David La Rue [I lost touch with him in 2000] and a number of others whose names escape me. Unfortunately, I have reached an age where names and faces from all the schools get mixed up. I attended five colleges including one in Mexico. It has been a colorful scholastic career, and I don't believe I would have done it differently.

Upon moving to New York City in 1965, I graduated from NYU and immediately went into the business of theatrical production which was fascinating but not lucrative. The mercenary in me took charge and I embarked upon a successful career in real estate. In 1995, my creative juices roared and I began to train and compete Dressage horses full time. I retired two years ago and accepted the offer to become President of the Southampton Animal Shelter. It had been a municipal shelter until that time. The town ran out of money and threatened to close the shelter. We were able to privatize it in January, 2010 and have increased the adoption rate of homeless animals by 43%. Our expenses continue to escalate so one of my primary goals has been to raise money. The learning curve has been tremendous. Nevertheless, we are on the way to becoming one of the best shelters in the country.

I send my best wishes to all the friendly folk from Darrow. The weekend you have chosen for the reunion is when one of our many fundraisers will take place. I will be unable to attend the affair in New Lebanon. Yesterday, I was speaking to my best friend about Darrow. He attended our rival school, Berkshire, the same year I was at Darrow and also left the area after our sophomore year. After all, it is a small world!

Ned, thank you for reaching out to me. A walk down memory lane is always a treat.

Best Regards,
Jonathan


 

Chuck Arundale has been found through the inquiries of Howdy Davis. He has lived in New Jersey, Cape Cod (Massachusetts), Houston, Galveston, Arkansas, and is finally settled in Phoenix. Chuck is married, and has 6 Children and 10 Grandchildren. He has been in the home repair/remodeling business his whole life. In his down time, he loves traveling with his wife, playing golf, working in his shop, and spending lots of time with his large family. As Chuck fills us in with more about his life since Darrow, we will be sure to get it on the Web site.

 


 

Michael (H.) Terry got reconnected with the class a few months before our 45th reunion (see below on this page), and came to the reunion. He had a great time, and we enjoyed seeing him and catching up on his life story. For those who may have missed the reunion or parts of the story, here are some highlights.

Software: Microsoft OfficeAfter Darrow, Mike attended Tulane, but he dropped out during his sophomore year (he said something about living off-campus with a girlfriend who danced on Bourbon Street, and being distracted from his studies.) With His college career derailed, Mike spent some time in California, earned some money, then made his avocation his vocation and began working as a horse trainer and jockey. This led to a nomadic existence, and over the next 20 years or so he lived in Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island, as well as Ireland, Spain and several other European countries, and South America. Eventually he ended up in Florida, where he has been for about 25 years.

Software: Microsoft OfficeAlong the way, Mike had two children: His son, Sean, is now 30, living in Germany, where he is an electronics technician at rock concerts and political events. His daughter, Heather, is 28, has degrees in Chemical Engineering from Penn State and Johns Hopkins, and works for Norwich Pharmaceutical up in Connecticut. Their mother, Katy (to whom Mike was never married, though they had a long-term relationship), died when the kids were 3 and 1. Mike subsequently did marry, Ann, a horsewoman from Middleburg, VA, who had two kids by a previous marriage, and they raised Mike’s two as well. They lived in Providence and both worked in the racing business, keeping them together 24/7, which stressed the marriage. They separated after seven years, but never divorced, and remained good friends, until her death about 10 years ago.

In the past few years, Mike’s body has been breaking down, a consequence of his having been thrown off of and trampled by dozens of horses, and also the long term effects of a life in which drinking and drug use played no small roles. Mike is sober now, and gives talks to teenagers who think they are immortal. But in recent years he has had two heart attacks, had a tumor removed from his colon, had a hip replaced, suffered the long-term neurological effects of nine skull fractures. The hip replacement ended his riding career; he is now officially disabled, and was forced to retire. He lived in the Fort Lauderdale area for many years but has moved to the Gulf Coast, about 90 miles north of Tampa, where he lives “out in the sticks” with three dogs and a companion (in case he needs medical assistance). Mike seems fatalistic, says he’s had a good life, made some choices that didn’t serve him well but can’t change the past, and he’s ready for whatever comes next. He was determined to get back in touch with his classmates, and hopes to make it back again in five years.

