Receiving much press coverage and acclaim for his latest novel, Against the Day, is the “famously solitary” Thomas Pynchon. The epic novel is set during the years between the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I. In a blurb about the book Thomas writes: “this novel moves from the labor troubles in Colorado to turn-of-the-century New York, to London and Gottingen, Venice and Vienna, the Balkans, Central Asia, Siberia at the time of the mysterious Tunguska Event, Mexico during the Revolution, postwar Paris, silent-era Hollywood, and one or two places not strictly speaking on the map at all. With a worldwide disaster looming just a few years ahead, it is a time of unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness, and evil intent in high places. No reference to the present day is intended or should be inferred.”

     Almost concurrently with the novel’s publication, Thomas was in the news for his support of British novelist Ian McEwan against charges of plagiarism. In a letter to England’s Daily Telegraph he stressed that authors of historical novels must borrow from resources contemporary to the period they are writing about: “Unless we were actually there, we must turn to people who were, or to letters, contemporary reporting, the encyclopaedia, the Internet, until, with luck, at some point we can begin to make a few things of our own up.”

     Dave Dunlop of Brooktondale, NY notes that a lot of great people come to Cornell as guest speakers. “One of the best I have heard is our own classmate, Jack White, who was outstanding when we were students together in the ILR School and still is. It is great to see a classmate with so much ability having invested his talents so generously in public service and education.” Jack, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1995 to 1997, presented a lecture in September for the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs 2006-07 Colloquium Series entitled “U.S. Military Transformation: Challenges and Choices.” He is the Robert and Renée Belfer Lecturer at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and contributes to the policy debate by co-chairing a project on military transformation with another former deputy secretary of defense, John Deutch .

     Dave also writes that he and Neil Janovic serve on the Cornell Plantations Second Century Committee. “Last spring Neil gave me some seeds for my garden. Along with lemon cucumbers and other exotic plants was some Aztec spinach. These seven-foot tall giants are now the dominant feature of my little garden!”

     Always on the alert for news of ‘59ers, Ron Demer reports that the December Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin noted that Steve Fillo was in Sofia, Bulgaria, earlier in 2006 to attend the annual meeting of the Bulgarian-American Enterprise Fund. Steve, who now lives in Edwards, CO, is chairman of the fund’s board of directors. The fund has invested in Bulgarian entrepreneurs over the past 15 years, creating jobs and teaching former Communists about free markets to insure that capitalism takes firm root. The Fund has grown from $55 million to over $200 million, and is the top performer among all US government enterprise funds created when the Berlin wall came down.

Ron, who lives in Ithaca, also reports that Art Geoffrion, who lives in Santa Monica, CA, has retired after many years of teaching and research at UCLA. “He was honored by the Board of his main professional society with a surprise day-long public program and closing reception at their annual meeting in Pittsburgh,” notes Ron. “His principal retirement hobby is discovering close relatives through genealogical research, visiting them, capturing their information into his database, scanning old family pictures, and collaborating within the family to caption them properly. He has met over a dozen relatives, half over 75 and one 99 (who is frequently mentioned in Art’s parents' courtship letters, which he still has), been warmly received, and heard many priceless family stories.”

“Fourteen years is a long time to be away from home,” comments Patricia (Paddy) Hurley, who loves being back in her house in Ivoryton, CT. Paddy has retired from full-time public school teaching and is looking for that perfect part-time job. In the meantime she is doing some substitute teaching and quite a lot of performing with her quartet, Fair Winds Brass Ensemble. She’s also having fun with her local grandkids—two boys age 3 and 1-1/2.

Jim Glenn writes that he and his wife Gwenneth   have sold their Florida home and moved to a temporary apartment nearby. They are building an adobe house in Taos, NM, and plan to move there in June, after Gwen completes her last year as the librarian and media center specialist in a local elementary school. Jim is winding down his real estate business in anticipation of the upcoming move. The Taos house has been designed by Gwen's architect brother in typical southwestern style. The contractor is Charles Dillon, ’76, who works with a quality team of Taos Pueblo Indians. Jim can be reached at 2680 Grande Isle Drive, Apt 19215, Orange City, FL 32763. * Jenny Tesar, 97A Chestnut Hill Village, Bethel, CT 06801; tel., (203) 792-8237; e-mail, jet24@cornell.edu.