Of the seven dwarfs, I now identify with Grumpy. After ten days of self-imposed quarantine due to this virus… READ ON

2/03/20
EXCLUSIVE FOR YALE62.ORG
Hong Kong Cold
By William Stork

(Ed. Note: We are once again exceedingly thankful to have Bill Stork on the ground in Hong Kong, where he generously gives of his time to write updates on what’s going on in his adopted home city. Most recently, he wrote of the demonstrations, but now he turns his attention to the deadly coronavirus.)

Here in Hong Kong it’s Super Bowl Sunday (though, due to the time difference, it’s actually Monday morning), but in HK it is hard to find a channel carrying the game. Television coverage has shifted from covering the anti-government protests to satisfying the information needs of the populace about the Wuhan-based novel coronavirus. … READ ON

1/15/20 Y62 INTERVIEWS

Classmate Bill Nye recounts some of the many profound changes he faced during the activist ’60s, following his graduation with the class in ’62. His adventures found him at the heart of social and political change in New York City. Recently, Bill sat down with Y62 Communications Team member Dick Riseling to discuss this time in his life, and what lasting lessons he drew from it.

Comments? Please comment here.

1/15/20 Hong Kong Heat continues

By William W. Stork

Our “man on the ground” in Hong Kong brings us a new update, and a useful Q&A … READ ON

1/15/20 Target Your Giving, and Feel Good

By Roman L. Weil

Making a gift to our alma mater? This is what I do; maybe this method works for you, as well. READ ON

1/09/20 The Iran Mess

By Stephen W. Buck

(Editor’s Note: Yale62.org team member Steve Buck spent the majority of his career as a Foreign Service Officer in the Middle East, including important years in Iraq where he served as Acting Ambassador. This op-ed offers his experienced views about the ongoing disputes and history between Iran and the United States, including each nation’s activities against the other and in the region. This piece was written and posted January 9) … READ ON

12/24/19 Y62 Gathering in Seattle: March, 2020

By Jim Wechsler and Roman Weil

We sent out a mailing to all Class members on Friday, Dec. 20. Members of your Class Council are planning a Gathering in Seattle for Saturday night, March 28, 2020, followed by brunch/coffee Sunday morning, March 29. A new and (North-)western location.

Please let us know if you are likely to attend. We’re posting this note on Yale62.org, in case you haven’t had a chance to read our email … READ ON FOR THE REST OF THE INFO

12/24/19

What are the special joys and challenges of living as partners in life and also partners in the workplace? We thought it might be rather interesting to ask some of our classmates and their spouses about just this very topic! We launch this new, innovative series with an interview with our Class Secretary John Stewart and his lovely wife, Jolly. They recently spoke with Y62 Communications Team member Dick Riseling via teleconferencing. We truly hope you enjoy the chat! If you’d like to post a comment on the video, please CLICK HERE.

12/24/19 The Whiffs Reunion: September, 2019

A holiday treat! Please enjoy Aj Lucka Lucka (above) and click here for candid photos of the happy event participants, as well as three more songs.

12/13/19 Envy vs. Jealousy

By Roman Weil

No trick question here: How do you distinguish envy from jealousy?

I’ve carried around a distinction that an old mentor helped me work out several decades ago.

Recently, I quit writing textbooks and teaching full time so I have muuuch time on my hands and have been reading non-technical material for the first time in a looong time. I’ve discovered that I enjoy, and learn from, the essays of Joseph Epstein, former [or as he likes to say, quondam] professor of English at Northwestern. [His use of quondam, when he could just say former, is one of about only three words I don’t like in his writing.]… READ ON

12/11/19 Op Ed: Investing in Conservation Politics

David Bingham, responding to our class-wide request for Op Eds, immediately provided one for us to publish, concerning using our actions, financial and otherwise, to care for this precious world in which we live, and which we leave to future generations. READ ON

12/10/19 Why Rush to Judgment?

Following on the heels of our own Steve Susman’s interview with MSNBC last weekend, Y62 Communications Team member Dick Riseling reached out to Steve to write an opinion piece for his classmates here at Yale62.org.

Please Note: we actively and enthusiastically invite other classmates to share their views, as well. Let us know if you’d like to write an opinion piece of your own!

In Steve’s article for us, he offers up a winning strategy for the Dems. Will anyone listen? READ ON.

12/10/19 Y62 INTERVIEWS

Classmate Charles Eisendrath has led a varied, adventurous life, as a Time correspondent in Washington, London and Paris, bureau chief in Buenos Aires and professor at the University of Michigan. His freelance work has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, International Herald-Tribune and The Atlantic. And as our interview reveals, he’s now written a memoir entitled DOWNSTREAM FROM HERE: A BIG LIFE IN A SMALL PLACE. Recently, Charles sat down with Y62 Communications Team member Dick Riseling to discuss his book, and more.

