The “Story Loft” – where Y62 front page features move into long-term safekeeping. Most recent at top.
5/25/22
Y62 Interview: Phil Proctor’s Many Guises
On Friday, May 20, Y62 Class Secretary and Communications Team member John Stewart sat down with classmate and performer par excellence Phil Proctor for a fun chat covering several topics, including aging with humor and the joys of a performer’s life. We laughed a lot, and commiserated on some parts, too. Phil says, “I forgot to mention my talented classmate friends, Bill Weeden and David Finkle, who should definitely receive mention, as well,” and so we have mentioned Bill and David on Phil’s behalf. Please enjoy the interview.
Comments? Please make them here.
5/17/22
Y62 Interview: Stumbling Stablecoin! The Moving Target of Cryptocurrency
(Ed. Note: Bill and Whit did this interview late last week, but we wanted to post this as quickly as we could because the Crypto situation is changing so dramatically hour by hour and now has become a major part of the concern about the investment economy and the losses of both small and large investors. That is true even though, as Whit said well, Crypto is a tiny part of the investment world valuation.)
Comments? Please make them here.
5/17/22
Intelligence Squared US: Agree to Disagree: Can Small Investors Beat the Street?
While we’re on the topic of investments and speculation, it’s a fortunate coincidence that Intelligence Squared US, classmate Bob Rosenkranz’s civil debate initiative, focused last Friday on the topic of small vs. large investors. Here’s their lead-in: In a modern-day battle of David and Goliath on Wall Street, thousands of amateur retail investors banded together to bid up stocks in a handful of failing companies, most notably the nostalgic video game hub known as GameStop. Within days, the renegade traders sent stocks soaring and dealt heavy blows to hedge funds and other traditional professional investors who had bet against the companies. The “meme stock” phenomenon was born. But where does “revolution” stand a year later? Did the amateurs—trading mostly on the Robinhood platform—change the world of finance? Should more “ordinary” investors get into the game? Or will that benefit Wall Street at the little guy’s expense? Enjoy the replay!
The Intelligence Squared US website is here.
Comments? Please make them here.
5/17/22
Reunion Updates
Gentlemen:
Our 60th Reunion team wanted to update you on our upcoming reunion and encourage you to still attend.
Among many events, we’ll have an exciting panel of classmates (including Sam Waterston) on working in our 80s, in addition to hearing from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Blight on the Civil War era.
Due to updates to Yale’s COVID policies for visitors, we will be able to skip the new Central Registration and go directly to our reunion’s residential college, Timothy Dwight, to check in and receive registration materials. Classmates will not be required to check in at Central Registration at the St. Thomas More Golden Center as had been previously noted. If you will be using the reunion shuttle when you arrive, please let its driver know that you’re headed to Timothy Dwight College.
Close to 100 have already signed up, including some of our widows, and there will be a reception at the Yale Art Gallery as well as a performance by the indomitable Joe Holmes band.
We will recognize publicly classmates who have been an asset to the Class over time and will hear from hockey coach Keith Allain.
Some have elected to come for a portion of the Reunion, and for that choice, Friday and Saturday are the prime days, although there will be speakers starting Thursday late afternoon.
Ultimately, the reason to attend is to interact to each other, to catch up with those classmates we see infrequently and, yes, even get to know those we have not yet had the privilege of meeting at all.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Dan Koenigsberg, MD
Reunion Chair
5/11/22
The SCOTUS Leak: a Y62 Perspective
By Lee Bolman
Last week’s leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion on abortion rights was a media bombshell. It reignited the long and intense debate over “choice” vs. “life” while triggering a new debate over how and why the leak happened. Here are takes on the latter question from two members of our class who served as Supreme Court law clerks… READ THIS ESSAY IN FULL
5/09/22
Our May 5th Coffee Hour
For those of you who would like to see what happened at our May 5th Coffee Hour, the event’s recording is posted above. If you have any comments you’d like to make on it, please make them here. Thanks!
5/06/22
Our 60th Reunion… Almost Here!
And the link to register is on the program page, to the left. Still plenty of time to sign on!
5/03/22
Preparing for our upcoming ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour
Doug Bingham, one of our Coffee Hour speakers. A brief interview.
Just as we did with classmate Jim Wechsler last week (found farther down on this page), Communications Team member Dick Riseling sat down on Earth Day to get to know geophysicist classmate Doug Bingham, who lives in Edmonton, Alberta. These talks aren’t to introduce the topic we’ll address on Thursday, but to get to know the speakers a little bit, beforehand. We hope you enjoy this conversation between two engaging people.
5/03/22
AAG Climate Emergency Statement
By Rutherford (“Rud”) Platt and Colleagues
We have run this statement previously, but as lead-up to the May 5th Coffee Hour, we wanted to show you this again.
The following statement was adopted by the American Association of Geographers as developed and co-authored by an ad hoc group of senior colleagues around the U.S. that I assembled this past spring. After graduating from Yale and spending a couple of years on a Navy icebreaker, I entered the University of Chicago Law… READ RUD’S BRIEF INTRODUCTION AND THE STATEMENT
5/03/22
Yale Day of Service
By William Stork, Inaugural Director, Yale Day of Service – Asia
This year’s Yale Day of Service is Saturday, May 7th. Bill says, “I would encourage classmates to reach out to their nearest Yale Clubs to see how they can be involved in this wonderful positive venture!”
4/29/22
Eli Newberger, Our Y62 Interview
Recently, Class Secretary and Communications Team member John Stewart sat down with Eli Newberger via Zoom, to engage in a far-reaching, engrossing interview and chat between longtime friends. From graduation to now, we learn what’s kept Eli busy and how he’s helped to make the world a better place. We hope you enjoy the interview. Click here or on the image below to view the interview and for more, including a wonderful invitation and some fabulous music!
4/29/22
Preparing for next week’s ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour
UN Secretary General Guterres, on the Environment
We thought it a good idea to provide classmates with some background info prior to our Coffee Hour on worldwide efforts to minimize and adapt to climate change. Today, we feature not a classmate interview, but a recording of the speech given by Secretary General Antònio Guterres in early April, at the WGIII AR6 press conference. If you prefer to read it, the full text of his speech is here. Your comments will be welcome at the Coffee Hour next week. Please plan to attend this rousing, important discussion on Thursday, May 3. The first email invitations went out yesterday, and reminders will be sent next week.
4/25/22
Our 60th Reunion… Closer Every Day!
SEE ALL OF THE INFO WE CURRENTLY HAVE, RIGHT HERE
4/25/22
Meet a ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour Speaker
Our May Coffee Hour will be a deep dive into Climate and Environmental Concerns. We’ve invited speaker classmates who have investigated this issue for some time, and who have impactful information to share with us. In this 11-minute interview, Y62 Communication Team member Dick Riseling speaks with biophysics major Jim Wechsler, whose career in microbiology has helped to shape his point of view on this topic. This interview introduces Jim to classmates who perhaps didn’t know him as an undergraduate. Enjoy this brief chat!
4/11/22
Peace Corps: How We Served, How It Impacted Our Lives
Our April ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour was devoted to the experiences of some of our RPCVs (returned Peace Corps volunteers). It was a fascinating 90 minutes as we heard from 6 classmates who traveled to distant parts of the world, as volunteers in the program. We finished up with a quick update about our 60th reunion, coming right up June 9-12. Please enjoy the recording.
Comments? Please make them here.
4/11/22
Y62 Class Council Annual Meeting: April 7, 2022
Sit in on our annual Class Council meeting and see what your council has been doing!
Comments? Please make them here.
4/07/22
Some Thoughts about Reunion, from Tappy
4/04/22
Selling My Car
By Al Chambers
I just sold my wonderful car because there suddenly were so many reasons to do so. This is one of those rare stories concerning decisions and money, where everyone involved came away satisfied.
This is the first time in more than 40 years, which is when the Chambers family returned from 11 years living abroad, that we now depend on just one vehicle. It was 1978 when we first became suburbanites.
So far, so good, after about ten days. It will be a new opportunity for good planning and communications for Alice and me and also a chance to rent Zipcars when needed.
Let me ‘fess up at the start that we… READ AL’S COMPLETE ESSAY HERE
4/04/22
Serving the Community by Reporting the NEWS
By Tony Giamei
After working on the Yale Scientific magazine (as advertising manager) and a highly respected monthly news publication (as a reporter), I became involved with putting out local news online, and later in a printed weekly newspaper. I was responsible for a website in a corporate environment and had a strong background in graphics to contribute. I would like to share what is involved with such an endeavor.
First, recognize that traditional reporting is becoming a lost art, and newspapers are struggling due to weak conditions for small businesses. Your community may no longer be adequately served by a reliable local newspaper. Many people no longer start the day by reading a paper along with a cup of coffee. They also do not watch the evening news on a regular basis.
Starting a news entity has several facets:
- Coming up with a business plan
- Raising startup funds
- Convincing business to advertise
- Finding reporters, editors, ad creators, etc. …
3/25/22 with updated info 4/11/22
Yale ’62 Interview: Tom Noonan
On March 24, Communication Team member Bill Weber sat down with classmate Tom Noonan, for a chat about Tom’s change of plans following our graduation, how he came to spend some time announcing NFL games, and much more. Please enjoy this fun interview!
