Class Notes

May/June 2019

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.

Those of you reading this online version will have time to “do your homework” about classmates before our Class Reunion in late May. The much shorter YAM version won’t be delivered until shortly before our reunion. During the next few months, you will be receiving emails from our Reunion Co-Chairs, Tony Lee and Jon McBride, and from other members of the Reunion Committee. These communications and our full reunion schedule are posted on our Class website. I promise there will be many reunion themes that will engage you. There will also be a golf outing (organized by Neil Hoffman) and an opportunity to meet our Whiffenpoofs at Mory’s on Wednesday, May 29, the day before the reunion begins. We also want to thank Jan Truebner, who is reaching out to surviving partners of departed classmates to invite them to the reunion.

Many of you know that our classmate David Plimpton, died in February. David was a loyal Class Council member, and we missed him greatly at our meeting this year. His wife, Barbara, has informed us that there will be a memorial service for David on Thursday, April 25, in Brooklyn. Details can be found on our Class website.

In recent months, there have been well-attended classmate luncheons at The Yale Club of NYC, organized by Pete Putzel. Attendance continues to build at the Boston luncheons, organized by Edward Massey and Al Rossiter, with newcomers Harvey Tannenbaum and Foster Fargo.

I attended a post-holiday party in Atlanta during January that included many current undergraduates from Georgia who were filled with enthusiasm about their Yale experiences. Atlanta hosted the Super Bowl in early February, and I took the occasion to post a remembrance of our departed classmate, Jim Klint, the only Ivy Leaguer to be awarded five Super Bowl rings. Many classmates responded with fond and vivid memories of Jim. The day after the game, I hosted one of Yale’s social-media administrators, Kevin Winston ‘91, who was here for the game. He surprised me by soliciting my advice for young alumni who are interested in careers in the food-and-beverage industry, and launched it as a post-lunch Facebook live event. Yale has a rapidly expanding list of Facebook pages and Facebook groups that connect alumni in real time. Here are two that I recently joined, and you’re welcome to join, too:

facebook.com/groups/yalealumni/
facebook.com/groups/yalefood/ (that I co-founded and moderate)

On February 11, I attended a Yale Alumni Fund Board meeting at The Yale Club of NYC and had the opportunity to hear Jeffrey Brock ’92, the new Yale Dean of Science. To prove what an excellent teacher he is, Jeff was able to explain to this old English major the scientific principle of “dimensionality reduction!”

The next day, I was back at the Yale Club to have lunch with Guy Struve, the Secretary of the Class of 1963. Guy is always helpful with advice, and our two adjacent classes share a lot of similar interests and friendships.

Later that week, I listened to one of President Salovey’s conference calls, during which he updated us on many important campus initiatives and issues. Of course, there will be an opportunity to hear directly from Peter at our 55th Reunion. While I crammed a lot into this week in February, my main reason for the trip was the Class Council meeting which took place at Rose Alumni House on February 16. There were 25 Council members there for an all-day Saturday meeting which focused primary on planning for our 55th Reunion. We were rewarded for our efforts by being able to attend two Yale men’s hockey victories at Ingalls Rink, as well as a lively dinner at Mory’s. Please let me know if you would like to serve on the Class Council, as we have some terms expiring.

Time permitting, I try to stop by Branford College on these visits, and this time had a most enjoyable visit with Enrique De La Cruz, Head of Branford College. Enrique is a high-energy guy with wide-ranging interests, and I always feel pumped after talking with him. And finally, just under the wire to qualify, I attended Feb Club Emeritus back in Atlanta, at the end of the month.

As usual, there are a number of news items involving classmates that find their way into the media. As the political season starts to heat up, Joe Lieberman was interviewed on both CNN and Fox News. Jim Rogers was interviewed by Japan Times about economic trends. Dan Berman (whose letter to the editor appeared in the January-February issue of YAM) wrote an article in Flatlander about the public power industry in California. Nancy Upper (surviving partner of Dennis Upper) will make a presentation in March at The Type Directors Club in NYC, titled “Understand the Ampersand.” Nancy will also be attending our 55th Reunion and will share her fascination with the “&” in one of the Kaleidoscope of Passions presentations.