Comments? You’re invited to make them here.

11/25/19 A Protest for the Future

Sam Waterston protesting at the Saturday Yale-Harvard game, 11/23/19

Estimates of numbers vary, but our own Sam Waterston was one of approximately 300 protesters (42 of whom were arrested, including Waterston) who occupied the halftime field at Saturday’s Yale-Harvard game. They were protesting for the divestment of Yale and Harvard funds in fossil fuels, and also called for the cancellation of Puerto Rican debt held by both universities, via investment funds. READ MORE, including Yale’s public statement concerning the event.

11/18/19 Letters from a Chaotic Hot Spot (more Hong Kong Heat)

When our Communications Team had not heard from Bill Stork for several weeks and we knew the situation in Hong Kong continued to deteriorate, webmaster Jean McKillop asked Al Chambers to reach out to Bill and Jasmine to make sure they were okay. Al and Bill had worked closely together in 2005 to organize the memorable ’62 Hong Kong Mini Reunion attended by about 30 classmates/ partners.

Bill’s response came within several hours explaining that they were safe but that their daily life had become far more complicated and difficult. His reports are serious and revealing. The submission from Sunday expressed continuing optimism, but his message Monday cautioned that he thought he had perhaps been too optimistic. Let’s all keep Jasmine and Bill in our thoughts.

(Hong Kong time is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.) READ ON

UPDATE 11/01/19 California in Flames

Have you or your family members been affected by this recent and still ongoing devastation in California? Please get in touch with us by emailing us at YAM@Yale62.org. Share your experiences and observations, and we will share them with the class. If you have photos or video, we will use them to let your classmates know what’s going on. Please, everyone, stay safe! Update: CLASSMATES SEND THEIR NEWS. READ ON

10/7/19 The Yale Alumni Chorus

By John Stewart

One fact that has always amazed and gratified me is the enormous variety of singing experiences at Yale, I suspect at least as much as any American university. When I arrived in New Haven, knowing little about Yale beyond its prestigious name, I was delighted to find how important singing was, and I quickly… READ MORE, and see photos of YAC tours, including this summer’s Odyssey of Song Tour in Greece, which took place from June 21 to July 25!

10/7/19 Venezuela Chronicles

By George Cleary

George is our “man on the street” in Venezuela, and we’ve just received a new letter from him. READ HIS LATEST NEWS

9/23/19 Intelligent Debate: An Idea Whose Time is Now.

Bob Rosenkranz GET THE FULL STORY…

9/20/19 Hong Kong Heat, Part 6

By William Stork, Yale International Alliance — Contributing Editor, and longtime resident of Hong Kong

It is 13 September as I sit writing this, and today is Hong Kong’s Mid-Autumn Festival, usually a fun family event, with the creation of home-made paper lanterns and family picnics on the beach, from which to see the rise of the August full moon. But this time here and now, the fun spirit is somewhat lacking, as the turmoil … READ MORE

9/18/19 Steve Buck at a Psychological ‘Club Med’

Steve Buck in the main square of Sibiu, Romania, July, 2019

In 1988, worn out by two years being Deputy Chief of Mission and Acting Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq war, I joined Hala and our then eleven-year-old daughter… READ ON

9/12/19 Norm Jackson, Down Under

Norm Jackson, living in Freemantle, Australia (near Perth, Western Australia), has sent us a selection of his stunning photos. To view them, READ ON

8/23/19 Hong Kong Heat, Part 5

Our own “Man in Hong Kong” Bill Stork returns with an updated report on what’s happening in his adopted home. READ ON

8/12/19 Dave and Cindy Hummel in Eritrea

A cowherd in Eritrea. Photo by Cindy Hummel

Our intrepid globetrotters, Dave and Cindy Hummel, recently visited Eritrea. Sample a few of Cindy’s spectacular photos! READ ON

8/12/19 “Refugees in Eritrea, 1969”
By Steve Buck

The Hummels’ recent journey to Eritrea reminded Steve of a time in that country, when he and Hala were newlyweds… READ ON

Update 8/03/19 Hong Kong Heat, Part 4

Bill Stork

By Bill StorkEd. note: As many of you know, our classmate Bill Stork taught high school for many years in the Hong Kong International School, later moved to Singapore, and has now returned to life in Hong Kong. He is closely following protest developments in Hong Kong and China’s reactions. Bill has been extremely active in Yale activities, including the development of the Singapore campus. Bill continues to update us on Hong Kong events as they unfold.

“As I write this, reports are coming in of protesters having closed off the exit to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel that connects Central Hong Kong Island with the Kowloon peninsula to the north, and clashes with the police who are trying to remove them and their improvised barricades. Additional marches are scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday.

