Thanks to the alumni who stepped out into the driveway to snap shots of their UVM spirit on display courtesy of their state DMV’s vanity license plate program. Our favorite letter goes to Patty Thomas ’72 G’76. As a loyal “UVMHCKY” fan living in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, her plates have no doubt seen a few miles on the road to Gutterson.
LET US KNOW HOW YOU SHOW YOUR VERMONT SPIRIT ON THE ROAD.
PUCK PLATES
I have had a very unique license plate for more than ten years. It reads “UVMHCKY.” It is a celebration of my forty seasons being a fan of UVM men’s hockey. I have heard many horns in the parking lots, many heads poked out the windows saying “great plates.” While pumping gas in Maine, I had a wonderful conversation about the lively competition between the Catamounts of UVM and Maine’s Black Bears.
UVMHCKY forever.
Patty Thomas ’72 G’76
Newport, Vermont
CAUTIOUS DRIVER
I’m the third generation in my family to attend UVM. I’ve had a UVM vanity plate since the year 2000, when New Hampshire changed its plates.
One of the pleasant outcomes of having the plates is meeting George Mattson ’50. Although we both lived in the small town of Madbury, population 1,600, we didn’t know each other until George came into the town hall one evening while I was attending a meeting to hunt down the person with the UVM plates. Also, when one of my neighbors, Nancy (Jackson) Hoff saw my plates, she also got vanity plates which read “UVM-83.” I’ve met several other UVM alumni when I was traveling and happened to be stopped at a restaurant or roadside park.
Although there are both pros and cons about having vanity plates, I think one benefit is that it can make one a better driver. I’m always conscious of the fact that my license plate is easily recognizable. Consequently, I don’t want to do anything dumb on the road, especially around town, that would label me as a lousy driver!
Wallace Dunham ’52 and Janet (Silsby) Dunham ’52
Madbury, New Hampshire
SOUTHERN CAT
Since 1981 I’ve had South Carolina’s UVM tag and have ’em to prove it. Demand for this item is unknown, but someone from Ridgerunner country wanted to know if “UVM” was some sort of egg. Lot of missionary work to do here!
Roger L. Amidon ‘60
Columbia, South Carolina
VERMONT TO VIRGINIA
When we moved to Virginia in 1994, we got these plates because we wanted everyone to know that we were really from Vermont. Many folks down here have commented on the plates, but it’s when we’re in Grand Isle, Vermont for the summer that we make connections. This past summer Dean Kidder’s grandson introduced himself to us at a farm stand in South Hero. Several years ago, Ginny Cochran ’50 saw the car at Shore Acres Restaurant in North Hero. She went into the restaurant looking for who might be the owners and found us!
Dick Nostrand ‘50
Patsy Schweyer Nostrand ‘50
Williamsburg, Virginia
Thanks also to Stephen Nadeau ’89 and Julie Gilmore Nadeau ’89 in Massachusetts and Frank Giordano ’60 down in New Jersey.
NEXT UP
The historic presidential inauguration in January inspires us to widen the focus of this issue’s question beyond our usual UVM-centric queries. VQ readers are invited to write to us and share your one wish for Barack Obama as he becomes the forty-fourth president of the United States. E-mail responses to vermontquarterly@uvm.edu or Vermont Quarterly, 86 South Williams, Burlington, VT 05401.