Over the years, I have encouraged readers of these Class Notes to go to our Class website for more timely and more in-depth news and information about classmates. In Sam Francis, our webmaster, we have an invaluable and dedicated expert in digital publishing. And this is not just my opinion! Our Class website is the envy of many Yale classes, some older and some younger. Periodically, we are asked to consult with these classes and invariable they adopt our organization and format. Never fear, however, they can’t copy our content. Only the Class of 1964 could manifest our content!

One of the highlights of our Class Council meeting was the renewal of support for two Yale-connected not-for-profit organizations in New Haven: Urban Resources Initiative and Squash Haven. We will be posting an audio/video report by last summer’s URI intern on our Class website. URI has also announced that they will be dedicating a “Yale Class of 1964” bench in a local New Haven park to commemorate our support for their community work. Contact Chris Getman or Mike Price if you would like to learn more about URI. The other organization, Squash Haven, utilizes Payne Whitney Gymnasium and Yale squash coaches to coach and tutor New Haven youth. In March, they hosted the Squash and Educational Alliance Urban Team Nationals. Contact Jon McBride (a Squash Masters champion himself) if you would like to learn more about Squash Haven. We plan to showcase these two fine organizations at our reunion.

Campus expansion and renovation are an ongoing feature of the Yale campus. One big project that carries the name of Honorary Classmate David Swensen is the tower at the Hall of Graduate Studies. A lesser-known facility in Stratford, Connecticut is the old American Shakespeare Theater, which recently burned. If you are interested in seeing it rebuilt, please let me know, and I will put you in touch with the alumni organizers.

In addition to the aforementioned expansion of Yale social-media resources, you may be interested to know that the Yale Daily News has digitized their vast historical archives and added a powerful search feature. Beinecke Library, another unique Yale resource, has launched a vibrant new website. Finally, for Ward Wickwire and his team of YAF Class Agents, there is a new volunteer portal that virtually eliminates the need for paper.

With January, another bunch of holiday updates arrived. Bill Drennen wrote: “I spent Christmas and New Years at Bel Marin Keys in California. My paddle boarding has improved immeasurably.” Chris Getman sent a group photo of his extended family. Jon McBride, who claims he has the youngest grandchild, wrote: “We spent a week last May walking across Cornwall, England.” Edward Massey wrote about their 2018 relocation as a “transition year” and continued: “We honor, nourish, and enjoy the connection of love that we shared together.” Bob Buchanan emailed: “Sending this from Quito, Ecuador, where we are about to bird the Eastern Slope of the Andes.” Bill Galvin emailed: “Ellen and I are off to New Zealand and Australia.” Ward Wickwire emailed: “Tracy and I will be on a Yale trip with Paul Bracken, a professor in SOM. Besides keeping a distance from elephants and gorillas, we’ll be seeing Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls.” On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I posted the prayer Dr. King spoke over our graduating class in Battell Chapel. Ron Parlato replied: “I remember graduation day, King’s speech, long white clay pipes, and black robes.” Marya Holcombe posted an MLK quote and commented: “It evokes the authentic memory of a man who lived to advance equality and liberty for all.” Waldo Johnston added: “It behooves us to read again what King wrote and act and live in accordance with his dreams.”

Terry Holcombe and Marya are big supporters of Sunrise Café in New Haven, where lots of Yale students (and some of our classmates) volunteer their time to serve hearty breakfasts to the needy and homeless. Marya posted a poignant message about this cause: “You can give your money, and that’s great, but you can make more money. When you give your time, you are giving something you can never get back again, it is a true gift.” At the other end of the social spectrum, Terry emailed: “Have you seen the Booze Bus in town? They are SUV-sized vehicles with 5 seats on each side and a bartender in the middle. Every seat has pedals and the power of the occupants moves the vehicle.” Patrick Caviness posted some great photos from past reunions and other trips with classmates. One captured a very poignant memory with Jack Cirie at the Vietnam Memorial in 1990. Nancy posted a message and photo about Dan Pollack: “Time to say goodbye to Danny’s 51 Ford. It will be auctioned this week!” Waldo Johnston posted about holiday visits he had in Vero Beach with his neighbors Martin Padley and Jim Heyworth. Terry Holcombe and Marya stopped by for a visit, too.

