Who said “It’s just a shot in the arm?”

March 12, 2021

Dear classmates and friends:

The May-June 2021 Class Notes are now posted on our Class website, and you can also read them below. Many classmates told me about their successes and frustrations getting their COVID-19 vaccinations. It reminded me of the old figurative saying, “It’s a shot in the arm.” The phrase first appeared in print in The Lewiston (Maine) Evening Journal in January 1916.

This edition of Class Notes continues to reflect the “pandemic year,” with over 6,000 words about more than 100 classmates and 16 spouses. If you want the Cliff Notes version, wait for the Yale Alumni Magazine in May, but you’ll miss 5,000 words. Of course, “Zoom” is the biggest word in the cloud. We are engaging with each other more than ever.

Watch the Class website for upcoming dates for special, themed classmate Zoom calls. The first one will be on May 27: a “1964 Classmate Authors Book Club” featuring Edward Massey’s new book, Founding Sheriff.

Cheers,

May/June Class Notes

As I write this column in early March, more and more classmates have told me they have received their COVID-19 vaccine shots. As this column describes, we have been doing more Zoom calls than ever before, with plans to expand them for the balance of 2021. Zoom calls may become a permanent feature of classmate engagement even after we are able to congregate again.

Our annual Class Council meeting was the most important of the Zoom calls in the past two months. It took place on Saturday, February 13 and lasted 7 hours (traditionally, our in-person meetings last 8 hours, so Zoom made us more efficient). There were too many topics and decisions to report in this column, but the Class Website / News page has five detailed articles about the meeting. Notably, Tom Barnard, Jerry Flannelly, and Ted Wagner were elected to the Class Council. As we have done in recent years in New Haven, we took the opportunity to “meet” with a panel of Yale undergraduates to hear about their Yale experiences. This year, we met with six students who are members of La Casa Cultural, the Latino Cultural Center at Yale. It was the highlight of our day, especially hearing how these students are coping with the pandemic. Reacting to a social-media post I made about this session, another Yale alumna wrote: “I admire that while returning and most certainly reminiscing, you and your class reached out to renew a fresh perspective which I’m sure allows current Yalies to reach back vicariously.”

With initiatives from Joe Wishcamper and Edward Massey at the Class Council meeting, plans are underway to launch a series of quarterly Zoom events. These will expand on the successful regional Zoom virtual luncheons by engaging more classmates and spouses. The first Zoom event will have the theme “1964 Yale Authors Book Club” to take place on May 27, 2021. Registration forms will be emailed on March 22. The first featured book will be Edward Massey’s Founding Sheriff, and Jan Truebner will be the moderator. Subsequent Zoom events will take place quarterly, between now and our 60th Class Reunion in 2024, with topics to be announced later.

Regional classmate luncheons continue to be conducted via Zoom during January and February with over twelve classmates attending each one; overall, more than fifty classmates have attended. You can find articles about these on the Class website / News page, too. Don Edwards hosted the Mory’s group. Jerry Flannelly hosted the Boston contingent. Owen O’Donnell hosted Bay Area classmates. Pete Putzel hosted the Yale Club of NYC regulars, most of whom are living in Connecticut now. Discussion was lively on all these calls, and topics were wide-ranging. Consensus favors continuing with the Zoom format for the foreseeable future. Ted Jones advises that there will not be a Class golf outing this spring.

