Class News

Pierson College 80th anniversary celebration

by Ted Jones '64

February 17, 2013

Every time I return to Yale, I am astonished by what an incredible, intellectual, physical, vital, and human place it is, and am humbled by having had even some small part in it, and the occasion of the first Pierson reunion was a wonderful chance to revisit it. The reunion was a terrific event, with a number of tours and panels / presentations, mostly focused on Pierson but also addressing the University as a whole, that were interesting and informative. We were told that about 400 alums attended, and '64 was well represented: Charlie Barker, Jim Bowers, John Butler, Chris Getman (with Handsome Dan, of course), George Olson, Mike Nagel, and David Sherman all the way from London, Joe Wishcamper, and myself. Tony Lavely also stopped by for the Friday events.

One highlight was the Friday Eve reception at Master Goldblatt's house. He is very different than "Q", outgoing with high energy, deeply involved with all of his students, and a real leader. A second highlight, organized by Joe, was the memorial gathering for '64 (only) on Saturday afternoon, held in the Bob Blair Room above the Dining Hall. There was no formal proceeding for the 18-20 Piersonites in our class who have died, but just a time for memories and some stories. The more recent passings of Auerbach and Ridley were prominently mentioned. Saturday night was a huge dinner in Commons for about 700-800 attendees including current students and alums, where Salovey was the keynoter.