Yale University

Class Notes

May/June 2016

by Tony Lavely

Note: Classmates' names in gold font are links to a pre-addressed email form (if your browser is properly configured. Other links (underlined) take you to more information about the topic. A shorter version of these Notes is published in the Yale Alumni Magazine.

We’ve been reminded of our early sixties vintage by the media coverage of the men’s basketball team as they qualified for March Madness.  You can watch a video of Rick Kaminsky (“Hallelujah! They finally won it!”) as he takes us back to 1962. At its annual meeting in early February, your Class Council enjoyed both men’s basketball victories and men’s hockey victories, as well as a dinner at Mory’s (all expenses, including travel costs, borne by Council members).  The all-day Saturday meeting, attended by 21 classmates, was both informative and productive (read the news story for details).  Prior to this meeting, we emailed a survey to classmates.  The survey responses from 187 classmates were very helpful in guiding the Class Council. 

There are lots of new articles posted in this website's class news section:

During the Council weekend, I met with Sam Chauncey ‘57, our Dean in the sixties, who has published a book, May Day at Yale, 1970.

Please check our Class website for upcoming class events, with points of contact listed below:

  • NYC monthly Class table (Putzel)
  • Mory’s monthly Class table (Getman)
  • September 2016 — Cape Cod golf (Evans)
  • June 2016 — NYC arrival of Sam Low’s Hokule’a (Plimpton)
  • April 2017 — Atlanta civil rights mini-reunion (Lavely)
  • September 2017 new residential colleges open in New Haven (Holcombe)

Special thanks to our Class webmaster, Sam Francis, for assisting 17 classmates with Yale AYA email addresses through the transition to a new Yale system.  It’s very helpful when classmates inform us of email addresses which we don’t have.  Bill Manuel came through with five addresses on the last mailing.

More year-end news arrived from classmates. Bill Drennen: “I did a semester of Life-Long Learning, including a course on mysticism and a history of Ukraine and Russian interference.” Chris Getman’s family photo was taken on his Yale Bowl bench and reported: “We had a wonderful quail (make that live oak and cloud) hunting trip in Georgia in December.”  Anne Massey wrote: “Edward lives with great discipline. He is still healthy and vegan. He writes each day for a number of hours and loves the craft.”  Rebecca Hetherington (some of my best sources are spouses) sent a photo (posted in the photo gallery) of “three RAHs (Y 55, Y 64, and Y 06) at The Game 2015.” Joe Wishcamper emailed: “I took my five young business partners to Chile for a fishing retreat and was joined by Dave Plimpton to reinforce our demographic.”

At the annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Yale, there were many exhibits chronicling his visits to the campus while we were there. Pat Caviness shared a similar exhibition at Taft.  John Evans emailed: “Jon McBride and I went on the Yale Travel trip to Costa Rica and Panama. Costa Rica was particularly interesting.” Sam Brookfield volunteers twice a week with Street Squash Harlem (a sister program to Squash Haven): “It’s less about squash and more about opportunities.” John More works as a Board member on the Rachael Carson Council where Bob Musil is CEO.  John also visited with Tim Breen and Mike Mazer recently. Dick Berk sent a photo (posted in the photo gallery) of a bloody injury he sustained while playing for the Baltimore Rugby Club in 1968. Chip Brennen emailed: “Mary and I had a wonderful lunch with Peter Giblin and Maritza in London last October.  Peter is still active in a number of charitable, civic, and educational commitments.” Pat Caviness shared a photo wearing his 50th Reunion hat while “trudging the sandy bays at sunset in Koh Samui.” Also, a bit of nostalgia about Bob Hannah whom he described as: “One of 15 fullbacks who came out freshman year. Good Beta. Brave officer in Vietnam.” 

David Wyles posted a vintage photo from his late-60s UCLA film school days.  Ron Parlato posted: “I feel a lot better now that Pope Francis told Tim Cook: “The internet and social media are a gift from God if used wisely.” Sam Low posted a photo SCUBA diving in 1963 off the coast of Maine. At this writing (March), the Hokule’a (replica of vessels used by indigenous people to settle the Pacific a thousand years before the arrival of Europeans) is sailing between Brazil and Cuba arriving two days before President Obama: “Cuba is the only sustainable country in the world.”  Sam also posted: “The earth is 4.6 billion years old.  Scaled to 46 years, that means we’ve been here for 4 hours.  Our Industrial Revolution began 1 minute ago. In that time, we’ve destroyed more than 50% of the world’s forests. This isn’t sustainable.” Douglass Lea posted: “In case you’ve been giddy with optimism all day, here’s a little tranche of reality: Overfishing is causing global catches to fall three times faster than estimated.”

Bill Duesing spent the winter on Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys but continued to write about GMO labeling and environmental damage: “What a mess we’ve made of this planet.” Neil Hoffmann emailed: “Give Dan Berman permission to use your name to challenge the Yale Corporation on the Schmidheiny honorary degree.” John Meigs was hoping to contact Harry Augur on a trip to Aspen this winter: “Harry and I rowed freshman lightweight crew.” Dan Pollack quoted John Irving in The Imaginary Girlfriend: “David Plimpton, who was in the Iowa Writers Workshop Program and was as out of shape as I was, enjoyed sparring with the Iowa wrestlers.”  In response to the news that the Ivy League is giving up tackling in practice, Dan Pollack emailed: “Anything that protects players is welcome.” 

Paul Manchester commented on March Madness: “In 1962, Schumacher missed a foul shot that would have beaten Wake Forest in Round 1. We got blown out in OT.”  I asked Al Rossiter, “What were the two Negro Spirituals the Whiffs sang at our 50th Reunion Memorial Service?”  (No, I’m not working on my own service yet).  Al answered: “'Steal Away to Jesus' and 'Little Lamb,' both are in the Yale Song Book.  I’m blessed that I get to lead this group of very experienced singers.” In February, Ed Massey hosted a roommate reunion and emailed: “Per Wickstrom and Elaine flew in from Wisconsin, Pete Giblin from London, Charlie Warner from Ohio, and Pete Putzel and Anne drove from Brooklyn. Jim Shanklin mailed in the wine. It was a great, if exhausting and intense reunion.” Ed Gaffney posted from his new home in Albuquerque: “I’ve planted an apple tree for future spring blossoms and fall Winesaps.”

Classmates are still publishing.  Nortin Hadler blogged: “There is nothing free about the health-care free market.” Jim Rogers was interviewed by Value Walk and said: “There is a 100% probability of a US recession within a year.” Ron Parlato blogged: “What makes a sports fan? Why are allegiances so passionately emotional?” John Wylie blogged: “How our social fears have drawn us together.” Alfred Webre, a futurist whose book, Exopolitics, founded the science of intelligent civilizations in the multi-verse, is active on YouTube, Twitter, and publishes a blog. Stephen Greenblatt, who is working on a new book about Adam and Eve, was awarded Norway’s prestigious Holberg Prize.

I am saddened to report the deaths of three classmates since the last issue.  Ralph Straw, an All-American swimmer, died last December in Delaware. Richard “Munch” Cussler, who practiced medicine in rural Idaho, died on December 23rd. Bob Dayton, a prominent civic and business leader in Minneapolis, died in January in Naples, FL. Dave Kalayjian emailed: “Marcia and I had the good fortune to connect with Bob Dayton and Joanie on a Yale trip to Africa three years ago. Our Class has lost a great person.” Addendum to this issue: Following the closing date for Yale Alumni Magazine, Terry Holcombe reported the death of Ward Cates in North Carolina.  Ward will be remembered for his career in public health and for the spontaneous joy he brought to those around him.