Tom has expanded his explanation of his football announcing experience here. You can leave comments, too. Please read the update, and add your comments.
3/25/22
Crypto Goes to War
By Whitman Knapp
There is no joy to be found in any corner of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. One unintended beneficiary, however, might be crypto. However, this raises the crucial question, will crypto win the battle but lose… READ WHIT’S ESSAY HERE
3/25/22
Latest Reunion Updates
SEE THE LATEST PROPOSED SCHEDULE HERE
3/25/22
Meet Our Newest Team Members
We have recently welcomed three new members to the Y62 Communications Team: Lee Bolman, Tim Hall and John (“Jay”) Hatch. Hailing from the Boston area, Tim says, “I decided to join the Communication Team, after sitting in on a couple of meetings, because I have really been enjoying this way of getting to know more of my classmates, as well as to deepen my connections to those I already know. And the Team made me feel very welcome!” Lee says, “I enjoy working with my classmates in this way.” For John’s part, he says, “I joined because I had become an active reader of our website and participant in our Coffee Hour, had some reduced committee commitments time, and thought it might be a way to contribute where there was a need.”
3/17/22
The 1959 St. Patrick’s Day Riot
St. Patrick’s Day, 1959. Classmates Tony Giamei, Jack Merrick and Y62 Communications Team member Bill Weber talk about what they recall from that eventful week.
Do you have your own recollections of that time during your freshman year? Please share them with us here!
3/17/22
About My Arrest
By Bill Stork
I receive a number of e-newsletters, from SCMP, CNN, CNBC, WaPo, NYT, Reuters, BBC, the Guardian and others. As I distract myself from the current ravages of Covid here in Hong Kong, I enjoy the post-breakfast task of reading then ridding what has arrived… READ BILL’S RECOLLECTIONS HERE
3/11/22
Our 60th Reunion: News Update
By John Stewart
Yale ’62 Reunion Team “Yakking” Reunion team members “yakked” about the upcoming reunion, which we’re pretty sure will be live and in person.
All the reunion news we have, to date. Please click here to read it.
3/11/22
A First for Yale
David Youtz, Cynthia Sung, WS, Adam Click, with 115th birthday cake
By Bill Stork
When I was living in Singapore I met and made friends with Frank Yung.
The Yale-China Association (YCA) was celebrating its 115th anniversary. Myself, Cynthia Sung, and Adam Click, leaders of the Yale Society of Singapore, decided upon hearing that David Youtz, YCA president, was coming to Singapore to hold a gala event. Adam had connections with the Grand Hyatt Singapore, and was able to reserve its elegant and luxurious Collections Room for the occasion. Cynthia, spouse of the rector (college master) of residential Cendana College… READ BILL’S FULL ESSAY – PLUS FIND AN INVITATION – HERE
| With great sadness, we announce the names of 10 classmates whose deaths have been very recently reported to us by YAA. Some have been deceased for some time. Our fallen classmates are Ralph David Arkush, Richard Alan Ehrlich, Edward Lee Frey, John Goldthwaite, Francis “Sandy” Sherburne Hill, Jr., Neil David Kornzweig, David Lee Page, Paul F. Rose, Robert Clayton Simmers and Theodore Wattley Volkhausen. Anyone with any remembrances of these men, which may be included in their class obituaries, are urged to email Bob Oliver or John Stewart. The obituaries will be posted on our site in due course. |
3/04/22
Y62 Coffee Hour: Focus on Ukraine
On Thursday, March 3, we met to discuss the current crisis in Ukraine. The recording of our event is above.
Comments? Please make them here.
3/04/22
Apocalyptic Anxiety – the Current Covid Crisis in Hong Kong, Part Two
Elderly waiting on gurneys in the rain and cold for hospital admission
By William Stork
President Xi Jinping was equally alarmed at how his Hong Kong was being presented in the world press, especially as he is trying to consolidate his position before the upcoming October Chinese Party Congress plenum where he is looking to get a historic third term.
He remembers the ineptitude of Carrie Lam… READ BILL’S FULL REPORT HERE
2/25/22
Ukraine, from a Diplomat’s Perspective
By Stephen W. Buck
(Ed. Note: Steve served as a Foreign Service Officer from 1963 to 2002. He served at U.S. diplomatic posts in 8 Arab countries, including Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), Baghdad, Iraq, 1986-88, (DCM) Muscat Oman, 1979-83, Consul General, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1996-1999, and was the Office Director for North Africa, 1992-1995. He has also served as a Professor at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.)
(Regarding the ‘First Thursday’ Y62 Coffee Hour we will host next week on March 3rd) When Tim Hall asked me to speak on the Ukraine crisis I immediately deferred, saying my field was the Middle East/Arab world, not Ukraine and eastern Europe. Then I remembered my senior thesis, on the German hyper inflation and its consequences. The German middle class, many on fixed pensions, were wiped out. They wanted revenge, and Hitler was the answer. Now we have Putin recounting that during the siege of Leningrad, his mother was almost put into a mass grave, his father suffered injuries that affected him for his whole life… READ STEVE’S FULL REMARKS HERE
2/25/22
Apocalyptic Anxiety – the Current Covid Crisis in Hong Kong, Part One
By William Stork
When omicron swept into Hong Kong several weeks ago I began to notice something in the daily figures reported nightly by Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection (CHP). Hong Kong’s zero-covid policy was under threat, for after nearly 3months of zero local covid cases followed by a few weeks of single-digit reports… READ BILL’S FULL REPORT HERE
2/11/22
Cryptocurrency Concerns. What’s Going On? Updated!
In our second article on this topic, classmate Whit Knapp continues to inform us on this new development in the world of finance.
The new year has not been kind to the cryptocurrency world. In January 2022, bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies lost 50% of their value from the market high of $2.3 trillion in… READ WHIT’S COMPLETE ESSAY HERE with an update 2/14/22!
2/11/22
Leading up to Valentine’s Day…
True Love?
Intelligence Squared US, brainchild of Bob Rosenkranz, has cast its amorous gaze at the heart-focused February celebration of love. We’ve missed the live debate, which took place on Feb. 4, but the podcast recording of the debate is below.
New Y62 Communications Team member John Hatch contacted classmate Rosenkranz for comment regarding the highly unusual choice of a “soft,” even perhaps sentimental topic for an IQ2 debate. Bob responded with the following: “As I suspect we have all learned by now, the course of love is probably unpredictable and certainly debatable.”
Comments? Please make them here.
2/01/22
A Fortunate Life
Jim Stein makes note of many lucky instances in his life in a friendly, brisk-paced chat with Communications Team member Bill Weber.
Comments? Please make them here.
2/01/22
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
By Bill Stork
Longtime Hong Kong resident Bill Stork takes us through the traditions of the joyous Chinese New Year. READ BILL’S FULL ARTICLE HERE
2/01/22
Why Americans (Particularly Californians) Think They Won’t Like Sweet Wines
By Roman Weil
In the three-week lull between football games in December, which I described in my two separate reports to classmates (here and here), I did some basic shopping at my local Costco. Before continuing, I remind you that those games had good outcomes for my Bama team… READ ROMAN’S FULL ESSAY HERE
1/13/22
A Writer’s Journey
By Ed Rowan
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.
Please enjoy some selections from Lew’s “A Summer’s Day,” which you can play below.
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… |
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 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
9/27/21
Returning to a Time-Honored Tradition
By John Stewart
On Thursday, Sept 23, I took the two-hour-plus train ride from Wassaic to Grand Central (train was only a little under-populated), ran errands in a Manhattan which looked very normal (denizens hurrying around, tourists strolling annoyingly slowly, a mix of masked and unmasked pedestrians), to happily rejoin, after an 18-month hiatus, Larry Prince’s monthly… READ JOHN’S FULL ACCOUNT HERE
9/27/21
Vaccines or Vitamins?
By Richard Howard
At the July Coffee Hour, classmate Earl Staelin gave a presentation covering various health subjects. I could not attend this meeting and much of what he said went unchallenged. Most of what he said was not accurate. I have written the following for clarification. READ RICHARD’S REPORT HERE
9/10/21
The Taliban in Texas?
By David B. Bingham, MD
In last week’s thought-provoking Yale Class of ’62 ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour by Zoom (Sept 2), the final topic was about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Questions were raised about what will happen to women in the Taliban culture of religious oppression, and whether their new abilities arising from education, professional training, and social communication will give them some freedom and more political… READ DAVID’S FULL ESSAY HERE
9/10/21
English at Yale: Full Contact, No Holds Barred
A Chapter from My Memoir
By Lee V. Bakunin
Until I majored in English at Yale during my junior year, I never gave much thought to creative writing, much less poetry, script writing or professional speaking. I was shy, lacked self-confidence and sometimes stuttered or groped to find the right words… READ THE FULL EXCERPT FROM LEE’S MEMOIR HERE
9/07/21
Smoke, Fire and Our Brief Vacation
By George Snider
On August 21, my wife and I departed Cleveland for a long-planned week’s vacation in South Lake Tahoe. Three days later, in the face of suffocating smoke and approaching fire, we were on our way home.
