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Alumni Class Notes
1945
Theodore Madfis ’45 wrote: “Just celebrated my 96th birthday.” Congratulations from all of us!
1956
Paul “Lefty” Wennik ’56 has served Beyond Soccer in Lawrence, Mass., for the past 12 years as leader and chief fundraiser. The organization provides healthful athletic, nutrition, and academic training to low-income children in Lawrence, who are able to attend Beyond Soccer’s summer camp at a special affordable price, thanks to the generosity of a great many foundations and private donors.
1958
Bob Soltz ’58 and Bob Ravich ’58 made their own reunion on July 20, 2023, when they met with their wives for dinner at the Legal Seafood restaurant in Peabody, Mass. They write: “Even with email contact every now and then, the actual meeting 65 years after graduating from Lawrence dominated the dinner conversation. We enjoyed fond memories of past instructors, fellow students, and campus experiences. Thank you, Lawrence, for giving us the opportunity to learn and value our years at the Academy and for creating our friendship. Lawrence, here’s to thee ...”
1965
Andy Durham ’65 writes: “After retiring from 50 years of coaching tennis, and wanting to give back to the tennis community, I developed an app for tennis parents, players, and coaches called RacketStats. A common theme of tennis players is a lack of understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, due to the lack of simple analytics. Other sports have access to apps that quantify level and ability and can track incremental improvement, allowing the athlete to absorb much of the responsibility for their growth; not tennis. Our free version is specifically designed for families worldwide that do not have access to professional help in hopes that it will assist parents in guiding their children through this tough sport. Used by beginners, tournament, college, and ITF players and coaches, it is available for IOS and Android smartphones worldwide. And in partnership with MatchTennisApp and CrossCourtConsulting, we are reaching over 50,000 tennis families to make a difference.”
1970
Tony Andresen ’70 and varsity cross-country captain 1969, reports that there’s still some gas left in the tank. This past June he tackled (and completed) the Garmin UNBOUND Gravel 100-mile cycling race in the Flint Hills of Kansas. UNBOUND Gravel, known as the “World’s Premier Gravel Grinder,” is the top gravel endurance cycling race in the world. The Flint Hills ecoregion is designated a distinct region because it is the densest coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America and represents the last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie in the nation. “I’ve really got to credit all those afternoons at Lawrence for instilling in me a life-long need to get outdoors and exercise.” Coming up in August is another classic, the 79-mile Copper Triangle ride in Colorado that crests three Colorado mountain passes with climbs over 10,000 feet and a total elevation gain of 6,500 feet. No sweat!
From Bill Curry ’73: “I have just published a book about fly fishing and conservation titled Tight Lines. Centered mainly in Nova Scotia, where my dad’s family is from and where we moved and I had to leave to go to Lawrence Academy, the book looks at how things like acid rain and climate change are impacting brook trout, and takes the reader, in journal form, from my beginnings as an angler in the late 1950s and early 1960s to today, ending with a look at my hopes for the future of our planet as I contemplate life for my grandson. The book is available at many bookstores and at online sites like the publishers, Moose House Publication, or from booksellers like Barnes and Noble. It contains many full-color images, which support what I am doing professionally: I am a conservation photographer and writer, living in Port Maitland, Nova Scotia, at the province’s southern end.
“I missed the 50th reunion for the Class of 1973 because that was the date of the book launch!”
Barbara (Pallian) Peacock ’73 will be heading to Heidelberg, Germany, in September for the printing of her book American Bedroom, an anthropological study of human nature that will have 90 color photographs of people in their bedrooms across the country. It took Barbara seven years of travel to photograph in every state. Once, in Atlanta, she photographed a woman (Lucinda Bunnen) and found out years later that she was the mother of a classmate from Lawrence, Rob Bunnen! The book is available directly from Barbara at www.americanbedroomseries.com
1974
Richard Johnson ’74 writes, “Our family greeted our first grandchild, Miriam, born this April. I also co-authored the Boston Bruins’ official centennial history, Blood, Sweat, and 100 Years, slated for publication this November. Hosted a winter dinner with cross-country teammates Gregory Halsey (Cope), Eric Reisman, Tom Fahey, Tony Sampas, and Tom Warner’s brother, Patrick ’80. Looking forward to seeing my classmates at next year’s 50th reunion.”
1975
Eric “Harry” Reisman ’75 sends “greetings from Saba (the Hebrew word for Grandpa).” He continues: “I have two beautiful granddaughters, ages three and 21 months. They have been great fun, especially in my retirement. I retired two years ago, after a 34-year career as a high school special educator. I have spent the past six years writing a book about my father’s group of friends that grew up together in the Bronx in the 1930s and ’40s. They started when they were 10 years old as an athletic club playing stickball and remained friends until their dying days. I’m hoping to publish it before the end of the year. The tentative title is The Trojan Brothers from the Bronx! A Lifetime of Friendship. You’ll know when it comes out because I’ll be screaming from the rooftops!”
