Zoom is the new verb

July 14, 2020

Classmates:

Your July-August Yale Alumni Magazine should be in your mailbox soon, if it hasn’t arrived already. You can easily see that the column is much shorter than the Class Website version that we sent earlier. Similarly, the September-October issue, appended below, is five times as long as the corresponding YAM version and, unlike the YAM version, has links to other content. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.

From the emails I receive, the posts I see, and the Zoom calls I’ve been on, most classmates are coping very well with the COVID-19 conditions. I checked our “Where’s Waldo” map and saw that there are many classmates in current “Hotspots”: 8 in Arizona, 80 in California, 43 in Florida, and 29 in Texas. I hope everyone is staying safe. The Zoom calls that I’ve attended have been animated and upbeat. Like many of you, I feel terrible about the compromises being imposed on today’s students, especially the athletes, singers, and thespians for whom togetherness is a sine qua non. I’ve reached out to two current Yale athletes to offer moral support.

With no idea how conditions in 2020 would challenge all educational institutions, I participated in the very first experiment that Yale did with online learning in 2000. I found it easily to absorb the content about Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Frost, and even engage with Professor Marie Borroff, but the richness of personal interaction just wasn’t there. Not to mention the smell of the locker room or the Beta bar!

Please keep telling me about your own experiences as we head into summer and fall. Collectively, we enrich each other.

Cheers,

September/October Class Notes

“Zoom” is the new verb. When I do a Word Cloud of 2020 Class Notes, I’m sure “Zoom” will dominate classmate engagements. There have been over 200 classmate connections via Zoom just in the past two months. Before I report on these video meetings, I want to thank Jan Truebner for maintaining our connections with surviving spouses. She regular forwards the all-classmate emails, including the ones with Class Notes, to 38 surviving spouses for whom we have emails. Jan’s most recent salutation said: “The Class of 1964 continues to consider us very much a part of the Class family.” Looking at another indicator of Class vitality, Sam Francis reported: “I just looked at the most recent Harvard Magazine (their equivalent of YAM), which I get because I went to Harvard for graduate school. In their equivalent of the ‘Class Notes,’ their undergraduate Class of 1964 listed only the names and contact information of their two (count ‘em, two) class secretaries. Nothing at all about the classmates. They’re MIA. Boola, boola!” For those of you who like to keep track, Sam also reported that our Class currently has 805 living members, with 28 classmates living outside the U.S. Some of you may have inadvertently unsubscribed from our all-classmate emails. If you’re not getting them (about once a month), please let me know.

The Mory’s group and the Boston group have been scheduling monthly Zoom “luncheons”. The Mory’s, group, organized by Chris Getman, met on May 6th, June 3rd, and July 1st. The Boston group, organized by Jerry Flannelly, had theirs on May 20th, June 18th, and July 15th. Attendance averaged over a dozen for these calls. There was no hiding the hippie haircuts from the Zoom camera! Jerry Flannelly even set up a private email group — Yale Boston — in Microsoft to share emails between luncheons. In the July call, classmates in the Mory’s group agreed to contribute to the 1964 Mory’s Memorial Brick Fund in lieu of eating a meal there. Also, Chris Getman told us that our honorary classmate Peter Pulaski has left his position as Director of the Yale Course. Zoom meetings will continue through the summer. While it was not strictly a Yale classmate gathering, Tony Lee and Tony Lavely co-moderated a Zoom series of meetings in June, “Can We Stop Climate Change?” Among the 12 participants were Sam Francis, Bobbie Francis, Margie Lee, and Pete Putzel. Partially spawned by this series, Tony Lee, Sam Francis, Tom Barnard, Pete Putzel and I have formed an ad hoc group that meets via Zoom to develop climate change communications. Sam reminded us of the compelling presentation on global warming that Tom Barnard made two years ago.

On a broader plane, Yale has adopted the Zoom platform for many types of meetings and webinars. Recently, I participated in four of these:

• A conference call with President Peter Salovey in which he talked about the impact of COVID-19 on Yale, now and into the future;
• Yale Alumni Fund Board meeting in June, at which Kai Lassen was re-elected to the Board;
• Yale Climate Emergency Panel sponsored by Yale Women;
• Yale Faculty of Arts and Sciences Forum: “How the Humanities Help us Respond to a World in Crisis.”

