Bernie Oppel wrote to me about this back in August, 2023 and it somehow got lost.
“Kudos to Ed Watters for his description in the Summer 2022 Alumni Bulletin of his earlier stay on Ile de Re, France. It was an outstanding location and the Ile de Re tourist people should give Ed some perks for steering Americans to this hidden gem”.
Based on Ed’s inviting account, Bernie and partner Marilyn (now living in Fairfax, VA) spent a wonderful week there in July 2023 at the Le Clos Saint Martin Hotel and Spa. The quaint towns, beaches, shops, and restaurants were truly outstanding, and they highly recommend Ile de Re as a charming, out-of-the-way place to enjoy a refreshing and peaceful vacation.
Dick Von Soosten spent 14 years after graduation with PW in Manhattan and resigned as a Partner in 1976. He then worked for an international venture capital firm owned by Clint Murchison, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. There he met two guys and formed a small leveraged buy-out firm. One of those two was Charlie Grace, grandson of Eugene Grace. They had some successes and failures doing leveraged buyouts of plastic processing companies, then Dick founded a corporate turnaround consulting firm and for the next 30 years his specialty was turnaround consulting.
He helped found the Association of Certified Turnaround Professionals. One of his clients was the largest grower of Vidalia onions in Georgia. He successfully reorganized that farm through a bankruptcy proceeding and that led to a love affair with farming. Saving produce farms has been his occupation for over 20 years.
During this time, he pursued his passion, ice hockey. Dick played one season for the Lehigh Hockey Club and after graduation, he pursued hockey with a vengeance, playing hockey five days a week. He was asked to join an Old Timers team of four Canadian brothers, assorted cousins, three or four Swedes and a German. They played in Old Timers Tournaments in Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Canada.
Dick is now retired and, with his wife Cheryl, has lived in Florida for the past 20 years. They recently moved from Palm Coast to Jacksonville.
They have travelled extensively for business but mainly for pleasure. Their favorite destination is Europe and they’ve been to Western European countries many times. Their favorites are Switzerland, France, Italy and Ireland.
They have three grandchildren, none of whom graduated from Lehigh. Despite that, they are all doing very well in their careers.
Norm Reinik writes that since retiring from construction and real estate, he tries not to think about being old by doing things for himself like home repairs, lawn care, cutting firewood, replacing rotted wood retaining walls with rock in his back yard – and lots of golf – anything to remain vertical. Occasionally, reality sets in, like seeing our class column slip closer to the front of the “Class Notes” in the Bulletin. Another reality check: in 1980 he was elected to the first City Council of the newly incorporated City of Big Bear Lake, CA (served for 11 years, Mayor in 1988). He recently became the last survivor of that first Council.
Norm and wife Linda, after years of work, lots of community service, a dozen trips to Europe, etc., now find pleasure in the simpler aspects of life: things like staying home (which they had to do during the pandemic), enjoying the four seasons they have at 6700 foot elevation in Southern California, playing with their long-haired dachshund, enjoying the beauty of the backyard they’ve created in those always-alluring mountains where they live, and, most of all, doing things together!
Brian Bauknight and wife Elaine celebrated 64 years of marriage on August 24, 2024. Besides their three children and nine grandchildren, they are now blessed with ten great-grandchildren. That last group are in southern Virginia and San Diego, all age eight and younger in 2024.
They recently moved into a senior living community in the same township where Brian grew up: Mt. Lebanon, PA in the south hills of Pittsburgh. They are very pleased with the independent living arrangements there. He is involved in some senior exercise classes and a bit of volunteer service.
In May, Brian published a book entitled Progressive Post-Modern Ponderings: Reflections from a Maturing Faith. The book reflects upon his growing insights from 42 years as a United Methodist pastor and retired elder. The book is available in print or electronic download from Amazon.
He says his alumni ties with Lehigh are minimal, but appreciative.