What is #1 on your bucket list?
November 22, 2024
Dear 1964 classmates and friends,
Having just returned from a trip to Africa that was on my bucket list, I can’t resist asking others, “What’s #1 on your bucket list?” Many of you responded to the question I asked two months ago about the number of continents you’ve visited. Frankly, I was amazed at how many classmates have been to all seven continents. Still with that theme, I have my eye on South America, which would give me six. I have no desire to go to Antarctica!
Many classmates commented on the US presidential election, both before November 5 and after. Frankly, I’m burned out by it all, so I hope you’ll forgive me for not transcribing that commentary.
As I write this on Veterans Day, I’m remembering our classmates who served in the Vietnam War (see the list), especially the three who lost their lives in that conflict. Today, Sam Low posted a Facebook Memory with his photo and caption: “Privileged to serve on the USS Ponchatoula (AO-148) in the Gulf of Tonkin 1964-1966.”
The Class Notes, embedded below, are dated for January-February 2025, since I follow the calendar of Yale Alumni Magazine. As I regularly point out, the version in the magazine is much shorter.
Cheers,
Tony Lavely
Yale ’64 Class Secretary
407-770-8942 (cell)
January/February Class Notes
[To read these Notes in your browser in living color, click here.]
Happy Thanksgiving to all 1964 classmates and families! As I write this column in early November, I am still recovering from 24 days in Africa during the fall. I’ve shared on Facebook some of the experiences that Nancy and I had on our twice-delayed honeymoon and might post them in Class News if others are interested. I owe a debt of gratitude to classmates Pete Putzel, Dick duPont, Sam Francis, Stephen Greenblatt, Bill Galvin, Tony Lee, Pat Caviness, Joe Wishcamper, and Toddie Getman) who shared similar experiences in Africa, but it still didn’t fully prepare me for the splendor of southern Africa … its animals, people, and culture. Also, a tip of my safari hat to the many classmates who responded to the question in my previous all-classmate email about visits on all seven continents. We are a very experienced group of travelers and adventurers. Joe Wishcamper is heading back to South Africa this month … for his 11th visit! I will post the replies to my question as a Class News story; feel free to add the scope of your travel.
Ted Jones reported that ten classmates participated in the two-day fall golf outing on September 25-26 in the New Haven area, at Tashua Knolls in Trumbull and The VUE in Hamden. During their dinner at Mory’s, special tribute was paid to the late Neil Hoffmann. Ted wrote: “Don Edwards opened the dinner with some moving thoughts on Neil’s warm, engaging, and fun persona, and his devotion to golf. Others joined in and shared their joy in having known him. John Evans closed our reverie with all holding hands and singing the Doxology.”
When I returned from Africa (where I was totally offline), I learned that the Football Bulldogs had dropped two of their early Ivy games and then lost to Columbia in late October, taking them out of the Ivy League title hunt this year. Pete Putzel was an early subscriber to ESPN+ that streams most of the games live. Teammates Dick Berk, Dan Pollack, Dick Niglio, and Pat Caviness (even from Thailand with a 12-hour time difference) also follow that action closely. The disappointing season sparked a lively email thread about changes in the game, especially the transfer portal. We will post that online discussion as a Class News story.
The annual Class Council meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 15, 2025, in New Haven. We will welcome new Council members Frank Basler, Kip Burgweger, John Hunsaker, Rick Kroon, Don Van Doren, and Bill Woodfin.
Joe Wishcamper announced that our first 2025 class-wide Zoom call is scheduled for Thursday, January 23, at 4:00pm EST. It will feature Rick Hatton and his lifelong commitment to aerial firefighting with his DC-10 tanker. Rick made a presentation at our 55th Class Reunion. In October, Rick gave his presentation to the Bay Area Zoom group, where it was roundly applauded. No area of the US is more aware of wildfires than the West Coast. Sam Callaway will moderate the January Zoom session. Separately, Ed Gaffney posted that areas of the East Coast are now experiencing wildfires. CNN reported on the incident. Later this month, you will be receiving more details about the Zoom event from Joe Wishcamper; please register to attend. Joe has strong personal feelings about this problem, since his son’s ranch in Montana was recently devastated by wildfire.
YAA Class Delegate Ralph Jones will be attending the YAA Assembly and YAF Convocation November 21-23. The theme is “Leading for a Better World: Advancements in Health, Historical Inquiry, and the Environment at Yale.” Ralph will write a report after the event.
The Buckley Institute at Yale announced the “Terry M. Holcombe Memorial Fund,” a new endowment established by Marya Holcombe. The fund will support lectures, debates, and similar programs on international affairs, including Latin America. “We chose the Buckley Institute to honor Terry’s legacy, because he was most passionate about Buckley and its mission,” said Marya Holcombe and Kerry Auld, Terry’s wife and daughter respectively. On November 8, Marya Holcombe, Will Elting, and Edward Massey attended the 14th annual Buckley Institute Conference in New Haven. Will Elting reported that it featured “The Woodward Report at 50.” Sam Chauncey and Amy Chua (aka “Tiger Mom”) were speakers.
Regional Luncheons and Zoom calls continued through the fall. Ralph Jones organized luncheons at Mory’s on October 2 and November 6. After the November luncheon, two classmates posted their observations. Pete Putzel wrote: “It was a memorably fine luncheon. As you know, it took place the day after election day. If there were any Trump people in attendance, they did not identify themselves. There was lively discussion with rampant speculation as to what will happen during the Trump second term and, of course, no answers. The predominant theme (paraphrasing Voltaire) is that, in this dispiriting time, we should ‘make our gardens grow’. Somehow, the collegial company of classmates was an important balm in these querulous times.”