Our class is not unique in adopting Zoom for engagement. Yale has never offered as many video events as they have during the past twelve months. Subscribing to all of them would be a full-time job, but at least the options are there, depending on your interests. The YAA Assembly and YAF Convocation for 2020 were spread out over many months via Zoom, rather than the traditional three-day meeting in New Haven. Bill Morse, our YAA class delegate, reports on the Assembly programs, and Kai Lassen, a YAF Board member, reports on the YAF meetings. Some of these sessions are designed for class leadership with tutorials on techniques to improve the use of Zoom. There were 23 events during the past two months. Many of these feature current Yale faculty with insights into today’s curriculum. In another session, a Facebook Group “Yale Food & Wine” that I co-founded was recognized with a YAA Award of Excellence. Recently, we were taken on a virtual tour of the new Schwarzman Center that may open in the Fall of 2021. Virtual Feb Clubs occurred throughout February to continue this Yale tradition. In February, Peter Salovey gave his quarterly update. Tony Reno (honorary 1964 classmate) gave a behind the scenes tour of the Yale Bowl. The Yale Alumni College sponsored an event from the Yale Art Gallery with John Walsh ’61 giving a series of lessons on Picasso (in one scene, Marya Holcombe was spotted in the Gallery admiring the art). Mory’s sponsored an event with Anne Fadiman discussing her new book about her father. The Yale Afro-American House co-sponsored an event led by Risë Nelson that celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Careers, Life & Yale held several events for undergraduates, and the new Yale Cross Campus Website for alumni launched (think of it as a LinkedIn just for Yale alumni). Accelerate Yale and the Yale Entrepreneurial Society were also launched with strong programming. For those of you who want even more Yale programming, here are the links to the Yale YouTube channel and the Yale Vimeo channel.

From all reports, Yale has dealt with the pandemic as well as any university, though clearly there will be challenges when the campus (hopefully) opens next fall. There will be a surge in enrollment due to gap years. Yet, there is no shortage of demand. In Georgia, where I do alumni interviewing (Alumni Schools Committee), applications increased 25% this year. On another positive note, the Yale School of Management reports that the median base salary for graduates increased 7.7% last year, the highest growth rate among the top 15 business schools. For the second year in a row, Yale has postponed all class reunions and plans to “double up” reunion schedules for the next two years to catch up. We can be thankful that our reunion was the last before the pandemic, so Yale should be caught up when our turn comes again in 2024.

Turning to Class News, where we post longer accounts of classmates’ activities and interests, there were 28 articles posted on the Class Website / News in the past two months. Sam Francis indexes them in reverse chronological order, or you can use the Search function on the Class website. Highlighting classmates whom I have not previously mentioned, you will find: Chas Freeman, Gerry Shea, Al Rossiter, Paul Manchester, Ben Day, Bob Buchanan, Nancy Upper, John Wylie, and Tim Breen. I want to thank Steve Bingham for challenging the phrase I used in my January all-classmate email, “Does social distancing increase word count?” Steve wrote: “I strongly suggest you use the term ‘physical distancing’ rather than ‘social distancing’ which is a horrible misnomer. We need more social closeness, done physically distanced. With the grave mental-health crisis slowly creeping across the country, we need to find ways to bring people closer together, though physically apart.”

By now, all classmates with email addresses should have received an email from Yale Alumni Fellow Election Services, to confirm the email address where you will receive your ballot in April. Mory’s opened in mid-March for takeout or delivery meals.

Classmates reading these Class Notes in the Yale Alumni Magazine, will miss the next 5000 words which are not in that version due to word-count requirements. Typically, I sort material alphabetically by classmate, so this time I’m starting with the Ws and working backwards to the As.