A schedule of these digital events is sent periodically. Martin Padley asked about the status of Class golf outings: “If the Yale Course remains closed indefinitely, there could be other courses we might play.” Ted Jones is in direct contact with the new Director of the Yale Course, Matthew Dean: “Currently, the course is closed until September 1st. If we can open for a fall season, I will reach back out to set up a time for your group.” Chris Getman added: “I’m a past president of the ConnSeniors, and we’ve played Fox Hopyard; it’s a nice track. Lake of Isles is also fun. Rees Jones ‘63 designed it and is a friend. He’s helped us get on before.” Looking to November, Yale Alumni Association has announced that the YAA Fall Assembly and Convocation will be held as a series of Zoom conferences during the Fall. Bill Morse, our new YAA Delegate, and Ward Wickwire, our YAF Chair of Agents, will report as the Assembly evolves.

We will continue to add longer articles in Class News. Topics published in general media that engaged many classmates in recent months were:

• COVID-19 data and guidelines
• Black Lives Matter protests
• Yale campus re-opening and fall athletics
• Historical monuments and renaming

The Afro-American Cultural Center (aka “The House”) celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. At this July writing, Yale has announced that the Yale campus will open for the fall term, but will not accommodate all students on campus, i.e., there will be a significant blend of online learning. The Ivy League and Yale announced the cancellation of all fall sports.

After reading Dick Ainsworth’s update in Class News, his Berkeley College roommates reached out to him. Walt Macauley and John Kimberly sent well-wishing messages. Phil Anderson emailed some musical tributes from his choral group, The Vocal Majority, over the Fourth of July holiday. Phil added: “I’m overwhelmed by what you did with my earlier email and the posting of my poem, ‘The Master’s Touch,’ which I wrote in 1978. I’m currently reading Bill Packwood’s book about Privateers.” Phil also told me that he had connected with Lyn Hinojosa. Jim Baxter, who lives only a few blocks from me in Atlanta, emailed: “Barbara and I are taking COVID-19 seriously. She walks our dog in Piedmont Park. After a few cardiovascular events, I limit my daily walk to nearby streets and have begun meditations (that’s meditations, not medications).” Dan Berman emailed about some digital research he is doing in Sterling Memorial Library. He also reminded me about a book he wrote in 1996, Who Owns the Sun?, that is still timely. Frank Basler, who is a regular on the Mory’s Zooms, circulated information about the Poor People’s Campaign. “I first became aware of the Campaign because the co-organizer is on the faculty of Union Seminary, where I graduated.” Frank added: “Start your day with a calming 5-minute chanting meditation. If you like the blog, please share it with those you know who are having difficulty coping with anxiety.” Dick Berk emailed: “I’m working with the Penn Vet School and the Working Dog Center to train dogs to identify COVID-19. Turns out there are some tricky statistical issues that are in my wheelhouse. The project has been covered in the Washington Post among other media outlets.” Dick added: My son Michael graduated from Penn with a hybrid major in software engineering, data science, and environment studies. He had been working part time for a local energy-consulting firm.” Steve Bingham emailed: I just finished writing an opinion piece on street safety and have submitted it to the San Francisco Chronicle. I’ve been doing street-safety advocacy ever since my daughter Sylvia ’09 was killed in Cleveland riding her bike to work.”