Bill Galvin wrote: “Tony, it was good to chat with you yesterday about your recent trip to Africa. It sounded wonderful. Ellen and I were on a mini-safari in Botswana 26 years ago at the Savute Elephant Camp and Eagle Island, one of the best trips we ever took.”
Eleven Y64s gathered at the monthly Mory's lunch on November 6, following Election Day which confirmed the return of Mr. Trump as our President. While there was little debate about the election result, consensus on how the new administration might unfold was lacking. Some dire speculations were met by confidence that significant pushback would emerge to blunt the more extreme ‘promises’, e.g., the mass deportation of 11 million illegal aliens. Only at a Y64 lunch would one hear a reference (Pete Putzel) to Voltaire’s suggestion that we should focus on ‘making our garden grow’ rather than obsess on politics. Heeding that advice, Don Edwards' focus is on future personal travel and possible campus protests. Jim Whitney continues to offer clients his T&E advice and wisdom but offered some historical observations as context for current events. Joe Walsh, commuting from RI for the Mory's Y64 camaraderie, is becoming a regular. John Evans offered a range of pithy comments along with the news that he and Dottie are on the list to move into The Whitney, a CCRC in the New Haven area. Kip Burgweger and Bill Morse connected after multiple decades. (Dr.) Peter Jokl expressed concern about any healthcare roles for Robert Kennedy, Jr. in the new administration. Steve Hoffman considered the multiple ongoing wars and how the new administration might engage/disengage the US. Ralph Jones, our event organizer, was also a fan of Voltaire's advice, focusing his energy on YAA activities. “As I may have mentioned, after years of independent travel with Ellen, we became ‘hooked’ on Viking River cruises. We've taken four, and we are about to embark next week on our fourth Viking Ocean Cruise, this time in the Mediterranean, with two more scheduled to Japan and China. Travel, multiple local activities, ten grandchildren and managing two golden retriever puppies are keeping us too busy to focus on the daily aches and pains of age.”
Gus Speth lamented, “Dear classmates, I have hated to miss these lunches at Mory’s, but central Vermont is just too far away. Instead, I want to share an essay with you, one of a series I have been writing lately, ‘Essays from the Edge’. Some of you may enjoy it, whether or not you agree. Along these lines, I need to express to many of you how much I enjoyed the write-ups you submitted for our 60th Reunion Book.” Ted Wagner organized luncheons at The Yale Club of NYC on October 16 and November 20. Owen O’Donnell hosted Zoom calls in the Bay Area on September 11, October 9, and November 13. For the September 11 Zoom, Owen invited Rick Hatton to make a presentation “about fighting wildfires from the air.” It was very well received and is becoming the theme for a class-wide Zoom event in January 2025. The theme question at the October 9 Zoom was “What is your favorite site in the U.S. to visit or your favorite national or state park?” In November, the theme question was: “What is your favorite destination outside the US?” Following the November election, several classmates posted meditative poetry: Owen O’Donnell’s was “The Peace of Wild Things,” by Wendell Berry. Jerry Flannelly hosted Zoom calls in the Boston area on October 16 and November 20. Following the October Zoom, Jerry wrote: “Yale architecture and Paul Rudolph came up today in our discussion, so this NY Times article may be of interest.”Jerry Flannelly’s post-election meditative poem was “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats. Nancy Upper (surviving spouse of Dennis Upper) is a regular on the Boston-area Zooms. Nancy commented, “Wikipedia explains Yeats’s poem. The Wiki piece quotes Yale’s venerable Harold Bloom (1930-2019), who called ‘The Second Coming’ one of the most universally admired poems of our century."
Be aware that sometimes the planned dates of Zoom calls change, due to holidays, etc. So check with the respective host/organizer. You do not have to live in the Bay or Boston areas to participate in the Zoom calls. Just contact the host to be added to the Zoom invitation list.
Chip Brennan reported, “On October 25, Loring Knoblauch hosted a Chicago-area 1964 lunch at Glen View Club in Golf, IL. Joining Loring were Bill Bowe, George Covington, Rick Heyke, Bill Lear, and me. Bill Lear was the only one who attended our 60th reunion; he gave a brief report on the reunion activities and echoed the sentiments of all reports that extolled the reunion as an outstanding success. On November 13, Nancy and Tony Lavely attended a Minnesota Yale Club event at the Minneapolis Club that featured Steve Grove, the new CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Three new articles have been posted in Class News. John Wylie’s AI-assisted video on “The Evolution of the Human Mind,”Ted Jones’ report on the Class Golf Outing in September,” and Gus Speth’s series, “Essays from the Edge.”
In other news, Class Treasurer Chip Brennan reported that he balanced the books on our 60th Class Reunion. With the Class Treasury reunion subsidy and the generous voluntary contributions from eight classmates, the Class Treasury is in good shape going forward. Reunion Chair John Evans wrote individual letters of thanks to these eight classmates who subsidized a portion of the reunion costs: Peter Bradford, Chip Brennan, Bob Buchanan, Will Elting, Dick Niglio, Jim Rogers, Ted Wagner, and Joe Wishcamper. Without their generosity, we would not have enjoyed such a successful reunion and Reunion Book. Jim Rogers replied to John Evans’ email, “Gosh, thanks! I will do it again next time if I am still around! All of you did a great job! Thanks! My daughter who is a senior at Columbia came up just to tell me ‘Hello,’ but stayed two days because she found it so interesting. Well done to all!”
