Class Notes

January/February 2011

by Tony Lavely

Breaking News: On November 12th at AYA Assembly LXX, the AYA Board of Governors recognized the Class of 1964 with their Award for Excellence: "Outstanding Class Volunteer Engagement." Details on the award are posted on our Class Website.

At this writing in early November, I'm very pleased to report that there has been a heart-warming response to the our request for Mory's memorial bricks in the names of departed classmates. Special thanks to Chris Getman and Terry Holcombe for spearheading this and to Sam Francis for tracking the progress. Our goal is to have a named brick on the new Mory's patio for each of our 129 departed classmates. Bricks have been donated for 49 departed classmates and over $2000 more has been donated for undesignated members. Please go to our Class Website (www.yale64.org "Class News") if you would like to join in this effort.

Will Elting, our Class AYA Representative, is planning to attend AYA Assembly LXX "Pathways to Health in the 21st Century: Medicine at Yale," on November 11-13.

Our annual Class Council meeting will be on February 4-5 at Kroon Hall in New Haven. Our special guest will be the Urban Resource Initiative intern, Andrew Breck, who is sponsored by our Class. Among other agenda items, there will be a recommendation for Chair of our 50th Class Reunion (2014). If you have recommendations, please contact one of the Nominating Committee members: Chris Getman, Waldo Johnston, and Terry Holcombe.

The mini-reunion on the coast of Maine in October 2010 was very successful. Special thanks to the organizers — Ward Wickwire, Mac Deford, and Dennis DeSilvey — for both program content and a balanced event budget! Extending our Class support for environmental issues was the main speaker, Yale Professor Richard Silkman. An event report and photographs taken by Neil Mitchell are posted on our Class website.

The publicity surrounding the Maine mini-reunion has spawned interest in an event for next winter in Vail, CO. Rob Waterman and Jay Huffard are canvassing for classmate interest in this venue.

Pete Putzel reported that the seasonal renewal of a Class table at the Yale Club of NYC on the fourth Tuesday of each month brought out Robert Whitby, Bill Galvin, Ted Wagner, Tom Trowbridge, and Alan McFarland.

The semi-annual Class Golf Outing was held on October 22nd. Three foursomes braved gusty winds (but no rain for the first time in recorded history) and finished the day at the new Mory's. A full, fictional report is posted on our Class website under "Class News."

Van Lanckton wrote: "In 2003, after 36 years as a lawyer, I changed careers and enrolled as one of 17 founding students of a new rabbinical seminary, the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, MA. After six wonderful years of full-time study, I was ordained. I am still there, running the Development Department for Hebrew College. In addition, I serve as the Associate Rabbi at a Conservative synagogue in Braintree, MA." One of Van's recent sermons, "Reversing Environmental Damage" is posted on our Class website.

Gene Van Loan submitted several of his publications (one written under the pseudonym, "Rasputin") for inclusion on our Class website, under "Publications." Loring Knoblauch emailed: "Bill Moeller and I bought a new business in California, The National Food Laboratories. It is the top US consulting and testing company focused on safe food and safe beverages. This came about because of our Class lunches in Chicago."

Al Adams emailed: "I retired from the State Department in 1996 following three tours as Ambassador (DJibouti, Haiti, Peru). I then worked as CEO of the UN Association of the United States for two years in NYC, followed by ten years in Honolulu where I worked at the Bishop Museum, hosted a Hawaii Public Radio talk show, and served as Peru's Honorary Consul to the Islands. Jon Van Dyke was a guest on my show; we spoke of his award-winning book on the status of crown lands in Hawaii. Last fall, I took up residence in Buenos Aires where I study Italian and host another radio interview show (‘Rise and Shine'). Otherwise, I do an occasional gig as a cruise ship lecturer, speaking of history and politics."

I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Dan Berman and his wife, Lorna, at our 50th high school reunion in Newton, MA. Dan is another classmate who has devoted his professional career to environmental issues, and his 1996 book is now posted on our Class website. Another high school and college classmate, Jeffrey Lee, was unable to attend but sent his regards.

Lawrence Chapman wrote: "The hardest part of retirement has been convincing myself it's alright not to be doing something. I spend a lot of time with a community theater group in Philadelphia." John Hudson wrote: "Tony Thomson asked me to review his new book, Love, Fate and Afghanistan, on Amazon. I may be the first and only contractor asked by any author, ever!" Robert Stilson wrote: "Retiring the end of November. My son had a successful kidney transplant at Yale, and my daughter works at GE Healthcare."

John Ashcroft has appealed to the Supreme Court to throw out a lawsuit seeking to hold him personally responsible for imprisoning a Muslim US citizen after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. ACCION, founded by Terry Holcombe in the 1960s, has been named the #1 microfinance organization in the world. Charlie Rose, formerly of 1966, has asked to be affiliated with our Class. Our departed classmate, Stan Thomas, has another granddaughter, Lila James Cohen, born October 3rd.

The Mory's memorial brick project has prompted many memories of departed classmates. If you would like to add a remembrance, please go to our website, "In Memoriam." I regret to report that Richard Clay died on September 11th in Scituate, MA. In addition to a distinguished career, Dick was a former president of the Yale Club of Boston.

If you would like to write this column as a guest during 2011, as Bill Drennen did in 2010, please call or email me. We welcome a fresh perspective. At the very least, please send news about classmates or yourself!