Bill Bowe posted on his birthday, “Another year, another birthday. I’ll be put out to pasture sooner or later.” Bob Buchanan emailed: “Thanks for inspiring so many classmates to reach out to one another. We now have the time and inclination to do so.” Kip Burgweger, another regular on the Mory’s Zooms, spent four months in Texas after the birth of his first grandchild; he’s back in CT now. Patrick Caviness emailed: “Thanks for the update on classmates. Sometimes, I feel a little guilty being on an island on the other side of the world and seriously out of touch with what many classmates are going through in the U.S. We continue to be blessed; still no cases of the virus on Koh Samui.” Later, Patrick posted: “Today, we drove down Chaweng Beach Road, normally the busiest road on the island and packed with tourists. Now, all shops are closed, and the streets are empty or under repair. We’ve been concentrating on home improvement projects.” Recently, I came across an article about Steve Clay, another Atlantan. In 2018, Steve was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In his thanks for the award, Steve said, “I started at Kilpatrick at age 13 as a mailroom summer clerk. When I was 20, I worked as a summer law clerk for the firm and eventually returned as a full-time associate in 1970.” Jim Currie posted a photo of himself and a single-engine airplane with the caption: “Successful check ride for private pilot license today.” Later, he emailed Paul Balser: “Paul, I read that you are self-isolating in Millbrook, NY, an absolutely gorgeous part of Duchess County. I ‘self-isolated’ in Millbrook from 1956 to 1960, in what was then known as the Millbrook School for Boys.” Nick Danforth, another regular on Mory’s Zooms, was reminiscing about his adventures with the Russian Chorus on tour in Europe and the U.S. “The FBI tailed us; they thought we were subversives!” Sam Deloria, champion for Native Americans, posted, “I’ve noticed that the people from the health agencies routinely mention ‘tribes’ in their list of ‘stakeholders.’ I don’t know the bureaucratic background of this, but it is most welcome. I wish more Federal agencies recognized tribes as governments.” Sam is a great word detective, too. He asked: “Is first always foremost? Is there a second, or fourth, or something and foremost? Is there sometimes a first and hindmost, or middlemost?” A prolific poster on Facebook, Sam has standards: “If I don’t know you, and you don’t message me to tell me who you are, I won’t accept only on who your other friends are. Especially if they are the same list of semi-famous Indians who apparently take all comers.”

When I posted Bill Drennen’s book Red White Black & Blue in Yale Authors, Patrick Caviness commented: “Bill knows firsthand how to make our country a better and more egalitarian place.” Bruce Driver and I exchanged thoughts about the Georgia Senate race that he recently analyzed in his blog. I also experienced firsthand the voter suppression that occurred in Fulton County in the Georgia Primary. Dennis DeSilvey posted: Tony Fauci and I were Chief Residents together at New York Hospital.” Sam Francis commented in Neil Hoffmann’s email group thread: “It’s not just that N95 masks are ‘better.’ It’s also that they are quite inappropriate for the general public, because their effectiveness depends in part on a tight fit to the face forming an air seal which prevents air from doing an end run around the mask. Healthcare providers are required by OSHA to undergo annual technical N95 fit tests which verify that the seal is airtight. If an EMT can’t pass a fit test (because of the shape of their face or because of facial hair), they are required to sign a waiver, notify their crew chief, and steer clear of calls requiring the wearing of a respirator. Thus, their utility to their squad is reduced, particularly these days. That’s why you don’t see many EMTs with beards.” Frank Franklin is a pediatric and public-health practitioner in Alabama with doctoral degrees in medicine and nutrition. Frank posts regularly about COVID-19: “A series of catastrophic failures in preparedness, leadership, communication, organization, planning, and implementation due to incompetence, ignorance, hubris, and partisanship have tragically harmed our health and economy as well as our global position. The virus does not divide us into ideological, religious, or demographic groups.” On another theme, Frank posted: “We all lie consciously and unconsciously to ourselves and others. One of my favorite lies is that after Yale, I trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Further, that training was the drive to study medicine and nutrition. This lie allows me to claim expertise in cooking. In fact, I have no such training and no expertise as a chef. Is it a lie or just the start of a good story?” When I posted Len Gaffga’s new book, Following on Seas of Glory, in Yale Authors, he emailed: “Thanks for helping me get set up with Yale Authors.” Later, Len added: “My son, Nicholas, lives in Atlanta and works at CDC Headquarters there. He has spent a lot of time working on a team to design protocols for dealing with COVID-19. He has been deployed several times to prisons, homeless shelters, and other high-risk areas.”