For over 30 years, Nora and I have traveled around the end of August to celebrate her birthday and our wedding anniversary, aka “birthaversary.” With Covid and the Delta variant playing havoc with overseas cruises and travel, we opted this year for a week in the West. Lake Tahoe… READ GEORGE’S FULL REPORT HERE
9/07/21
Y62 ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour:
Our Retired MDs Talk About Aging
On Thursday, September 2, half of our Coffee Hour was devoted to three of our classmate retired physicians talking about some of the realities of aging. In order of appearance in this excerpt of the meeting, they are Jim Kelly, neurologist, John Wickenden, orthopedic surgeon, and Bob Lefevre, pioneering hospice and palliative care physician.
Comments on this brief excerpt? Please make them here.
9/07/21
Yale’s Fall Semester Begins
By John Stewart
The Yale College Class of 2025 has a record-setting 1,789 new students, representing a 4.5% admission rate. This number includes 335 who’d delayed a year. All 14 residential colleges will be full, which has not been the case in past years when many students chose to live off-campus.
The extra-large Class of 2025 is also remarkable for its diversity. Students in the first-year class represent 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 67 foreign countries. The 1,789 students are graduates of 1,221 different high schools around the world, and 14% attended high school outside the United States.
For a third year, a majority (51%) of incoming first-year students are US citizens or permanent residents who self-identified as a member of a minority racial or ethnic group when applying. More than 44% reported speaking a language other than English as their first language or in their home.
Yale’s undergraduate financial aid policies meet 100% of every family’s financial need without requiring loans. Families with incomes below $75,000 and typical assets will qualify for financial aid awards with a “$0 parent share.” Nearly 300 members of the Class of 2025 qualified for one of these awards, which cover the full cost of tuition, on-campus housing, the meal plan, and health insurance through scholarship grants, and include an extra $2,000 startup grant for a student’s first year.
College graduation continues to be financially worthwhile, and its value in the career marketplace continues to rise. According to a recent report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for the college Class of 2020 was $55,260 — 2.5% higher than that of the Class of 2019 ($53,889) and 8.5% higher than the Class of ’18 ($50,944). Graduates who majored in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields tend to earn even more, on average.
Comments on this news? Please make them here.
8/30/21
EDITOR’S NOTE
Website interest and participation were strong in the days following our August 20th Afghanistan and Climate Change posts. Classmates posted a good flow of comments and stayed on the site longer than usual.
We decided to follow up. Retired diplomat Steve Buck, contributed a short but solid confirmation and update of his view about flawed American policy. We asked two classmates to expand on their website comments. For Lee Bakunin, the subject was Yale ’62 as part of the “Silent Generation.” He applies cultural truths not only to our lives but also to Yale’s and the United States’ history using Afghanistan as a prime example. Norm Jackson identifies as an ex-patriate and shares several of his ideas and experiences while drawing damning conclusions about the Afghan misadventure.
It was a dreadful week for our nation and President Biden, even though Americans support his overall exit strategy and recognize the extraordinary logistic success of the Kabul airport evacuation. Wasn’t it a sad picture yesterday at Dover Air Force Base with President and Mrs. Biden and America’s top Government leaders attending the return of the 13 fallen service members and consoling the grieving families? The contrast with Republican leaders, who were calling for the President’s resignation or impeachment, was noteworthy as another signal of the polarization that is fracturing our nation.
Our monthly “First Thursday” Coffee Hour will proceed as scheduled this week, on September 2, with three retired classmate doctors on hand to share their thoughts regarding Senior Health Care, and Steve Howard moderating. This will be followed by a 30-minute open discussion on US Foreign policy and the impacts of the Afghanistan developments. Our policy subject expert, Kent Hughes, will moderate.
If you have comments you wish to make about this Editor’s Note, please make them here. Thanks.
8/30/21
Thoughts on Afghanistan, August 29th
By Stephen W. Buck
Alas, we are in a deep debacle of our own creation. So long as we had forces in Afghanistan with no end date for their departure there was a government and some measure of stability. This was necessary to ensure that the then al-Qaeda, now ISIS, did not have a base in Afghanistan. Now we have the absolute worst situation with chaos in Kabul making for the perfect situation for ISIS. We went from no American casualties to many, American and Afghani. All this to say we are out. Our international reputation is in tatters and drones may not be the answer.
(Please note: Steve’s August 20th essay, Afghanistan: A Major Challenge, is lower down on this page. Scroll down to locate it.)
Comments? Please make them here
8/30/21
Afghanistan: Slippery Slope or Reminder of the Work We Did and Didn’t Do?
By Lee V. Bakunin
How do you define Freedom?
Freedom has a taste, smell, and feel that’s especially difficult to understand when you are repressed, held back or downright discriminated against. It’s also a question of how much and how little or none. Too little and you are wanting more and then just a little more because you want to savor what it’s like to be satiated. Too much and the satiation… READ LEE’S ESSAY HERE.
8/30/21
An Expatriate’s View and Strong Conviction
By Norm Jackson
I was last in Afghanistan in 1977, but it seems like I’ve visited the country every day for the last several weeks. I last lived in the U.S. in 1984, but it seems like I’ve been there too, off and on, since 2016, when I last had any faith in Americans’ sanity and goodness. I’ve been living in Australia since 2010, and during nine years of COALition government, my faith in Australians’ sanity and goodness has taken a similar hit.
At first I thought that Aus would be different… READ NORM’S ESSAY HERE.
8/20/21
Afghanistan: A Major Challenge
By Stephen W. Buck
People having lost their hold on US plane as it left Kabul airport
President Biden called the photos of Afghans hanging on to the wheels of a U.S. military aircraft as it taxied towards take off at Kabul aircraft “gut-wrenching.” … READ STEVE’S COMPLETE ESSAY HERE…
8/20/21
AAG Statement on Climate Emergency
By Rutherford Platt and colleagues
photo credit: BuroHappold.com
The following statement was adopted by the American Association of Geographers as developed and co-authored by an ad hoc group of senior colleagues around the U.S. that I assembled this past… READ THE STATEMENT HERE…
8/17/21
A Brief Eulogy for Professor Donald Kagan
Honorary Y62 Classmate Passes Away
Prof. Kagan, 2010
A friend of the Class of 1962 and a renowned professor has passed away. Donald Kagan, Sterling Professor of History and Classics Emeritus, died August 6, 2021. He was the foremost expert on the Peloponnesian Wars, and ancient Greek and Roman history. He served as Dean of Yale College for several years, and was a devoted sports fan, particularly baseball. Yale President Benno Schmidt appointed him as Acting Athletic Director for one year to bring order to discord.
Prof. Kagan was awarded the National Medal for the Humanities in 2002 and gave the National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lecture in 2005.
Prof. Kagan contributed his Lecture to the incoming Freshman Class of 1993 to the group of essays that our 50th Reunion Class Book featured. He also addressed our class at several reunions and took our designation as an honorary classmate in good spirits with just the sprinkling of good humor it deserved.
We were privileged to see and hear greatness. We will miss him.
— written by Bob Oliver
8/10/21
Our ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour: August 5, 2021
On Thursday, August 5th, we held our regular “First Thursday” Coffee Hour. Our topic was a challenging one with many facets to it: “Income Inequality.” We invite you to review the meeting via the video we’ve posted above.
Comments? Please make them here.
8/10/21
YAC Tour to the Baltics, Part II
By Griff Resor
In July 2013 YAC visited the Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In Baltic Tour Part I, I described highlights of our pre-tour to Saint Petersburg and our time in Estonia. This article provides highlights of our tour in Latvia and Lithuania.
Each YAC tour includes important educational elements. Experts who know about local issues speak to us, often during breakfast. On the Baltic tour we learned about the singing revolution that led to independence from the Soviet Union without a shot… READ GRIFF’S FULL ESSAY HERE
7/15/21
Some Brief Thoughts About Climate Change UPDATED 7/17/21
By John Livingston
In the search for life as we know it on other planets, the fragility of life becomes a dominant conclusion. Certainly the Goldilocks epithet of “Not too hot, not too cold” on earth applies but, more than that, the constancy of the sun’s energy for billions of years necessary to support the evolution of the atmosphere and conditions for life is near miraculous.
Consider first the sun itself. Every second, nuclear fusion in the sun turns six hundred and fifty-seven million tons of hydrogen into six hundred and fifty-three million tons of helium. The other four tons are hurled… READ JOHN’S FULL ESSAY HERE
7/09/21
Our July Coffee Hour
For our ‘First Thursday’ Coffee Hour this month, we featured a discussion about treatments for COVID – specifically, vaccines or eschewing vaccines. Moderated by Lee Bolman and Tim Hall, Dr. David Johnson and Earl Staelin spoke from their perspectives. The first 30 minutes are the presentations; the remaining 25 minutes contain the Q&A period.
Comments? Please make them here.
7/09/21
Career Interrupted. Times Two.
Second Interruption.
By Chuck Post
Chuck with Amazon kids
[Editor’s note: Chuck lives in Prescott, Arizona with his wife Grace.]
At age 39 I had spent 16 years in the computer field, starting as a programmer with IBM. After some South America adventures, I built on my three years with IBM and found work in computer sales. I found myself in probably the largest computer market in the world… READ CHUCK’S FULL STORY HERE
7/09/21
YAC Tour to the Baltics, Part I
By Griff Resor
Music and travel are my passions. Luckily, I married Pam, an Alto, who shares these passions. After hearing John Gerlach rave about the 1998 China tour, Pam and I decided to join the next Yale Alumni Chorus (YAC) tour in 2001.
