Today is the day...

June 30 doesn't mean much to most, but to your favorite deserving nonprofit organizations, its typically the last day of the fiscal year.

Be counted this year by going online to the quick form for DA at: https://deerfield.edu/quick-gift/

Or postmark today (July 1 doesn't cut it usually) and mail to PO Box 306, Deerfield, MA 01342.

Our class participation is below 30%, so any little bit helps!

DEERFIELD magazine: Spring 2015

Another tremendous issue from DA.  Many retirements amongst the faculty (the shortest tenure of the group is 23 years) many of whom you will remember, TEDx and eradicating parasites in children are some of the additional topics discussed.  The Common Room (aka classnotes) is awesome, not just because the Class of 1983 crushes it once again with THREE full pages!  See why taking pictures is so important when you visit with classmates?

Read it online here: http://issuu.com/deerfield/docs/deerfield_magazine_spring2015_lr

Penance for Patton

Hopefully you can get to Ben Patton's article in the NY Post from Sunday...

http://nypost.com/2015/06/21/gen-george-pattons-grandson-helps-soldiers-coping-with-ptsd/

East One Still Rules!

Co-proctors on Plunkett East One in the infamous year of 1982-83 were reunited in Denver this week.  Sony Entertainment executive, Andrew Stewart, was in town with his family briefly but he made time for lunch with old hallmate, JK.

Andy runs a group that specializes in films for the "horror" and "african-american" audiences and he admits that the slow death of the DVD is impacting the movie business and its ability to generate lasting revenue from a film.  Now it seems that blockbusters are the only option and that's tricky for his group...

Regardless, we traded chuckles about classmates we had seen lately and many we had not seen in far too long.  Does anybody know how to get Rob Gulick on the radar?

Always great to see an old friend, and former co-proctor.  Any other proctor pairs, or teammates or hallmates keeping in touch these days?  Send photos!

WILL you?

I met a fellow parent today who mentioned she and her husband had just created their first will.  They wanted to get things in order before a trip out of the country.  The husband is a lawyer and a university professor and she is a nurse practitioner.  They are probably late forties.  I was surprised it took so long but proud of them for finally writing down their wishes and expectations around assets, Health Care Proxies and the like.

Then I read this:

If You're One of the 70% of Americans Without a Will, Read On. Do you have a will? Between half and two-thirds of American adults don't. Do you need one? Only if you answer yes to any of the questions below:

1. Do you care who gets your property if you die?
2. Do you care who gets your money if you die?
3. Do you care who is appointed guardian of your minor children if you die?

(http://financialplan.about.com/cs/doityourself/a/WhyYouNeedWill.htm)

I remember the impetus for creating my own estate plan - the fatal crash of a private plane that claimed the life of my mother's second husband.  He was a lawyer too, but had made the time to detail his wishes and thus the appropriate assets went into a trust for my mother.  Those funds are now providing for her care since she suffers from alzheimer's.

All of this to say, its time to make a will if you don't have one.

CNN says: "A will is a device that lets you tell the world whom you want to get your assets. Die without one, and the state decides who gets what, without regard to your wishes or your heirs' needs."

(http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson21/index3.htm)

LegalZoom.com can probably help you make a simple one, but seek a lawyer in your state of domicile if you have the time to meet in person.  It's not a difficult process, but its important.

Observing work...

Hank LeMieux travels a LOT.  Thankfully he is a curious and observant traveler, as any of you who follow him on Facebook can attest.  Now he's writing the stories down.

The Voice

Or search for Hank LeMieux on Medium