By now, all classmates should have received Chip Brennan’s letter for 2024-25 Class Dues payments. The modest request of $100 supports Class activities and future reunions. Class Dues should not be confused with donations and pledges to the Yale Alumni Fund. Class Dues support the Class while the YAF supports Yale. On the latter, Ward Wickwire, Chair of Agents, reports that you will be receiving a solicitation for the YAF before the end of the year. It provides a great deal of discretion on where you would like to direct your donation, so please give it some attention and thought, too. Bob Buchanan is a notable example. Before our recent reunion, Bob provided lead funding for a Class of 1964 Scholarship. I hope Bob’s leadership will inspire you to add to the fund he created or donate to areas of special interest to you. On a broader scale, President McInnis reported that in the 2023-24 fiscal year the Yale “For Humanity” Campaign (which includes the YAF) received donations from 34,000 individuals totaling $746.3 million. On another front, Bob Buchanan was recognized in Bethesda Magazine in November in an article titled “Bob Buchanan: The Bridge Builder.”
In November, the Yale Stewardship and Recording Secretary notified us of three on-going scholarships provided by two classmates. This year, the Leader Family Scholarship Fund (Sheldon Leader) will be supporting Elijah Bacal, Branford ’27 and David Stolyarov, Branford ’28. The J. Frederick Mokriski Scholarship Fund (Chuck Mokriski) will be supporting Raymon Morillo, Branford ’28. You can read about these deserving students here.
On December 4, Tony Lavely will be attending the quarterly update via Zoom by President Maurie McInnis. If you have any questions that you would like Tony to pose, please contact him. Separately, President McInnis has convened a committee of seven professors to recommend whether the University should abstain from taking positions on current events. What do you think? When J.D. Vance was chosen as the Republican Nominee for Vice President, Yale Alumni Magazine reported in “Vice Squad” that Vance became the 11th Yale alumnus to run for VP. Since the previous issue, Chas Freeman has had many interviews that could have qualified as Class News. Details and links are provided to these notable appearances later in this column in Publications.
Jon McBride reported “Squash Haven had a strong summer and are positioned for a focused fall. This summer, 39 SH team members — including all 15 rising seniors — enjoyed powerful academic, squash, and wilderness camp opportunities. Students enjoyed life on college campuses, boarded planes for the first time, tested their squash skills against students from around the country, and experienced life away from home for as much as five weeks. Our 1964 Class Treasury was again pleased and proud to support Squash Haven.”
Pete Putzel reported that Urban Resources Initiative (URI) had a successful summer with their Community Greenspace program, which provides material supplies, technical advice, and classroom-based and hands-on training to support resident-driven community greening projects. Since 1995, Greenspace has completed more than 310 diverse urban restoration projects with an annual participation of about 1,000 New Haven residents. Our Class Treasury is pleased and proud to support one of their summer interns.
Three 1964 Classmates are on the Yale School of the Environment Leadership Council: Peter Bradford, Rick Kroon, and Alan McFarland. Tony Lee emailed: “Tony, I hope you are either in Africa or have just returned with good memories and good health. Please note in this Newsletter from ‘Project Drawdown’ there is a thank you to the McCance Foundation. That’s our Henry McCance.” I suggest you re-read Henry’s article in our 60th Reunion Book. Well done, Henry.”
Bam Alling emailed from Wilmington NC in September to say: “Thanks for thinking of us during the hurricane flooding, Tony. We’re okay with no ground-water problems. It seems counter intuitive to have flooding so near the ocean.” We’re going on a Sea Cloud cruise in the Caribbean next March. Rear Admiral Peter Cressy Y’63 will lecture on “George Washington in the Caribbean.” Michelle Mead (surviving spouse of John Armor) posted: “It's the anniversary of 9/11 and always brings back memories of being in Lower Manhattan on that fateful day. I was only several blocks away from ground zero and watched both towers fall. I told my story in a three-part series of articles ‘Running in heels’ published by The Highlands Newspaper when John and I wrote for them.”
When he heard from Dan Pollack about Nancy’s cancer treatment in September, Kip Burgweger emailed: “Dear Dan and Nancy: Thank you for sharing your exciting news about Nancy’s successful treatments. I have undergone radiation therapy that had to be focused in a specific area while avoiding adjacent areas, and it was effective. I am happy to hear that you have found a facility that has the expertise to provide such care. I hope that the drive will be a scenic route and your stays will be restful.” This is one of many examples of classmates supporting each other during difficult times. In October, Sam Callaway circulated the “Murdoch Taylor Hockey Scholars Society” newsletter with the 2024-25 Yale hockey schedule and predictions: “I’m pleased to attach the MTHSS pre-season review for Yale hockey. I was confused at receiving no issues last year, but now understand that it was because the newsletter was not published at all. I will keep all of you on my mailing list unless you ask not to be included. It is hard to tell from what Sam Griswold writes what to expect from this year's team, but I hope I am not kidding myself by sensing an undertone of positivity in his analysis. Lord knows, it is time for an upturn in Yale hockey fortunes. Time will tell, and we will begin to find out soon what kind of new energy and talent the class of '28 will bring.” The Newsletter added: “More good news. We have successfully recruited Sam Griswold to take over the organizational and editorial reins at MTHSS to make it possible to bring you the news and analysis you need to follow Yale hockey. Whit is the son of Whit Griswold (a member of the great class of 1967) and grandson of one of the most famous Yale presidents.”