Mike spoke during the Alumni Meeting on Saturday at reunions, saying he was thrown out of four schools before Darrow and Mr. Heyniger took him in, and he asked whether Darrow still takes kids who need “a last chance.” The answer was, not as many now as then, they think of the place as a “fresh start” school more than as a “last chance” school. Mike told us he almost got thrown out of Darrow, too. After Mr. Heyniger died, Mike was less enthusiastic about his schoolwork, and he often used to sneak off campus. He had a girlfriend in Pittsfield, and he was friendly with some trainers at Berkshire Downs, who would let him come by around dawn and give some of their horses an early morning workout. One day in May of 1962, Mike took an extra horse around the track and missed his ride back to New Lebanon. So he had to hitchhike back, got back after the day had begun, and got caught trying to sneak back in. He found himself sitting in John Joline’s office later that morning, certain that he was going to be thrown out, two weeks before graduation. His parents arrived, and they conferred, then Mike was asked to wait outside while his father, “The General” as Mike called him (he was a military man), and John Joline talked some more. A deal was struck; Mike could remain in school and get his diploma, but he was not allowed to participate in commencement (they mailed it to him). To this day, Mike has no idea what his father did or said to John Joline that kept him from being thrown out. He hoped to see John at this reunion and clear up the mystery, but John and Margie didn’t make it this year.

Update: We are all saddened at Mike's passing in April of 2012.


 

On Super Bowl weekend, Ned caught up with John Ho. Although Ned no longer had a valid phone number or e-mail for John and had to track him down by calling his family members, John denied that he was “lost;” “I knew where I was,” quipped Dr. Ho. In fact, he and Xiao-Yung have moved—about three streets over—but are still living in Bayside, Queens. John’s stepdaughter, Xiao-Yun, came here four years ago and is living with them now.  Xiao-Yun is 17 and is beginning to focus on colleges, hoping to get into the honors program at SUNY, perhaps at Stony Brook, Geneseo or Binghamton. John still works as a clinical psychologist, although his patient population has evolved. A few years ago he began work at a nursing home in Queens where the patients are mostly elderly Chinese-speakers. (John speaks three dialects of Chinese). He now works at four similar facilities in NYC. It turns out he is one of just two psychologists who speak Chinese in the NYC system, and there is plenty of demand for his services. He finds working with the elderly “developmentally appropriate” for his stage (and ours) of life. John’s father still lives in Riverdale, in the Bronx, and John says that Tom Bird’s house is just down the street from his parents’ apartment. John has knocked on Tom’s door a few times when he’s been there to visit his father, but has not yet found Tom at home. John is planning to attend our 45th reunion and looks forward to seeing Tom—and the rest of us—there.

 


 

On Monday, Mike Terry called back in response to a message left earlier. Ned found Mike through contact with his brother Jim, who lives in Maryland. Mike is still living in Florida but has moved to Yankeetown, on the Gulf Coast, north of Tampa. He is retired, basically disabled, after years of being banged up by horses. Mike now owns a number of dogs, but is finished with horses. But he says it was a good life. When he was young, after a short time at Tulane, Mike went to Europe, and working with horses, lived in Ireland, then England, France and Italy, both riding and training. He moved on to South America and spent several years there, seeing various countries. The nomadic lifestyle had much that was appealing, but eventually Mike settled in Florida, where he’s been for 20 years or so. He reports he’s had 27 broken bones, two heart attacks, and two bouts with cancer, but he’s feeling fine right now. He (like Chuck) admits to being computer illiterate, but says he’s supposed to be taking a course later this month to learn how to use a computer, and I gave him our web site address. Eventually we may add him to our e-mail list. Mike says he is definitely coming to our 45th reunion; he just figures it’s time he made it to one. He was grateful to be tracked down and is looking forward to seeing us all again, after 45 years.

 


 

Peter Golden called me the day after I’d spoken with his wife, Tina. He was delighted to hear from me and remembered his year at Darrow vividly. He described it as having been a constructive, influential year in his life, and a different experience for him. He said he had not encountered racism (the way the kitchen staff were treated) or anti-Semitism (he described a virulent encounter with Owen Kelly on the soccer field) until Darrow. Peter still remembers many of the vividly-etched personalities he met there. Some of those he mentioned included Gerry McGee, Terry Haig, Peter May, Larry Walsh, Bucky Wood, Peter Gorday, Ron Emery, Larz Anderson, Dick Nunley and of course, Lamb Heyniger. Peter said he left Darrow with a sense of academic failure, but eventually found his own solid footing. He finished up at Brookline High, went to BU (where he says, he majored in debauchery), studied theater, and initially went to work in that field, but discovered it was the wrong choice for him. He next tried journalism, was managing editor of Fusion, a magazine that competed with Rolling Stone but lost the competition and folded (more’s the pity, given where Jan Wenner ended up). He then worked as a newspaper reporter for a while, covered the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, the barricades in Paris that spring, and Woodstock; says he has some fantastic photos of those years. Next he taught high school English in Boston during the desegregation era (1971-80), eventually found that life too dangerous—not the students, or the anti-busing protesters, but a cracked-out parent whose car hit and nearly killed Peter while he was riding his bike to school. Once he had recovered,  he went to New York and worked in the computer industry, where he organized trade fairs, held a management position, eventually got into marketing, which led, at last, to his true calling. Since 1984 he’s run his own advertising/PR firm, Golden PR (see the web site, www.goldenpr.com for an overview. You can also see several of his photos from the 1960's at http://www.goldenpr.com/Portfolio/photographyservices.html) He eventually found a way to make it profitable and is still doing it, not ready to retire yet. He says he works on a lot of public-service, technology, environmental and similar issues for a wide variety of clients.

