We cannot get enough of Trip Gabriel, the Times Styles chief who perked us up this morning with the big wang-off. Sure, his recent turn on Ask the Editor gave us a better idea of what the Styles sections are about—not getting and spending!—but what of the man himself? What of his inner life? His hopes and dreams? We turn to the alumni notes for Andover, that famous bastion of egalitarianism nestled near the Shawsheen River.

I had the pleasure of lunch with Trip Gabriel in N.Y.C. in October, and this is his response: "Classmates, take warning. Our secretary invited himself to lunch while on a business trip to New York and put the arm on me to contribute news to this column. It could happen to you. In fact, the lunch was a pure pleasure. Steve was on his way to Parents' Weekend at Andover, and I took the opportunity to pump him about what it takes to get a kid in these days. I have twin sons, eighth-graders, and these are the years when I am raising my contributions to the annual fund. Just a coincidence, of course. When I mentioned a much-read Wall Street Journal article this summer about a decline in boarding school applications because baby boom parents want closer ties to their children, he sputtered, 'Wimps!' Exactly. This is the news: We live in Pound Ridge, N.Y., a countrified suburb with a hardware store, one barber and a wine shop. What else do you need? I am in my 11th year at The New York Times, where I edit the 'Sunday Styles' section and its recent spin-off, 'Thursday Styles.' I take the train home most days after long hours at the office, but I learn through my sections what it is like to dress up and stay out all night. I'm looking forward to a visit from my roommate, Seymour House, whose son Martin now attends the Putney School in Vermont." Finally, Trip noted he would like to hear from Mike Castro, Bill Crawford, Ken Ehrlich, Clint Fisher, Mike McLaughlin, Peter Stevens and Ben Thompson.

Good lord, we've finally figured out what boarding school is for: Turning Jews into white people!

Class Notes 1970s [Andover]