Douglass Lea posted a very informative message about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault “which safeguards 10,000 years of agricultural diversity from around the world.” Douglass added: “From the perspective of the Pleistocene megafauna, all human occupants of the American hemisphere have been immigrants or descendants of immigrants.” When Russell Baker died, Douglass posted: “Baker was a good friend, and of my son Zack at whose funeral he spoke.” Doane Perry posted about the newest group of Peace Corps volunteers in Uganda, where he served. Nick Danforth emailed a glowing message about Gerald Shea: “The news that Gerry is a finalist in the New England Book Festival Award Competition should make every New Englander warm with pride!” Gerry Shea, who in past years has crewed on one of Sam Francis’ cruises, emailed Sam: “Why don’t you put Marblehead on your August itinerary?” You can follow Sam’s August cruise at his blog, Francis Cruises.

Francis Snyder emailed about a second award he received in China: “Recently, I was awarded the Peking University Friendship Award, recognizing and honoring foreign experts who have been dedicated to the development of PKU.” Paul Manchester celebrated ten years at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Ted Jones posted some photos from Waiheke Island, New Zealand: “A lovely day of wine tasting. This is how you summer.” There is a raging debate about the prospect of replacing the grass in the Yale Bowl with synthetic turf. Following our Class Council meeting in February, Waldo Johnston had shoulder surgery. Candy posted a thumbs-up photo of Waldo reclining under one of her beautiful quilts. Waldo added: “I better recover quickly since I’m scheduled to lead a discussion on fitness at our reunion!” Rick Salomon made us all look bad on Valentine’s Day when Laura posted “With love and special wishes to the husband who never runs out of kisses!” Later, Rick was seen “glamming it up at the grand re-opening of the Norton Museum of Art.” Bill Galvin posted a photo of his son Ryan, a producer at CBS Sports who did the instant replays at the Super Bowl.

Sam Low, author and filmmaker of Hawaiki Rising, was pictured on Facebook “at a planning meeting for the June visit of Hokule’a on the American leg of Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage.” Sam also posted a memory of filming a PBS Special in 1991. Ed Gaffney posted, “Eighteen minutes ago, I tried to post that I had turned off the TV. Facebook spun its wheels for over 5 minutes, so I had to drop the remark and settle for a quiet evening with an old sci-fi book.” When Singapore beat Hong Kong in a recent expat survey, Patrick Caviness (who lived for a time in HK) posted: “Jim Rogers, being a very bright lad, picked the right place to live as an expat.” In early February, Tony Lee took a break from reunion planning to ski at Val-David in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec. Douglass Lea and Julie Savage posted some of her stunning paintings from Bequia. With similar artistic interests, Doane Perry and Karen Carmean host Facebook Live events from the Guild of Berkshire (MA) Artists. Tom Susman was featured in an ABA Leadership Update for his ten years of work with ABA. Last year, Tom stepped down as Director of the Governmental Affairs Office and now serves as Strategic Advisor to GAO.

Neil Hoffman emailed a link to his daughter-in-law’s (Sarah Gamble) art gallery in Philadelphia. During Black History Month, I posted my family connection to three African-American leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr., George Washington Carver, and Howard Thurman. Tim Bachmeyer replied, “Howard Thurman was the speaker at my Methodist ordination back in the 1960s. What an incredible speaker! I agree with your comment about his resonating voice.” With the news that Yale is considering naming the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs as a new school, Will Elting told me he has special interest in their work. Yale once again thanked Chuck Mokriski for the J. Frederick Mokriski Scholarship Fund which this year supports a student in Jonathan Edwards.