David Wyles posted: “I’m remembering this time last year when I took a nasty fall and broke my neck What a difference a year of COVID and quarantine while rehabbing makes! I’m feeling stronger and better now with the help of the terrific therapist at UCLA.” Ward Wickwire emailed: “Happy to report that both Ted Jones and Jim Baxter have agreed to re-up as YAF Class Agents. Are there any other volunteers out there for this important role?” Joe Wishcamper joined one of the Bay Area Zooms and riffed with Mike Sherwood about hitchhiking from Connecticut to Fort Worth the summer after their first year at Yale. Sherwood: “At the end of the summer, I used someone’s motorcycle to deliver it back east. Good times, except I almost got killed in a nighttime head-on collision somewhere in Louisiana!” Wishcamper: “We did some other things that summer that would be best not to recall.” To which Sherwood invoked George W. Bush: “When we were young and foolish, we were young and foolish.” While helping to plan the quarterly Zoom everts, Wishcamper told us, “I plan to be on a boat in Cuba May 29-June 13.” After the December all-classmate email, Nick von Baillou replied: “Thanks for this interesting update. Glad to see classmates are still active.” Michael von Braun Nagel posted some great holiday photos from London and added: “Thank you for sharing your family memories of Pearl Harbor Day. I was already five months old in December 1941 and being kept in safety by my mother from the Allied bombings in Berlin.” Nancy Upper emailed: “Dennis worked at Lahey for years as a clinical psychologist, so it helped me get my vaccine appointments there in February.” Nancy just moved to Lexington MA where she’s working on a book about her beloved ampersand. In February, Jan Truebner was spotted on the Bent Pine golf course in Vero Beach. Rick Salomon posted some nighttime shots of, “a beautiful moonrise at the Breakers.” Commenting on a post I made when one of the founding brothers of Friendly’s Ice Cream died, Rick said, “I was on the board of Rockefeller University with Curtis Blake. Terrific guy.” Rick also commented on Pat Caviness’ home renovation in Koh Samui, “This is going to be spectacular, Pat. Show us the transformation in stages.” Gerry Shea posted a photo of himself with Marty Walsh, the new Secretary of Labor: “We met at Swan Boat inauguration in Boston 2018. I introduced myself as a Salemite living in Paris and an aide snapped the pitcha. Marty said he was my friend, and I said he was my friend, too.” Mike Sherwood wrote: “I’ve been enjoying monthly Zoom meetings with thirteen or so classmates living in the Bay Area, set up and hosted by Owen O’Donnell. Thanks, Owen!” Jim Rogers was interviewed on financial markets several times in recent months: The Economic Times, India Times (“Don’t let hot tips ruin you”) in January, and Market Watch (“Don’t buy American stocks at highs”) in February. Page Rogers liked my Mardi Gras post about Tootie Montana and the Mardi Gras Indians.

After reading Al Rossiter’s essay on his Black Lives Matter journey, Gerry Shea emailed: “Thank you, Pitch, for your excellent and thoughtful essay.” Al (Pitch) replied: “Thanks for your email, Popo. Why has it taken our society so long to figure out that with systemic racism, everyone suffers.” Gerry (Popo) replied: “Lots more to do on an individual and community level too. I got to know several black athletes when I was running: Rindge Tech, John Thomas, the Boston Schools, the great sprinter Bobby Paris, athletes on the Andover and Exeter track teams too, including our captain, Ronnie Hines, my upper year. We were all young, idealistic (black and white alike) equals. Passing the baton, pulling muscles, healing, defeating and losing to each other, laughing, eating, showering together, colorless. Selling encyclopedias door to door too, with Maynard Jackson (then only 22 or so) and other blacks on our (Maynard's) team, traveling each day in his black Pontiac convertible, and earlier in the day meeting in Boston for pep talks with the broader Colliers group (‘Be the Tiger on the Hill!’ the motto). The best salesman, Dennis Strong, was black. Dennis was an incredibly charming man whose favorite slogan was his motto: ‘My name is Dennis Strong, and I'm gonna write you up!’ (i.e., sell you a set). We would later have early (3:30pm) ‘dinners’ together with Maynard and our team and then, between 5 and 9pm, sell books to well-heeled upper-middle-class white couples. Maynard looked somewhat Middle Eastern, and whenever at these dinners (it happened often), a waitress or restaurant owner, whether in Boston, or, say, in Rutland, Vermont, charmed by his overwhelming presence, politely asked Maynard his nationality, he would straighten himself, smile, and say, in his unforgettable, stentorian voice, ’American Negro.’ We need, somehow, to find these moments and friends again.”

