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Notes: December 2000
Notes: November 2000
Notes: October 2000
Notes: June 2000
Notes: May 2000
Notes: April 2000
Notes: March 2000
Notes: February 2000
Notes: December 2000
First, a little housekeeping, info is courtesy of Vic
Norton. "The username and password in Tom Quirk's
class gift solicitation were incorrect. This was not Tom's
fault. Some last-minute adjustments were done over the
phone. Apparently, the people in the letter-writing division
of Yale are not as case-sensitive as the computer people.
"The class directory is now up on our class Web site (www2.aya.
yale.edu/classes/yc1957/index.html). Click on 'Yale 1957
Addresses' in the home page and then on 'Class Directory' at
the bottom of the address page. Enter username:
yc1957, password: ****** (both the username
and password are case-sensitive), and voila! Addresses,
phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of your classmates are
at your fingertips. By the way, you might make a note of the
username and password somewhere. Internet Explorer will
remember them for you if you tell it to, but Netscape
Communicator won't."
Speaking of Tom Quirk, he advises, "Ann MacDonald
and I were married on September 25; spent our honeymoon in
the Mt. Shasta, California, area fishing for native rainbow
trout on Hatcreek and Fall River. Caught a few and only got
water in my waders once!" Good work, Tom! I think GQ
recommends dry waders for guys on their honeymoon.
Keith McEligot shares some insights in his notes
accompanying his class dues: "1. As I do more part-time
forensic engineering work, I realize clearly I should have
taken law, not engineering. 2. My goal still is to shoot my
age as my golf score, at 92. 3. Everyone should be in some
12-step program. 4. Life is good.
Sam Guy writes, "Gail and I are delighted to
welcome our second grandchild, Lydia Ruth Proskauer, even
though her Daddy's alma mater, Cornell, beat us by one point
in our first Ivy League game of the new millennium." I might
note that our loss to Cornell was in spite of the efforts of
Don Walker Scholarship recipient, Rashad Bartholomew, who is
breaking records every week as Yale's leading rusher. Don
Roberts and I enjoyed meeting (at Mory's) with Rashad
and our other two Don Walker students last year; they are
great guys, irrespective of their football talents.
Michael Poutiatine has retired from CRUISES, Inc.
(No word on his plans; bus trips, perhaps.)
Our class has suffered some serious losses since the last
class notes. Seibert Adams succumbed to prostate
cancer, after a long and vigorous fight. Almost all that
time he enjoyed an active lifestyle with wife Ruth, his two
daughters, four cats, and magnificent flower gardens. I will
miss talking with him; his stories and sense of humor were
of the first order. Don Roberts attended his memorial
service at the Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel, where a
number of people from the publishing business spoke warmly
about Seib and his accomplishments as a college textbook
publisher. Seib did an excellent job overseeing our 25th
Reunion class book. Our condolences to his family.
George Armor died at his home in Roland Park,
Maryland, of heart failure. He was active in Baltimore civic
affairs, serving on such diverse boards as the Baltimore
Shakespeare Festival and the Baltimore Zoological Society.
Our condolences to his wife of more than 40 years,
Christine, and to his children and other family members.
I was startled to hear of the death of Martin
Pierce. Martin was the proprietor of a yoga center in
Atlanta, Georgia (the Pierce Program), with his wife
Margaret. Martin's parents are in their 90s and he had a
very healthy lifestyle. He made a real contribution to a
panel on spirituality at our 40th Reunion, and commented
that it was his first reunion and that he would plan on
attending our 80th. In our 40th Reunion class book he noted,
"My current interest is in how Christian spiritual direction
and yoga meditation can complement and enrich each other."
Martin died of a massive heart attack while hiking with his
16-year-old daughter, Kate, in India. We shall miss Martin,
and send condolences to Margaret and the rest of his family.
Please commit yourself to sending dues and news for many
years. We want to hear from you, not read about you.
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: November 2000
The class council has decided to try an informal Class of
1957 lunch at the Yale Club in New York, on the third Tues
day of every month. The lunch will be held in the
third-floor Tap Room. Just ask Carlos the headwaiter for the
1957 table. Non-club members are welcome as well as members,
so please try to join us. The host at each lunch will sign
for the non-member who can reimburse him. This will be a
Dutch-treat affair and will cost about $15 apiece.