The 2001 tour celebrated Yale’s 300th anniversary. We gathered first in London to rehearse, then moved to Russia for concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow, then back to London for a concert in St. Paul’s Cathedral, and finally to Wrexham in Wales – Eli Yale’s hometown… READ GRIFF’S FULL ACCOUNT HERE
“SOCIAL CONCERNS”
6/24/21
Jane Addams: American Humanitarian, Social Justice Pioneer, and Nobel Laureate
A presentation given by Rud Platt
On Monday, June 21, classmate Rutherford “Rud” Platt gave a talk on Jane Addams and Hull House for the international World Affairs Seminar (“WAS”) group. We were fortunate enough to listen in, and we have the video of his talk below, for your viewing pleasure.
Comments? Please make them here.
6/24/21
Thoughts on Voting and Voter Suppression
By Jim Lewis
“YALE TO JAIL WITHIN 32 MONTHS.” JIM LEWIS PARTICIPATES IN THE COFFEE HOUR ON VOTER SUPPRESSION AND TELLS US “We all have eyes and ears and minds and hearts and hands and bodies — and we all should have the right to express our voice and participate and vote and have our vote counted. Let’s continue to push for this. IF WE STOP, THEY WIN.”… Read Jim’s Full Essay here
6/08/21
Latest Developments on Growing Alumni Election Controversy
By Roman L. Weil
I wish I were paid by the word — Yale keeps providing fodder to this writer in its inciting alums who are reacting to Yale’s own precisely timed, some might say ill-timed, action in changing its procedures for alums’ electing Yale Corporation Board members.
Within an hour of telling the results of the 2021 Board election to the candidates for the alums’ position on the Board, Yale announced it would no longer allow alums to petition their way onto the ballot. This has led to critical, vitriolic even… READ ROMAN’S REPORT IN FULL HERE
6/08/21
A Letter from Neal Freeman
I took a day off from everything else to conference like mad – with students, alums, donors, faculty, and various (mostly agitated) others. Responses to Yale’s “election process” are all over the map, of course, and my scientific method is utterly indefensible, but a few generalizations can be adduced. As Yogi Berra surely must have said, sometimes you can… READ NEAL’S LETTER HERE
6/03/21
Surprise Developments and Protest in Alumni Election Process
By Roman L. Weil
Since I last wrote (article below, on this page), the Petition Process for the election of the Alumni Board seat has exploded. Yale, to the surprise of many, including me, has eliminated the long-standing ability of alums to petition to get onto the ballot to become a Board member.
Yale may hope it has put the matter to rest, but likely it has released, as one alum put it, a “poop storm.” One of the 2021 Petition Candidates, Ambassador Victor Ashe… READ ROMAN’S UPDATE IN FULL HERE
6/03/21
Career Interrupted. Times Two.
First Interruption.
By Chuck Post
Chuck Post in South America
[Editor’s note: Chuck lives not in South America, but in Prescott, Arizona with his wife Grace.]
I was one of the 10% of our class that went right to work. Of the remainder, 80% went to grad school, the other 10% into the military.
IBM picked me up and made me a computer programmer when that was no fun. Punch cards, big “memory dumps” in machine … READ CHUCK’S FULL STORY HERE
6/03/21
Hong Kong Take-Away
Some Personal Reflections on What the Pandemic has Brought and What We Will Keep
By Bill Stork
Having lived and worked through the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic in Hong Kong, I went into this virus experience a little bit better prepared, knowing that the most critical factor, in addition to the physical heath precautions, was to maintain a good mental outlook. And, rather Pollyanna-like, I continually look daily for positive ways in which this current situation has affected us and how we have… READ BILL’S UPDATE IN FULL HERE
5/21/21
Still Time to Vote in the Yale Alumni Election; Ballot Box Closes May 23
By Roman L. Weil
What Election, you ask? Details here. You have a choice between two candidates for the Yale Corporation Board:
- Yale’s chosen Dr. David A. Thomas, whom it has forbidden to announce a platform, forbidden to be interviewed, forbidden to speak about what any of his positions are about Yale and its future, and
- Ambassador Victor Ashe, who objects to Yale’s secrecy about the Board, the positions of the candidates, the election process, the hidden (for fifty years) minutes, about the general lack of transparency. Ashe explains his candidacy here. (Yale forbids Dr. Thomas from having such.)
Ashe was required to get over 4,000 signatures on a petition by April 1, 2020 (yes, 2020) to run in this election. Part of his complaint about Yale’s procedures is that it requires so many signatures so long before the actual election.
Yale arranged for you to have been sent a ballot earlier. If you need a ballot, you can get one from yalehelp@electionservicescorp.com or call 866.720.4357.
Several groups have decided to challenge Yale’s tip-lipped selection of candidate(s) for the alumni position. Just this month, the William F. Buckley Jr. Program has announced its candidate for the 2022 election and its efforts, to begin May 24, 2021, to gather the thousands of signatures Yale will require to put its candidate on the 2022 ballot.
Yale Forward had gathered sufficient signatures to put Maggie Thomas on the 2021 ballot, but she had to withdraw when President Biden nominated her to work in his White House Office. Yale Forward has told us it will soon announce its candidate for the 2022 cycle. They, too, must gather thousands of signatures for their candidate by fall of this year.
All sides — Yale, the Buckley Program, and Yale Forward — appear to expect a larger turnout than in recent years. Last year’s, about 18% of the 146,000 eligible voters, was typical of recent years. The median of people I’ve surveyed expects 25% to 30%. I’ve taken an under wager at 25% — for a quarter dollar.
5/10/21
The May Coffee Hour Surprise
At the Y62 Coffee Hour on May 6, the conversation about our experiences with the pandemic triggered a debate about health and the Covid vaccines. Earl Staelin argued for a holistic view of health, emphasizing nutrition and lifestyle, and expressed significant doubts about the short- and long-term effects of the Covid vaccines. David Johnson, who led an earlier Coffee Hour focused on Covid, spoke from his experience as an endocrinologist and argued that the evidence for the safety and efficacy of the vaccines is very strong. Part of their dialogue is in the video above. Several Coffee Hour participants expressed interest in continuing this conversation in a future event.
Do you have comments you’d like to make about the clip we’ve shown above? Please make them here.
5/10/21
Pen Pals
By John Hatch
Pen Pals programs have been around for generations. During the NYC World Fair, Parker Pen and Quik Ink joined forces to establish a center for matching pen pals. I took advantage of that and invited my students in Kahama, Tanzania to copy and fill out the form, which I then mailed, all 80+ of them, off to Parker. Within in a year and a half they all had “pals,” some more than… READ JOHN’S FULL ESSAY
5/10/21
Help me save the name of my high school.
By Roman Weil
At least half of you, I’ll bet, have not heard of Sidney Lanier, the Poet of the Confederacy, who spent most of the Civil War in a POW camp as a private. He played the flute and wrote poems. In spite of the fact that he spent only two years in Montgomery, Alabama and most of his adult life on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery educators named… READ ROMAN’S FULL PLEA
4/22/21
An Interview with a Y62 Spouse: Hala Buck
Last week, Communications Team member Dick Riseling sat down with Hala Buck, wife of Communications Team member Steve Buck, via Zoom, to discuss her memoir, Bridge Between Worlds. In this highly entertaining, lovely chat, the two of them discuss a wide range of topics, always returning to the lessons of our lives.
We invite other classmates to nominate their own spouses for this very special new initiative and share a window into their lives with all of our class. We look forward to hearing from you!
4/22/21
Yale Alumni Election in Home Stretch: Ballot Box Closes May 23
By Roman Weil
Since I last wrote, the election for one open position on Yale’s Board of Trustees has begun. Yale’s nominating committee has chosen one candidate, David A. Thomas, President of Morehouse College. Victor Ashe, former Ambassador to Poland, qualified for the ballot by gathering more than seven thousand signatures from alums to nominate him. Despite Yale’s tradition… READ ROMAN’S FULL REPORT
4/16/21
Special Event Zoom: COVID and College Admissions
At 7:30 PM EST on April 15, thirty classmates convened to discuss Yale (and other Ivy) applications, admissions, and Covid. You can view the 60-minute session immediately below. The various exhibits by panelists Bolman, Chambers, and Weil are linked as well.
Lee Bolman’s presentation
Official Yale materials (discussed by Al Chambers)
Roman Weil’s presentation
Do you have comments? You can make them here.
4/07/21
About This Work
By Steve Rose
Text, paintings, a studio tour and an interview.
So painting, no matter the level on which one is working, is first of all a hobby.
We all become draftsmen of a sort as soon as we start learning… READ STEVE’S WORDS, VIEW THE PAINTINGS and STUDIO, and WATCH THE INTERVIEW
4/07/21
What’s Right
By Bill Stork
It may be difficult for one in the Western Hemisphere to fully get a sense of this, but in this part of Asia, which saw horrendous genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, this is a serious issue, as it should be for everyone.
