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Ray Squiteri provide news of the passing of Cliff Hawkins:

Sorry to report the death of Cliff Hawkins (we new him as Chip) in late October 2022. He had suffered from cancer for several years. Cliff was an eccentric at NCHS, and continued on that path for the rest of his life. In Mr. Dibiase's American History class he often vocally disagreed with the teacher's leftist take on both history and current events. He attended Ohio Wesleyan, then graduated with a BA from Sarah Lawrence. Along the way he shifted from right-wing to left-wing. He wrote a history PhD thesis on early socialist thinkers in the United States. He continued his scholarly pursuits, and his advocacy of leftist causes, for the rest of his life. Cliff did not go on to teach. He worked in several bookstores and a prison. He lived around Oakland CA, never marrying or having a family. He enjoyed hiking in the woods of northern California.

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Sadly, we just learned of the passing of Nat Holmes on Nov 10, 2022.  I remember him as always full of life and a lot of fun!  

The family will receive friends at Falvo Funeral Home 1295 Fairport Nine Mile Pt. Rd. Webster, N.Y. from 4-7 PM on Tuesday, November 22.  Nat is planned to be buried at Lakeview Cemetery in New Canaan CT on December 10. Memorial donations are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (StJude.org) or to a charitable organization of your choice.

For his full obituary please click on this link:  https://falvofuneralhome.com/tribute/details/4712/Nathaniel-Holmes-III/condolences.html#content-start

Ann Stillman Wilson

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Dear Classmates:

More news from New Canaan. Norm Ricker was only nine years older than us and is well remembered as a great math teacher. There is a scholarship fund at NCHS in his name.

Our beloved husband, father, and friend passed away peacefully on July 2, 2022 after a long and difficult journey dealing with a stroke that gradually took him away from his family.

H. Norman Ricker

H. Norman Ricker was born on March 11, 1941 in Maine. The family moved to New Canaan where Norm attended NCHS and moved on to the University of Connecticut. This is where he met his wife Janet, and soon after graduating from UConn married Janet in 1964. He returned to New Canaan to work as a math teacher at the high school and later on became the math department chair. He retired in 2001  after 38 years of service. Upon retirement, Norm continued driving from Oxford, CT to New Canaan, CT several days a week to tutor students, many of whom were younger siblings who had been looking forward to having him as their teacher and mentor. Here are some remembrances from the hundreds of young lives and colleagues:

“Norm will always have a special place in my heart. He perseveres with kindness, laughter, and hope each day. Every time I saw him, he’d greet me with a big smile on his face and support all of my accomplishments and dreams. He never let me down and will always be my dear friend.” – Alexa Orndahl

“…Mr. Ricker to me during my formative years, was a wonderful, special, big-hearted man who positively affected my life for many years. He touched so many people. His legacy will ripple forever…” – Charlie O’Hearn

“Mr. Ricker was truly one of the most amazing and influential people I have ever met. Every day I spent with him was a good day as he always greeted me with a smile on his face. He has had the greatest impact on my life and career aspirations…” – Henry Pohle

He leaves behind his devoted spouse, Janet of 58 years, his eldest son Ken who lives in Colorado, his youngest son Adam, who moved from Colorado to help his mom attend to Norm’s needs when he came home from his hospital, his sister Jane Chase who lives in Keene, New Hampshire, and her husband Dave Chase. A private service will be held in Maine. The family suggests that a good way to remember Norm is to send a contribution to the H. Norman Ricker Scholarship Fund at New Canaan High School, 10 Farm Road, New Canaan, CT 06840. ATTN: William Egan, Principal.

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Dear Classmates:

Even though the recent passing of both Steve Benko and Jim St. Clair were sad events, there is still much to celebrate.  We would like to share a couple of links that will give more insight into the lives of these admirable members of the New Canaan family.

First, here is a link to the funeral service for Steve. The eulogies are some of the best we have ever heard.

https://newcanaanite.com/the-best-dad-any-kid-could-ever-ask-for-family-friends-gather-to-remember-steve-benko-5565971

And second, here is a note from Sandy Harlow, who was in the Class of 67 about recorded talks given by Jim. You can actually hear Jim's voice again.

If you would like to hear the wonderful voice of Jim St. Clair again after 50 years, you are in for a treat. Jim made 17 audio recordings that were produced by Storytellers of Canada in 2008 as a 3 CD set titled “Stories of Cape Breton”.  A copy of the liner notes from the CD set is attached to this message.

Storytellers of Canada owns the copyrights to the recordings, but they gave me permission to share the individual stories in the MP3 format via the following link:

https://storysave.bandcamp.com/album/stories-of-cape-breton

The stories cover a wide variety of subjects, and range from humorous (“A Nice Quiet Train”) to dark (“The MacKinnon Forerunner”).  Some of my other favorites include “A Child Named Mary”, “Memories of Douce Belhache”, “A Pentacostal Experience”, “Kate MacKillop Goes to Boston”, and “J.D. Cameron Takes Up Reading”.  I listened to just one story per day in order to savor each one !

The Storytellers of Canada team who produced the 3 CD set was delighted to learn about and see the photos of the Jim St. Clair memorial tree and bench that have been placed at the Bristow Bird Sanctuary in New Canaan thanks to your generous donations.

Please let me know if you have any problem getting access to the recordings, or would like any additional info. 

Sandy Harlow