The first two lunches have already occurred by the time
you read this; future dates are November 21, December 19,
and January 16, February 20, March 20, April 17, and May 15,
2001. Please tell other classmates about the luncheons.
There's no need to reserve a place, just show up, eat, talk,
and listen.
Alan Hockstaders's next class trip will be to
Turkey (that's right, to Turkey, not a turkey). The dates
are May 21-June 6, 2001, and you will be receiving a letter
with all details. Earlier trips are still paying dividends;
I received a note from Bill Wrean saying he had
received his "hand-knotted rugs" from Wuhan on the Yangtze
and they are beautiful! Bill and Wendy send thanks to Alan
and Birghitta.
I received the following news from Don Roberts.
"The week before last, Frank Melhorn and George
Lee, Saybrook roommates, spent much of the day with me
in the Berkshires. George was with his wife Schatzie. The
day before they had celebrated their 43rd wedding
anniversary, which gives rise to the question, 'Which
classmate has been married to the same woman the longest?'
My guess is Al Ward; he and Joanie were married in
December of 1956.
"The Lees have four children. One went to Yale; all live
in Texas. George is throttling back from his role of
managing partner of Akin, Gump, Straus, the national law
firm headquartered in Dallas. George and Schatzie have spent
much of the last three summers in the Berkshires. George is
involved with the Dallas Museum of Fine Art, the Yale Art
Gallery, and, I think, the Clark Museum in Williamstown,
Massachusetts.
"Frank Melhorn has practiced law in Toledo for most of
his professional career. He interviews Yale College
candidates. After leaving the Berkshires, Frank spent a day
with Dan Cornwell, who lives in the country west of
Philadelphia. Dan, who sent both his children to Yale, is
recovering well from prostate surgery.
"Yesterday my son had several of his Harvard Class of
2002 classmates with him. One of them, Steve Sandvoss, is
the son of our classmate Rolf Sandvoss. Rolf, who was
manager of our football team, died of a heart attack about
three years ago. Steve has an older brother who is at or
just graduated from Northwestern. They grew up in northern
Westchester County. Steve enjoyed hearing my memories of his
dad.
"Enclosed is the Journal piece about old timers' hockey;
I sent a copy direct to Mercer Island."
The Mercer Island (Washington) reference relates to
John Poinier, who is still playing hockey! When I
expressed admiration (and concern) to John, on a recent trip
to Seattle, he "explained": "Well, I did give up soccer last
year." To other jocks out there, I should tell you that the
next youngest guy on John's team is 42, and most are in
their 20s. When I left Seattle John and Alice were preparing
for the wedding of the youngest of their four daughters,
Katie, to Kemp Lundstedt.
Sadly, John's roommate, Carl Hoffman, died during
this time period. He and Bunny had been married since 1957,
and he spent his business career in the steel business and
was productively employed at the time of his death. Memorial
contributions may be made to Christ Church at Grove Farm or
Sewickley Valley Hospital, Sewickley, PA 15143. Our
condolences to Bunny and the family.
I recall an enjoyable dinner at our 25th Reunion with
Larry Kramer, Carl, and Joe Mesics. A nice
memory of a terrific guy.
The Princeton football game will be on November 11. Nancy
Mongillo has once again volunteered to host a meeting on the
class project before the game, and a cocktail party
afterwards.
For those of you whose music interests include Rock, I
recommend the new Gehry museum in Seattle, Washington, and
the movie Almost Famous.
My only missing-persons assignment of the month was
fairly routine. I found Carroll Brewster for John
Leinenweber. When I located Carroll in Ridgefield,
Connecticut, he was harvesting a one-and-a-half-ton tomato
crop; I got the impression that Carroll, a gentleman, is a
true farmer.
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: October 2000
We get quite a few requests for the whereabouts of
classmates, from classmates and others. Unfortunately, our
Web site does not have a "Mr. Keene, Tracer of Lost Persons
(Yalies)" section, but we do our best. Recently Bob
Young emerged without our help, after having gone
missing for a number of years. Here's his story:
"I wonder if you are the person to whom I should write
about paying class dues and getting a subscription to the
Yale Alumni Magazine. If so, I would appreciate the relevant
information; if not, whom should I approach? Also do I give
you information about myself? If so, here is some.