Increasingly China is being questioned and taken to task about its treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, with reports of re-education camps, force sterilization, and more. To this call is being asked whether Beijing still deserves to hold the forthcoming Winter Olympics, a topic that the IOOC has yet… READ BILL’S FULL ARTICLE
3/25/21
“Creating Art” By Fred Appell
Self portrait – Hotel de Bosque garden San Miguel Allende
Most of my life I’ve been interested in creating art, not as a profession but a serious hobby. I also wrote art reviews for the local Minneapolis paper, had a period when I was casting bronze sculptures, had work used to illustrate books. Now in my retirement, it has been a challenge to grow… READ THE REST AND VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF HIS WORK
3/25/21
A REFRESHED DROP-OUT’S TALE By Peter Cassar Torreggiani
Many years after my dropping out of Yale in 1958 and returning to Malta, the renowned economist, Professor Robert Triffin, who would have been my house master at Berkeley had I returned as a sophomore, told me I’d had a good reason for dropping out: questioning the philosophy of economists as it related to politicians.
The next year, when I lost my right arm working in my family’s flour mill, I came face to face with death. In a dramatic encounter… READ ON
3/05/21
COVID: A Y62 Coffee Hour Presentation and Discussion
Classmate Dr. David Johnson provided an expert, fascinating brief on what we know of the novel coronavirus that’s eclipsed our lives for the past year, and patiently answered our many questions with factual, extremely helpful information. Thank you, David! Here’s the full recording:
Comments? You can make them here.
3/02/21
Covid-19, Admissions and Litigation at Yale
By Lee Bolman
There’s a lot happening on multiple fronts these days. There’s a lot of good news for Yale, but the university and higher education also face serious challenges… CLICK FOR LEE’S REPORT
3/02/21
IQ2’s Intelligent Debates
Intelligence Squared US, the brainchild product of classmate Bob Rosenkranz, pivoted nimbly into the wholly virtual sphere when social distancing necessitated a change last year. IQ2 continues to provide thought-provoking dialogue on both sides of major domestic and foreign issues. You may wish to take a look. Viewers that attend virtually using the web site or listening over Public Radio still are able to vote for which debaters made the strongest arguments. This most recent debate, concerning where the GOP may or may not stand at this time, is featured below.
You can cast your vote here:
2/26/21
Keeping Calm while Coping/Cowering with COVID
By William Stork
(Editor’s Note: Bill’s latest update from Hong Kong details the Government’s continuing success at containing COVID19 cases. Bill explains important technology, communications and vaccination initiatives, all designed to open more of Hong Kong and return life to normality. He told us that he thinks what is happening is that the Government’s success, “even with the National Security Act, is now being used to provide encouragement for the populace to be patriots.” At the same time, Bill maintains his own one-year near total self-isolation, but is “hopeful” for the future, despite the increased restrictions from Beijing. You will find the contrasts to the United States fascinating.) CLICK FOR BILL’S REPORT
2/26/21
Lew Spratlan Honored
John Stewart reports: On February 20, The Springfield Valley Symphony broadcast a concert/interview honoring our classmate Lew Spratlan. Warmly hosted by their music director, Tianhui Ng, Lew spoke about his compositional, teaching, and playing careers. Featured were excerpts from the Santa Fe Opera’s production of his Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, “Life is a Dream,” based on the Calderon play. Several classmates and other Yale friends attended the premier — a great success. Here’s the recording of the event.
Also, look on Amazon for a list of his recordings. I speak as a totally objective pal — his music is dramatic, witty, lyrical, brilliantly inventive, and very moving, and I urge you to check it out. He remains busy with a host of commissions.
2/26/21
Art Mann’s ‘Buckets’
An Interview with Art Mann
By John Stewart
(John’s Note: I had written to Art and asked him questions based on his very interesting comments at the last class coffee hour, and this is his response, lightly edited. After two long and fascinating phone calls, I realized that what follows is the top of a whole barrellfull of great stories.
In thinking about the best way to present all of his activities, Art thought that putting them into “buckets” would be a good approach.)
After my Navy stint I came back home intending to… CLICK FOR ART’S ‘BUCKETS’
2/05/21
The COVID Questions
(EDITOR’S NOTE: During the dramatic weeks of January and early February, dozens and perhaps hundreds of Yale62 classmates received COVID19 vaccinations. We thought it an appropriate time, while the experience was fresh in your minds, to invite descriptions, comments and opinions to the following questions. Please respond to one or both in around 100 words each. Classmates who have not been vaccinated may also respond and express opinions. Opinions and questions about what other classmates have described are encouraged, but please be sure to click the reply button below the specific comment you are addressing so that the material will thread together for others to read.
Many more classmates also were having tests and knew family and friends diagnosed with COVID19. Just for the record, national daily cases dropped about 16% in the past week but remain high at about 140,000 new cases and 3,000 deaths per day. Concern and uncertainty about new variants persist, including whether vaccinations will have the same high efficacy in combating the new threats. Thank you for participating.)
2/05/21
Yale Reunions Update
Yale announced this week that all reunions will be entirely online this year. Coincidentally, our reunion committee met the same day Yale made its announcement, and shares the following news with us:
“At 4 PM on Feb 4, Reunion Chair Dan Koenigsberg convened the 60th Reunion Committee. Tappy Wilder and John Stewart were present; Phil Moriarty (lucky guy!) was off getting his second Covid vaccination shot. Although Yale has cancelled 2021 in-person reunions, we are somewhat confident in planning a live reunion for the spring of 2022. What remains to be determined is if there will also be an online component. Very soon, we will send out an email survey asking for your feedback about possible attendance, your thoughts on a Zoom component, and what shape you’d like the reunion to take.
“At this point (although everything really is up for grabs), we feel that there should be fewer class events, leaving still more unstructured time for what Jim Litvack describes as yacking. Also, the events should be held close to our housing. We will find out where that is in the spring. We had a long discussion about whom we’d like to have speak to us, remembering that there are in any case a multitude of reunion-wide events and speakers. Although several faculty names were mentioned, we hope to find classmates who perhaps have either not attended reunions recently or while there, have not been invited to speak. When you read through the class yearbooks you realize that our class is hip deep in interesting men who’ve led fascinating lives, some of whom you may not know about whatsoever. As customary, the reunion will begin Thursday afternoon and extend through Sunday morning.
“Our next committee meeting will be in three months.”
2/05/21
Seeking, Once Again, the Globe’s Best, Brightest and Most Diverse…
… all in the midst of the COVID pandemic
By George Snider, Communications Team member
If you have ever said, “I probably couldn’t get into Yale today,” you were probably right – though not because today’s kids are smarter than ever.
When we entered Yale College, mostly in the Fall of 1958, 100 percent of us were born male, and a very high percentage were white. We came largely from the 48 states (still a year away from being 50), and more of us came from… READ MORE.
2/05/21
Tales from the Distaff Side
John Stewart reports: “These two essays are by friends of mine from a yoga community that continues to have class online. We’ve all known each other for 8 or 9 years, but I had the pleasure of informing them that they’d been at Yale at the same time. Since then they’ve both been back for celebrations of coeducation. I hope you enjoy a close look at two different experiences of Yale in the late 60s. READ THEIR ESSAYS.
1/25/21
Y62 Interviews: A View Toward the Future
(Ed Note: Kent Hughes is one of Yale62’s most experienced hands on U.S. domestic and foreign policy and Beltway politics, as well as a moderator of our Coffee Hour monthly meetings. Kent and Communications Team member Dick Riseling sat down virtually just a few days ago to discuss the early days and challenges President Biden is facing and some of what may be expected.)
Comments on this interview? Make them here.
1/25/21
Inauguration Day? First 100 Days?
(Ed. Note: On Thursday afternoon – January 21 – Yale62.org invited a randomly selected group of classmates … SEE OUR QUESTIONS with CLASSMATE RESPONSES, AND ADD YOUR OWN COMMENT HERE
1/25/21
Biden Action Impacts Yale Alumni Election
By Roman Weil
Since I last wrote that two different, but determined, Yale alums have surprised Yale by qualifying for the ballot in April to oppose the University’s chosen… READ ROMAN’S ARTICLE HERE
1/25/21
Chip Neville and the COVID vaccine
We once more checked in with Chip Neville, whose earlier communications regarding COVID are located on our COVID Corner page (the mask icon in the upper left-hand corner of this page). Here is Chip’s latest news:
Dear Classmates,
Judi and I got our Pfizer COVID-19 shots on January 16, 9 days ago, so we are now about 60% protected. But we still mask up except while eating and home in our lovely apartment. The powers that be here have even opened the dining room for breakfast and dinner.
Judi has started moving furniture in from our house, so we now have rugs and a lovely dining room table with a great view of the spacious window. She has also made good friends and goes upstairs almost every night to play scrabble.
As for our experience getting our first shot, they were supposed to be in the morning. I had to get up early to make it, so I only got 4 or 5 hours of sleep. Then CVS didn’t get here for several hours, and we finally got our shots around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. One of Judi’s lady friends said, “It’s like the Army, ‘Hurry up and wait.'”
Otherwise, it was a breeze. It barely hurt, my arm was only a tiny bit sore like with a flu shot, and I had on other reactions. But I understand the second shot on February 6 can cause much more uncomfortable reactions. I hope not, but even so it will be worth it.
Connecticut, where we live, had a serious epidemic of COVID-19 infections in nursing homes and retirement communities. We had several cases and deaths here. But the Governor announced last week that the vaccination program has reduced COVID-19 infections in nursing homes and retirement communities to nearly zero.
