Robert A. Nolan - Class of 1968

For 35 years I lived in Hawaii, including 30+ years on Maui. I still have my house on Maui; however, now I spend most of my time in Colorado Springs where I work for Mitre corporation as an electro-optical subject-matter expert. I've been married to Lesley for 18 years (we first met while surfing at Diamond Head in 1976) and our daughter Amelia will graduate from Discovery Canyon high school in May 2016 and will enter the University of Colorado in the fall.

Kenneth Gallard, 1968

It has been a wild ride since leaving Wheatley; amazing the stuff that has happened.  I spent a lot of time day dreaming, looking out the window during many of our classes and nearly failed math in Mr. Liemer's class because of that.  Nevertheless, many of those day dreams ultimately became my reality.  As many of you may remember, I worked for many years during the '60s at the Carvel near the corner of Jericho Turnpike.  Great to work there, as periodically the Rascals would stop by (I was a big fan) and I'd give them free ice cream.  Anyway...Carvel didn't pan out as a career and later in college I worked as an editorial assistant at SKI Magazine when their HQ was in Manhattan.  It was there that the editor-in-chief encouraged me to pursue my imagination and see where it took me.  Indeed...Taos, NM where I started off as a ski-bum (Joel Blumenthal joined me for a year).  Doors of opportunity in the world of adventure opened to me from there.  Ultimately I've been involved in all kinds of skiing (resort-based, backcountry, heli-skiing, pro-racing, etc.), big-peak expedition mountaineering, big-wall rock climbing, whitewater rafting, hot air balloons and hang gliders, pro rodeo, backpacking, and on and on.  Though early on I worked in some ski and mountaineering shops, I soon took on the advice of that editor at SKI Magazine and began documenting things photographically.  That led to working for a broad range of clients around the world from Outside Magazine, to SKI, GEO (Europe), The NY Times, various ski resorts, the Smithsonian, and scores of others.  Mixed in has been music in which I've played in bands performing in clubs, bars, resorts and large outdoor concerts.  I've also been a working cowboy tending the herds, checking fences and participating in numerous large cattle drives on my great work pal, Blue.  The family ranch is the dream of my wife, the "boss-lady!"  Two adult kids, one of whom has multiple disabilities (both intellectual and physical; but she lives a very full life around us).  Our son has recently moved back to Taos to begin building his own house.  With the career having wound down considerably (for a number of reasons) in recent years, retirement is only a concept.  We don't have much free time, but live a lifestyle that seems extraordinary.  Lots of ranch work, tending horses, skiing 80 to 100 days a year, playing music, keeping the winter house in shape (built it 30 years ago), and just life in general put lots of demands on time.  But it's good.  We don't travel much, for business or pleasure at this point; we like it here.  Have had some great ski rendezvous over the last 10 years with some of the school pals; George Gettinger, David Hechler, Todd Strasser, Tom Glaser, Joel Blumenthal, Jed Berman.  Those have been great "keepers of the connection."  Phone calls with Suss, Janet Paley (Sapir), David Pinter, Steve Cohen and others have been an important touchstone.  Hugs and kisses to all our Wheatley-mates, all of whom are part of the fabric of who and what we are.  The experience at the 50th reunion underscored that in huge terms.