“Some background: Young people have been at the forefront of continuing protests against a proposed extradition bill that have shaken Hong Kong. At the root of the turmoil is concern over what many people see as the inexorable erosion of civil liberties and the city’s autonomy by an ever-meddling central government that refuses to grant full democracy in the former British colony.” … READ MORE

7/17/19 Alex Garvin: Heart and “Sole”

Alex offers up a new book this year – this one entitled The Heart of the City – Creating Vibrant Downtowns for a New Century. He’s also given us here at Yale62.org an exclusive essay about the importance of walking around in cities: what it’s meant for his projects and his life’s work.He writes: “I learned why my professional career is based on walking when I was visiting friends in Palo Alto. Every time I visited, they wanted me to join them on a morning walk around town. One year, I asked them why they wanted me along. Astonished, they informed me that I always noticed things of which they were unaware.” … READ MORE

Alex Garvin

7/01/19 Dickson ‘Dixie’ Carroll: Color, Whimsy and more

Steve Buck, Dixie Carroll at Dixie’s show

Steve Buck recently had the chance to speak with Dixie at the Addison/Ripley Fine Art Gallery in Georgetown, DC, where Dixie’s show is currently being featured. Click to see the video interview in four bite-sized vignettes and two additional images of of his functional, timely and beautiful pieces.

6/18/19 Exclusive

Yale Attracts Record Applications for Class of 2023;
Finds Itself Involved in Admissions Controversies

Dean Jeremiah Quinlan Provides the Details

By Al Chambers

Dean Quinlan

Once again, with the announcement of the Class of 2023, I felt certain I would not have made it if I were applying now. I continue to be so grateful that I was admitted in 1958.

A record of just under 37,000 youngsters applied this year. Final numbers are not available yet, but about 1,550, near 5%, are expected to arrive for classes. Even with Yale’s two new residential colleges, this will not be the largest first year enrollment. The largest freshman class came to Yale just after World War II.

It is an especially dynamic time in New Haven, but not without its challenges. The “Varsity Blues” scandal involved Yale in a variety of different ways. Because of a combination of Yale’s prominence plus… READ MORE

6/18/19 McGlashan Interview
Classmate Bill McGlashan Shares Sadness and Challenges
from Family Involvement in Admissions Fraud
First Yale62.org Video Interview

Cristney and Bill McGlashan married about three months before our graduation and have lived a fascinating and unusual life together since. They never would have thought of the challenge they found themselves facing earlier this year involving the alleged involvement of their successful son, Bill Jr. (’86) in the nationally prominent admissions frauds that also involved a few other people with Yale connections, as well as the University.

Bill displays an extraordinary open-hearted willingness to share with his classmates in this exclusive video interview. Classmates will find it time well spent to read Bill’s observations and experiences in the 25th, 40th and 50th Reunion books.

COMMENT HERE

6/18/19 MEET OUR NEW COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

GREETINGS FROM OUR NEW ’62 COMMUNICATIONS TEAM!

L-R: Steve Buck, Chris Snow, Dick Riseling

We’re responsible for the YAM Class Notes and editorship of our feature story-based class website. With the retirement of our inimitable Chris Cory from his dedicated 7-year stint as our Corresponding Secretary, the Communications Team is now comprised of Steve Buck, longtime Co-Corresponding Secretary, and newcomers to the team Chris Snow and Dick Riseling. By way of short introduction, Steve and Chris are both retired Foreign Service Officers who continue to lecture on their specialties, which are the Middle East and public diplomacy, respectively. Dick runs a horse-powered, energy-independent, food production and teaching farm.

John Stewart, Class Secretary, and Al Chambers, Corresponding Secretary 2002-2007, have been of great help in producing our first edition of Yale62.org website, which you see here. All of us hope you’re informed and entertained by this web communication, and will send us your news, stories, comments and suggestions for making Yale62.org a go-to place to visit. This site is built of your news, and it exists for you to read and reflect on.

Remember that a lot of material has been published here since the website’s inception in the late 1990s, under then Corresponding Secretary Tappy Wilder’s watchful direction. Use the SEARCH feature at the top left of this page to check for feature articles we have run, written by your classmates (and possibly even yourself!). Please let us know if you have an idea for a story or a topic of interest, and we’ll see what we can do about bringing it here, before your eyes for the class to enjoy. Thanks.

L-R standing: Kane, Prince, Oliver, Koenigsberg, Davis, Mackall, Honneus, Weeden, Riseling, Swirsky. Seated: Garvin, Stewart.

6/18/19 CLASS COUNCIL REPORT

By John Stewart

Present in the room for the 12:00PM meeting: Richard Davis, David Finkle, Alex Garvin, David Honneus, Mike Kane, Dan Koenigsburg (Treasurer), Louis Mackall (YAA delegate), Bob Oliver, Larry Prince, Dick Riseling (Communications Team member), John Stewart (Secretary), Steve Susman, Gerry Swirsky, Bill Weeden… READ MORE