Best Wishes to All and Keep Well, Chip
1/18/21
Impeachment?
(Ed. Note: On Friday afternoon – January 15 – Yale62.org invited the 39 classmates who participated in our January 7 “The Day After” Coffee Hour to respond to a single question in about 100 words. (This Coffee Hour may be viewed in its near entirety below.) Participants responded to our request, and their responses are posted in the order they were received. Just as at the Coffee Hour sessions, classmates offered interesting ideas and opinions. Our long life experience certainly is valuable.) SEE OUR QUESTION with CLASSMATE RESPONSES, AND ADD YOUR OWN COMMENT HERE
1/08/21
DC Under Seige
(Editor’s Note: Because of this week’s extraordinary turn of events, our regularly scheduled Zoom Coffee Hour became a forum for 40 classmates to discuss what took place in Washington, DC this Wednesday. It was a good, solid session – so good, in fact, that we decided to include nearly all of it here for you to view, trimming only its very beginning and very end, for an orderly presentation.)
1/04/21
“Georgia On My Mind”
This Week’s Focus of the United States’ Polarized Politics
Five Georgia Resident Classmates Offer Their Perspectives
By Al Chambers
As the Georgia Senate dual run-offs grew in importance, Yale 62.org sought out classmates living in the Peach State inviting each to submit a short point of view about any subject of their choice having to do with Georgia or living in the state. Civility and brevity were the only requirements.
For the record, there has never in U.S. history been a double run off in one state for national … READ THE COMPLETE FEATURE HERE
1/04/21
COVID and Me
By Carl Kaestle
John Stewart asked me to write a paragraph about my experience with the Covid virus. About ten weeks ago, I developed a set of cold symptoms: mild cough, drippy nose, slightly sore throat, and a bit of fatigue. “Uh-oh,” I thought. “Here it comes.” And it stayed for maybe three or four weeks, but didn’t get worse. So, I decided that I had gotten the “woosie” version of this virus. The lab confirmed that it was indeed the corona virus. By this time, everyone was using a mask and keeping distance, so I did not get near people at the corner store in my rural village of North Egremont. My girlfriend kept her distance; my son-in-law came for Thanksgiving for several days, as a guest in my house. We used masks in the house sometimes. He went back to Virginia, healthy as a racehorse. Then the nurses monitoring me said I should quarantine myself for two weeks. So I did that. By the end of that time my symptoms had weakened and quit. What a nice virus. How lucky I was. Surely some classmates had nastier encounters with the virus. That’s my upbeat story of covid and me.
1/04/21
Update on Chip Neville
A check-in with Chip Neville yielded the following, on Christmas Day: “Thanks. Yes, we are still OK [negative test results]. We are scheduled to get our first vaccinations in the week after New Years, but they may be delayed depending on supply. Steve Buck wants me to post about our vaccination appointments. I hate needles, especially the square, rusty, horse needle kind, but I hope the rest will be a breeze.”
1/04/21
A Follow-up to ‘Greetings from the Epicenter’
By Larry Price
On May 1, 2020, I submitted a short essay describing the travails of Union City, New Jersey, the city where I live, with Covid-19. Union City is a town of 68,000… READ THE ESSAY
12/23/20
Wilder Reads Wilder
Tappy Wilder reads the first few lines of his uncle’s 1935 novel, Heaven’s My Destination and a recently discovered letter from George Marvin Brush to Alexander Wollcott… written in his Uncle Thornton’s handwriting!
12/23/20
Y62 Year-End Review
Despite the undeniably constrained and unusual complexion of this year, we wish you bright and hopeful holidays, filled with happiness, health and good cheer. Our wish for us all is that 2021 is a most wonderful, welcome change!
We’re at a wrap for this most extraordinary year of 2020. Our Communications Team — Steve Buck, Dick Riseling, George Snider and your longstanding webmaster, with John Stewart and Al Chambers in advisory roles — has stood at the ready to function as a communications hub for the class, and this year, January through December, we’ve posted 76 new pages on a wide variety of topics, and these pages have been viewed a whopping 18,320 times during this time. Classmates have offered their thanks and opinions in 235 comments to those posts and previous ones, and 82 classmates have been mentioned in our Secretary’s Column for Yale Alumni Magazine. Our newest offering to the class, brainchild of classmate Chip Neville as a salve to ease our “socially distanced” experiences throughout the lion’s share of the year, is our virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom, now a standard “First Thursday of the Month” event, with special extra Coffee Hours thrown in for good measure, as topics or current events may warrant. 68 classmates have joined in on the Coffee Hours to date; many have attended more than once. A band of about 20 classmates are regulars, there. We warmly invite you to join us there in the New Year.
We’re always seeking classmate news, opinion pieces, events, artwork of any type, and more, to share with the class here on Yale62.org or in our magazine column. Please send your news to the Communications Team by emailing us at YAM@Yale62.org. Thanks.
12/23/20
COVID and Yale ’62
By Al Chambers
We launched our COVID Corner earlier this year but have not used it extensively. In recent weeks, as you all know, the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been rising all over the United States. Unfortunately, but not a surprise, this has started to increase its reach within our class. …READ ON
12/15/20
Y62 Interviews: Charles Flinn
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 Charles Flinn, recorded on December 14.
Charlie shares some highlights from his long career serving in private law practice, as a District Court Judge and currently as Mediator and Arbitrator. He describes his experience with the US Supreme Court, and offers an opinion on the direction of the Court in 2021. There’s lots more, too, in this surprisingly varied, brisk-paced 12-minute chat. Let us hear from you about this interview, and/or anything else that’s on your mind – whether that’s writing an essay for our class website, news you wish to share, or information you’d like to see.
To comment on this interview, click here.
11/24/20
An Enduring Enjoyment
South Africa, Kruger National Park
[Editor’s Note: Neil originally contacted us last spring, and we asked him to put together a small sampling of his photography as a feature for Yale62.org. Then, however, we got sidetracked by the ongoing health and political concerns of the year. We decided a showing of his wonderful photos could work well now, as a Thanksgiving offering to you, our classmates and audience.]
By Neil Goodwin
I’ve been taking pictures for as long as I can remember and I’ve recently been assembling some of them into an online gallery which I’d like to share it with the class. The link to it is on the next page, along with a few more of my photos. I’ve been an architect, a film maker and a writer, and through all of those enterprises I continued to take pictures. The first photographs that affected me deeply… READ MORE
11/24/20
Our Second “Question of the Quarter”
Our request this time: please share with us how you think your holiday season plans have been or will be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This question will remain open until mid-January. You’re encouraged to write in more than once, if you have updates to make. Please send responses to YAM@Yale62.org. We will post them here on Yale62.org when we’ve collected them. Thanks.
11/17/20
A Classmate Who Still Works Full-Time Writes In
[Editor’s Note: Class Secretary John Stewart asked psychologist classmate David Scharff for an update of what his professional life might be like, during this most unusual time. What follows is David’s response.]
By David Scharff
I feel in a way that I only just got good at my work a few years ago. You know the joke about whether a doctor or lawyer is “still practicing” – and the answer is “Yes, and someday I hope to finally get it right.”
For the last 40 years, I’ve divided my time between a pretty full-time practice doing psychoanalysis of adults, families, couples and children, teaching, writing and developing and running programs nationally and internationally. I’ve really liked the mix of ways of thinking about the mental health issues. My wife, Jill, and I established the International Psychotherapy Institute 25 years ago, a program for distance training in analytic therapy and psychoanalysis nationally and… READ MORE
11/17/20
Want to Include Some Fall Sports Activities in Your Routine?
[Editor’s Note: The Ivy League was the first Division 1 Conference to cancel all winter varsity sports. The Ivies took the lead for the fall, as well, and then held to its decision when other bigger athletic conferences reversed direction and resumed some sports, particularly football. They thought the COVID situation seemed to be improving, or at least there were hopes that it was. There also were financial and political pressures to resume. Now, games are being postponed or canceled each week because of COVID cases on the teams and/or athletic staff.]
We recently received the following from the YAA Office:
You and your classmates have recently received information regarding “Pep Rally” activities leading up to a showing of the 2019 Yale-Harvard game next Saturday. This information has been shared with your classmates twice but it would be wonderful if you could promote via your social media and class websites if you have them. I hope you all get to join in some of the activities. We have included some suggested text to make it easier.
Join us online for the first-ever Pep Rally, now through Nov 20th! We won’t let the absence of a live game this year stop us from celebrating all things Yale.
What to expect: https://alumni.yale.edu/events/peprally
- Yale Alumni LIVE episodes with Yale Football players, cheerleaders & coach Tony Reno
- Alumni DJ Dance Party
- Yale/ Harvard Scavenger Hunt
- Tailgate Photo gallery: https://bit.ly/YaleTailgates
- Re-airing of games form 1984, 1994, 2006, 2017 & 2019
- Daily Trivia for “The Game” week
You can also head to Instagram to check out our new “Yale Alumni Pep Rally” stickers and try our college and school guessing filters. If this has inspired you to host your own event in the spirit of The Game, let us know when submitting it to the calendar.
