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1954

March 21, 2021

Remember when we were looking for the oldest member of our Class? For a while, Bob Sarquis held that honor, having been born in September 1927. And then Frank Durrschmidt checked in, capturing the title from Bob. Frank was born in June 1927—a full three months before Bob. Maybe there’s someone even older? When we’re through finding the oldest, perhaps we’ll go looking for the youngest. Frank also gave us a short update on what he’s been up to: “After graduation, I joined the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, and helped build nuclear submarines. From 1970 to 1975, we (wife and four children) lived in the United Kingdom, where I was a manager at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I returned to Electric Boat and continued with submarine construction. I retired in 1992 as manager of ship management. We enjoy our life in Mystic, Connecticut, where we have lived for many years.” Harry Yasumoto, who is retired and living in San Luis Obispo, tells us that following graduation, he served two years with Uncle Sam at Fort Ord. Next, he began work as an accountant with IBM. Harry earned an MBA and a Ph.D. in public administration from Golden Gate University. This equipped him for a 35-year career in banking and real estate. He served two years on the Cal Alumni Association board of directors’ awards committee. Harry says he always feels proud to be a member of our Class “because it gifted the University with that iconic monument at the north end of the campus, the Class of ’54 Gate!” We’re still talking about a reunion later this year at the University Club atop Memorial Stadium—a lovely venue, with its outdoor terrace overlooking the Bay Area. Let us know if you’d enjoy getting together there, and we’ll proceed with the planning. Bulletin: Send us your news for this column at my address below. Write what you’ve done since graduation in 100 words or less! Let’s see who can say the most in the fewest words!

Class Secretary: Beryl Voss, 1330 Jones St No 604, San Francisco 94109, berylvoss@gmail.com, 415/673-2074

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