Frederique and Pat Caviness (one of the most intrepid travelers in our Class) spent six weeks in Italy and Greece in August/September and posted many of their experiences: “Our latest voyage has begun. And we're excited to be doing it with three other couples from Samui, all good friends. We will set sail to the Amalfi Coast in the next few hours. This is shaping up to be one fine fun adventure!” Later, Pat posted: “After strolling around Amalfi, this suddenly highly popular seaside town that every tourist in Italy feels compelled to visit, Frederique decided that we should take a ferry boat to Positano. Positano is much more inviting than Amalfi. It's bigger, has a lovely bay and a large popular beach.” Still later: “Santorini Island, Greece. The crown gem of the Aegean Sea. At the busy harbor, we encountered a pack of angry-acting macho customs agents armed with AR15s and a sniffer dog. They inspected our bus and the large tender we were going to take back to the ship. Their ‘inspection’ delayed us another 20 minutes. They found nothing.” After he got back to Koh Samui, Pat Caviness commented on Tony Lavely’s FB posts: “Tony, your posts are always noteworthy, and your memory of our African experience holds true. Frederique and I went to South Africa for three weeks for our first home exchange to Cape Town. We went to the Kapama Game Reserve at the Southern tip of Kruger National Park for a week. It’s a privately owned nature reserve located in the Limpopo province of South Africa, about the size of Belgium. It offers luxury lodges and the opportunity to experience safaris featuring the Big Five wildlife. We loved it, but it wasn’t like your safari. Like you, we went out on cut-down Land Rovers each morning after a sumptuous breakfast but returned to the luxurious lodge each evening. We would swim in the pool with all kinds of wildlife surrounding us. Monkeys came to play on our patio in the evenings. We also saw lots of wildlife, some kills, and an encounter with a herd of elephants where the bull elephant walked about two feet directly behind Frederique and me sitting in the back seats. We were videoing this close encounter, and you can hear me saying to this giant beast, ‘We come in peace.’ We sat for an hour next to an immense pride of lions. At one point, I thought a lioness would jump in our Land Rover. We, too, enjoyed those sundowners out on the plains watching a huge herd of zebras grazing. Your trip was much more epic. You were gone longer, covered much more territory, stayed in different lodges, and, most of all, got to experience many different African cultures. Gugu, your guide, sounds so special. A fine guide in a foreign land can make all the difference. And we had a fine guide. His name was Freedom. But we saw none of those different villages and cultures. So, I savored your experiences each time I read one of your FB posts and enjoyed being reminded of our first and only trip to the African wilderness. Your narratives are always very informative. They capture the experience and add context.” Pat Caviness is also the best historian of our 1964 football team. Recently, he emailed a nice remembrance of Jack Cirie: “Today, I received a thoughtful note from Jack Cirie’s brother. I’ve known Jerry ever since I was at Yale and his family would invite me over to their home for special holiday meals. Jerry was a football player (linebacker), and we became good friends. Jerry and I have shared a long friendship over the years. Jerry’s note was accompanied by a treasure: the BLUE Football Book, published by Yale Banner Publications in 1970. It’s embossed with a Yale Silver helmet. All of you may have seen this book. I had not, or if I have, I don’t remember it. It’s an excellent summary of Yale football from the dawn of football in 1872 through 1970. Jerry’s note ended on a somber note. ‘Our years at Yale were the greatest time for Ivy League sports’ he said, and closed by saying that somehow today’s college football, with all its players’ egos, free agency, transition, portal exits, and NIL, has made the games too important and that it ‘reflects society’s self-absorption in self. Yale football is what football is all about — the way it ought to be. The framework of Ivy League play functions to put football in a proper perspective with the academic responsibilities and the various social desires that a student should have. College football, if it is to survive, cannot be a do-or-die proposition. There is nothing basically wrong with such an attitude but there are too many other things in life. Football can be and perhaps should be a vital part of life, but the enjoyment of the game itself should lie at the heart of anyone’s interest. The comments added that Yale football captures the proper involvement of a student with the sport. ‘The Yale man plays out of enthusiasm and enjoyment. The thrill of competition is not left out, but neither is the season a crusade. There is no overtly high-powered public relations group pressuring the team to championships. No athletic scholarships or alumni sports are hanging over a student’s head to force him to play. At Yale, football is just one part of the student’s life. The Ivy League discipline and the balanced attitudes of the administration, alumni, coaches, and, most of all, the players themselves have kept the spirit of college football alive while not destroying the idea of the student-athlete.’ Finally, on the last page is a commentary by Carmen Cozza; in the last sentence, he says, ‘I would like to leave you with one thought. Yale is a great university. The boy or girl who comes here is a student first. Football is a good way to prepare for life. But it is a game and only part of a student’s life.’ I greatly appreciated Jerry’s gift and thought it made a solid point about the discussions we’ve been having.” In a separate exchange, Pat Caviness urged Tony Lavely to use WhatsApp for messaging, photo exchange, and video calls. “WhatsApp has two distinct advantages for me. One, it has the best reception on calls, both audio and video. It never fails, and it's easy to access. I just click on the phone icon, and bingo, the call goes through, clear and clean, every time. Second, you can send along a large number of photos in one go. I've sent up to 25. When communicating with friends in the US, both features serve me well. And yes, it could be better for longer communications.” We had our first video call this weekend, and it was nice to see Pat face-to-face; it was 8:00am for me and 9:00pm for him. Pat Caviness also urged Tony Lavely to see Comeback on Netflix, a documentary about the 2004 World Series.