We talked for a long time, and it was as if he hadn’t been “lost” for most of the past 47 years, like we’d actually seen each other not long ago. Peter has seen Frank Phillips, has had lunch with him now and then, and he mentioned Bart Soutendijk (who got his degree from BU in 1966, and I gather Peter knew him there and has kept in touch.) We talked about more people than I’ve listed here, and Peter says he—and I hope Tina, whom he said several times is the best part of his life story—definitely is planning to come to our reunion. From my initial encounter it should be great fun catching up with him! If any of you prefer to re-connect before June, you can reach Peter at his office e-mail address, pg@goldenpr.com.

For a recent picture of Peter, go to the Class News Page.

 


 

One classmate who will not be able to make the reunion is Dick McElroy. Dick retired after a career in the Navy and now works as a consultant, and is stationed on an island in the Indian Ocean, where he spends 11 months out of each year. I spoke with his mother a while ago, got that basic information, and was told that letters take 12 days (each way) to reach Dick. She suggested e-mail would be faster, but not having a computer herself, she couldn’t give me his e-mail address. But she passed me on to Dick’s brother Jeff, whom most of us remember as a junior at Darrow, our senior year. Jeff lives in Danville, CA, and is also retired. When I called, he was out, teaching a martial-arts class, according to his wife, Marsha, who was delighted to hear of our reunion and interest in finding Dick. She said their granddaughter (!), a ninth-grader this year, has applied to Darrow, though they don’t know yet whether she’ll get in or choose to go there. Marsha said that Dick will not be in the country in June, but she’ll pass on my message, my e-mail address and our class website address to Dick via e-mail, and I’m hoping to hear back from him soon.

 


 

Duane Lehmann (originally ‘61, but listed as ’62 by the school) is living in New Lebanon, NY, and will be around for our reunion in June. Duane went into the Navy after Darrow and made a career of it. He spent four years on a destroyer (see Links) and was stationed in Hawaii. After he retired from the Navy, he stayed on in Hawaii and worked as a manager for a number of condominium complexes—an arrangement that provided him with a place to live as well as work he enjoyed. Eventually, he moved back to the mainland and for a while managed a condo complex in the Chestnut Hill section of Boston. He has been back in the Berkshires now for several years, and after his father, Walt, passed away (about three years ago), Duane moved in with his mother. He is still working part time, at a Mall in Pittsfield. Reports he remains healthy and active. Duane is not married at the moment, but has a daughter from a previous marriage, who has two children, so he’s a grandfather. They live in England and visit once a year. Duane says he’s lost touch with everyone he knew at Darrow and is looking forward to the reunion and re-connecting with some old friends. He doesn’t have an e-mail address (neither he nor his mother own a computer) but we can reach him by phone and snail mail.

 


 

Gib and Margau Manchester sold their house on Key West (one hurricane season was enough), and have bought a home in Salem, Ohio. They also have a summer home on Mt. Desert Island, in Maine. Salem is a small town not too far from Youngstown, where Gib grew up and lived for so long, and is near most of their grandchildren – Gib has nine, and Margau one, so far.  Gib’s oldest child, Curt, is a lawyer in Richmond VA, who has two children and a third on the way. His middle child, Byron, is an architect in Ohio and has two girls, while his youngest, Laura, is married to an orthopedist, lives in Chagrin Falls, OH and has four children—three boys and a girl. Gib is enjoying retirement, taking piano lessons (Carl Sharpe, watch out!). Margau is still painting like crazy, gib says, although she is currently not affiliated with a gallery.  When I spoke with Gib, they were packing up for their trip back to Ohio, where they are still repainting and furnishing their house in Salem. Gib says Mt. Desert Island is still so remote that they are stuck with dial-up, so he doesn’t use e-mail or the internet much. But we now have an e-mail address for him in Ohio (gilbertmanchester@sbcglobal.net), and it should work starting in a week or two. After moving five times in as many years, Gib and Margau hope to be in Salem for a while. Their new home address is 566 South Lincoln Ave., Salem, OH 44460, phone 330-337-6043; cell phone 330-402-5595. Gib says they are definitely coming to the 45th reunion!

 


 

Joe MacLaren, and his wife and kids, live in Mancus, CO, near Durango. Wids Delacour ’60 gave Ned contact information at a Darrow gathering in NYC earlier this year, and Ned is hot on the trail. Look for expanded news soon.

 


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