Class Notes

November 1995

by Dennis Lynch

Three classmates, Tom Trowbridge, Jon McBride, and yours truly met at Yale on September 1, while delivering our respective children, Carrie, Webster, and Nora, to their new homes in the Freshman Quadrangle. It was a magnificent summer day, evoking much nostalgia and many fond memories of our own early days at Yale.

Speaking of children, Jon Nields' daughters may be the first “rock children of 1964,” according to Jeremy Scott. In August, the Vineyard Gazette of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, favorably reviewed The Nields. The Gazette reported that “sisters Nerissa and Kathryn Nields have been singing together throughout their lives, but The Nields didn't get their official start as a band until 1991 when the two began performing seriously with Nerissa's husband, David Nields, who adopted his wife's surname.” A true sign of the times!

Also in the news was Gordon Davis. Recently, The New York Times international edition featured the developmental work in Russia by the nonprofit organization, Ecologically Sustainable Development Inc. (E.S.D.), which Gordon has managed for several years. The Times noted, “Working with local people and three regional Russian authorities, a task of great political delicacy, the E.S.D. project (near Olkhon Island in southeast Russia) is seeking to preserve one of the world's wonders, the Shaman Rock, one of Buddhism's holiest sites, while trying to better the lives of the people here.” The purpose of E.S.D. is to balance the continuing privatization of local businesses in depressed areas of the world with ecological and environmental perspective.

In only the second year of existence, the New Haven Ravens, a AA minor league baseball team affiliated with the Colorado Rockies, completed a successful 1995 season by finishing second in their division and were runners-up in the league championship series. The Ravens, of course, play their home games at Yale Stadium. Ed Massey, managing partner, has been the guiding light in this new and popular business venture. (During the post-season, attendance averaged about 4,000 for each home game.) Through loans and capital infusions from the state as well as the team partners, contributions of more than $5 million have been collected and invested in the refurbishment of the Yale baseball stadium. Yale can once again boast that it has the best baseball facility in the Ivy League. In addition, the New Haven community has benefited enormously from the Ravens' presence. Ed deserves great credit for the success of this venture, as does Chris Getman, who pioneered the original concept.