"I have lived in England since 1960. I studied and taught
at Cambridge from 1960 until 1976 where I was a fellow of
King's College and tutor for graduate students. Then I
resigned and wrote and made street politics for a time, then
made TV documentaries on the cultural dimensions of science,
got depressed, and was helped by psychoanalysis so much I
became a psychotherapist. [I] founded a publishing imprint,
Free Association Books, and founded the journals Free
Associations and Science as Culture, both of which I edit,
and Psychoanalytic Studies, of which I am associate editor.
I went back into academia a decade ago and am about to
retire from being professor of psychotherapy and
psychoanalytic studies at the University of Sheffield. I
have a private practice in London, six children ranging from
42 to 3, and six grandchildren.
"I've published about 300 volumes and have written or
edited about a dozen, e.g., Mind, Brain and Adaptation
(Oxford), Darwin's Metaphor (Cambridge), and Mental Space
(Process Press). I have an extensive Web site at
(www.human-nature.com). I'm fat, have a limp, and yet
somehow still manage to read, write, edit, teach, and love.
I am also an honored professor at the New Bulgarian
University in Sofia. I've recently met up with my old
Trumbull roommate, Bill Sheffield, who has just
retired from being a pathologist in St. Louis. His daughter
Ellen is a therapist in London."
Bob Bentley has also emerged with the following
note: "Haven't contributed to our worthy class notes over
the last 40-plus years, but came up with a sort of
interesting Web site that describes what's been going with
me and mine here in the Chicago and Wisconsin areas. Log on
and see if it's newsworthy (
www.rdbentley. com) and (greatart@rdbentley.com).
Vic Norton is back on the Web site team, after
motorcycling across Central America, and is continuously
frustrated in his effort to create a sound database for the
Class of 1957. The information he gets from the AYA is a
moving target and has a shifting number of classmates, both
online and dead. Anyway, his work proceeds and we will
benefit from his diligence.
Vic has created a Web-based class database from AYA
records. A typical record contains the name, college, and
date of demise (hopefully not), home address, home phone,
work address, and work phone of a classmate. (This would be
a full record. Most records contain only some of this
information.)
The data will go up on the class Web site (www.aya.yale.
edu/classes/yc1957/) in a few weeks. It will be open for
any classmate to see. If you want any of your data hidden
from other eyes, get in touch with Vic immediately. E-mail:
(norton@tweney.com);
phone 419-353-8399; address: 622 Morton Avenue, Bowling
Green, OH 43402-2223. You won't be able to drop your name or
college affiliation, but everything else is excludable.
Tung H. Jeong, professor of physics, emeritus,
Department of Physics, Lake Forest College, sent in a
photograph (which I expect to put on the Web site) with the
announcement of an award received from the Photographic
Society of America. You look good, professor!
I'm sorry to report that Aileen Quigley died in June.
Quigs masterminded the success of the 25th Reunion gift and
I recall she was an inspiration to Peter Fritzsche in
his efforts for our class's 25th. (Pete has two weddings
this fall, so we know where this year's "gifts" are going.)
Tom McCance '55 has proposed the establishment of an Aileen
Quigley Memorial Scholarship within the endowment of the
Yale Alumni Fund. Gifts should be sent to the Yale Alumni
Fund, Attn: Madeline Spencer, Box 1890, New Haven, CT
06508-1890. I know that one of our classmates has gotten '57
off to a good start with his participation, and I hope many
will follow. Quigs loved Yale and was an inspiration. The
total fund goal is $100,000 for ten classes. Many hands make
light work.
Summer is almost gone. I'm leaving for Seattle and San
Francisco tomorrow with my youngest daughter, Alexandra
(14). We will visit with John Poinier in Seattle, and
sons, Jonathan and Oliver, in San Francisco. A little
earlier in the year I went on a trip to Spain with
above-mentioned sons to play golf and absorb a little (very
little) culture. It's not so bad when the kids become old
enough to be traveling companions who do more of the heavy
lifting than we do. We also celebrated daughter Taintor's
40th birthday. A bigger shock for me than for her.
