Class Notes
September/October 2007
by Tony Lavely
Those of you who are reading these notes in the September/October issue of Yale Alumni Magazine, please be aware that you could have read them (and other columns) in mid-July, two months earlier, on our class Web site. The site, tirelessly administered by Sam Francis, also provides timely notification of upcoming class activities, photographs, longer articles written by or about classmates, in memoriam notices, and classmate email addresses.
Dan Kapica wrote to give me his new email address, now posted, and the link to his most interesting and introspective Web site, "The Mangrove Seed."
In early May, Dan Pollack spent a week in Canada with Bob Hannah at a remote fishing camp. Later in May, I had dinner with Dan and Nancy in Chicago, while I was there for the National Restaurant Show. Dan kindly invited me to a luncheon the following day with ten Chicago-area classmates at The Cliff Dwellers Club overlooking Lake Michigan. Loring Knoblauch organized the gathering. Loring and others spoke enthusiastically about the recent mini-reunion in Chicago and have extended it with periodic luncheons. Bill Bowe memorialized the event with a photo that is now posted on our Class Web site. Also attending was Bill Lear, who is a Managing Partner with Focus Enterprises, an investment banking firm. Bill underwent minor surgery later that afternoon, and we wished him a speedy recovery. Other classmates at the luncheon were: George Covington, Rick Heyke, Harry Howell, Cole Oehler, Tom Rogers, and Wally Winter.
With the fire season raging in the West, Tony Morris is continuing his good work with the Wildfire Research Network. Tony often talks with Rick Hatton, who is moving to Southern California to be closer to his Tanker 910 in the problem areas. A May 14th article in the Los Angeles Times is posted on our class Web site. Tony Morris is also planning a film about forest fires. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please contact Tony at www.wildfireresearch.org.
Tony Lee and Chris Getman collaborated to send me notes about the Yale 64 Golf Outing in May. It included a dinner at Mory's. Tony wrote, "This was the largest group of classmates and guests that we've ever had. At one point we had 27 signed up. Personal injuries (Heyworth and Thompson) felled a few and family emergencies took a few others. The dire weather forecast scared a few newcomers (Edwards, Post, Capodilupo and Kalayjian), but 18 of us soldiered on through the 48 degrees, winds gusting to 30 and ‘scattered showers.' Friday is normally a busy day at the Yale Golf Course, but we had the whole course to ourselves and arranged a shotgun start so we could all finish at the same time." The players joining Tony and Chris were: Don Crabtree, Neil Hoffmann, Butch Hetherington, Pete Putzel, Ed Trippe, Frank Basler, Bill Galvin, Alan McFarland, Buck Wilson, John Evans, Peter Truebner, Jim Baxter, and Brin Ford. Tony Lee also reports that 34 people have signed up for the Bermuda golf event planned for late-October 2008.
James Turchik wrote, "Enjoying retirement from SUNY Upstate Medical University as Professor of Medicine." Bob Sexton, Executive Director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, has been invited to serve on the board of advisors of the National Access Network at Teachers College, Columbia University. Paul Manchester was recently promoted at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to head up the research division that analyzes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for mission compliance. After a five-year term, Paul is stepping down as an officer and board member of the Yale Club of Washington. During late May and early June, Doane Perry had an exhibition of his black and white photographs about daily life in Areopolis, Mani, Greece, 1974-75, featured at the Gallery at The Greek Institute in Cambridge, MA. Peter Conrad was recently promoted to Associate in the San Francisco office of Perkins+Will, a leading architectural design and planning firm. This summer, Jon Auerbach drove his 1932 Deuce Coupe in "The Great Race" from Concord, NC, to Anaheim, CA. Pat Caviness, whom I missed seeing in New Orleans by one day during May, sent a very interesting account of his June trip with Frederique to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia: "We were given a VIP tour of the Kremlin and went to the Balshoi for the premier of a new ballet. The overnight train to St. Petersburg was long and slow. We were there for the longest day of the year and toured some castles."
John Evans, who is chairing the program committee for our 45th reunion (more on that later) met with Gus Speth at Mory's to develop a program idea on environmental policy. Joel Kleinberg, who is recovering from two open-heart surgeries in April, sent John a number of good program ideas for consideration. Joel is also planning to attend the class dinner in New York City in October. Waldo Johnston, the chair of our 45th reunion, has spent most of the summer on his sailboat. He visited with Ed Trippe in Bermuda in June. John Evans will be chairing a meeting of the reunion program committee in New Haven on July 16th. Twenty-five classmates have volunteered for the program committee. Many have already sent program ideas to John or Waldo, and your suggestions are much appreciated! Joe Wishcamper is recovering from a leg injury, so he will not be able to attend this initial planning meeting. Neither will Terry Holcombe, our class secretary, since he will be hiking in Spain. You can count on reading highlights of both the meeting and the hike in the next column.
Make your plans to attend the class dinner at The Yale Club of New York City on October 19th, chaired by Ed Massey. Paul Steiger, Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal, will be the featured speaker. A reservation form will be mailed in late summer.
Ward Wickwire, chairman of class agents, reports that our class contributed over $216,000 to the Yale Alumni Fund, year ending June 30th, from 425 donors with a participation rate of 52%.
Sadly, I report the death of William Connelly on May 12, 2007. He graduated as a member of our class in just three years, was a member of Book and Snake, and went on to earn his J.D. from Yale Law School. He was a prominent product liability attorney in Cleveland, OH. Contributions may be made in his name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We extend our sympathies to his wife, Diane, and his family. The full obituary is posted on our class Web site.