A Stoutonia Editorial RE: 40th Class Reunion

Another blast from the past.
1966-67 Stoutonia Editor, Stephen W. Burke - AKA Stony - took some time from his busy schedule to write an "Editorial" for our reunion blog. We found some pictures from Stoutonias and Towers of that era to "visualize" some of his thoughts. Although they are not all pictures of Stony they are from Stout in the 60s. Check out the "Then and Now" photos of Steve -- a very distinguished gentleman.
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A Stoutonia Editorial for the 40th Reunion

Song:
Seems that was what drove a lot of hootenannies in the late ‘60s.
Students got together to sing those revolutionary and\or peace lyrics, and believed it made a difference; maybe it did with social issues and Vietnam. Peter, Paul & Mary, and Bob Dylan live on.

Memories:
Well, we all have them; some good, some bad, some forgotten.
But for the most, “memories”, it seems to me, are wasted cells on the past; unless they can be positively applied to the future. At “our age”, there is still much to be done. Ben Franklin was 70 when he drafted the Constitution. This may be “our time in the sunset”, but this is no time to dust off the rocker.

Consider:
Those who lived through the Civil War (1861-1865; those dates look familiar), their 1907 is our place in time. Their transportation was horse; ours horse power. Are we much differently awed than they were?

Rear-view mirror:
In our years at Stout we found completeness; friendship, challenge, future. Yet, in the intimacy of those years there was… well… frustration.

There were editorials about the book rental system. Yes, financially perfect. No, we were reading from a physics book that was 35 years old (ok, physics does not change much over the years). We challenged the SSA to move forward and remove the voting power of Deans from meeting… we had no voting powers in the Faculty Committee. Well, that was long ago, and Stout withstood the onslaught of our convictions… very well done, Stout.

There were countless hours in the offices of Dean Price and President Michaels discussing the writings in the Stoutonia. A million years ago. A moment from memory (see “Memories” above).

So today:
Stout is unique, always was, always will be. In 1963 President Michaels announced, at our freshman orientation that we would have the tools to escape a deserted island if desired. And, we would earn those tools over the next 4 years. He was right. We are still in awe, alive, and do not reside on deserted islands. But there is much yet to be done. Class Reunions are but another raft to escape the island of reality. These rafts are necessary if only to reaffirm the scope of what we have yet to accomplish, and solidify transition from one generation of graduates to the next. “Where Tomorrow?” remains the focus of their lives as well as ours.

Conclusion:
Song, memories, considerations, mirrors, today… where are we in this evolutionary concept of a Stout life? Simple, really. We are the children, who’s children’s children will need all of the above to build rafts of their own.

Stephen W. Burke '67
Stoutonia Editor-in-Chief 1966-67

June 11, 2007

A bit about Stony:

Since graduating from Stout, Steve taught for 26 years. In 1982 he began writing computer software for classrooms and school systems. This evolved into writing programs for dental offices and currently marketing and supporting a product called “Clinical Research Environmental Data Information Tracking” (CREDITTM). This product is installed in locations across the country and tracks tens of thousands of Cancer Patients. Steve is president of “Data Doctor Office Technology System, Inc.” (DDOTS) where he and his wife Barbara work full time. They have three grown children.

CLICK HERE: Visit their DDOTS website at www.ddots.com

In their spare time they spent 30 years renovating their current home – an 1840 farm house. Stony and Barbara look forward to our 40th Reunion.