I am really sorry not to be able to get back for the reunion - it's a long trip for me during my busiest time of year at work.

I have been living in Portland for the past 30 years. My family consists of my wife of many years, Karen Clark, and our 2 sons, Harry and Eliot. Karen teaches college art - Harry is a junior in college - Eliot is in his senior year of high school.  

I graduated from George Washington University and worked in what some call the association field, others call it lobbying. Got an MBA after a while, then got tired of the rat race and toxic air in Washington. Moved to Oregon, where I got back into golf, skiing, rafting and mountain climbing - it's an incredibly beautiful place.  I still play competitive golf on the senior level, and my son Eliot is his school's golf team captain, so we play in many events as a team.

I have served on Portland’s parks commission for nearly 20 years, and publicly rant about bureaucratic incompetence and petty corruption. I likely would have been more successful in the conventional sense had I stayed in Washington DC, but life here has been better for me in terms of health, lower stress, and a great place to raise kids.  Portland is a big city, with its own set of urban problems, but it is remarkably clean, has great  architecture, art, music, food, and you can get away to the beach or mountains in no time at all. I have a pretty balanced life, and family, work and recreation are what fill my days.

I was very impressed with how successful many of our classmates have become.  Nancy Evans sounds like she is in a league with Martha and Oprah.  Bill Herbert is a surgeon and a sculptor.  Wow!  I also got the feeling from many of the little bios that our classmates have good hearts and solid souls - that they used their talents and education to help their families and a whole lot of other people as well.  

My oldest son, Harry, is autistic, and life is a real struggle for him.  He has developmental and physical limitations, but has somehow made it to college!  His condition has been a real life changer for me, and the frustration seemed endless, but once you come to terms with it and accept him for who he is, it's all good.  I helped start and fund a city program for Portland youth in the late 80's when the schools made big funding cuts in art, music and athletics .  I convinced all my golf contacts to help me sell a $2 per round imbedded contribution on each of Portland’s 7 city golf courses.  Over the years it has produced millions to replace what the schools had to cut.  But now I constantly am fighting against bureaucrats taking over the program and using more and more of the funds for wasteful administrative costs.  I really am turning into an old curmudgeon.

I was saddened when I looked at the list of classmates who have passed, and of course was reminded of the terrible drowning tragedy back in '67.  I lived right on Fairfield Beach, and it haunted me for quite some time.  Toby Hall was in many of my classes - he was a very talented singer and pianist.  And Cathy Comstock - well, I had a major crush on her - but settled for a comfortable friendship, which I now realize was the best sort of relationship.

I appreciate all the hard work that the reunion committee has put in.  I actually tried to get a 1978 reunion off the ground - put an announcement in the local paper, etc - but just couldn’t make it happen.  I think we were still too young to care back then.  Best of luck with the reunion, and I hope everyone has a wonderful time.  

Lee S. Hill      
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Portland, OR