Class Notes

November/December 2018

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.

As I write this shortly after Labor Day, we can look forward to many classmate gatherings over the next ten months, culminating with our 55th Class Reunion. Earlier this summer, a group of classmates had a mini-reunion in the Northwest U.S. and Canadian Rockies. John Evans has written a wonderful travelogue that Sam Francis has posted on our Class website, complete with photos of classmates and dazzling scenery. Dottie Evans said, “You had to stay awake as the conversations were at a high level and the one-liners went by quickly.” Neil Hoffmann has confirmed 20 golfers for the Fall outing on the Yale Course on Thursday, October 11.

Regional Class lunches at Mory’s (organized by Chris Getman usually on the first Wednesday of the month) and The Yale Club of NYC (organized by Pete Putzelusually on the fourth Tuesday of the month) have long been well-attended. Since he is recently relocated, Edward Massey (with the help of Al Rossiter) is jump-starting the tradition in the Boston area. They’re planning on having these luncheons on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The initial response to a Boston-area 46-strong classmate mailing list has been terrific. Please contact Massey if you are not on his list. A number of classmates have told me they are planning to attend The Game at Fenway Park on November 17. If you want to join the group, contact Chris Getman.

Tony Lee and Jon McBride, co-chairs for our 55th Reunion, attended a planning conference in New Haven in late September. We will start to post details on our Class website, but the real drive for attendance will start in the New Year.

In addition to the aforementioned report on the Canadian Rockies mini-reunion, there are six recent News items posted on our Class Website. Chris Getman (who has not missed a game in the Bowl since 1970) called our attention to a July ranking of the top 25 college football stadiums. The Yale Bowl is #5. In case you missed it, the July-August issue of Yale Alumni Magazine published in its "Light & Verity" column the decision to rescind the Yale honorary degree awarded to Bill Cosby in 2003. As reported, this effort was led by Dan Berman and co-signed by many other classmates. Joe Lieberman, who is chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran, appeared on Fox News in August to support the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran. In September, Joe delivered a moving eulogy at John McCain’s service in Washington National Cathedral. At the end of June, Ward Wickwire, chairman of Class Agents, reported that our Class contributed almost $300,000 to the Yale Alumni Fund, from almost 300 donors.

In July, Steve Floman posted about a trip he took to Iceland with his family, hiking glaciers and black-sand beaches: “Quite amazing. In many areas, it’s like a sci-fi movie showing the surface of another planet.” In response to a post by YaleClimateConnections.org, Ed Gaffney posted: “Forest protection is not just related to the tropics; It is critical that we address the issue in our own backyard.” Later, Ed added: “Due to climate change, Papua New Guinea has already begun moving the population of the Carteret Islands. This would be the first time an entire country had to relocate; can it still exist as a political entity?” In May, Terry Holcombe and Marya chaperoned young students to New Haven to accept an award from the President and Fellows of Yale University “congratulating the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children on 125 years of service to the youth of New England.” Marya also posted congratulations to Professor Nicholas Christakis (formerly Master of Silliman College) on his promotion to Sterling Professor. In another season of terrible wildfires in California, Tony Morris helped educate homeless people to the dangers of campfires. Doane Perry celebrated “the amazing Biennial Doane Family Reunion in July. I went not knowing who my grandfather was and came home tracing my lineage back seven generations.” In August, Doane posted about Thessaloniki, Greece “where I had my first teaching job in 1964-65.” With music as his medium, Stan Thomas’ son, Chip, has been mentoring children in Nigeria this summer.

Tony Lee hiked and biked in Quebec City and Kingdom Trails, Vermont, in August. After posting many narratives and photos of his multicounty European trip, Pat Caviness had to return to San Francisco for some medical tests. With more time for reflection, Pat posted a memorable quote from William Sloane Coffin, Jr. that concludes, “Good patriots carry on a lover’s quarrel with their country.” Pat added an observation prompted by a Frank Rich article, “So, the year we graduated was the high watermark of our country’s trust in government.” Stephen Greenblatt traveled to Peru this summer. Stephen emailed: “At the end of an exciting and challenging 10-day trek, including crossing the 15,000-foot Sallkantay Pass, we wound up in astonishing Machu Picchu. This was a link back to my undergraduate years, since it was Steve Bingham who first made me wish to see these fabled ruins.” Speedy recovery to Jay Huffard who will miss the October golf outing due to rotator-cuff surgery. Also missing the golf outing is Larry Capodilupo who is caring for his wife while she undergoes treatment for a serious illness. In August, Waldo Johnston and Candy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and posted a vintage photo of the wedding party that included Al Rossiter and Pete Putzel. In June, Jon McBride welcomed his first grandchild on a visit to Colorado. Sam Low chronicled the Pacific voyage of Hokule’a and Hikianalia which was challenged by Hurricane Lane in August. Sam posted: “All over the Hawaiian Islands, a return to native Hawaiian practices helps ensure a sustainable relationship between humans and their natural resources.” On a more placid summer day, Sam was seen at a clambake in Harthaven, Martha’s Vineyard.

