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07/14/26
Yale ’62 Interview. Kent Hughes on the new book, Betrayed

On July 7th, Y62 Communications Team member Lee Bolman sat down with classmate and Beltway insider Kent Hughes via Zoom to discuss Betrayed, for which Kent is a contributing author. Please enjoy this timely talk.

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07/14/26
Let’s Make a Deal? Law School Tells Yale Don’t Do It

By Y62 Communications Team member Lee Bolman

A controversy brewing since May continues to mushroom on and off campus over reports that Yale and the Trump administration are trying to make a deal on admissions practices. The New York Times first reported in mid-May that the Justice Department had accused two medical schools — Yale and UCLA — of admissions policies that illegally favored Black and Hispanic applicants. A month later the Times reported that, with the investigation extending beyond the medical school, Yale and Justice were try to negotiate a settlement. That prompted widespread concern on and off campus that Yale would concede too much. Typical of the negative sentiment was an alumnus who reported just celebrating his 50th reunion and wrote that he was “angry that Yale’s leadership is seeking to cut a deal with this utterly unethical administration.”

The tension escalated again this week when the Times reported that the Dean and members of the Law School faculty were actively lobbying the Yale administration not to make a deal, arguing “that the… READ THE REST OF LEE’S ARTICLE HERE

07/13/26
Yale ’62 Coffee Hour, July 9, 2026

On July 9th, classmates gathered to hear from Charlie Eisendrath, Dickson Carroll, Dave Ross and Fred Ilfeld about the changes they’ve all made in their lives in recent years. Led by Communications Team member John (“Jay”) Hatch, they described the joys and also the difficulties of their experiences these past several years, and what choices they’ve faced, as well as what decisions they’ve made. Fred brought his professional perspective as a psychiatrist to bear, to provide us with some helpful information. Please enjoy this insightful, candid talk!

Bonus: We asked Fred for the “Coping with Life’s Transitions” slides he used when he offered us recommendations, and he most graciously provided them for us. See them (and download them, if you wish) here.

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06/23/26
Yale ’62 Interview. Whit Knapp: The Current State of Cryptocurrency

In mid-June, Y62 Communications Team member Bill Weber caught up with classmate Whit Knapp to ask about the state of cryptocurrency of late. Whit had lots to say, and also recommended a couple of excellent links:

• A successful crypto firm in Zurich – Obligate
• Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper

Questions? Comments? Here’s the place for them!

06/23/26
Thinking about Reunions!

By John Stewart, Class Secretary

On May 23rd I had the great pleasure of attending the last day of the Class of ‘61’s 65th Reunion, to see what I could glean in advance of helping plan ours for May 2027. I saw many cheerful and happy ’61ers having a great time. Yale did a very good job of helping. It was held in JE, where ours will almost certainly take place. A wonderful memorial room included art and craft works, many books, photos from then and now, a Varsity oar and other items, diaries and documents, very well laid out. A long list of trivia facts about classmates was compiled by Frosty Smith. I’ll find out how he did it and find a volunteer in our class to do the same. In Dwight Chapel, there was a deeply moving memorial service. Included was a wonderful woman cantor who sang in Hebrew, hymns, marvelous organ music, the listing of names of those departed in the last five years, and some words from classmates. In the afternoon in Woolsey, after the president spoke to a full house, a group of glee club alums and other singers sang, followed by the Whims en masse, perfuming songs from various eras. The Whiffs then did a spectacular job. You know me – picky, picky – but they were GOOD. The afternoon ended with everyone singing rousing Yale songs – which is really fun in a packed house.

The food was excellent – we will have choices to make, and the class decision was to forego a tent and eat in the dining room, which worked very well.

What I would ask of everyone – please let me know what would bring you to the reunion and what would keep you away. There are NO wrong answers, and the more responses we receive, the better our planning will be guided. 61’s attendance was over 180, the second largest 65th ever, and we’d love to surpass that.

Please let me know your thoughts on this! Click here…

06/12/26
Fred Appell: Recent Works

We asked classmate Fred Appell whether he might care to share any of his recent artwork with us, and he bestowed us with a generous serving of it! Please click to see what other works Fred sent, and to add your comments!