No big news on the class project, but here's a headline
from Science and Technology: "Scientists are finding that
the human brain is pre-wired for music." Could this sublime
expression of culture be as much about biology as art?
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: June 2000
I'm pleased to bring you news from New Haven, and the
great University located there. Don Roberts sends the
following: "Herewith some notes on the April 28-29 AYA
Assembly. The highlight of the affair was the Assembly
dinner, in a packed Commons, at which the Yale Medal, Yale's
highest award for service, is presented. Among this year's
five recipients: Sam Chauncey, only the second member
of the Class of 1957 (Vern Loucks was the first) to
be honored. 1957 classmates in attendance to honor Sam
included: Bill Ellis, our AYA delegate; Alan
Hockstader; Frank Melhorn; Judge Dick Newman (and
his wife Mary); and me.
"The title of the Assembly, the AYA's 56th, was 'Yale and
The Global Environment'. The Assembly showcased Yale's
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and its new
dean, Gus Speth '64, '69LLB. About this school: mission: to
produce environmental leaders and environmental knowledge;
students: 200 master's candidates (1/3 from abroad with a
goal of increasing this to 1/2) and 75 doctoral candidates;
facilities: part of Yale's recently announced $500 million
program to upgrade buildings on Science Hill includes a new
Environmental Sciences Facilities building; and faculty:
will add eight to ten.
"The school is making the transition from school of
forestry (actually the country's first, founded 100 years
ago) to a broader graduate and professional school of the
environment, in which field three-fourths of the students
take their degrees. The school is creating joint programs
with other Yale graduate schools, especially the management
school. They also want to offer every undergraduate who so
desires any opportunity to take an environmental course, and
have 15 courses tailored for undergraduates.
"The school feels that much progress on the environment
has been made in the United States, but much more needs to
be done on global environmental matters. Hence the desire to
raise the school's enrollment of foreign students. One major
challenge is that developing countries feel they have needs
which take priority over the environment.
"President Levin spoke to the assembly and took
questions. He spoke with passion about free expression at
Yale. A commission headed by the recently deceased Vann
Woodward studied this subject at Yale a few years ago and
concluded, 'Yale has an obligation to protect free
expression.' Three incidents abridging free expression
occurred this school year; Levin spoke of what's being done
to prevent future incidents."
I was saddened to read of the death of our esteemed
classmate, and first class secretary, Gary Bellow.
Richard Arnold writes, "Our friend and classmate Gary
Bellow died April 13. He was 64 years old and suffered from
complications from a heart transplant. Gary had been a
member of the faculty of the Harvard Law School since 1972.
He founded the Clinical Program there, in which law students
acquired skills by serving clients. The program has expanded
to nearly 20 courses that provide legal services to 3,000 to
4,000 poor clients each year.
"Gary felt deeply that it was the obligation of every
lawyer to help make the legal system more accessible to
those who cannot afford to pay counsel of their own. The
Clinical Program accomplished two objectives: it helped meet
the need for legal services for people who could not pay for
them, and it helped train law students in practical skills.
"In our last reunion book Gary wrote: 'I have spent most
of my time trying to make changes in legal education and the
legal profession which would make it more responsive to the
unmet legal needs of large segments of the population. I've
been part of some useful innovations and helped a lot of
poor clients along the way. I am still at it and still love
it.'
"Gary's death came only two weeks before his 40th Reunion
at Harvard Law School. His Class of 1960 decided several
months ago to mark this occasion by a special class gift in
his honor.
"Gary is survived by his wife, Professor Jeanne Charn, a
lecturer at Harvard Law School; and by three children,
Douglas, Davis, and Courtenay. Jeanne's home address is 4
Park Lane, Boston, MA 02130."
We share the family's sorrow, as well as their
appreciation of a wonderful life.
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: May 2000
Our annual class dinner, preceded by a meeting of the
class council, took place on March 16 at the Yale Club of
New York City. A record turnout of 79 was on hand, including
55 classmates! I think the large crowd was because of
interest in the class project and in Johannes Somary,
our distinguished classmate and speaker. Hannes's talk on
"Music, the Key to Passionate Serenity" covered his career
and life in music, as a composer, musical director,
performer, and teacher. The response was terrific and
comments afterwards were unanimously positive. Our council
meeting was graced with the presence of Frederica von Stade,
who spoke eloquently about the class project, and agreed to
become an honorary member of the committee.