Paul Ruden and Dina Marie got settled in Washington, D.C. just in time for the fireworks on Inauguration Day. They posted photos from their balcony on Pennsylvania Avenue. Paul Manchester commented: “Welcome back, just in time to save DC.” Ruden replied, “We have arrived at the worst of times and the best of times!” Dina Marie posted, “I wish every child had the chance to own and love books like I did. That’s why in honor of MLK Day of Service I’m hosting a virtual book drive to benefit ‘Reading is Fundamental.’ The event is centered around donating books that celebrate diversity.” Paul added: “My wife is a lifelong giver and doer for others. I’m proud of her and happy to buy books, my own favorite pastime, to help kids develop the habit of reading.” Doane Perry celebrated the 50th anniversary of his summiting Mount Kilimanjaro by posting two summit photos enhanced by Snapspeed, a free Apple app. During the Georgia Senate runoff election, Dan Pollack posted “Georgia on My Mind” and said, “While we’re loyal to the Whiffenpoofs, their rendition doesn’t come close to Ray Charles’s!” Later, Dan emailed: “While I am not a big fan of watching presidential inaugurations, seeing the 400 lights be illuminated on the National Mall commemorating the 400,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID is an emotional and powerful reminder that we are not immortal or perfect.” Perhaps, wanting to keep up with her model-maker husband, Nancy donated a custom-made loom art piece to her granddaughter’s school auction. For 17 years Nancy taught Introduction to the Arts to kindergarteners. Owen O’Donnell has been hosting lively Zoom calls with Bay Area classmates which spawn email threads that follow. Russell Sunshine and Larry Crutcher had one such dialogue about an article in The New York Times about capitalism in Spain.

Paul Manchester posted photos of a trip to the Greek island of Santorini to remind everyone of what travel was like. In real time, Paul saw Joe Lieberman on a CNN interview and emailed to tell Joe that he was volunteering as an unpaid intern on Capitol Hill. Edward Massey commented on one of my FB posts about wine: “When Tony posts about Montepulciano, I can’t resist. When Anne and I went there one June, I felt compelled to be romantic and rent a convertible. May I warn you, the Tuscan sun does not favor convertibles. We spent the whole time after the first morning with the top up. The wine, however, never suffers from too much sun.” Patrick Caviness added: “Glad to see you appreciate and approve of Tony’s wine post. That convertible ride in the Tuscan sun sounded memorable, brother.” John More agreed: “One of my favorite places in Italy, in addition to the great wine.” And Michelle Mead (surviving spouse of John Armor) added: “A day without wine is like a day without sunshine. And what better than the sunshine of Italy?” This is high praise from a person whose mother was born in France and naturalized in 1954! Since Benjamin Franklin owns one of the great quotes about wine (“Wine is proof that God loves us”), Michelle added: “Don’t forget that your classmate and my husband, John Armor, was a Benjamin Franklin impersonator. I donated his costume to Benjamin Franklin College. There were benefits to being married to Benjamin Franklin. When he got on my nerves, I could tell him to go fly a kite!” On Inauguration Day, Hannah Mazer emailed: “I’m a big fan of watching presidential inaugurations. The first one I saw was JFK’s in 1961. In January 1969, I was a freshman at GW and watched Nixon’s inauguration. In January 1989, Mike and I and our kids walked all the way from Foggy Bottom down to the Capitol to witness George H. W. Bush’s ceremony. Obama’s election in ’08 and then Inauguration in January 2009 were two of the most euphoric days ever in Washington. President Biden’s ceremony yesterday has to go right to the top of the list. His speech was absolutely brilliant. Amanda Gorman’s poem and Lady Gaga’s ‘Star Spangled Banner’ were the icing on the cake. I felt like a real patriot yesterday.” Ashley Macdonald (daughter of Angus Macdonald) posted from Folly Beach SC: “Happy New Year from Nico and me.” Bill Morse, our YAA Delegate, emailed: “Yale is very different from the college and community we experienced in the 1960s. We, likewise, have grown and evolved significantly. The university’s online presence, available to all, keeps us informed and abreast of new developments, at Yale and in the world.”

