The practice of medicine and the art of creative writing don’t usually go together, but there have been exceptions. Burton Rouché’s Eleven Blue Men (1963) and Oliver Sacks’ The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat (1985) were collections of short stories about medical mysteries. I knew that I would never have caseloads like theirs to write about, but I did know that… READ ED’S FULL ESSAY HERE

1/13/22
Roman’s Return, with Surprises

By Roman Weil

What connection can there be between the Class of ’62 Council Meeting, 1988, and the College Football Championship Game, January 10, 2022? Herein you’ll read the answer.

Shortly after our 25th Reunion in 1987, the senior leadership of our class realized that the Class of ’63 had overshadowed us with its US Senator and the Class of ’61 had overshadowed us with its frequent mini-reunions. We needed to do more. So the leadership convened a meeting of the Class Council in the summer of 1988 at Vic Miller’s house in Milford to discuss these matters. I think it was Host Miller who suggested that if we should have… READ ROMAN’S FULL ACCOUNT HERE

12/21/21
A Life of Music
A Y62 Interview with Pulitzer Prize winner, classmate Lewis Spratlan

In mid-December, Lew Spratlan sat down to chat, via Zoom, with Class Secretary and longtime friend John Stewart. Their conversation is below. Please enjoy.

Lew’s discography is here.    Comments? Please make them here

12/21/21
The Three Musketeers of Bassick High School, Homeroom 10. Part III
By Lee Bakunin

Here, in his own words, is Tim’s journey.

“At the end of our sophomore year at Yale, I realized that I was more interested in the social sciences than in engineering and I changed my major to sociology, thinking that eventually I would go into law. In fact, after graduation I began studying law at the Columbia… READ THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF LEE’S ACCOUNT HERE

12/08/21
ENVIRONMENT  Yale’s Major Climate Change Projects
By Edward L. Strohbehn, Jr.

President Peter Salovey and Provost Scott Strobel

(Editor’s Note: Ed Strohbehn spent his professional career in environmental law as a public interest lawyer, government executive, and private attorney. He, along with three Yale Law School classmates who co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1970, received the Yale Law School Association Award of Merit – the Law School’s highest honor – in 2010.)

After Glasgow, it’s interesting to consider Yale’s recent climate change actions. President Peter Salovey and Provost Scott Strobel announced them on June 24, 2021 in a letter to Members of the Yale Community – actions that had been initiated over the previous nine months:

• Planetary Solutions Project
• Carbon Emissions Reductions
• Fossil Fuel Investment Principles for the Endowment

READ ED’S COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

12/08/21
Fore Play for Four Play
By Roman L. Weil

“B’hm Brett” and Roman at the game

Bama again — who gives a damn? Cincy and Michigan fans, that’s who.

What a treat that the Class Communication Team asked me to write about my trip to the SEC Football Championship on December 4. Little did they know what stories that trip weaved together. READ ROMAN’S COMPLETE ESSAY HERE

12/03/21
ENVIRONMENT  Is “The Day” Approaching?
By Peter Sipple

“The Rapture: One at the Mill” from the Bowyer’s Bible, etched by the Dutch artist Jan Luyken in 1795.

(Editor’s Note: During our November Coffee Hour on the environment, Peter spoke up, noting a couple of positive initiatives of which he knew. One is the “Living Well and Wisely on Plant Earth” group, local to him – he and his wife are members – and now in its third year, which explores sustainable ways to live. Encouraged by his refreshing comments, we invited him to write for us. He subsequently sent us this recent sermon he’d written, which focuses on this topic.)

The writer of Hebrews includes a sentence that might serve as a mission statement for us latter-day Christians: “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The verb “provoke” is, well, provocative… READ PETER’S ENTIRE SERMON HERE

12/03/21
YAA Webinars on Demand

Catch up on Yale Alumni Association virtual events with their on-demand library of webinars, fireside chats, and digital panels. The listings show a whopping 352 of them, in widely ranging topic areas. FIND THEM ALL HERE

11/22/21
Cryptocurrency: a Primer

Settle in and watch classmate Whit Knapp explain some history and introductory principles of cryptocurrency, one of the fastest moving news targets we’ve ever seen. Y62 Communications Team member Bill Weber asks Whit about the basics. Once you’ve seen the interview, you can read the essay Whit has sent along to explain more. READ WHIT’S FULL ESSAY HERE.

11/22/21
And Now, for Something Completely Different

For some very silly holiday viewing pleasure, we approached classmate Bill Weeden, who chats in our recording above with Y62 Communication Team member Bill Weber about his long and varied career in the entertainment industry. There’s also a surprise ending to the chat, involving his movie, Psycho Ape. Enjoy!

Comments for Bill Weeden? Please make them here.