Jim Ziegler introduced our class Web site, (www.aya.
yale.edu/classes/yc1957/index.html), and made a very
clear visual presentation. We are the first 1950s class to
have a Web site and we can thank our director, class Web
site (Ziegler) for his excellent and ongoing work in its
creation. The complete list of attendees at dinner will be
available at the site, as will these notes. In addition to
the above-described activities, Al Hockstader gave a
very interesting review of the recent class trip to India.
Once again, Sandy Clark outdid himself in putting on
a great party, an excellent dinner (thanks to the Yale Club,
and our personal menu selector, Gale Kosto), and a simply
thoroughly enjoyable evening. Don Roberts and
Malcolm Mitchell continue to provide inspirational
leadership for our project and special thanks are owed to
Gerry Neary for attracting Frederica von Stade to our
meeting, and our cause.
Every time I meet, or read about, any of the kids who are
benefiting from special scholarship funds made available by
our classmates, I am stunned by their accomplishments and
continuing achievements. Leah Dunay, of the Class of 2000,
has been awarded the Gordon H. Smith Scholarship at Yale for
a fourth year. Leah is completing her BA degree in
philosophy with a concentration in ethics and moral
development. She is a varsity cheerleader, founded the Yale
women's indoor soccer program, and is captain of the
championship intramural soccer team of her residential
college, Timothy Dwight. She has been inducted into the
community-service Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. The past two
summers she has stayed on in New Haven to work as a coach
and counselor for the National Youth Sports Program.
Katherine Hawkins, Sara McAlister, and Vivek Sugavanam were
award recipients from the Robert R. Perkins ('86BA) Memorial
Scholarship Fund for this academic year. Tom Perkins,
and other classmates, can be proud of the records these
youngsters are producing at Yale and can feel good about
their future contributions to the wider society.
Enigmatic note from Luke Finlay: "LWF (Irish)
Enterprises, Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Claire, is my
newest venture." Keith McEligot is worried because
everything is "going so cool." (Can't help here.)
Dave Mininberg, our class agent, has retired from
the practice of pediatric urology (take that, you little
whizzers!) after 35 "happy and satisfying years." Dave has
studied mummies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the
past few years, and has CAT-scanned the museum's 11 mummies.
The knowledge gained has resulted in pamphlets and other
educational materials for the benefit of staff and also
visitors to the museum. Dave is formally studying archeology
at the Graduate School at New York University.
Jim Banner has been the recent co-author, with
Harold Cannon, of two books from Yale University Press.
Roger Rosenblatt called the first, The Elements of
Teaching (1997), about the personal qualities needed for
teaching, a "moral essay" in which the authors "have not
only written brilliantly about the practice of teaching,
they have also captured the beauty of it." The second,
The Elements of Learning (1999), this one for
students and what they need to bring to studying and
learning, has been called "a celebration of the learning
process" that can "entertain and edify the person willing to
become a better student." Rock on, Jim!
Carl Myrun writes, "As of January 1, I was
permanently assigned to the Hillier Group's Washington
office. DC is a great city. Even the mayor is a Yalie! On
February 6, I'll be rehearsing with the Washington Alumni
Chorus, along with Banner and Gimmler. Anybody want
to buy a Lustron home in Clarks Green, Pennsylvania?"
Walter Loesche, DMD, PhD will be retiring this year
from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He will
receive an honorary degree in Finland to go along with
earlier honorary degrees from the University of Ghent in
Belgium and the University of Goteborg in Sweden. Charles
Strong moved to Clermont, Florida, February 18, and is
semi-retiring; Clark Cunningham has retired; and
Hank Conlan is "playing golf at Quail Lodge, tennis,
and fishing." (I guess that means he retired.) Col. John
Miller USMC (ret.) has a "new book going into production
with the Naval Institute Press. Working title: The
Co-Vans: Marine Advisors in Vietnam, 1970-1971, a fall
2000 release."