Ed Gaffney posts prolifically on Facebook but he is also critical of their current guidelines. He follows Yale Climate Connections, and posted: “Climate change is civilization’s final exam … with no vaccine. They have a saying at NOAA: Global warming isn’t rocket science; it’s much, much harder.” Later, Ed added: “Plummeting carbon emissions and big government spending — two of the defining narratives of 2020 so far — could create an unprecedented opportunity for the world to meet the goals enshrined in the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.” Ed, like many classmates, also commented on the #BlackLivesMatter protests and on the emerging significance of Juneteenth. Marty Gerstel posted from Israel: “Israel should make it clear publicly that the Palestinians coming to the negotiating table with the Trump Plan having been proposed in no way means that they accept any portion of the plan. This is the meaning of negotiations.” Chris Getman emailed from Rhode Island: “Toddie and I have just completed our fifteenth week at our home in Rhode Island where I have an office that functions well. After weeks of isolation and despite the fact that the vows we took 56 years ago were ‘for better, for worse, but not for lunch,’ we’re both enjoying the experience.” Chris did his 34th Multiple Sclerosis Walk in virtual fashion this year. “I missed the kids, dogs, handicapped walkers, and early Spring foliage, but look forward to normalcy in 2021.” In May, Angus Gillespie was interviewed by Fox News about the design and construction of the Lincoln Tunnel, for an ongoing television series, “American Built.” Howard Gillette forwarded an article from the Washington Post about Tim Mellon’s role in fundraising for a Trump Super PAC. Stephen Greenblatt emailed: “We returned from Rome at the beginning of March. I wrote the New Yorker article on the plane coming home. At the time, many of our friends looked at us like we were crazy; there was no virus in Rome and only a few cases in Seattle. How I wish we had been crazy!” Later, Stephen added: “I loved your Zoom course on Shakespeare for your granddaughters; I was touched by it. It inspires me to try this with my granddaughters.” Butch Hetherington missed the latest Mory’s Zoom and emailed: “I’m very sorry to have missed the Zoom because our income tax returns came that day. Unfortunately, I had something to report which I don't think is good for Yale. A few weeks ago, it came to my attention that Yale had started a new fund which is to benefit New Haven. Any Yale Alumni who contribute to this fund will be credited with having made a contribution to the Yale Alumni Fund. I received a solicitation for this fund and it talks about New Haven being another home for Alumni and was sent out by a member of the class of 1972. I don't think this is good for the Yale Alumni Fund when Yale has been hurt by the virus, and I am not sure how good a friend New Haven is to Yale.”

Bob Hilgendorf emailed on his birthday: “Thanks for the greeting. We had a fresh Maine lobster dinner with friends.” Neil Hoffmann runs a group email thread that tackles many important topics, including the honorary degree Yale bestowed on Stephan Schmidheiny. YAA Executive Director Weili Cheng ’77 responded: “I may not have answers or ability to address all issues, but I can and do serve as a voice for alumni.” Neil Hoffmann moderated a group email during the #BlackLivesMatter protests. Marya and Terry Holcombe posted: “Thanks for all the postings. Everything is good here in Walpole NH (‘Spring, finally!’). Won’t we appreciate it when we can see our classmates again? No one is forcing us to obsess over our current circumstances. Much better to focus on what we have now, rather than what we don’t have.” Terry has been sending his emails from ‘TRAZ’ (The Taggard Road Autonomous Zone). I believe he is the warlord, and I am the economics minister. As the Holcombes have done before, they posted appreciation for the Kurn Hattin Select Choir and support for Sunrise Café. They joined classmates in applauding the Beinecke Library’s acquisition of the Frederick Douglass papers and condemned the destruction of his statue in Rochester NY. Fred Hornbruch emailed: “People keep asking, ‘Is COVID-19 really all that serious?’ Well, the churches and casinos are all closed. When Heaven and Hell agree on the same thing, it’s probably serious.” Jay Huffard emailed: “Ed Trippe and I played golf in early July, and Ed was unusually good. Kirk and I are back in CT and doing fine.” Peter Hutchings emailed: “Here is a recent discovery of mine. Circa 2010, Yale stuck a camera in the classroom for a dozen or so actual classes. I have taken two of the courses and am in the third right now. It is a fantastic experience. Pick any two you might like, pick a session or two, and tell me if you are as excited as I am. If so, tell the world!” Candy and Waldo Johnston posted: “We’re staying in Vero Beach FL this summer and spending more leisurely time outside on our Lanai. Loving it, especially the pond views.” Later, they posted photos of Waldo’s birthday celebration at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club and Waldo’s wall garden of orchids. Waldo also posted a poignant message about his experiences as a ninth-grade teacher when a young black student experienced profiling: “Our class did all we could to affirm our respect for him.” On another post, Waldo wrote: “If the credibility and legitimacy of balloting in the country is compromised, we are screwed. Surely, if we can go to the Moon, we can construct a system that works.” In late June, Waldo emailed: “I was at the eye doctor today and in came a guy who sat next to me. Somehow during the conversation, I learned he was in the Class of 64 at Yale. His name was Bob Semisch. Turns out he was a roommate of Chris Getman, Sam Francis, Strachan Donnelley, and many other notables in our class. We had a wonderful conversation and touched on many topics of interest to us.” Kai Lassen emailed: “I re-upped for another term on the Yale Alumni Fund Board. It’s a great way to keep current with Yale happenings and to help with the money side. I’ll see you at the next meeting, either on Zoom or in person.”