John More, another Washingtonian, posts frequently about matters of race and religion: “My 30 years of community activism with the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) fully support your statement about the role of faith institutions. I have been blessed to stand with ministers, rabbis, and imams who have spoken truth to power and obtained help for those less advantaged in DC.” John added: “I was an atheist for some 30 years, even when I taught early Church history at Brown. I came back to the Church after attending a Bible-study course held at my law firm. Then I found a home at St. John’s Church in Lafayette Square.” John and I don’t just share thoughts about religion. We’re both big Elvis fans. When I posted on Elvis’ birthday, John commented: “I was even able to visit his birthplace in Tupelo. Met the Sheriff who told me about having to deal with Elvis’s father. Their home was a ‘shotgun house.’ Quite a contrast with Graceland.” Several classmates noted the elevation of my daughter Vanessa to the Deerfield Academy Trustees. Rick Kroon: “Vanessa must come from a really good bloodline … [on her mother’s side].” Jay Huffard said: “Terrific. You must be very proud!” Patrick Caviness added: “Your daughter is a wonderful role model for the young men and women at Deerfield.” In December, Douglass Lea posted: “Just got my unconditional pardon by email. It covers everything in my past and future. It’s a great feeling.” Possibly explaining this observation, Douglass posted: “At ten, I stumbled across an issue of Mad Magazine in a candy store in Irvington NJ. I remember the intense, almost stupefying pleasure I felt reading those pages. Getting MAD seems to entail common sensibilities, including an acute sense of the absurd, the hypocritical, and the superficial.” Chip Levengood emailed: “I continue to serve as the Co-President of the Yale Club of Spain and as the Alumni Schools Director for Portugal and Spain. We will hold a virtual Feb Club later this month which will enable us to combine alumni/ae in both Barcelona and Madrid. Our Alumni Schools Committee is busy conducting interviews for 136 applications (to the Class of 2025!!) for undergrad admission from these two countries; this is more than double last year's applicant pool. I believe that this large increase must be due to COVID which has kept Spanish and Portuguese high schoolers out of the classroom and at home. Just a matter of having more time on their hands. Last year we had five acceptances and four matriculations from our region, an all-time high.” Bill Lear celebrated eight years at Athena Global Energy Technologies. Tony Lee continues his activism in climate-change education and mitigation, closely following the improvements in solar energy.

Waldo Johnston and Candy posted: “We purchased a recreational vehicle in Palm Bay Florida on November 11 and returned it on November 18 with major flaws. It has sat in their lot for more than two months. A major selling point was warrantees and service. Ha!” On a happier note, their daughter Crickett organized a surprise 75th birthday party for Candy, complete with video from friends afar. Waldo posted, “Happiness is a birthday with our daughter.” Ted Jones emailed: “A local senior-living community, on whose mailing list I am, just circulated an invitation to ‘attend’ a Whiff concert. They have forwarded me a link that I can use any time between January 10 and January 23. The community has no known affiliation with Yale. I am really looking forward to sitting in.” John Judson wrote: “Charmaine and I were positive for COVID and self-quarantined for five weeks. We hope everyone is surviving it. Otherwise, news is good.” Jennifer Julier is our beacon at YAA. Her son, Henry is getting lots of recognition for his designs. Jennifer posted: “Very proud to share Henry’s first Design Within Reach product.” Later, Henry was recognized in the 2021 Esquire Home Design Awards. Neil Hoffmann emailed: “The Class of 1964 over the last 20 years has had a golf outing at the Yale Course once a year and often twice a year, with reunion events a highlight. The group numbers about 50, including a few spouses. Speaking for myself, the golf outings have reinforced my love for the Course and my relationship with classmates. I think many of us share that perspective. Last fall, we heard that a major restoration of the iconic 95-year-old Course is being considered. I haven't heard anything recently but speaking for myself I would be pleased if I could direct my modest gifts to that effort. I might be inspired to give more. I think some of my classmates might be similarly inspired. That said, I think we'd all like to know where the plans stand. There is no information about the renovation on the website and Course opening is unclear. In addition, the current policy is that when it opens, the University policy is that only Connecticut residents can play the Course, which shuts out many of our group, me included. So that's what started this. I imagine a significant restoration would be a multi-million-dollar, multi-year effort. I suspect many Yale golfers across the generations would like to support it.”