Morris Dean circulated a NY Times article “A 180-year-old Jewish Paper is Roiled by Fabrications and a Secret: Who Owens It?” Mo added: “Note the mention of Stephen Greenblatt in the article.” Dick duPont, another experienced traveler, especially in Africa, shared many of his experiences and writings. duPs shared this: “Thought you might enjoy the whole African booklet, Tanzania, since you liked the first few pages I sent the other day. Sam Francis replied, “Dick’s attachment Tanzania is well worth the read, a masterpiece of saying a lot in a few words. Dick’s embedded ‘are we there yet’ cartoon prompts me to add a cartoon of my own, lifted from my reunion talk on evolution. Homo habilis, third from the right (sort of), was discovered in Olduvai Gorge by Mary Leakey. Visit Olduvai if you can.” Sam added: “Dick: I love the poem you sent about the lanyard. All of us made such lanyards as young ’uns, and never questioned why. We simply made them because we could.” duPs closed the thread with this: “So glad to have found my Yale chums … even if it did take sixty odd years.”
Along with Edward Massey and Marya Holcombe (surviving spouse of Terry Holcombe), Will Elting attended the Buckley Institute event in New Haven in November that focused on “The Woodward Report at 50.” Will reported that Sam Chauncey ‘57 and Amy Chua (aka “Tiger Mom”) were dynamic speakers.
In October, John Evans emailed: “Here is a picture of the Comet Tsuchinshan-atlas which my sister took in Colorado three nights ago. Definitely better seeing in Colorado than in Connecticut. Don't forget to check the full moon tonight, a supermoon (closest orbital approach at full moon for the year and hence the largest visible disk).” Later. John emailed, “A bit of academic history: I found this today when cleaning out my office. When I started working for a new robot company in 1984, the CEO expressed an interest in creating a motto similar to the Marines (Semper Fi = Semper Fidelis, always faithful). He wanted the equivalent to say ‘Always Ahead.’ No one we knew could come up with that so I wrote to my mother since she had taught Latin at one point. She didn't have an answer but wrote to my cousin (who knew Greek and Latin) and later asked the head of the Classics Department at the University of Colorado for help. From my cousin: Semper Primus (always first) or Semper Optimus (always best). From the CU Classics Chair: Semper Praestans (always standing before) Prae is before, Stans is from Sto, Stare, to stand so Stans is Standing.”
Sam Francis dutifully updated our Class News section while I was in Africa and later emailed: “Hi Tony: I don’t think I ever told you much about my safari in Tanzania, but I found it very enjoyable and memorable. I hope your trip was the same.” Bobbie and Sam Francis will be enjoying a late-fall break on Hilton Head Island, SC this month. Ellen and Bill Galvin are enjoying a cruise in the Mediterranean this month. After a safari trip in Botswana with his family this summer, Stephen Greenblatt is back into his busy teaching, writing (he’s working on a new book), and travel schedule. Edward Massey is working with Stephen in the hope of scheduling a 1964 Author’s Book Club in 2025.
John Howells took a break on Hilton Head Island, SC with his daughter this summer. In September, Marya Holcombe (surviving spouse of Terry Holcombe) posted, “Spectacular trip via cog railway to top of Mount Washington — steam engine built in 1908! My son Sam and I agreed that it is not to be missed (but bring ear plugs; these brakes screech).” In September, Candy Johnston (spouse of Waldo Johnston) posted “We lost control of our perennial [Saratoga NY] garden during COVID and camping travels. We are slowly finding our way back with a lot of help.” Later from Florida, Candy posted a photo of Waldo, “Getaway camping in Ft Pierce, 30 minutes from home.”
As Tony Lavely and other classmates watched the Princeton-Yale game on ESPN+, Jon McBride posted, “I was among the meager 7,600 (along with Toddie Getman) in the Bowl. I’ve never seen such a meager crowd at the tailgates. We missed you. It was a splendid fall Saturday in New Haven.”
Many classmates commented on Tony Lavely’s series of posts about his 21-day safari trip in Africa. Ron Sipherd commented, “At one time, "Pete's Pond on Mashatu" in Botswana had a live webcam pointing to an artificial watering hole; we used to watch it. It shut down a couple of years ago. If you hear about a replacement, we would love to know.” Karl Ziegler commented: ‘Wonderful photos and commentary, Tony.” Don Van Doren commented, “Thank you for sharing this, Tony. You gave me and other readers a different perspective about an African safari. Congratulations on the pre-trip work you did to find a perfect sponsor for this excellent excursion.” Martin Padley commented, “Your photos on Facebook are very interesting. While I have seen numerous photos of elephants and rhinoceroses, the one of the leopard is one of the best I have ever seen. Not long after looking at your photos, I came across a Gary Larson cartoon of a middle-aged couple in the woods wearing pith helmets and with binoculars around their necks. They have a camera set up on a tripod and the man is holding a book whose title is North American Guidebook to Squirrels — which is pretty much where we all are as you motor through the African bush in search of even more exotic beasts and vistas.”
When Nancy and Tony Lavely returned from Africa, they had dinner with Dana and Dick Niglio at their favorite Italian restaurant in Minneapolis. Douglass Lea posted a meditative poem, “Acceptance,” by Robert Frost. Tony Lee emailed: “We had dinner with Melissa and Martin Padley about a month or so ago, but their connection goes back to a year off in England before our freshman year.” On Veteran’s Day, Sam Low posted a 1964 photo, “Privileged to serve aboard the USS Ponchatoula (AO-148) in the Gulf of Tonkin, 1964-1966.” This summer, Anne and Edward Massey emailed the Mory’s luncheon group, “We have moved to Salem, NH! Our license plate now reads ‘Live Free or Die.’ We’re now closer to our kids in Portland.”
