By Gregory A. Weiss
Let’s start with the bad news. Stan Hegg, doing what he loved and did so well, died in a tragic ski accident in British Columbia on March 21. Stan was a regular and avid participant in our class’s annual Winterfests, one of the best two or three skiers among us. Stan graduated from Harvard Med School and then did his surgical training at Stanford and practiced as a plastic reconstructive surgeon in the Bay area. What initially drew him to plastic surgery was a program at Stanford called Interplast, now known as ReSurge International, that provides free reconstructive surgeries in developing countries. Stan performed hundreds of cleft lip– and palate-repair surgeries for impoverished children in Latin America and the South Pacific. In attendance at his memorial service were several ’66ers: Cam Smith, John Holderness, Ted Elliott, Dave Whitridge, Terry Young, and Jeff (and Diana) Hill. Among those surviving Stan are his wife, Laurie Karzen, and his son and daughter.
Another loss was Jim Hedlund, on February 23 in Aiken, South Carolina. We remember Jim at Yale for the tremendous job he did running our junior prom, booking Duke Ellington and, just prior to the release of their first three #1 hits, Diana Ross and the Supremes. After Yale he studied at Wharton and then headed for Washington, DC, where he first worked for the Department of HUD. He then went to the White House as deputy director of the Council on Wage and Price Stability and also served as a speechwriter for President Ford. Next were four years on the Hill as the Republican staff director of the House Budget Committee. After his federal government service he led an industry association for small, independent television stations. In 2002 he retired from the public sector and moved to Aiken, where, among other things, he founded a successful construction company. Jim is survived by his wife, Carolyn Lee Hedlund, his son, Steve, and two granddaughters.
Sam Townsend died on April 15, a victim of cancer, in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Sam returned to Connecticut six years ago after running his own successful software consulting business for more than 30 years in northern Virginia. His Yale degree was in electrical engineering, and he went on to earn an MBA from BU. He enjoyed sailing, playing the piano, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. He loved listening to rock & roll music, learning new computer programs, and playing with his dogs. He is survived by two daughters and two grandchildren.
Now for some good news: our annual class dinner was held at the Yale Club in New York City on April 30. By all accounts it was a roaring success. Over 80 classmates and guests were in attendance. Everyone had a great time “catching up” and being entertained by our own, still vibrant Whiffs of ’66 along with some newly recruited members. Kudos and thanks to Whiff of ’66 Mark Greene for organizing the Whiffs’ attendance from near and far and to Damon Bakerwhose class anthem “Our Time, Our Yale,” performed by classmate Terry Mullin, was another highlight of the evening. Fred Berg and Tom Opladen, once again, did a terrific job as the dinner organizers.
A recent issue of the NY Times announced the wedding in Napa Valley of Will Taft’s daughter, Maria, to a former Stanford MBA classmate, Todd Swanson. Butch Hubbard announced his retirement: “Am retired from my Broadway and London theater-producing life and living back in my childhood town of Lake Forest, Illinois. It’s a very relaxing, satisfying life amongst family and old friends, highlighted by interesting travel whenever possible.” One guy who is still going strong is Bud Marschner, who recently announced that, after 30 years practicing law in NYC with the Fox Horan & Camerini firm, he is moving his heavily international practice to the NYC office of the Florida-based firm, Carlton Fields.
And, finally, as the swallows return to Capistrano the Yalies return to New Haven. Waring Partridge recently bought a home in New Haven and will be moving there by the end of the summer with his wife, Carmen, and brood of three young Partridges. Our understanding is that the house has plenty of room for visiting classmates!