Those who are still interested in "aggressive" growth
investments might want to read the Barron's interview with
Alan Carr, Bio-tech guru, March 20 edition.
I'm sorry to report the death of Theodore Waltuch,
MD, on August 11, 1999.
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: April 2000
Lots of news and dues this month, thank you. The Rev.
Robert Crafts MD writes that he is "now port chaplain
for the Missions to Seamen in San Diego, working from Stella
Maris Seafarers' Center. On Sundays, celebrating mass in
Spanish at St.Mark's Episcopal Church, San Diego." Sounds
like a perfect synthesis for a varied career of service to
his fellow man.
I had a stimulating talk with poet Rufus Goodwin,
who has written a book on prayer, Give Us This Day, and has
a novel, Valentine for a Waitress, coming out in London this
month. Rufus can be found at The Poet's Gallery in Boston.
Sam Guy reports that he has a new granddaughter,
Lydia Ruth Proskauer, sister of Max Molstre Proskauer.
Hugh Thompson, "We're finally grandparents — what a
supersonic feel! Kara, now 11 months." A real boomer baby,
eh, Hugh.
Phil Pillsbury writes, "My one bit of news: On
December 31, 1999, a fascinating relationship I have had
with the Panama Canal will end. With full reversion the
committee on which I have sat for the past four years, the
Joint Committee on the Environment for the Panama Canal,
will terminate. I have truly enjoyed the experience of this
association." Time marches on. Ed Cook writes from
Oklahoma, "Plugging along with six children and 11
grandchildren. Spent recent weekend in NYC with Bill
Wrean and Wendy at dinner and theater. Presently
securing birth certificate for Joe Clayton." Now we
know that Joe was born in Oklahoma, and that record keeping
in those ancient times was imperfect!
Bill Keen reports that his "major activity is
restoration of 'antique' military vehicles collected over
the years. Saving a part of the nation's heritage, I call
it: three jeeps; one 3/4-ton and two 2-1/2-ton cargo trucks;
and one and a half 2-1/2-ton amphibian DOKWs. Also a couple
of GI trailers. The whole lot goes to rallies and holiday
parades for exercise. It keeps the mind, hands, and bank
account active." (Keeps you facile with your fractions, too.
— ed.)
Ken Mulligan writes that he and son Dan really
enjoyed the Princeton game and that he is very high on the
current football staff. He and wife Marty recently had "a
great time" in Ocean City, Maryland, with Len Hassler '58
and his wife Evelyn. Robert Rhoads is still working
as an attorney-investor, and "all's well." Fellow Gin &
Tonic "spook" Joe Lemmo (no sneers; according to the
New York press, G&T was George W.'s first choice before
family pressure forced him to accept Skull & Bones) advises
that "daughter Loretta was married June 26 to Tom Burns in
San Francisco. They reside in LA, a couple of miles from
sister, Laura."
Bill Bogert "just finished playing Roy Cohn in
Angels in America at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in
Storrs, Connecticut; how come I can't get a job at the Yale
Rep or Long Wharf?"
Buell Neidlinger sends "greetings to all living
members of Eli's Chosen Six and all those who hung around
our rehearsals in Wright Hall (1954)!" Buell doesn't say if
he's still playing. I sure hope so. Robert Armstrong:
"I'm happy to report that daughter Abigail is finally a
Yalie, graduating from the School of Management in June. As
for myself, I'm working on economic development in central
Asia, among other things. Kyrgyzstan is really very nice in
May." (Look to our Web site for emerging growth companies in
Kyrgyzstan. — ed.)
David Christenson is "pleased to report my
daughter Jennifer has been enrolled in Class of '03,
Branford College. She is presently on Old Campus in
Vanderbilt." It was good to hear from Jose deVicuna, who is
married to Barbara Lapetrra and has two sons and a daughter,
ages 17, 16, and 11. He divides his time between Madrid and
St. Jean de Luz, France, with occasional trips to the U.S.
Richard Lewis has retired from full-time faculty
at Ohio State College of Medicine (30 years) and will
continue part-time indefinitely. Jerome Farnum has
resettled "in the good old USA" and likes it. He can be
found in Monroe Township, New Jersey. John Crosby has
changed jobs and is now the director of the Centennial
Campaign at Blake School.
