Where were we before I was so rudely interrupted by the summer break? Well, one of the events which I could not report on was the mini-reunion held last May in Washington. Not only did it bring out a large local crowd (Bob Agman, Paul Cleveland, Dick Devine, Gene Gately, Steve Hosmer, John Houk, Ed Meese, Charlie Nicholson, Fred North, Abner Notkins, George Sawyer, Parks Shipley, Paul Spadone, Don Wallace, George Watson, and Bob Weinberg), it drew John Stokdyk and Jim Bronson from as far away as California and many more from in-between points. More than 40 classmates were on hand as well as 30 spouses. Fred North and his committee put together a full program, culminating with a dinner at the Chevy Chase Club at which Ed Meese spoke. Aside from recounting several major events during his tenure with President Reagan, Ed did acknowledge that in Washington, "Who's Who" can quickly become "Who Cares." The answer is, we do.

Another high point of this reunion was a meeting with Justice Clarence Thomas, arranged by Bob Weinberg through Guido Calabresi. Justice Thomas spent over an hour with a group of 30 of us at the Supreme Court building, describing how the Court worked and answering questions. He could not have been more gracious, and we all came away with a great respect for the man.

Ed Sparn was also at the Washington reunion. His business card includes not only an address in New Milford, Connecticut, but one in Marrakech as well. Now that's exotic.

John Sanford has been holding his own mini-reunions. Last spring he and his wife Judy had lunch with Jim and Mary Moffat in San Francisco, followed by dinner with Dick and Penny Leather in Boston, then dinner with Mike Lazare in New York and finally Paul Haerle and his wife Michelle back home in Marin County. Not bad for a gent who survived a lung cancer operation last year.

Our treasurer Bill Nightingale fell down last May (probably from carrying around the class treasury) and caused enough damage to require a hip replacement. The good news is that Bill is back on his feet, but the bad news is that this being New York, no one can find the treasury. Expect an urgent dues letter from him shortly.

Bernie Rogers made a cameo appearance at the Yale Club in New York last spring, looking so youthful and fit that many of us wondered what elixir he was sipping. It must be mountain air. Bernie is living in Aspen and had either just climbed Mt. Harvard or was about to do so. As I recall, he is planning a climb of Mt. Yale to celebrate our 50th.

Which is an easy segue into the startling realization that next year is our 50th Reunion. It starts on Thursday, June 5, and runs through the following Sunday. Mark your calendars. Our reunion chairman Eddie Crossman is putting together what should be a memorable weekend. Fred North has volunteered to produce a Web site for those of us who want to check plans and attendees. More on both later.

I was amused to read, in a recent Yale publication which described what Yale students were doing during the summer, a quote from one student saying that she worked "with a principle consultant” at a major accounting firm (not Arthur Andersen). First, I thought that principle had been egregiously misspelled, but on reflection, maybe accountants now have such consultants available (better late than never).

I am sad to end the column with the news that Neil Flanagin died of cancer last May. Neil was a prominent securities lawyer in Chicago and was both well-liked and respected, as evidenced by the large number of classmates who wrote me about his death. Neil's wife Mary may be reached at 1010 Mount Pleasant Road, Winnetka, IL 60093.