In September Martin Padley emailed a group of classmates, “You may recall that Tom Lehman was a pretty good golfer who was on the pro tour in the 1980s and ‘90s. In fact, he won The (British) Open in 1996. I was in England recently, partly to visit my brother in Lytham St Annes who had just turned 99 and, as long as I was there, to play a round at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s Golf Club, the course where Lehman won The Open (other winners have included Bobby Jones, Seve Ballesteros, and Ernie Els). Playing the major courses in the UK these years involves a pretty steep tariff, but I figured if I was in for a dime I might as well be in for a dollar and decided to hire a caddy. As it turned out, I played as a single and halfway down the first fairway the caddy told me that Tom Lehman was in the foursome ahead of us. On the third or fourth hole Lehman told his caddy to tell us that it would be OK for me to play through. On the fifth hole, a 137-yard par 3 with an elevated green, Lehman’s group was down by the green and waved me through, which meant that I had to tee off with four guys and their caddies watching. So, I took a seven iron and hit the ball right at the flag, but halfway there it started moving to the right and ended up in a pot bunker in front of the green and about 15 feet below it. Three of Lehman’s golfers were off the green, but Lehman himself was standing on the green, just above and to the right of the pot bunker where my ball was sitting. So now I had to get out of the bunker with Lehman right above me watching. I took a deep breath, stepped down into the bunker, and made my swing. Somehow the ball flew onto the front of the green, although I didn’t know this until I got up there. The ball was about 35 feet from the cup. And my third stroke (with a BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION watching) was a firm putt that sent the ball straight at the flag, but within about two feet of the cup it moved slightly to the left, went just past the edge, and stopped about two feet beyond. Damn! That would have been one hell of a sandy! Lehman said something to me, but I have no recollection what. I was mightily relieved to have discharged myself honorably and not to have gone up to him and asked him to autograph my hat. But I do wonder what he would have said if the ball had gone in the cup for a par. Even my caddy was impressed. Overall, my round was OK, and at one point my caddy told me that many consider Royal Lytham to be the second hardest course in Britain. I confess that I played the forward tees but will point out that they have a slope of 148, which is super tough (for the non-golfer reading this). We stayed at the club and that evening had dinner there when we found out that Lehman was being honored in one of the other rooms. We walked past the room in question and in the middle of the long banquet table was the claret jug, to which I now have an ever so slihtly closer connection than I did the day before.” Sam Low commented, “Well played, Martin. Cool and collected per usual.” Mike Arons emailed: “What a great story and such an experience!! I’ll have to bow down to you next time I see you, but you may have to help me up!” Ann Wylie (spouse of John Wylie) emailed: “What a great golfing story! And sounds like you finished the hole masterfully!”
In September, Karen Carmean (spouse of Doane Perry) posted, “Thomas Doane Perry welcomed into the memory care unit at Kimball Farms in Lenox MA by Curt Perry and photo taken by Karen Carmean. Come visit him! He would love to see you.” Karl Ziegler commented: “How can I call you?” Dan Pollack is keeping a close group of classmates informed about Nancy’s radiation treatments in Chicago and Milwaukee. John Hunsaker emailed: “Nancy and Dan, you two have always been the most authentic of humans. Your generous, loving, dogged, and optimistic spirits remain worthy of great admiration. Please keep sharing the uplifting news.” Tony Lavely emailed: This is such good news, Dan. We even considered driving to Milwaukee. We usually stay Marriott West and I think we drove by Froegtert last time to see you, but we’ll be in Africa during your trip.” Dan still had time to comment on Tony Lavely’s trip: “I’m not a fan of being bounced around or spending so much time riding around. Prior to Nancy's illness, she bugged me about an Africa trip. I’m sure you had a once in a lifetime experience. Guess we'll have to see Africa through your eyes and Facebook posts. This is Nancy’s third week of radiation. A few side effects but minimal. One day at a time.” Nancy herself posted, “Can you say ‘Fall’? Danny and I took a hike in this lovely forested area near Milwaukee. Our Fall has been beautiful!” Dan also keeps us informed about his talented grandson Jake’s recruiting experiences: “Jake just returned from visiting Yale, Penn, Princeton, and Dartmouth. He received an ‘offer’ from Dartmouth. My understanding is that the meaning of an ‘offer’ is that if Jake maintains current grade levels, and decides to attend, the athletic department will work to make sure he is accepted.” Dan added, “The innovation of Lapham Field House at Yale is incredible.” Dan Pollack is quickly becoming an expert on the new “standards” of athlete recruitment. Dan emailed a group of Yale football teammates, “You may know that last basketball season there was a seven-foot outstanding Yale freshman who lives in Glencoe Illinois where we lived for 45 yrs. Danny Wolf entered the transfer portal and now is at Michigan. The rumor is he got $500,000. So much for college loyalty which no longer exists due to the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) payments.”
In September Lauro Landro and Rick Salomon posted: “Great night for a great cause in a great city and a great space — the tenth anniversary of the Goodes Prize for Alzheimer’s research at Stockholm City Hall, home of the Nobel Prize — with the scientists who have been awarded this prize over those years. A lot of brilliance in this room and so much hope for the future prevention and treatment of this devastating disease.” In September, Russell Sunshine emailed the Bay Area Zoom group “Owen, In case you haven't seen it, I'd like to highly recommend to you and our Zoom circle the Ohio Governor's moving essay in yesterday's NYT. ‘From Ohio's Governor: Here's the Truth About Springfield.’ (9/21/24). I thought it was the most eloquent and courageous piece by a current Republican officeholder that I've read this year. It almost reduced Nancy and me to tears.” Karl Ziegler commented on one of Douglass Lea’s Facebook posts, “Douglass, you should join the Boston-based monthly Zoom calls. Next one is next Wednesday.” After he joined, Douglass commented, “That was an enjoyable experience. I hope I didn’t talk too much.”
