Yale Class of '52
Artists & Authors

John H. Trattner
Yale 1952

How to Succeed in Washington's Toughest Jobs (Brookings Institute Press)

This book is one of six volumes in the Prune Book series written since 1988 that address the various dimensions of the process by which presidents staff the top echelons of the federal government with political appointments. The books are distinguished by essays that provide first-hand insight into the complicated realities of appointed service and federal management; also by their extensive profiles examining the specific issues, responsibilities, and necessary credentials involved in hundreds of presidential appointed sub cabinet positions. Over the years the books have found a broad readership in the White House, the Congress, federal agencies, the media, and academic institutions, as well as among the appointees themselves.

Prune Books draw almost exclusively on in-depth interviews with knowledgeable observers and veterans of appointed federal service, including current and recent occupants of the positions under discussion.

The books are produced under the aegis of series author John Trattner, a former journalist, Senate staff member, U.S. diplomat and vice president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Council for Excellence in Government.

Peter K. Leisure
Yale 1952
LL.B University of Virginia 1958

I minored in Art while at Yale, and took painting courses every year, receiving strong encouragement to pursue an art career from Dean Keller. After graduation, I studied at the Art Students League in New York during the summer and fall of 1953, under the guidance of the great painter, Reginald Marsh. We became close friends, even spending time sketching together on some weekends. He assumed I would become an artist.

Peter's ROTC commitment intervened with his artistic interests. After his military career, he entered law school and started his distinguished legal career in 1958. In 1984, he was appointed a Federal Judge in the southern district of New York.

This painting of Morrison Garden in Madison, CT was done in 1984 when he had a lapse from work before undertaking his new duties as a Federal Judge.

Jack A. Tweedle
Yale 1952
D.D.S. 1960

Following graduation, Jack enlisted in the U.S. Navy and received a commission a year later. Following his military service and dental school training, he practiced orthodontic dentistry for thirty-three years, thirteen of which also included serving as a dental school professor.

On display is a copy of Jack's interview with Dr. Birchard Goodall: Dentist-Musician. In this interview, he explores the professional difficulties faced by a young, talented black man caught between two worlds of music and dentistry. Goodall had the opportunity to become a professional black piano/trumpet player with Duke Ellington's band or tighten the belt and pursue a degree in dentistry at Howard University.

Goodall attended Howard Dental School in Washington, D.C., and worked part-time for Duke Ellington. Duke asked Goodall to join his band, which he declined, finished school, and opened a practice in Scranton. He also performed evenings with his own band, but threats from a local gangster convinced Goodall to move to Hackensack, NJ, where he established his dental practice. Due to a flood in Wilkes-Barre in 1972, dental association membership records were destroyed and he was denied Life Membership status in the American Dental Association. When the ADA Secretary read this article, he immediately granted Life Member status to Dr. Goodall. In light of the September 11th disaster, Dr. Goodall's comments for this 1981 article seemed prophetic: “ I hope it won't take a war to cause the personal and material suffering which seems to unite people.