11/15/21
COP26 Wrap-up: What We Think

COP26 Cop-Out? By Gary Richardson The “agreements” emerging from COP26 are too little, too late, especially for those already in harm’s way. Without quantified, scheduled, and verifiable objectives pledged by nations and industries as part of a funded worldwide strategy it is all, as Greta Thunberg has articulated, “Blah-blah-blah.” About a month ago, I agreed to pull together and… READ GARY’S FULL ESSAY HERE

Net Zero Carbon By James Wechsler Introduction: As Gary Richardson points out in his COP26 Summary, the much ballyhooed international meeting failed to do many substantive things that people were hoping for and can therefore be thought of as a failure. I have the same view of the concrete actions at COP26 but am of the opinion that, given the world’s turmoil, the meeting was quite successful. This differing conclusion stems from an… READ JIM’S FULL ESSAY HERE

Read all of the comments regarding the topic of the environment here.

11/09/21
Y62 Coffee Hour: The Environment

Editor’s Note: Part I. We had what many thought was one our stronger Coffee Hour sessions November 4 on Climate Change and the Glasgow COP26. For those of you who attended and stayed with the Zoom, we say thank you. We are truly pleased that we were able to fix the technical glitches and that the first portion, including our moderator and three classmate presentations, as well as our poll, can be seen below in the order that was intended. There now are none of the larger video or audio disruptions encountered during Bill Reilly’s fine pre-recorded interview with Gary Richardson. Running time 49:56.

Comments? Please make them here.

Editor’s Note: Part II. The second recording from the November Coffee Hour runs 38:10 and includes lively opinions and proposals on the Climate Change challenge from classmates and our panel.

Former President Barack Obama gave a carefully crafted and well-delivered speech yesterday in Glasgow, which was praised by many but criticized by others for not demanding more action from the wealthier nations. The meeting winds up on November 12. We expect to post additional material early next week.

Comments? Please make them here.

11/09/21
A Report on the YAA 2021 Assembly

By YAA Delegate Peter Sipple and Class Secretary John Stewart

The 2021 YAA (until recently known as the AYA, but the name change clarifying the fact that all Yale grads are automatically members without needing to sign up) annual meeting was held over three days via Zoom beginning November 4. Yale always puts its very impressive best foot forward, beginning with this year with a conversation between President Salovey and John Kerry, coming on the heels of the Glasgow climate conference, and also on the heels of our most recent class coffee hour on the same topic, brilliantly led by Gary Richardson and featuring impressive, cogent contributions from Ed Strohbein and Bill Reilly. Here is a sampling of the really stimulating webinars… READ THEIR FULL REPORT HERE

10/29/21
Y62 Interviews: Benjamin Zucker

A few weeks back, Communications Team member Bill Weber sat down for a lively, far-ranging chat with classmate Benjamin, Ben or Bernie Zucker, about a variety of events which have helped to shape his life. We hope you enjoy this recording as much as we do!

Would you like to comment on this interview? Please make your comments here.

10/29/21
The Three Musketeers of Bassick High School, Homeroom 10. Part II
By Lee Bakunin

The musketeers began to adjust, make new friends and explore Yale’s resources. A well-stocked library, dozens of organizations and extra-curricular activities, students from all over the United States and some foreign countries, and a variety of courses. Having been used to being somewhat big frogs in a small pond, they were just tadpoles in a large competitive… READ THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF LEE’S ACCOUNT HERE

10/29/21
Hotel Reservations for Next Spring’s 60th Reunion

We will all receive notice from Yale that hotel reservations for our 60th Reunion will open on November 3. Please watch your mail for notice from YAA. Our Reunion dates are June 9-12, 2022. Check the YAA Reunions page for more info.

10/12/21
Y62 ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour

If you’d like to comment on this excerpt, or read the comments of fellow classmates… CLICK THIS LINK

10/12/21
The Three Musketeers of Bassick High School, Homeroom 10
By Lee Bakunin

What are the odds that three people from different backgrounds and interests from the same homeroom in high school would be accepted to Yale and room together for their Freshman Year? One voted most likely to succeed and most dignified, another most reliable and courteous, and the other wittiest and cutest. None of them star athletes. All of them actors in school plays. They were active in other… READ THE REST OF LEE’S ACCOUNT HERE

10/04/21
Y62 Interviews Continue: Ellery McLanahan

Ed. Note: Greetings from Dick Riseling, member of the Yale62 Communications Team. Take a few minutes out of your busy day to watch this video interview with classmate Ellery McLanahan, recorded two weeks ago.

Ellery shares some highlights from his long career in the financial sector, and tells us about a new passion of his. Click here to read one of his new pieces of writing, and to comment on the interview, as well.

10/04/21
Grand Strategy and Yale: Self-Inflicted Wound?
By Lee Bolman

The timing was inauspicious. On the eve of Yale’s October 2 launch of a new “bold, university-wide campaign” where alums could “learn what Yale is for” (O’Neill, 2021), the New York Times published a front-page article suggesting that what Yale is for is money rather than academic… READ LEE’S ESSAY HERE

The Listing of Front Page Stories for the Past Year Continues Here…