In this section — Publications — we include “authors” of all media types: books, articles, blogs, video, visual arts, and music. Our Class continues to be a productive creative group. Bill Bowe’s high-school alma mater, Chicago Latin, posted: “Bill Bowe was recently interviewed by Chicago Tribune communist Rick Kogan on his WGN radio show. Bill talked about his memoir Riots and Rockets which features the race and anti-war upheavals of the Vietnam War era, Mayor Jane Byrne’s role in Chicago politics, and Encyclopedia Britannica’s advancement of computer technology early in the digital era.”
George Blackburn emailed: “I am publishing my mother's research on Thomas More, with a literary approach to Christian humanism and examples of the scholarship of More's family and wider circle.”Morris Dean’s letter to the editor of Yale Alumni Magazine was published in the November/December 2024 issue. In it, Mo commented on their earlier article about Ali Truwit’s poignant story, “Pain and Courage: Reorienting a Life.”
As usual, Ambassador Chas Freeman has been prolific in his articles, speeches, and videos. In October, Chas emailed: “I should inform you that I continue to be in demand as a speaker on alternative media like ‘Judging Freedom’ with Judge Andrew Napolitano, ‘Dialogue Works’ with Nima Alkhorshid, and ‘Deep Dive’ with Daniel Davis, among others. At present, this means three to four appearances on YouTube per week. I never imagined such a public role and did not seek it but, arguably, if making a difference makes a difference, I am doing so in my old age. I'm told that this appearance has now been viewed by over 100,000 people:
Tony Lavely has been collaborating with Jay Gitlin, our renowned Reunion band leader and esteemed Yale professor, on a book he is writing about Handsome Dan. Lavely’s role is to make sure that Chris Getman’s long history with Handsome Dan is documented. Stephen Greenblatt’s wife, Ramie Targoff, has written a new book Shakespeare’s Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance. Edward Massey is working with Stephen and Ramie to schedule a Book Club Zoom in 2025, featuring their new books. Syd Lea (a former Pulitzer finalist, a founding editor of New England Review, and Vermont’s Poet Laureate from 2011-15) continues to post new work in his Newsletter on Substack. In October he posted “a new chapter from my recent novel.” He also posted several remembrances: “One of the world’s great poets, my friend Goran, died two weeks ago in his native Sarajevo. Here’s one of his poems.” And in November, Syd posted: “One poem and one new essay.” Sam Low posted on Facebook, “My book, Hawaiki Rising: Hōkūle‘a, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian Renaissance is sold out on Amazon. New copies are being rushed to them. The book has earned a rating of 4.8 (out of 5) from 362 people. I’m very proud of that rating.” Journalist Tom Sayers wrote an article about classmate Tim Mellon in the October issue of Uncloseted Media. In October, John Hunsaker wrote to a group of 1964 classmates: “Tony et al., without Ron Parlato's permission, I copy a recent commentary on his blog — The Dumbing Down Of America — The Fall Of Yale And The Decline Of Intellectual Honor” — with the recommendation that it be put in the Class Notes and the belief that it might bestir YC 64ers and other aristocrats to react variously and vigorously.” Ron added another one of his posts and emailed: “Y'all might like this post. I got into Yale as one of the first unwashed, a goomba, not an aristocratic bone in my body ... a paisan Wooster Square spaghetti-twirler ... or maybe I didn't. It was the brains after all, but the Italo-Search profile fit Yale then and now, so take from this story what you will.” Dan Pollack commented: “I do not agree at all with Ron. Coming from a working-class family and with a rather naive concept of what Ivy League universities represented (I did not even know what prep schools were), I found the secret societies and elitism distasteful. The idea of ‘legacy’ undergrads turned me off. Too many guys who thought because they attended prep schools, they were ‘better than’ the public-school guys. Some of these guys did not last four years. I continue to believe that Yale remains ‘relevant’ and ‘progressive’ — and an institution for creative thought. If Yale was still the home of ‘Aristocratic Values’ as Ron claims it was, it would still have an all-male undergraduate body, believe in the class social system, and perpetuate ‘an attitude’ that all other universities were sub-standard.” Dick Berk added: “Ron’s essay is a fanciful reconstruction of Yale history. Or maybe it is meant to be satire. Have a look at a widely praised book by Jerome Karabel The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. [Note: Karabel’s book is also cited in Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Revisionist History: Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering.] Neither of my parents were college educated. Same for my wife’s parents although her burdens were much heavier because her parents did not even think a woman should go to college. Many of my experiences at Yale were like Dan’s, which is not to deny that I benefitted in many ways too.”
Paul Ruden emailed: “I am delighted to announce the publication of Not to Yield, a two-volume compilation of essays adapted from my blog Shining Sea USA and, to a lesser extent, my retired blog Autumn in New York. The books are now available at Barnes & Noble. You are receiving this announcement because, for reasons sometimes unknown, I have your email address. We may have worked together at some point, done business, or have merely known each other. Be assured that, unless you subscribe to the blog, are a Facebook friend or Twitter follower, this is the only message you will get about this book. Also, and this is most important, I do not expect you to buy the book because you know me. If you are interested, please do buy it, but I will never ask. You owe me no explanation of your decision. Similarly, if you are offended by the contents, I’m sorry for that, but the book, in addition to being a political and legal history, is replete with my opinions about many subjects. They are my opinions, and that’s that. I have explained the basis for them in, I hope, every case. If you agree, wonderful. If not, you are entitled to yours. This is the United States, after all.”
Gus Speth has been publishing regular essays in his series, Essay from the Edge, which are all posted in Class News. The latest entries are: #10 “Odyssey: Hopes and Dreams,” #11 “Underlying the Democrats Defeat,” and #12 “New Hope in an Old Fight.”