Responding to an academic geology feud, Douglass Lea posted, “Why are all quarrels in geology so tectonic? Where is Rocky Flint now that we need him?” Douglass also evoked another 1960s faculty member by posting a conversation between Harold Bloom and Joshua Cohen, "Stories as Prayer." With Nancy Pelosi in the news, Douglass reminded me: “I was Pelosi’s communications person for several years in the early 2000s, my third time on the Hill. She was master of the interior game. She brings an Italian sense of definition to her construction of the political universe.” Michael Nagel emailed: “After a ‘management break’ (open-heart surgery), I’m back with my Balfour & Associates partners in London, NYC, and New Zealand, advising companies producing synthetic fuels through carbon capture.” Michael also helps organize the annual Christmas dinner for the Yale Club of London at the Polish Club. Dan Pollack was in northern Michigan with Bob Hannah and Mike Mazer for what has become an annual September visit. Dan added: “Periodically, I have lunch with Bob Reum’s widow, Sherry. Still can’t believe Bob is gone.”

During the John McCain services in September, several classmates remembered Bruce Warner whose name is on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Ron Parlato posted, “Maya Lin was a genius! How could this young woman have so completely understood the divisive trauma that was Vietnam?” Rick Salomon added: “Someday, I’d like to tell you about looking for Bruce’s name on the wall and being helped by Oliver North. I was struggling to understand the system, and he quietly guided me to the right place.” Rick also posted many photos during his trip to Greece with Laura and family this summer. In a vineyard, Rick wrote: “They picked, they stomped, they made wine!” And later, on a sailboat sporting his Y hat, Rick posted: “Circumnavigating Ithaca, a stop for a swim and lunch. Couldn’t get the kids to try goat or rabbit though.” Karl Ziegler posted a great photo of himself with this caption: “Sunday in the English countryside. Heaven and cool. My happy place.”

On his birthday this summer, Bill Galvin posted a wonderful photo of himself and his ten grandchildren: “They made me feel my age!” Van Lanckton is the placement advisor at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton MA. Van converted to Judaism in 1967 and was ordained in 2009 after being in the founding student body at the Rabbinical School. Van emailed: “I help place students in rabbinical jobs.” Douglass Lea posted a throwback photo of his home on Bequia (an island north of Trinidad) that was built 50 years ago. Douglass wrote: “The house sits atop a small mountain overlooking a scalloped bay opening to the wide Atlantic.” As the football season was getting underway, Pat Caviness, Ted Jones, and I were reminiscing with one of our upperclassmen coaches, Tex Younger ’63. It was mainly about two of our favorite coaches, Fritz Barzilauskas and Gib Holgate, both long departed. For the past year, I’ve been mentoring a first-year student at SOM who is from India. I have been struck by how difficult the new immigration and visa regulations are on foreign students. President Salovey had this as a theme in his Opening Assembly Address this fall.

As a preface to this update on Classmate publications, I want to put in a plug for connecting on Facebook. For both these Class notes and Class authors, it has become an immediate and invaluable way to connect. Now, I know many people are dismissive of Facebook, especially in the wake of their Cambridge Analytics fiasco, but “friend me” if you want to join the 60 or so classmates (and spouses) who already have. Hey, I still go to coffee houses even though Marlowe got killed in one!

Tom Kleven has published a book of poetry, The Meaning of Life and Other Poems, and it is now included on our website's Publications page. Tom emailed: “The theme of the collection is the mystery of life’s significance. I’ll appreciate any commentary from classmates.” Tom added, “I’m about to begin my 45th year teaching at Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston. The time I spent at Yale contributed much to the path I’ve taken, and for that I am grateful.” Chris Getman serves on the board of Center for Humans and Nature, which was founded by Strachan Donnelley. Chris called attention to a challenging editorial written by a fellow member of the board and classmate, Tom Lovejoy. Titled "Avoiding the Climate Failsafe Point," it appeared in Science Advances and is posted on our website.

In the previous issue, I commended our classmate bloggers to you, and you can find links to all of them on our Class website. Paul Ruden added one recently, "Right and Wrong at the U.S. Open." Paul also emailed: “Thanks for recommending Stephen Greenblatt’s new book Tyrant. It is a remarkable book and has earned a coveted spot on my bookcase of ‘keepers’.” [See the NY Times review.] His even more prolific blogmate, Ron Parlato, recently posted one called "Yale and the Mafia – The Story of a Friendship." And if that title doesn’t get you, how about "Rounding the Sexual Corner – Not Going Gentle Into That Good Night." Ron and John Wylie have struck up a dialogue spurred by their respective blogs. In the aftermath of Anthony Bourdain’s death, John wrote a blog in his "Why We Became Human" series, titled "Understanding the Emotion Causing Suicide." Separately, John and I got into a heated debate about the merits of Yoval Harari’s book, Sapiens, but that’s another story. Jim Rogers, probably the earliest of our classmate bloggers, has now upgraded to a YouTube channel, where you can watch his latest prediction, "The Next Bear Market Will Be the Worst of His Lifetime." John Jeavons published his latest newsletter, Ecology Action, with this prediction: “We can transform the current global challenge to a situation of abundance: of enough for everyone.”

Since the previous issue, I was notified by Larry Crutcher that Carroll Cavanaugh died in his Connecticut home on July 18th. Carroll was a distinguished lawyer and served on many civic boards. His obituary is posted on our website In Memoriam. Since we posted the news of Marty Munn’s death in the previous issue, Bam Alling was able to obtain an obituary from his family, and it is now posted In Memoriam. Please remember that you can add a remembrance for any departed classmate on our website (contact me or Sam Francis), and you can also purchase a Mory’s Memorial Brick in the name of any departed classmate (contact me or Chris Getman).