Terry Holcombe circulated some Yale Daily News articles about the current tension between funding the sciences at Yale and the strength of Yale College. Jim Duderstadt, an expert on higher education, weighed in: “My sense is that the overall quality of the undergraduate education is what attracts the best students. We have a grandson, ‘math & computer genius,’ at Harvard. He’s studying from home in Atlanta right now, and he doesn’t care about the awards his faculty have. Most important is the quality of the other students, since those are the ones he learns from.” Terry also updated me on Sunrise Café, where a number of classmates have volunteered, pre-COVID: “It has been a big struggle … massive increases in need, but difficult to find venues, donors, and volunteers willing to risk the situation. And most of all to stay up with ever-changing city, state, and federal regulations. Very frustrating. I have pretty much settled in with a skeleton program serving take-out bags with us concentrating on a totally new scene once things have cleared. Put us on the docket for next year, and you can flip some pancakes.” Marya also shared a photo of the Kurn Hattin Homes children enjoying winter recreation on sleds. When the UConn women Huskies won their basketball conference for the 27th time, Marya posted: “I didn’t go to UConn. I didn’t play basketball. But, man, am I a fan of excellence!”

Chris Getman and Toddie sent a Happy New Year card with photos of their extended family. No surprise that they are now making Charlestown RI their primary address and relocating his New Haven office to Fairfield: “We like the setup and the three-second commute in RI very much.” Commenting on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing, Chris added: “I am the Chair of the Investment Committee for an important think tank whose goal is to try to moderate the negative impact that we humans are having on the planet. Our endowment is managed by a major bank. Feeling that we needed to be true to our mission, we told our managers that we wanted an ESG portfolio. We received the traditional response and were told that our fees would go up, and our performance likely would suffer. We persisted. Lo and behold, not only did our portfolio outperform the S&P, and it continues to do so, but after about two years, the bank took out a full-page ad in The New York Times soliciting business for those interested in ‘green’ management. It was truly a win-win experience. As we see it, ESG is a trend that will be with us for a long time.” Getman also shared some memories with Frank Hotchkiss: “I see that you were a History of Art major and went to Deerfield. My roommates were Trevor Cushman, Alan McFarland, and Bob Semisch, and I spoke at the memorial service for Jane Curtis, wife of L.P. Don’t know if you ever met her, but she was a real piece of work as were many of the other post-depression professors. I also spoke at the 90th birthday of Beekman Cannon who was Master (now Head) of JE when we were there. Our daughter’s middle name is Porter after Quincy Porter, who was the Master of Pierson when we were there. They were a great bunch, fun and gifted. We were lucky to have been there when that crowd was. You should consider coming back to our next reunion or mini reunion. I think you’ll be surprised at how cool and at ease we all are now that we’re in the late innings. Guys are interesting and fun.” When he heard about the Christmas Treasure Hunt that I organize for my granddaughters (a 73-year-old tradition in my family which was run via Zoom last December), Stephen Greenblatt emailed: “I loved the treasure hunt and wish I had done something of the kind for my grandchildren. It might not be too late, so I will attempt to imitate it next year.”