Received the following epistle from Bob Smith. "My
wife and I have retired from the history department at SUNY
College at Brockport, New York, and moved to Guilford,
Connecticut, not far from Yale and Sterling Memorial
Library. We leave for Los Angeles and UCLA soon, where
Sumiko will teach film in the winter and spring quarters.
So, a bicoastal existence for awhile, and time for me to
ponder whether to take up the trombone again and join other
alumni some Saturday afternoon marching with the Yale
'Precision' Marching Band — ah! that's so seductive. Best
wishes to all." Professor Kenneth Gergen "just
published An Invitation to Social Construction, Sage, an
introduction to the theoretical position I have been
advancing for the past 20 years in the social sciences." (I
guess we're going to have to buy the book to find out what
that position is. — ed.)
Good news from our class Web master, Jim Ziegler:
"The Yale Class of 1957 Web site is now operational. It can
be found either by going to the Association of Yale Alumni
site (www.aya.yale.edu) and
wandering around to find where the class Web sites are
located, or by going directly to (www.aya.yale.edu/
classes/yc1957). If you go there, store the site in your
"Favorites" file for future reference. The Web site has been
tested for use with Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Microsoft
Explorer (5.0). The site has active multimedia, and may not
work well on office PCs or early browsers. The site is
indebted to Carl Myrus for the original 1957
recording of 'The Whiffenpoof Song,' which plays under the
title page. Vic Norton was a major contributor to
this Web site, including the class bulldog graphic, and we
wish him well, in absentia, while he is motorcycling through
Central America.
"Volunteers are needed to participate in maintaining the
Web site. For those wanting a permanent free Yale e-mail
address such as (Dan@aya.yale.edu), from which e-mail is
instantly forwarded to your current local e-mail address, go
to (www.aya.yale.edu/vys/). You will need an alumni password, which is included in
your annual class dues notice, or can be obtained from the
AYA at (203)432-1945 or by e-mail to (vys@aya.yale.edu)." More
details next month. Great job, Jim!
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: March 2000
Our "open call" for a Web master was productive, and I'm
pleased to tell you that Jim Ziegler and Vic
Norton have taken on the responsibility for design,
production, and maintenance of the Class of '57 Web site.
Jim stopped at my office in New London on his way to visit
his boat in Newport, Rhode Island, from his home in Yorktown
Heights, New York, and he agreed to take on the Web
assignment and to recruit Vic Norton as his partner. As a BA
degree-holder, I feel quite satisfied that our Web site is
in the hands of Yale's last PhD in nuclear physics. Jim is
still active at IBM and his business card indicates he is
"manager, material analysis, radiation science, and ion
implantation." I will add that he is a good
conversationalist, to boot.
I received a note and packet from Bob Weinmann MD,
who is president of the Union of American Physicians and
Dentists. Bob spoke at a White House meeting on healthcare
reform in November 1998, and he sent me materials (including
pictures that would be great for our Web site) that
described his positions and opinions. Bob and his union are
negative on many aspects of managed care, and are strong
advocates for patients' rights, as well as unionization of
MDs. He also has "some of Johannes Somary's musical
productions — listen to it alla' time!" I hope Bob can come
to our class meeting on March 16 in New York.
On a personal note, having nothing to do with managed
care, I'm happy to report that my pacemaker is now doing a
good job and I'm not having any days like I had the day of
the Harvard game, when I really felt like an unhealthy
member of the Class of '32.
I received the following e-mail from Bud Trillin
(whose daughters call him "Net Boy"): "Classmates who knew
Peter Fine might be interested in hearing about a
luncheon I attended a while back in New York. Peter was a
pediatrician who in his late 20s started suffering from a
disease called neurofibromatosis — nerve-ending tumors in
the head.
"After one of the tumors took his hearing, he learned
sign language and became the medical director of the student
health services at Gallaudet College, the college in
Washington for the hearing-impaired. He was Gallaudet's
first deaf doctor and the first one who could use sign — a
language he championed. Peter died in 1975. The Gallaudet
infirmary is named after him. His father, Sidney Fine '31,
who had a long and distinguished career as an orchestrator
in Hollywood, eventually completed a song about the power of
sign language. