Murray Wheeler ’62 writes in an update for the Boston minireunion:
“As a delightful distraction from the only thing anyone seemed to be talking about during an otherwise seriously gray January day—Will the fourth primary go to yet a fourth Republican candidate?—a few of us organizers enjoyed the outcome of a fair amount of emailing and telephoning to gather all the New England doox we could muster for a mini-reunion chez Margaret and Linus Travers ’58 in Milton, MA.
Seventeen Doox alums, a dozen wives, partners, and kids, and three “Now Doox” up from New Haven, gave us more than a quorum for a good dose of schmoozing and a couple of healthy sets of song under the always thoughtful direction of
Carl Kaestle ’62.
Judy, Marti, Don, Betsy, and Dave.
Doox alums in attendance:
Jeff Freeman ’57 / Linus Travers ’58 / Carl Kaestle ’62 / John Knutson ’62 / Murray Wheeler ’62 / Dave Willis ’62 / Don Abbott, ’63 / Dave Budding ’63 / Bob Augusta ’66 / Rick Berlin ’67 / Bill Kasimer ’80 / Jay Gregory ’81 / Kurt Sternlof ’83 / Caleb White ’87 / Henri Weinberg ’92 / Ed Parsons ’96 / Mattias Sparrow ’05.
The “Now Doox” were: Benji Goldsmith ’14, pitch, and Alex Caron and Brandon Hayse, both ’13 and the co-business managers—two tenors and a bass!
The alum singing focused on “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” “Wee Small Hours,” and, of course, “Istanbul.” The Now Doox, although modest in number, generously brought off charming renditions of two of their regular offerings—Barenaked Ladies’ “What a Good Boy,” and Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes.” The full ensemble also sang “Too Beautiful,” a ‘50s favorite that the current group has brought back into their repertoire. Afterward, around the piano, we had a fair amount of alumni wood-shedding, which seemed to work best on “Lone Prairie.”
What really touched us all was having the three Now Doox, after a post-midnight return from a concert in New Jersey the night before, get themselves up to Milton to give us four hours of excellent company, piles of interesting information about the lives of today’s Doox, and a couple of lovely songs!
As I wrote those New England Doox alums who were regrettably unable to join us, “we’ve left a wonderful legacy and the Now Doox are clearly reveling in the best of it.”
Speaking for the Now Doox, Alex Caron wrote later, “It really means a lot to the group that there is such a solid base of alumni who still enthusiastically congregate (and aren’t completely sick of each other) even without the Yale campus as the physical mediator. I feel proud, secure, and humbled to be part of a group with so much history and tradition, and I look forward to many more gatherings in the future.”