With his medical expertise, Frank Franklin posts regularly about COVID and the vaccines. As I am having my second Moderna shot today, I took note of Frank’s recent post: “Currently, 25M of 330M Americans have received their second doses of Moderna or Pfizer. Many vaccinees will experience mild fatigue, chills, headache, and fever within 7 days. With the current rate of vaccine administration, the US is unlikely to achieve herd immunity until the winter of 2021. We’ll go from doom to boom as employment, education economy, and enjoyment bloom.” When Frank saw his first snowfall of the season in Birmingham, he posted: “Franklin weather advisory: Stay home and avoid ice, unless it’s in a glass of Scotch.” Later Frank said:” I’m ready for our 60th and 75th reunions. I expect Tony Lee with be there at the 90th; he will probably bike to New Haven from Massachusetts.” Celeste Finn posted a photo of Aldo, her new puppy: “My Christmas gift from Eric [Fossel].” When he saw my exchange with Marya Holcombe about my next trip to New Haven, Steve Floman said: “Your joyful optimism is wonderful to feel.” In his trenchant style, Sam Francis opined: “I think we need a vaccine for stupidity.” On the Mory’s Zooms, Don Edwards and John Evans disseminated a lot of helpful information about getting vaccine appointments in Connecticut. Don emailed: “The key was to register with the CDC Vaccination Administration Management System (VAMS). I think Connecticut has been ahead of the game since the gitgo. We’re fourth in the nation in percent of vaccinations implemented.” John Evans added: “Keep your fingers crossed, and we can all have dinner at Mory’s soon.” After the John Evans’ advisory, Larry Lawrence wrote: “I’m getting my first shot tomorrow in Fairfield through the New Haven system. I‘m definitely going with Pfizer. They make Viagra. If they can raise the dead, they should be able to keep us alive.” During the Texas winter storm, I checked on Will Elting. Will emailed: “The lengthy time period of below-freezing temperatures did not factor into many original home-building plans and also the arrangements of many individuals in Texas over the past week. Plumbers are the top dogs for at least the next two months. The plumbing aisle at Home Depot has been the most popular place in town since Monday.” Nick Danforth persuaded Ben Day to send us an update on his recent life, which you can find in Class News with photos. I never knew that it was Ben’s father who urged Yale to award an honorary degree to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at our commencement in 1964. Dick Devens emailed: “I'm working in my 20 acres of woods — in Center Sandwich, NH — pruning and removing some trees to make room for others. I love it. Also, I'm following political events and the spread of coronavirus, waiting to find out when I can get vaccinated. Taking care of personal health takes longer as we age, and maintaining a big house as a widower, a new technologically 'improved' car, and iPhone, and keeping up with email keep me busy. My sweetheart and I are separated by the virus but look forward to seeing each other again. The days are going by fast.”

Tony Lee, a regular in the Boston Zooms along with some classmates from across the pond, is trying to entice Bill Dorsey to reconnect via Zoom from his beloved farm in England. Bruce Driver, blogger of Senate races, emailed: “Wow! I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life. I'm still surprised that Ossoff and Warnock won. Ossoff had a chance. Warnock, I thought, maybe. Georgia has really changed from when I drove through it in a hearse, mooning people eating lunch on a train, when I was at Yale and with the O’s & B’s singing group, on a spring road trip.” Peter Cressy ’63 invited Bob Buchanan to attend the Mount Vernon / Brookings Leadership Conference at George Washington’s home. Patrick Caviness and Frederique moved back into Frangipani Villa, their big hillside home on Koh Samui. They’re landscaping the lower garden. “It’s a big project. It doesn’t look like it used to look, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to look.” Thinking back to earlier architecture in his boyhood, Patrick posted: “When I lived in Little Rock, I was involved in renovating a number of historical homes in the Quapaw Quarter. I restored the Lyon House, located across the street from the Governor’s Mansion, and lived there for twelve years. Recently, a friend sent me a photo of the house covered in snow, a sight I have never seen.” The photo also reminded Patrick of his high-school years, when the governor closed the Little Rock schools in his senior year to keep them from being integrated. “We became known as ‘the lost class of 1959’.” Later, Patrick and I exchanged posts about our affection for the poems of e e cummings. Frank Basler, a regular on the Mory’s Zooms, emailed: “Suzie and I are scheduled for our vaccines on February 4 and 13. To celebrate that (and my birthday), I’m taking her to NYC to go to a museum and a nice restaurant.” Tom Barnard emailed: “I think all the older people on Skidaway Island GA where I live (population 10,000) who want the vaccine have gotten it. We got ours at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, where Carol had her recent (and successful) knee surgery.” Steve Bingham, a regular on the Bay Area Zooms, noted with sadness the recent Yale Daily News article about traffic safety in New Haven. Steve emailed: “I had a long talk with someone at the YDN about one of the most recent traffic deaths. Speeding on emptier streets (because of COVID) is a huge problem nationally.” Responding to the all-classmate email in January, Dick Berk emailed: “Wow! It is truly remarkable how active we still are.” During the political excitement in Georgia, Dan Berman emailed: “Long ago and far away, I was in Atlanta in early July 1964 on my way to Jackson, MI to serve in the Mississippi Freedom Summer. I just wandered around until my ride showed up.” Dan and I are waiting to hear about a re-scheduling of our 60th high-school reunion.

