Albert F. Varner Jr., BA'43, of Alpharetta, Georgia, writes of a personal reunion he enjoyed, one sixty years in coming. Varner served as an ensign aboard the battleship USS Idaho in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Randall Sledge, a yeoman on the Idaho, worked closely with Varner in both decoding messages and manning one of the ship's fourteen-inch guns. "We watched every day, for two 4-hour shifts, so we got to know each other pretty well," Varner says. When Varner transferred off the ship in 1944, it was the last he saw of Sledge—until late last year. "I saw his name on a newsletter roster of our shipmates, and I decided to write him a letter," says Varner. They corresponded by mail and e-mail until Sledge—returning to his Louisiana home from Raleigh, North Carolina—stopped at Varner's home in Georgia. They spent the visit going over Varner's wartime memorabilia and reminiscing about the dangerous times shared by two young men sixty years ago.

George Engelson, LI'46, and his wife, Bernice, of Lake Worth, Florida, report a large number of family ties with Northeastern. Their children are alumni: Heather Grossack, N'67; David Engelson, BB'80; Eric Engelson, LA'72; and Jerrald Engelson, LA'75, N'96. There also is an NU daughter-in-law, Linda Engelson, BB'80 (David's wife). In the third generation are Joe Lepore, CJ'98, and Alex Engelson, CJ'05. George, who is retired from Cabot Corporation, and Bernice will celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary this year.