11/06/20
Coffee Hour: Our Post-Election Discussion
Ed. Note: On Thursday, November 5, following our national election, Y62 classmates gathered to discuss their thoughts on the results, yet to be finalized as of this writing. Classmate Kent Hughes once more skillfully moderated the discussion. A few of the highlights of the 90-minute session are shown in the video above. We continue to experience a few glitches but we’re gaining some ground in that arena, and are grateful for your patience. Speakers in order of their first appearance: Kent Hughes (moderator), Roman Weil, Bob Breault, Bob Barnes, John Hatch, Tom Noonan, Jerry Griffin, Earl Staelin, Peter Cohen and Bob Oliver.
To comment on this, our second “highlights reel,” click here.
11/02/20
Shakespeare: understanding “the heavens’ plagues”
By Michael Bristol
It was my shrink who told me “you have the greatest job in the world.” You might want to ponder the irony of a man who has the greatest job in the world looking for help from a shrink, but for once he was right. The job was teaching Shakespeare, reading, and writing and talking about his plays with twenty-something men and women. Vita contemplativa. … READ MORE
11/02/20
Vocal Music at Yale Today
By John Stewart
Everywhere around the country choral groups are finding ways to continue and communicate. Here’s some of what’s going on at Yale. … READ MORE
10/24/20
We Weigh In On The Elections
Ed. Note: On Friday, October 23, following the final Presidential debate for this year, Y62 convened a special post-debate, pre-election virtual Coffee Hour online, moderated by our own Kent Hughes. We’ve put together just a few of the highlights of the 90-minute session. You will see that we are using more technology but that it’s learning process. We had a few glitches but hope you will bear with us. Speakers in order of their first appearance: Kent Hughes (moderator), Chris Cory, Fred Appell, John Stewart, Rodger Gabrielson, Bob Breault, Lee Bolman, Tony Carbone. We think we know how to make modifications before our next Coffee Hour November 5, just two days after the election, when we will again produce a highlight video.
To comment on this “highlights reel,” click here.
10/12/20
Personal Experience with Trump Medication
Classmate Neville Offers First-Hand Experience, Perspective
By Chip Neville
This post is an edited and expanded version of an email message I sent to the members of our class who attended the October 1, 2020 Yale 62 Zoom Coffee Hour. Much has changed since my email message, but the basics are the same. I have personal experience with one of the medications Donald Trump was taking for his COVID-19 illness, and I think it explains much of his post-debate behavior.
After President Trump helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center with a severe, possibly even life-threatening COVID-19 infection, his staff in the White House started talking about how he was behaving even more erratically than before. And the talking heads on national television started talking about how this might be due to the medications he was taking.
He seems to be much better now, and we can all be grateful for that. Truth in advertising, I am not a fan of our President, but he is the only President we have, and we can all be grateful for his apparent recovery.
To continue, the talking heads started talking about a steroid called dexamethasone which the President was taking, but they didn’t know much about it. In fact, on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 program, Gloria Borger couldn’t even pronounce dexamethasone. Now, after talking to numerous doctors, she speaks authoritatively about it. But her inability to even pronounce the name convinced me that I needed to tell my classmates about the medication, and the mental consequences of being severely ill.
I suffer from multiple myeloma, and for several months at the beginning, I was given doses of dexamethasone, albeit at doses much less than his. I can tell you that DEX, as dexamethasone is known, makes you feel much better. That is, until it wears off. From my personal experience, I can also tell you that DEX might be what made President Trump feel 20 years younger. We’ll see what happens after the effects wear off.
I have not had COVID-19, thank goodness, but CNN host Chris Cuomo has. We can be grateful to him for giving us a blow-by-blow account of his illness each night while he was ill. COVID-19 certainly affected his mind. He told us about the feverish delusions, when he would see his deceased father sitting at the edge of his bed. He told us about the mind fogs, and how he “was not pushing as much IQ as he used to.” He has said he would give up everything he has if only he could get back to the way he was before he got sick.
So now that President Trump’s lead doctor has said that he is cured, has the severity of his COVID-19 illness continued to affect his mind? I do not know, but he held a rally in the Rose Garden on Saturday afternoon, October 10. And sources within the White House say that he wants to hold a rally every day from now until the election. If he regresses later, as some COVID-19 sufferers do, he will expose many people to the disease. That is why the CDC guidance is that those who have had a severe case of COVID-19 should stay away from people for up to 20 days. I believe he should follow that guidance.
If you’d like to comment on this post, please follow this link to do so. Thank you.
9/25/20
YAA Representative Report, Fall 2020
Mackall, Sipple Complete Whiff-to-Whiff Transfer of YAA Rep Responsibilities
By Peter Sipple
[Editor’s Note by John Stewart: Whiffalot. A few weeks ago Louis “Boiler” Mackall passed the YAA representative torch to Peter “Pop” Sipple. I’m very grateful for Louis’ three years of service, which included putting me up in Guilford, as well as reports to the Class Council. On my part, there’s only a slight hesitation as the new responsibility departs from the tenors and descends to the bass-baritones, although in fact Pop is equally adept at tenorino high jinks. Stay tuned!]
Yale’s Alumni Association kicked off its fall convocation virtually on September 15, with the topic “The Arts and Humanities at Yale.” Following lead-off comments by staff members in Development and YAA Director Weili Cheng, President Peter Salovey described the state of the University in the time of Covid. With 40% of students in residence, classes go forward both in situ and remotely. … READ ON
9/25/20
Digital Performance: AMERICAN DREAMS
Communications Team member Steve Buck reports that his daughter, Leila Buck, has written a play which will be performed live online several times throughout the fall season, and it will have runs at sponsoring theaters around the country through November 15. Its opening night performance is free of charge, but it’s also, unsurprisingly, sold out.
The remarkable part of it is that you, as a member of the online audience, can participate in the play!
AMERICAN DREAMS premiered live at the Cleveland Public Theatre in 2018. This fall, the show launches as a live online theater production nationwide in a virtual tour, inviting audiences into playful, timely engagement and dialogue around immigration and what it means to become and be a citizen of this country.
Co-artistic director Mark Plesent notes “AMERICAN DREAMS is a play that needs to happen now as we are approaching an election. I think that the American Experiment is failing on so many levels. AMERICAN DREAMS offers us a safe opportunity, full of humor, to experience our individual complicity in the dangers facing our nation, and also points to ways to change course, beginning with ourselves.”
The play is based on a game show format, where each participant has to fill out a form in order to be able to vote. So if there are two of you, please buy two tickets, contributing as much as you can to help others who may be out of work and not able to buy a ticket.
For exact dates and to reserve tickets, go to the show’s website, AmericanDreamsplay.com
For the Playbill article, click here.
9/21/20 UPDATED 9/22/20
Yale Corporation Board of Trustees Election Should Interest You
Maggie Thomas, Victor Ashe during the Chicago Yale Club Zoom, 9/15/20
By Roman Weil
Two different but determined Yale alums have surprised Yale. They seem certain to be on the ballot in 2021 to oppose the University’s chosen nominees for the one open position annually to serve a six-year term on the Board of Trustees. It could be quite a battle. Have fun following the skirmishes. READ ON
9/21/20
Yale Continues to Perform Well with COVID Numbers
By Yale62.org Editors
The graphic above links to a special page updated by Yale on a frequent basis. It chronicles how the campus is faring, regarding numbers of COVID-19 cases. The link is also here. From the page: “There is a 2-3 day delay between when tests occur and when data become available to include in the tables above. Counts are updated on weekdays to ensure data quality. These counts may change further as they are updated.” We hope this information is useful to you.
| 8/31/20 First Week of Yale Opening Goes Well, But Covid19 Risk Remains on Everyone’s Mind 
By Al Chambers and Lee Bolman Yale College’s carefully planned opening for First Years, Juniors and Seniors, with Sophomores participating only virtually from their homes, went well. The class of 2024 admitted 2,304 versus our 1,005 in 1958. The annual Welcoming Assembly, for what used to be called Freshmen, went well but was produced… READ ON 8/31/20 Ten days back, we sent the following inaugural Question of the Quarter to one quarter of the class email list, requesting a response. The question was: “Please share with us how these recent months in the coronavirus pandemic have affected you. Maybe in bad ways, maybe in neutral or good ways. How has your life been affected?” Those replies we have received are here. 8/24/20
UPDATED 8/18/20
Updated 8/10/20 We have new entries, so even if you’ve viewed this feature earlier this summer, it’s worth another look! How are we celebrating, as we venture into our ninth decade? Please let us know what YOUR plans may be, or if your birthday has already occurred, how did YOU celebrate? Please join in the fun! We will add your account to the mix that have already been received. READ ON to see what classmates have reported… 7/28/20 “White as Hell”
A letter from Jonathan and Deanne Ater (with new Editor’s Note as of 07-29-20) Dear Family and Friends, What is going on in Portland – and on your TV screen – needs some context. Below [on the full letter page] is a link to a long article from The Guardian which offers considerable insight into what has gone before and where we are today. … READ MORE 7/28/20 Transitions: Hitting 80, the Coronavirus and Some Practical Suggestions
By Stephen W. Buck Steve Susman’s death from the coronavirus after he heroically survived a very serious bike accident reinforced what I wrote about my 80th birthday – it was a great celebration and it made me feel old and vulnerable … READ MORE 7/23/20 Y62 INTERVIEWS This Y62 Interview, featuring classmate Kent Hughes interviewed by Y62 Communications Team member and classmate Steve Buck, was recorded on July 21, and sheds light on the discussion that will take place at the Y62 Virtual Coffee Hour on Thursday, August 6 at 1pm Eastern. Following some smaller group “test runs,” we’re opening up the August Coffee Hour to the whole class, based on first-come, first served response. To ensure everyone gets a chance to speak, we think we can manage about 50 classmates on the Zoom video call, so that will be the cap. To reserve your place, see the info in the email we sent you today or email us at YAM@yale62.org. After you’ve watched the interview, you’re most welcome to post comments here. 7/23/20 Pandemic Reading, Anyone?