Douglass Lea posted: “A country that turned out eight combat aircraft every hour in World War II could not even produce enough 75-cent masks or simple cotton nasal swabs for testing in this pandemic.” On another topic, Douglass opined: “Ozymandian futility, that’s what all the public statues and official portraits boil down to. Get rid of them, every last one. If hero worship is your thing, buy a book.”Bill Lear’s wife, Sharon, posted photos of them on a beautiful beach celebrating his birthday in July. Margie Lee emailed: “I’m reading Stephen Greenblatt’s books, Will in the World, The Swerve, and The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve.” Ann Marie Lynch emailed: “Thanks for your all-classmate emails. Denny sends his best.” Sam Low posted about his work on the PBS Series, NOVA, 25 years ago: “At the time, I was racing a small Porsche at tracks all over New England. I was fascinated by the speed and the ballet of joining with the other drivers at the limits of adhesion. So, what the Hell, let’s make a movie about it. ‘Fast Cars’ was the result.” In real time, Sam also posted: “I was very pleased by the proactive work of the Oak Bluffs Martha’s Vineyard Board, planning for public safety during the pandemic.” Sam also introduced me to an Hawaiian word, ‘Aumakua’ (a deified ancestor), when he saw my post about my great grandfather. Jon McBride reported: “1964 classmates have made personal contributions of over $4,000 to Squash Haven this year. The Squash Haven Facebook page posted: ”We are so incredibly proud of our college seniors who have completed their undergraduate careers. Today, we are proud to present Victor, who graduated from Yale with B.A. in History.” When Jon saw my post about the chaos in Georgia on primary election day, he commented: “Maryland got it right on this one. Every registered voter, regardless of party, received a mail-in ballot in the mail, along with a postage-paid return envelope.” Alan McFarland emailed: “Thanks for the mention of KT. Her book seems to have predicted much of the governance mess in which we now find ourselves.” John More posted while he attended a prayer vigil at his church, St. John's Episcopal Church, in D.C. “Here for a prayer vigil. Troops blocking us from our Church. Freedom of religion!” Earlier, John had emailed: “Damage to the church was relatively minor. Some of the demonstrators setting fires broke into a basement door and set a fire. Fire system put it out. Livy and I did spend the evening watching the news, uncertain whether a large plume of smoke was coming from the Church. The plume was from another building in Lafayette Park. Our Bishop and clergy and lay leaders had been at the Church earlier supporting the demonstrators. I spent the evening having flashbacks to the 1960s and to 9/11. I was at the Church when the Pentagon was hit.” John also posted: “A timely discussion of the fact that the Greeks and Romans had prejudices that marginalized people, but it was not based on race or the color of your skin. I taught this in my courses on the Roman Law of Slavery and Roman History.” John and Livy are now back on Cushing Island, Maine, for the summer, which began with a 2-week quarantine. On June 19th, John posted: “Juneteenth was not on my radar until D.C. began to recognize it. It is now indelibly linked with our wedding anniversary. Our wedding was on the 100th anniversary of Juneteenth. There was not a mention of it in the white press or white world. We’re celebrating our 55th anniversary today. A lifetime of life, travel, and sharing. And blessed with our children and grandchildren.”