06/09/26
Yale ’62 Coffee Hour, June 4, 2026

On June 4th, classmate and polymath Fred Starr discussed his memoir, Blue Skies: My Life in Many Worlds, and indeed, many have his worlds been! This far-ranging conversation, moderated by Y62 Communications Team member Lee Bolman, provides fascinating insights to a life bridging many places, pursuits and projects. Please enjoy this amazing talk!

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05/15/26
Special Event with the Classes of ’60, ’61, ’62: Report of the Committee on Trust in Higher Education

On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, we joined the Classes of ’60 and ’61 to meet via Zoom with Yale Professor Julia Adams, co-chair of the committee that over the past year produced “Report of the Committee on Trust in Higher Education.” We enjoyed an energized conversation about how the committee reached its recommendations and what some of the long-term effects of the report may be. Please enjoy the recording of this important gathering.

Link to Report of the Committee on Trust in Higher Education, which includes the remarks of President McInnis, a link to the final report in full, and a link to provide feedback.

Comments for classmates to read? Please add them here.

05/11/26
Yale ’62 Coffee Hour, May 7, 2026

On May 7th, Alan Boles ’29 Professor of History Joanne Freeman led us on a far-reaching and thoroughly enjoyable romp through the trying times of the founding of our Republic. Her topic: “The American Founding: Past and Present.” Please enjoy this terrific talk.

In addition, Joanne made some great recommendations to us. One was an invitation to read the Founders’ words for free at the Founders Online database at the National Archives. Here’s the link: Founders Online.

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04/23/26
Why Everyone Hates the Ivy League – and What to do About it

By Y62 Communication Team member Lee G. Bolman

“Why Everyone Hates the Ivy League” was the headline in the Wall Street Journal.  Fortune piled on with “Yale report savages Ivy League schools.”  Media outlets across the political spectrum jumped on a central theme in the report of Yale’s Committee on Trust in Higher Education:  universities need to clean up their act to reverse a multi-year decline in public confidence. Conservative media were unusually delighted with something written by Yale faculty.  Conservative New York Times opinion columnist Bret Stephens labeled it an “academic miracle.”  The report was the work of 10 Yale professors… CLICK FOR THE REST OF LEE’S REPORT

04/09/26
Yale ’62 Coffee Hour, April 7, 2026

On April 7th, Sterling Professor of History David Blight joined us to discuss how our history informs our current life in the US. His topic: “The Declaration of Independence and America Teetering on a Brink.” Please enjoy this timely discussion.

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04/09/26
Who Am I Now? A Fool For Peace

Our Fool for Peace at No Kings 3, 3/28/26, Boise, ID. photo credit: Diane Ronayne

Our own “Fool for Peace,” Y62 Communications Team member Gary Richardson, wrote the following:

Who Am I Now?
A writing prompt that made me do some soul searching:

Back in the 1950s I was a Beatnik wanna-be—
      reading doggerel in East Coast coffee houses,
      sometimes with bongo or guitar behind me.
I hitchhiked and freight-hopped the lower 48,
      a copy of Kerouac’s On the Road in…
READ GARY’S COMPLETE POEM – AND SEE MORE FOOL PHOTOS – HERE

03/31/26
Repair Café

Peter and Maggie Sipple write: Volunteer Tool Sharpener Sipple and Woodworker Mackall, with Lamp-Repair Lady in the background!😄 Also had volunteer repairers for computer, electronic, mechanical, sewing. jewelry and bicycle repairs. It’s a fun event and helps (a bit) to keep stuff out of the landfill. With snacks available while you wait, it also serves as an experience of community.

Maggie goes on to say: The main goal for offering free repair services at a community “Repair Café” is to extend the life of the goods we own and reduce the number of items that get tossed into the landfill. The idea was inaugurated in the Netherlands and has spread ever since its inception. One can learn more about the original idea… CLICK TO READ THE FULL POST

03/09/26
Yale ’62 Coffee Hour, March 5, 2026

On March 5th, Sandy Mack (YC ’64, PhD ’69), son of Yale’s legendary professor Maynard Mack and a superb professor and scholar in his own right, spoke to us on the topic “Words or Swords: Shakespeare’s Languages of Insight, Blindness, and Rapture.” Please enjoy our recording of this sumptuous deep dive into the Bard’s use of language.

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