Sam Low posted: “Honored to have received a second-place award in the human-interest feature category from Arts & Ideas Magazine.” This summer, Sam’s work will be featured at the Francine Kelly Gallery in an exhibit titled “Harthaven Artists.” Separately, there is a new YouTube video — Raise Hawaiki: A Musical Tribute to Hokule’a — partly inspired by his Sam’s book. Ed Gaffney posted about his gardening endeavors: “I wintered-over a couple of Brussels sprouts plants, one of which has small sprout buds. Will they grow up into productive plants?”

As a lead to this update on classmate publications, I want to highlight an initiative undertaken by Edward Massey (who is also the “producer” for our reunion reprise of Kaleidoscope of Passions). An author himself, Edward is organizing an “Authors Table” under the tent during our reunion to showcase new books by classmates. Reportedly, we have one of the most prolific group of authors of any Yale Class, and Publications on our Class website testifies to this. I also publicize many of our classmate authors at facebook.com/groups/yaleauthors/. Here are some new publications. Peter Frey has written a timely book, Reimagining our American Republic: A Commonsense Vision for Uncommon Times. Peter emailed: “After a long career as a research scientist, I am now masquerading as a journalist by authoring a book advocating constructive adjustments to the way we are governed.” It has already stimulated a lively online dialogue among Chris Getman and Martin Gerstel. Richard Reichbart has written, The Paranormal Surrounds Us: Psychic Phenomena in Literature, Culture and Psychoanalysis. Russell Sunshine, whose article on hawks we posted in the previous column, has written another article, Savvy & Satisfying Senior Travel: Practicing Agile Aging on the Road. Edward Massey has extended his passion for Western fiction with a new book, Fugitive Sheriff, which one reviewer said is “good historical fiction as well as timeless insight into human nature.” Soon to be published is Jim Rogers' new book, The Future of Japan and the World That Will Be Read Through the Flow of Money. Sam Low is also contemplating a book about the building of the Polynesian sailing vessel Hawai’loa.

Publication is not just about books and articles. You can now add Nancy Upper’s blog, Uppersand, which brings the number of classmate blogs to nineteen. The most prolific is Ron Parlato who posted 41 substantial blogs in Uncle Guido’s Facts in just the past two months. John Wylie blogs in Why We Became Human. Paul Ruden blogs in Shining Sea USA. Patrick Caviness endorsed Paul, “His blog is informative and insightful.” Mo Dean has a blog, Moristotle, that he shares with other authors, most recently Rolf Dumke. For those of you who admire the gothic architecture at Yale, there is a new book by Adam Van Doren, Stones of Yale, with a preface by our 1960s dean, Sam Chauncey.

Sadly, I report the deaths of three classmates since the previous issue: David Plimpton (February 7, 2019), Frank Laurence (November 5, 2018), and David Henry Elliott (September 1, 2018). In addition to David Plimpton’s remarkable obituary, posted at In Memoriam on our Class website, both Joe Wishcamper and Jeremy Wood have added touching remembrances. John Wylie posted a remarkable story of David meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. Frank Laurence died in Hamilton, Montana, where he had lived the last 15 years. Frank was a teacher, author, and an accomplished musician. Dave Henry Elliott died in Nova Scotia where he had spent his entire career at Dalhousie University. Recently, I was reminded of Lee Hanley (November 4, 2016) by a writer at The New Yorker who is doing an article about him. On January 11, Michelle Mead, the surviving partner of John Armor, posted “Today would have been John’s 76th birthday; he would have been amused to know that he shared a birthday with Alexander Hamilton.” As a reminder, Steve Klingelhofer is organizing the memorial service on May 31 where we will be remembering these departed classmates. You can also dedicate a Mory’s Memorial Brick in a classmate’s name by contacting Chris Getman. During the reunion, you can check out the bricks dedicated to over 200 classmates on Mory’s patio, right off the bar.