Bill Morse emailed: “Thanks for connecting me with Bob Dickie, the YAA Delegate for 1963. I will send him an email and start our collaboration. Almost all of the colleges and schools where I place students will probably be virtual this fall. Strange times. We must all hope and pray for medical advances, such as a COVID-19 vaccine. Until then, the world is not likely to come back to where it was. One of my two high-tech sons told me that even within a year and a half, a reliable vaccination would be something of a miracle.” Michael Nagel emailed: “Thank you so much for the latest amazing collection of Class Notes to read. They provide a wonderful bridge to be part of a larger family sharing the values, talents, innovation, entrepreneurship, mobility, and helping hands of classmates. They also show once again, despite problems, Americans react quickly and flexibly to find solutions. Divided we fail. United, we overcome to keep calm and carry on. Meanwhile on the island of Brexitland, I have created the Honourable Society of Islanders with five close friends living in the UK, Tasmania, New Zealand, Madeira, and Nantucket speaking with each other several times a week on various island-relevant topics. The Global Village at its best! My sincere best wishes to all classmates for their continued good health and happiness.” Cole Oehler responded to the June all-classmate email: “These were great articles, but who are all those old guys? I remember many from a long time ago. Best to all from Charleston, SC.” Ron Parlato posted about COVID-19 and other social conditions. I enjoyed “Nothing was Woke on Wooster Square when Frankie Grillo Returned.” Ron always has a good eye for my posts about Italian food: “I’m with you, Tony, tagliatelle with cream and butter sauce go well together.” Marya Holcombe joined in: “Looks delicious, but New Haven is a bit too far to send Terry to pick something up; he is so bored, but he is doing all the cooking!” In July, Ron headed for Cape Cod and some raw oysters. Doane Perry joined me and other classmates in re-reading Frederick Douglass’ July 5th speech in 1852: “Eloquence to hear.” Doane also applauded the news about the first American woman in space reaching the deepest spot in the ocean. Closer to home, Doane noted that his home county, Berkshire, was the only spot in Massachusetts free of COVID-19. Doane and Karen Carmean listened to Tanglewood Festival online and posted Facebook Live events for “Our Berkshires” art show. Dan Pollack and Nancy posted, “Our grandson Max graduated from Deerfield High School and is headed to Michigan State in the Fall.” Dan emailed: “Incredible job compiling and publishing all the activities of classmates. For a guy who spent 45 years selling steaks, it’s a little intimidating reading the scholarly accomplishments of many classmates. Nancy and I returned to Chicago from Scottsdale on May 5th, definitely three weeks too soon. Arizona restrictions are definitely more lenient than Illinois. On May 29th, Illinois is supposed to move to ‘Phase 3’ of our reopening plan. As with most classmates, we're staying at home, venturing out only to shop, ‘drive by’ oldest son Matt's home to say hi to his three sons, wife Jamie, and Matt. Fortunately, we have lots of exercise equipment in our basement to keep us busy. Using the Peloton app for yoga, core, strength, spinning classes. Think we've watched every movie and series on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Staying in touch via Zoom with kids in Napa and Seattle, as well as Bob Hannah and Mike Mazer and their wives.”