Class Secretary John Stewart examines a list of literary contributions. READ ON to see his recommendations. 7/17/20 Y62 INTERVIEWS In this Y62 Interview recorded earlier this month, Y62 Communications Team members Dick Riseling and Chris Snow chat about Dick’s agricultural life on his Catskills mountains farm. He sees magical possibilities for the future of farming, if we can only envision, embrace and support it. After you’ve watched the interview, you’re most welcome to post comments here. 7/17/20 COVID and Confusion By William Stork Bill brings us another installment concerning the flood of events in Hong Kong. READ ON BREAKING NEWS 7/02/20 On Wednesday, July 1, President Peter Salovey and Provost Scott Strobel announced the fall semester news in a message to the Yale community. We asked classmate Lee Bolman for his reaction. “On a quick look: moving classes online is the right thing. Bringing back ~60% of students is risky. The extensive testing regime may help, though CDC says there’s not evidence that such a program reduces infection beyond what you can achieve with social distancing. How will the quarantine requirements for students from high-risk areas be enforced? Almost inevitably, there will be mini-spikes of Covid-19 in the undergraduate population, and the hope is that they can be identified and controlled quickly. As the university acknowledges, the program is intrusive in many ways, and how well undergraduates will comply with the social distancing and travel restrictions is an open question. Interesting times, for sure.” For Lee’s recent essay on “Yale, COVID and What About Fall 2020?” please READ ON BREAKING NEWS 7/02/20 There is a chill in the air this summer in Hong Kong. “Whether” Hong Kong can or will proceed and function as once it had is the subject of some intense debate, scrutiny, pressure and concern… READ MORE 6/22/20  A. Whitney Griswold, Yale Art Gallery Collections By Lee Bolman A. Whitney Griswold, Yale’s president from 1950 to 1963, held opinions that were fairly conventional at the time, but seem retrograde today. He said that immigrants to the US did not understand liberal education… READ ON… 6/01/20 Y62 INTERVIEWS In this Y62 Interview from Sunday, May 31, classmate Sam Waterston invited us all to a star-studded, no-cost, online gala scheduled for Monday, June 1, at The Public Theater. However, in response to the deaths of George Lloyd and others, the WE ARE ONE PUBLIC gala was postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date. Here, Sam speaks with Y62 Communications Team member Dick Riseling about his history with The Public Theater, as well as his longtime ongoing activism on behalf of the environment. It will be online and ‘live’ sometime in the near future, we hope, once its reschedule is possible. We will do our best to keep you informed on its rescheduling. After you’ve watched the interview, you’re most welcome to post comments here. 5/31/20 Despite much in the media right on 26 May calling for world leaders to confront China on what has happened with respect to Hong Kong this – IMHO – is perhaps ill-advised, and I speak as a long-time resident of the HKSAR. First off, the news then was not quite correct. Last Friday’s proposed legislation READ MORE 5/18/20 By Dick Riseling I’m eager to tell all of my Yale ’62 classmates about the Yale Blue Green Initiative that’s gathering strength and is worthy of classmate support. It is a Yale alumni organization already operating out of the Yale School of Forestry and Environment… READ MORE 5/18/20 By William Stork Hong Kong politics is entering a potentially perilous time, as the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be abating while the protests of 2019 return. A controversial new interpretation of the Basic Law… READ MORE 5/12/20 By Ken Merkey [Ed. Note: Ken Merkey (Hilton Head, SC) contacted Yale62.org because he thought classmates might be interested in his unexpected recent business involvement in COVID-19 testing and test kits. Thanks, Ken.] I had never been involved in big pharma or the worldwide medical supply chain. A company that I am affiliated with, a hospitality company, has been doing business in South Korea for over 30 years. Early this year, my guys asked me whether we could help distribute Korean COVID-19 test… READ MORE 5/12/20 By Bob LeFevre, MD In “The Irishman,” Frank Sheehan spent months pinned down by German artillery fire on the beaches of Anzio. His home was a 10-foot deep hole in the ground. … READ MORE 5/01/20 By Larry Price Greetings from the epicenter of the pandemic. The real epicenter. I live in Union City, New Jersey which is a city of 68,000 on the west bank of the Hudson River overlooking NYC. It is a small city, only 1.29 square miles, and is reputedly the second most densely populated city in the… READ MORE 3/31/20 By George Snider In those dark days of 1939 – 1941, when the Class of 1962 was born, war loomed over growing portions of the world. Germany had invaded Poland, Japan had invaded China and both conflicts were quickly spreading. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor… READ MORE 3/27/20 By Y62 Class Members We requested that classmates check in to let us know how they’re faring through all of this. Some have responded. It’s not too late! If you want to contribute to this page, please email us at YAM@Yale62.org and we will add your news. READ ON to see what classmates have written… 3/27/20 By William Stork Bill, on whom we’ve come to rely on coronavirus news from the Asian quarter, gives us more helpful tips on life as we know it, now. READ ON 3/24/20 By Dick Riseling My partner Sonja and I operate Apple Pond Farm, an organic 80-acre farm powered by wind and sun in the beautiful Sullivan County, New York Catskills. For 48 years we treasured the immense enjoyment of freedom to be intimately connected to the many physical and social environments that populate our working farm and busy engagement with the public. Now, like you… READ ON 3/16/20 By James Wechsler  Ann & Jim Wechsler at The Bacon Mansion in Seattle (EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim Wechsler’s report explains how Yale62’s Seattle Gathering became an example of the decisions we’re all facing and are also being made for us. Our postponement came several days before the nation realized the urgency of the challenge. In our own small way, we want to help classmates and their families collect and understand information during the Coronavirus Global threat, but we cannot be a primary news source. If you have information or reasoned opinion about the situation, particularly concerning your own or other classmates’ experiences, good or bad, please email them to Webmaster@Yale62.org. We will share them on our website and on a delayed basis in our alumni notes in Yale Alumni Magazine. At the same time, we truly could use a few volunteers to help us with communications and project planning, not only about Coronavirus but also on other topics of interest to people of our age and life experience. Please email YAM@Yale62.org if you’d like to participate.) Copying the action of Y62 in postponing its Seattle Gathering/Mini-reunion scheduled for late March, the Masters Golf Tournament postponed, the New York and London Marathons rescheduled, and lesser events, such as March Madness, have canceled. Even if you have lost your iPhone, you know that this results from the novel coronavirus… READ ON 3/10/20 Last December and January, I enjoyed a visit to some of the most pleasant places in the world, Australia and New Zealand. Parenthetically, I was married in Perth in 1974 and have been back several times and seen much of the country, but still have many places… READ ON 3/10/20 First and foremost, it is important to keep a positive attitude and to avoid panic. Fear and anxiety now are unnecessary if you follow these precautions, and they weaken the body’s resilience to withstand infection. Avoid going out! Work from home if possible. If you MUST go out, avoid crowds; this means staying away from Costco, Walmart, and Sam’s! And if you must associate with others, avoid shaking hands; instead use a wai which is… READ ON 3/02/20 WOW! Despite the worry about the COVID-19 spread, I woke up last Thursday knowing that I would soon be HK$10,000 richer! … READ ON 3/02/20 Moving to Naples During 2019, I ended 40 years as a Massachusetts resident and became a citizen of Florida, specifically a condo-dwelling, golf and tennis playing, member of a “gated community” composed of people mostly over 60, in Naples, Florida. In response to kind encouragement from our Class “Communications Team” and Class Secretary John Stewart, I am writing for Yale62.org on the possibility that some classmates might be amused by my account of this transition to a new home, community, and lifestyle. The decision to relocate had roots in the decades… READ ON 3/02/20 The “Book Coroner”  The print’s a bit small, in this edition… Recently I was struck by the notion that as we move into our reclining age, we all may be reading more. I know I am and I’m also interested as perhaps we all are in what each of us is reading. My taste runs to fiction, genre spy, mystery and sf, and literary, and some belles lettres, as well as New Yorker and NY Review, both of which I run far behind on. Here are some books… READ ON 2/25/20 Then and Now Following the Feb. 22 Washington Post headline “Trump on hunt for disloyalty in ranks,” I was depressed to learn from a retired senior Foreign Service Officer ambassador that in the past few weeks more than 20 seasoned Deputy Chiefs of Mission (DCM) have been fired… READ MORE 2/10/20 Of the seven dwarves, I now identify with Grumpy. After ten days of self-imposed quarantine due to this virus… READ ON 2/03/20 (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.
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” 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”
7/01/19 Dickson ‘Dixie’ Carroll: Color, Whimsy and more
6/18/19 Exclusive Yale Attracts Record Applications for Class of 2023; 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 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. 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 |
[Ed. Note: We have a link to Yale President Salovey’s statement regarding this lawsuit – 