Russell Sunshine has been adding to his blog series Agile Aging: A Work in Progress. Russell emailed: “Warm autumn greetings, Bay-area Zoomers one and all. Here's a combined September/October post inspired by our own John Wylie. It profiles two revisionist histories, one global, the other continental. Bay-area Zoom host Owen O’Donnell replied: “The essay is fascinating and informative, and I want to thank you for sharing it.” John Wylie commented: “Russell, congratulations on an excellent review of two gargantuan readings. You clearly describe the key theme in both books, which is that ancient history is full of non-linear complexity. Graeber and Wengrow's view that early societies developed through diverse, experimental paths rather than a single linear evolution challenges conventional ideas of social progress, and Hamalainen’s reframing of Indigenous history shifts the narrative from ‘European dominance’ to one of Native American resilience, complexity, and sovereignty. I read Dawn of Everything with an eye towards my evolutionary interests and was particularly struck that they placed charisma on a par with violence and special administrative knowledge (currently referred to as ‘deep state’) as the three historical methods of controlling populations. I also noted that the early dynastic empires in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Incas and Aztecs in the Americas were preceded by thousands of years of widespread post-nomadic settlements without archeological evidence of large-scale war, challenging the idea that war has been an intrinsic part of the human condition back through time. Again, great job, Russell.”
David Wyles emailed about his son Rio’s new music work: “I am pleased and proud to announce that a collective of hip Spanish animators has just delivered the final version of Rio ‘Soulshocka’ Wyles's animated music video, ‘Prove It.’ Their Angry Metal group does videos for Netflix, Disney, and big European musical groups, but luckily for us, they loved Rio's story and his lyrics and gave us a special below-market discount for this video. Also, we were able to use funds from the Westside Regional Center's Self-Determination Program to make this video for Rio. Altogether, a happy solution for Rio and all of Team Rio. Thanks to Westside and the Angry Metal Collective, we were able to make this video for a relatively inexpensive price. This is what makes Rio's Self-Determination Plan so wonderful! We are holding this video and previous music videos until this next year, so that we can roll-out his rap songs and videos in a controlled release pattern and maximize his social media potential.”
Ward Wickwire emailed: “Attached is a NY Times book review for On Freedom, Tim Snyder's most recent book. It might be a possible mention in Class Notes. You’ll recall that Tim spoke at our 60th Reunion earlier this year. Personally, I think Tim's perspectives are increasingly relevant to the US and world and his presentations at our reunion were a good introduction.”
John Wylie emailed: “Tony and Sam, thank you for kindly keeping my previous video on our Class website for so long. I’m writing to share a link to a new 21-minute video hosted on FilmFreeway, which represents an updated version of my thinking. This video features advanced AI text-to-voice technology with remarkably nuanced intonation, making complex sentences clear and intelligible, along with AI-driven lip-sync and illustrations, building on what I used in the first video. The target audience is our classmates — intelligent, older men. I’ll also be submitting it to independent film festivals, as I did with the previous video, which won 19 awards for Best Experimental Film.”
Several 1964 classmates are regular donors to the Yale Alumni Magazine: Chip Brennan, Paul Steiger, and Lyn Hinojosa. War, a new book by Bob Woodward ’65, provides new insights on the war in Ukraine. Classmates with grandchildren might like to read a new book by Jonathan Haidt that was reviewed in YAM Arts and Culture: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
It saddens me to report that four of our classmates have died since the previous issue. Jim Duderstadt, president emeritus of the University of Michigan, died on August 21, 2024, in Ann Arbor, MI. The “Dude” was survived by his wife Anne and two daughters. Marya Holcombe was kind enough to send me Anne’s home address, so Jan Truebner can reach out to her and invite her to stay engaged with our Class. Jim Curtis died on August 23, 2024, at Longboat Key, FL. Jim was survived by his wife Nancy, his daughter Elizabeth, his son Jonathan, and five grandchildren. Along with John Aram and Travis Meredith, Rick Kroon was Jim’s roommate in Berkeley College. Rick was the first to notify us of Jim’s death and connected us with Nancy. It’s always very helpful when classmates do this, so we can respond in a timely manner. Don Haggerty died on September 10, 2024, in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina where he had lived for approximately 15 years. Several of Don’s fellow Whiffenpoofs contacted us with this news. Jon McBride emailed: “2024 has been a tough year for the Whiffenpoofs of 1964. In January we lost our first brother, Jamie Park. On September 10 we lost Don Haggerty. Don died of congestive heart failure in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina where he had lived for the last ~15 years. Don had no family/relatives on the planet and was particularly fortunate to have a close friend and former student of his in La Plata, Miguel Lafarga, who stuck with Don ‘til the end and arranged for all his final funeral/burial details. We'd like to buy a memorial brick in Don's name at Mory's.” Al Rossiter emailed, “Letting you know that Don Haggerty, second tenor in the 1964 Whiffs, recently died. He had lived in Argentina for the last ten or more years.” Jim Kearney passed away on September 26, 2024, in Lincoln, MA. He was survived by his wife Judy and two children. Jim’s daughter Meghan sent us his obituary, which is posted om our Class Website/In Memoriam. Bob Bulkeley, Jim’s classmate at Kingwood Oxford, sent us a remembrance of Jim that they posted. There was a Celebration of Life for Neil Hoffmann at the Radnor Friends Meeting House in Villenova PA on September 28. You can read more about these men on our Class Website/In Memoriam and donate a Mory’s memorial brick in their names if you wish. Lastly, Morris Dean asked us to remember his friend Mark Kritz, Yale PhD 1974, who died in September.