Bob Rands emailed: “I saw your name on our Boston luncheon (now Zoom) list the other day. As I recall, you were in my entryway in Wright Hall Freshman year. All three of my roommates that year eventually left/flunked out of the school! So, my experience at Yale was different than most. Eventually majored in economics, got an MBA from Wharton, and spent 40 years in the investment business. Still do a lot of investing.” Quincy Rodgers emailed: “Following a long interlude, I’ve had a couple of Yale activities worth mentioning: (1) I took a Yale Alumni trip in February to New Zealand. A nice chance to mingle with fellow alumni, although I was the only class of ’64 participating. Arrived back on March 4th, just as the COVID-19 began to spread. I kept my head on a swivel, particularly in the airports. (2) I have been pleased to participate in a minor way in the effort mounted by Victor Ashe, ’67, to mount a petition drive to get on the ballot for an alumni seat of the Yale Corporation. Victor is a good friend and has the judgment and experience to serve the University well.” Paul Ruden posted: “Religious and political leaders should be in the streets with the protestors, providing onsite voices of calm against the disruptors.” Dina Marie Ruden posted: “How should we mourn the nearly 90,000 [now 130,000] Americans who have died from COVID-19? How can we, as a nation, lend emotional support to their families?” Later, Dina posted: “I had so such fun celebrating National Tap Dance Day with the talented dancers from Alvin Ailey Extension on video.” And in another post, Dina said: “I feel so fortunate to live near Central Park; it’s such an oasis of peace.” Rick Salomon still has a great memory for 1960s popular songs. He got 10 for 10 on a Facebook Quiz, but confessed, “I have a very with-it wife, who helped me on two of the songs.” When Choate and Princeton graduate Ken Melrose died, Rick posted: “A great athlete and a great guy.” David Sherman emailed: “Here’s a quote from Kant that should distract you from your lockdown blues: ‘The character of the species, as it is indicated by the experience of all ages and all peoples, is this: that taken collectively (the human race as one whole), it is a multitude of persons, existing successively and side by side, who cannot do without associating peacefully and yet cannot avoid constantly offending one another.’” When I posted that my great-grandfather was president of Simpson College, Iowa, 1917-34, Ron Sipherd commented: My father was an undergraduate at Simpson 1925-29, so he must have known him.” After reading the most recent all-classmate email, Ron replied: “I do wonder what will result from all this, locally, nationally, and globally … and how long it will last; I suppose time will tell. And I’m reminded of two songs. One, not surprisingly, is ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’; the other is ‘Passing Through’.” Also, replying to the same June email, Russell Sunshine wrote: “Tony, so much to enjoy and appreciate in your latest collection. I loved Stephen Greenblatt on revisiting a Spanish Mystery Play and again on The Tempest. Equally, Gerry Shea on the cruel history of educating the deaf. Also, Sam Low on his beckoning Hawaiian ancestor. We should summon her for our next Reunion! Precious, lively, memorable stuff. Your own glimpse of teaching the Classics to granddaughters was also sweet for sharing. The best Odyssey map I've ever encountered! My most recent blog post, ‘Mid-year Musings,’ was published just yesterday. The latest in a series of installments tracking pandemic progress here in a Bay Area CCRC. Let me know if it rings any bells. And my wife, Nancy, has a new blog chronicling her journals and letters over 50 years.”

Don Van Doren emailed: “I think your stories of engaging your grandchildren in mythology and Shakespeare are a wonderful example of the kind of engagement that grandparents have special ability to do. That kind of early exposure will stay with those kids throughout their lives. Not exclusively grandparents, of course. Just as your parent’s actions to expose you to these new tales have stayed with and motivated you. I had a similar exposure to poetry. My mother was a thorough romantic and literary maven, an undergraduate in journalism and a masters in library science. She read poetry to me as a kid and instilled in me an appreciation and love of poetry that has stayed with me over the years. Well, sort of. I put all that ‘nonsense’ aside while I was trying to become the great entrepreneur. That never happened. In later years, Diane captured me with her (to me) stunningly wonderful poetry and resurrected my long-dormant love affair with that. When we first met, she gave me two books of her works, and I gave her a book of the complete works of e e cummings. We spent the afternoon in a park reading to each other. To this day, every day (now for 25 years) she emails me a poem (not all hers, of course). Anyway, what you are instilling in these kids is a treasure that twill be with them forever.” Gene Van Loan emailed: “In April — which now seems like eons ago — I was appointed by the NH Secretary of State, after consultation with the Governor and the Attorney General, to a six-member Select Committee to make recommendations on how/where to spend the $3.2 million allocated to New Hampshire by the CARES Act to deal with the anticipated impact of the COVID-19 virus upon our Fall state/federal elections. Here is the final report of the Committee on which I served. It has been a real slog-fest over the last two months. I won't say that it was 24-7, but it sometimes felt like that. Our first Zoom conference, which was open to all NH election officials and the public, had 350 attendees. The biggest problem we had was dealing with a moving target. Here we are in the Spring, trying to decide what the landscape will look like in September and November when we hold our primary and general elections, respectively. Will the virus subside (or even disappear), will we have a second wave, etc.? So, all we could do was assume that the Fall situation will look the same as things look now. Anyhow, as you can see, we did not elect to go to an all-mail-in election, nor did we elect to mail out absentee ballots to every registered voter. On the other hand, we tried to do our best to facilitate absentee voting, not because it is a good thing in and of itself, but because, in the context of the pandemic, it is important to minimize the number of people who show up at the polls. As I have watched things recently unfold in presidential primary elections in other states which have tried to deal with the same situation, especially the debacle in Georgia, I would like to think that we got it right. Although our report is New Hampshire-specific, if any of our classmates are involved in state electoral politics and procedures, they might find it useful.”