Edward Massey’s new book, Founding Sheriff, was published in February after being delayed by the pandemic. Edward will appear in our first “Yale 1964 Authors Book Club” on May 27, being interviewed by Jan Truebner. It was only with the notice of Dave Ritchey’s death that we learned he had been a prolific author with over 40 books to his name. We have added three of his most recent books to the Class Website / Publications. Spike Forbes kindly sent me the second edition of his book, A Tree in the Woods, which can also be found in Publications. Len Gaffga presented his book, Following on Seas of Glory, at a “Meet the Author” night in the Sun City Hilton Head. Sam Low’s Hawaiki Rising received another glowing review: “When I read this book, I could feel the words coming off the pages … the triumph of the soul.” Bill Gould has written a book, Tell Your Own Story, but alas it is not available on Amazon: “Thank you so much to the many of you who have suffered through exposure to this work as it has commenced and developed. My heartfelt thanks to you! And I hope you will not be disappointed by the total effort, as it is realized.”

Some of you might not have seen any of the 63 weekly posts (and counting) I’ve done featuring 1964 classmate authors on the private (but easy to join) Facebook page, Yale Authors. Edward Massey commented: “I’m thrilled by the compendium of our Class’s authors you have posted. Thanks for doing this for our Class, for us authors, and for our books.” Patrick Caviness added: “You are finding some gems of literary expression from members of our Class.” Michelle Mead (surviving spouse of John Armor) emailed: “How I miss that big grin of John’s. BTW, I bought him both the suede jacket and the hat he’s wearing in the photo.” Having discovered a few more classmate authors not mentioned above, Sam Francis has added books by Michael Farrell, Jethro Lieberman, and Leon Sigal. For practicality, Sam only lists books published since 2000 that are available on Amazon. I believe Syd Lea would hold the record for number of books, with 21, if we went back further.

Chas Freeman has written several new articles on foreign policy which can be found in Class News. Among our classmate bloggers, Russell Sunshine has some new entries in Agile Aging, notably, “Revisiting Istanbul.” John Wylie shared some of the “Anti-Darwinites” feedback he gets, the most amusing of which was, “I did not evolve from monkeys; if evolution is true, why did it stop?” Now that Paul Ruden is in Washington, D.C., he’s re-focused his Shining Sea USA blog with his latest, titled “Escape to the U.S. National Arboretum.” Brooks Carder appeared as a guest in Mo Dean’s blog, Moristotle & Co, with “My Chat with Harry Truman.”

Since the previous column, we have been notified of the deaths of five classmates: Panos Koumandos died in Greece in November; his surviving spouse, Rena, joined us on a Boston Zoom call with touching memories. Andy Reis died in December in France, where he had been living for 15 years; Jon Wallman wrote a remembrance. Dave Ritchey died in December in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; he was an accomplished author and photographer. Costas Fliakos died in February in Brooklyn; he was an exchange student from Tanzania who became a widely recognized expert in the oil industry. Andy Combe died in February in Virginia; he was a career, decorated naval officer. Memories of these men are posted on the Class Website / In Memoriam. Frank Hotchkiss emailed: “Reading the feats of now-gone classmates on In Memoriam was revelatory at the least. It seems that everyone left behind a mark in the sand, however small or light. May we all do the same. What’s so interesting to me is what people did with their lives. You could never have imagined (nor could they) what was to come. What a mystery!” Please send Sam Francis any remembrance you would like to post, and contact Chris Getman if you would like to buy a Mory’s Memorial Brick. Recently, Bam Alling, Steve Hoffman, and Jon Wallman added to the fund.