YAM Notes: January/February 2023
By John D. Hatch III for the Communications Team. YAM@Yale62.org
While I was visiting family in Marin County, CA on October 6, Tappy Wilder was providing the October Y62 Coffee Hour from Sausalito. If you missed it, run, don’t walk, to our website (Yale62.org) for an hour+ fascinating educational denouement of what being a literary executor involves. That is what Tappy’s been doing for the past 20 years, bringing to life and building out the foundation of the very broad and varied lifetime of literary production by his uncle Thornton Wilder ‘20.
While in Marin I found time to catch up with Bob Burton, also in Sausalito, by phone. He reports that he “…continues to write a regular column for the Cambridge University Press –though trained as a neurologist he has also written several novels and as well as books and articles on other than neurological topics — and to take daily walk/swim with his wife Adrianne.”
Though I missed catching Bill McGlashan in Mill Valley on the same trip, he left me a voicemail apologizing for not catching my call but explaining that he and his wife had recently returned from a lovely trip to Scotland with a dose of Covid.
From Southern California a long note from Phil Proctor includes “I have been surprisingly busy for a guy my age, both professionally and personally. After our reunion we traveled to NYC and saw 6 shows in 5 days, including one featuring our dear friend, Austin Pendleton ’61, who brought down the house in Tracy Lett’s play, The Minutes. With my comic partner, Ted Bonnitt, we will soon launch a LIVE version of our long-running podcast “Phil & Ted’s Sexy Boomer Show.” Because of Covid I was drafted to replace the announcer for the hugely popular “Pageant of the Masters” in Laguna Beach; and besides voicing Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat my Horton, the Elephant was just released, and more characters are coming soon.”
From Steve Howard, also in Southern California: “In October my wife Marilyn and I (still wearing masks) took our first transcontinental flight since the pandemic began. We visited family in upstate New York and Vermont, then drove and hiked in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The fall foliage was spectacular; and, by sheer luck, we hit the peak perfectly. Quite a contrast from our current drought conditions in much of California.”
From the East Coast, Tim Hall relates that Bob Oliver sends his greetings to the class and relayed that: “I had an unknown virus, from which I have now recovered. The virus is as yet undiagnosed. Now that I have recovered, I am doing physical therapy, regaining strength and my sense of balance. Balance is the big issue now. It’s improving, and I’m working on it.” Bob expects to be back to full production soon, and he can always be reached at his new email: RobertGodfreyOliver@gmail.com
“Things here are good” writes Paul Torop from Connecticut. “I’m seeing or zooming with patients about half time. Just starting to see patients in the office. Karen isn’t seeing patients and is spending time gardening and writing poetry…. Lately we’ve spending a lot of time with grandchildren. “
At the November Coffee Hour, we had a fascinating discussion on Yale Admissions. Ably designed, produced and moderated by Y62 Communications Team member Lee Bolman with help from fellow Communications Team members Tim Hall and myself, the event was resoundingly well received by attendees. The recording of that event is also posted at Yale62.org. We hope to have someone from the Admissions Office join us for another Coffee Hour in ’23.
How did your holidays go? What was new and/or different and why? Share your news with your classmates, they’d love to hear from you.
Our apologies go out to Joseph “Skip” Hinnant. Apparently, his demise, as reported in our last column, is a canard from the web. We’ve been unable to confirm anything by speaking with him, but we would be very pleased for him to get in touch, and perhaps give us some correct news.
Sadly, we have received notice of two classmates who have passed away, Richard D. Turner, Jr., and Arthur John Peck. We will have their obituaries on Yale62.org in due course.