By Gregory A. Weiss
In a long note Rick Hart reports: “I recently retired after nearly 40 years in cardiology practice and now find myself busier than ever coaching kid’s basketball, working on projects for the homeless, traveling, and keeping in shape. I am an ‘old dad,’ with sons 23 (a photographer) and 18 (an NYU freshman).” Eric Gordon writes: “I retired at 66 from my position as director of the Southern California Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring and devoted a couple of years to writing and yoga. I completed an autobiography, not published yet, and translated a book of stories from Portuguese (which I learned at Yale) that has been issued by Blue Thread Communications. This year I started as a volunteer marrying about 25 couples per month as a Los Angeles County deputy commissioner of civil marriages. That gives me great joy. I was also invited to come out of retirement. I am now working half time from home as an editor and writer for the online newspaper People’s World, successor to the Daily Worker and the People’s Daily World. If you go to peoplesworld.org and search for my name you’ll find a ton of my articles. If at our 50th we do another session of ‘The Road Less Taken,’ I’d be happy to make a short presentation on the topic of my autobiography, How I Became a Communist.”
We learned recently that Walter Brunner died back in January of 2011. We have no information about him except that he moved around quite a bit, having lived in Miami, Chicago, the Virgin Islands, and, most recently, New York City. Bob Hemphill has released a book on his international travels building a multi-billion-dollar electric power generating company. “It is interesting and fun,” says Tim Wollaeger. As Bob puts it: “After a lot of effort, a lot of advice and help from a number of people, and a fair amount of ‘waiting around’ time, the book, Dust Tea, Dingoes and Dragons, Adventures in Culture, Cuisine and Commerce from a Globe-trekking Executive, is finally available on Amazon. And more important, it’s available to be reviewed.”