Ward Wickwire emailed about a Yale initiative: “The Yale Alumni Academy. It appears that Yale is finding ways to maintain/expand connections with Alumni. I also see the Academy following the model initiated by the Jackson Institute with its weekly webinar series on the impact of COVID-19. The most recent one, moderated by Rick Levin with Larry Summers as the speaker, was excellent. I've already registered for the next one, a presentation by Paul Bracken on ’AI Superpowers, China, Silicon Valley and the New Arms Race.’ Tracy and I have traveled with Paul and his wife on two different Yale trips and he is a great mind and speaker. I am trying to contact the Jackson Institute about their experience with the webinars (costs, participation, impact on awareness, and fund raising) as Jackson moves to becoming a full school. There could be an interest among classmates in a discussion forum based on some of these Yale webinars.” Roger Webb posted: “Thanks to all the folks who wished me a happy birthday. This has to be the weirdest on I can remember. I got myself a cake through a drive-thru window. Dale and I haven’t snarled at each other, but both are starting to make dumb mistakes. She threw yard trash in the recycling the other day, and I told her it made me feel better that it’s not just me. Dale and I are going to request mail-in ballots for the November election, but we’ll stand in line if we have must.” David Wyles posted in June: “I’ve been posting less frequently, because I’m still recovering from a long surgery to put a screw through the broken bone in my neck. Hard to sit at my computer and not feel pain in my neck. Pray for better days ahead!” Robert Whitby, another regular on the Mory’s Zooms, posted beautiful photos of a holiday setting on his elegant dining room table. He also had a stunning sculpture by his outdoor pool. When I posted remembrances of Charles Brown, Bruce Warner, and Phinney Works on Memorial Day, over 300 likes and comments were recorded among the Yale community. Among classmates, there were these comments: Patrick Caviness: “Thanks for your tribute to our classmates. I still wonder about Bruce Warner’s prospects and how all his possibilities were cut short suddenly and forever.”Paul Ruden: “Phinney Works was a friend of mine at Yale. A good man who died too soon. ”Larry Lawrence: “I was at a weekend Marine Corps Reserve meeting when the news came into the office about Bruce. As hard to grasp then as it is now.” Rick Salomon: “On a later visit to the Vietnam Memorial, I was having trouble finding Bruce Warner’s name. A stranger near me offered to help, and I told him about Bruce. The stranger was Oliver North.”

Regarding Classmate Publications, I think we’re current on the Class website. I have been posting one classmate book per week on the private Facebook page, Yale Authors. At this rate, we will extend well into 2021 without exhausting our list of authors. There is an older book by Dan Berman, Who Owns the Sun?, that is still timely in our search of global warming solutions. Classmate bloggers were very active across a wide range of timely events: Mo Dean (blogging as Moristotle) continued his series of “Goines On” and was joined by James Carney and Neil Hoffmann for guest entries; Bruce Driver expanded his Senate Race analysis series (my home state of Georgia was his most recent, and it includes Joe Lieberman’s son, Matt, as one of the candidates); Jim Rogers addressed many of the fiscal and monetary actions being taken during COVID-19; Paul Ruden, at ground zero in NYC during the early days of COVID-19, wrote about the pandemic and the #BlackLivesMatter protests; Russell Sunshine wrote “Marooned” in June from his retirement community in California; and John Wylie wrote, “The Gracefulness that Makes Us Vulnerable.” We’ve added Frank Basler to the index of classmate bloggers.

Two of our classmates died in June, as reported at In Memoriam. Otto Trautz died on June 4th from complications of leukemia. He lived in Vermont, where he was State Budget Director for 35 years. Joe Wishcamper added a touching remembrance of Otto. Abby Pratt emailed me that her husband, Larry Pratt, died of heart failure in Boston on June 27th. Larry had a distinguished career in economic research. Abby added, “Larry loved Yale, JE, and The Yale Record.” Steve Dana recently made a generous contribution to the “1964 Mory’s Memorial Brick Fund.”