Class Notes

January/February 2007

by Tony Lavely

As you receive the January-February issue of the Yale Alumni Magazine, your Class Council will be meeting in New Haven on February 17, 2007, for our annual meeting. Please e-mail Terry Holcombe, me, or any member of the council with requests or suggestions for communication and/or program ideas.

Chicago classmates Chip Brennan, George Covington, Harry Howell, Bill Moeller, and Bob Reum hosted a mini-reunion in Chicago the weekend of September 28th. Thirty-nine classmates and spouses attended: Jim Barton and Nancy, Chip Brennan and Mary, Dick Clay, George Covington and Barbara Trentham, Sam Francis and Bobbie, Frank Franklin and Cindy, Gary Hallenbeck and Marilynn, Bob Hannah and Susan, Doug Hershey and Bronwyn Bateman, Rick Heyke, Harry Howell and Barbara, Loring Knoblauch, Andy Lauritzen and Barbara, Vic Lewis and Jayne, Ed Massey and Anne, Bill Moeller and Kitty, Robert Myers and Anne, Curt Mosso, George Odell, Dan Pollack and Nancy, Bob Reum and Sherry, Joe Wishcamper, and John Witherspoon. Chip reported: "The weekend began with dinner in Greek Town at The Parthenon. Friday there was a morning tour of the permanent collection at The Art Institute of Chicago and a private viewing of the King Tutankhamen exhibition and dinner at The Field Museum. Saturday morning Bob Reum arranged for Tom Beebe, former dean of the Yale Art & Architecture School, to conduct a tour of downtown Chicago. The weekend ended with cocktails on top of the John Hancock Building and dinner at The Casino. Sam Francis has posted photos on our Class Website. A frequent conversation topic was when and where our next mini-reunion should be. Suggested sites included San Francisco, Charleston, SC, and Bermuda. Any volunteers?"

In addition to saying how much he enjoyed the Chicago mini-reunion, Frank Franklin wrote that he has "begun a new position at the University of Alabama in Birmingham as Chair of the Department of Maternal and Child Health in the School of Public Health."

Frank Basler wrote that he is "helping Desai Learning in West Hartford, CT, build a values-driven alignment and coaching practice for executives." Frank and Mike Price also chair the Class of 1964 Summer Travel Fellowship Award at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The past summer, we supported internships in Stockholm (Eset Akcilad), China (Bjorn Frederickson), Mexico (Dominique Gomez), and New Haven (Mohmamad Chakaki).

I had to miss the Chicago mini-reunion, as I was England on business. I enjoyed seeing Peter Giblin who brought me up to date on his many projects, including campus-based retirement centers. Blaine Krickl was in California during my UK visit, but he reported on two other classmates: "Jane and I saw Nick Baskey and Jocelyn at a party in the Fellows Garden at Pembroke, and learned the news of his impending return to Cairo. As we lose Nick to Cairo, we have regained Michael Nagel from St. Petersburg, as Director, Elysian Natural Resource Hedge Fund."

Terry Holcombe, Jay Huffard, Chris Getman, and Len Baker attended the launch of the $3 billion Yale Capital Campaign in New Haven in September. Len is a co-chair of the campaign.

Neil Hoffmann wrote that he missed the Yale Golf Outing in the Spring, but has joined "The Course at Yale" as a "Two Round Alumni Gift Member. Neil said, "Anyone who hasn't played recently will be stunned at the improvement in condition … one of the great courses!"

Bill Taylor has sold his company and retired. He's designing and building a home on Galveston Island, TX.

Peter Hicks and Mary spent last summer in Nashville. They will be in Florida this winter visiting their daughters in Naples and Ft. Lauderdale.

John Hanold and Pam have attended every one of the Yale Alumni Chorus tours, most recently in England and the Netherlands.

Pat Caviness e-mailed that he was "At the grand launch of Bubba Gump's Restaurant in Hong Kong in September."

Dave Anderson just finished "An enormous tax case … leaving more time to go to Montana … wound up buying a house near Gallatin Gateway, halfway between Bozeman and Big Sky."

John Howells sent an article from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution with a full-color feature on Bob Semisch and Carol's beautiful garden.

On a recent trip to New York, I had a nice visit with Steve Norman, who is a "lifer" at American Express. Steve gave me the spectacular panoramic walking tour from the top of their building.

Will Elting, our class delegate to the AYA, attended the Assembly "For God, For Country, and For Yale: The Importance of Service at Yale and Beyond," on November 9-11th.

Ed Massey organized a fund-raiser for Joe Lieberman on October 16th, attended by a number of classmates.

John Dobkin wrote a moving reminiscence of Bob Kuehn, who died this year, and their trip through Asia in 1965.

Last issue, the closing date for class notes prevented me from including the news of Carter LaPrade's death in late August. My brother, Jay Lavely '65, called me with the sad news. As 1965 Class Secretary, Carter attended our reunion in 2004 where we enjoyed his company immensely. He will be missed. Our sympathies go to his wife, Suzanne, and his extended family.