Lemurs, Lifelong Friendships and Lovecraft

Excerpts from the latest Owlmanac

Winter 2024 | Illustrations by Delphine Lee

Illustration of a lemur by Delphine Lee

1950s
“Herbert Simons ’57 (BA) has been helping to fund the Houston Zoo’s lemur conservation program in Madagascar in memory of his brother Elwyn L. Simons ’53 (BA), who was the long-time director of the Duke University Primate Center and ‘managed the largest collection of lemurs outside Madagascar.’” — Contributed by class recorder Shirley Dittert Grunert ’57 (BA)

1960s
“Water has always been my real home. This includes rafting and fly-fishing all over Montana. I spent substantial time sleeping in a hammock between palm trees on the Yucatán Peninsula, spearfishing for my meals. Today I live on Maui so that I can windsurf whenever my aging body allows me to and where I have a botanical garden with about a hundred trees and bushes with a variety of Hawaiian fruits.”  — Contributed by Bill Berg ’65 (Will Rice: BA, 1966)

Illustration of three dogs on leash by Delphine Lee

1970s
“Instead of assisting in computer science classes at a local high school, I am now walking dogs for the Humane Society, which is much more rewarding. The dogs appreciate my efforts much more than the high school students ever did.” — Contributed by John Prugh ’73 (Sid Rich: BA)

Illustration of some penguins by Delphine Lee

1980s
“I had a great time traveling with a parliament of Owls [including Russ Coleman ’82 (Lovett: BS), Rusty Campbell Jaggers ’73 (Brown: BA), John Jaggers ’73 (Hanszen: BA and MEE) and Charlie Green ’74 (Hanszen: BA)] to Antarctica last February. It was a truly amazing trip — the scale of [the continent] is massive, and the wildlife is extraordinary in its accessibility — whales, seals and penguins of all types, up close and personal. Best of all, we got to go down 900 feet in small submarines! Rice friendships last a lifetime, truly!” — Contributed by class recorder Gloria Meckel Tarpley ’81 (Brown: BA)

Illustration of game pieces by Delphine Lee

2020s
“Leslie An ’20 (Lovett: BA) and Minh Le ’20 (Lovett: BS) have kept up their love for board games after participating heavily in the gaming culture at Rice, frequently playing games like Settlers of Catan with their friends in the lively Lovett Commons. An and Le are in the process of creating their own original card game set in the 1920s and inspired by Lovecraft.” — Contributed by class recorder Amy Zhang ’20 (McMurtry: BA; BArch, 2022)

To submit a Classnote to Owlmanac, contact your class recorder or log on to the Rice Portal at riceconnect.rice.edu and click “Submit a Classnote.” Excerpts from Owlmanac may be edited for length.