Class Notes

November 1997

by Dennis Lynch

Terry Holcombe has decided to resign at year-end after serving Yale for 15 years as first vice president for development and alumni services. In his letter to class secretaries, Rick Levin extolled Terry's commitment and achievement. Some of Mr. Levin's comments include, “Terry's service to Yale has been remarkable ... (his) work has set the standard nationally for giving. ... Terry has helped to create an extraordinarily strong organization to support alumni around the country and ... the world. ... Six presidents have relied on his vision.” We congratulate Terry on his remarkable accomplishments — great job!

Recently, Investors Business Daily featured David Elliott in its “Leaders and Success” column. David has been the head of MBIA, the dominant municipal-bond insurer, since its inception in 1987. He has managed to expand an extremely successful business and perform an “important public service” — saving the public billions by lowering the cost of issuing debt. In addition to his strong work ethic, David has a keen interest in community service. “Our employees take part in a remarkable number of charitable services and activities, and we're liberal in letting that happen,” Elliott said. It is certainly uplifting to see such personal balance in a CEO.

The creative juices of Ed Massey are flowing once again. In July Ed and Rick Kaminsky started a new venture in Houston called U.S. Men's Care. This institution treats the physical and emotional problems of aging men, including prostate enlargement, impotence, urological difficulties, etc. I realize that none of us suffers from any of these maladies but, nevertheless, Ed and Rick have created a facility that will help all those other older men cope with their problems. To my knowledge there is no other company in the country that concentrates exclusively on older men's health. Good luck, Ed and Rick!