The following is supplemental material that did not appear in the print edition of Stanford.
Jeff Koseff, MS ’78, PhD ’83, directs the Woods Institute for the Environment.
I absolutely love living in Northern California, have a really wonderful family and friends, and a terrific job with super colleagues but . . .
I miss . . . the smell of Africa after a booming Gauteng thunderstorm . . . a cold Castle lager and boerewors sizzling on the braai in the fading light of an incredible Kruger Park day . . . watching Graeme Pollock batting at the Wanderers cricket ground . . . emulating Pollock in backyard games with my cousins while trying to avoid the laundry on the washing line . . . long tables filled with loud family members enjoying Passover together . . . jogging with my father to the car to beat the traffic after an All Black-Springbok rugby test . . . not having the chance to hear 70,000 sing N'kosi Sikelele Afrika at Ellis Park before South Africa beat New Zealand in the rugby World Cup final in front of Nelson Mandela . . . summers in Cape Town body-surfing on Clifton beach in 60-degree water on a 60-degree day.
These are some of things I miss . . . but perhaps the world as I knew it did not exist!
Lindsay Mead McCrea, ’80, lives in Larkspur, Calif.
I miss living in a college town! I loved being surrounded by thoughtful, challenging, strong and interesting individuals. Being the mother of three active and mostly grown-up kids has meant that I need to work to search out the stimulation I found just down the hall at Stanford. The days I look forward to the most are the mini-reunions I have with my Stanford sorority sisters.
Scott E. Schwimer, ’78, is an entertainment lawyer in Beverly Hills.
What do I miss? My father. Without him, all of this would not have been possible.
H. Wayne Leiser, ’72, is president and CEO of Colorado Asphalt Services.
I miss a constant flow of great new music.
Howard Baldwin, ’77, is a writer in Sunnyvale.
I miss the way I thought about things when I was 12. I miss the way fast food tasted good, instead of like cardboard. I miss the way the rides at Disneyland dazzled me; now they're just cacophonous. I miss how excited I got in the fall when new cars and new TV shows debuted; now both cars and TV shows look the same to me. I miss how taking the train to San Francisco, riding the cable cars and going to the tourist attractions on Fisherman's Wharf made for a wonderful adventure.
Philis Ludlam Gold, ’46, lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.
My husband died in 1992. I think companionship and intimacy are things everyone craves, and they are what I miss the most.
Ken fought cancer for four years with great bravery and a completely positive attitude. It certainly helped me get through a terrible time. He was the smartest person I have ever known. He was caring, kind, and had a great sense of humor. He led our large Episcopal Church as senior warden, and saved the church a great deal of money in the market crash of 1987 using an investment system he had devised.
I'm fortunate to have a lot of good friends, belong to several informal groups that I enjoy, travel a lot and have a wonderful Yorkshire terrier who keeps me hopping.
There's just one thing missing!
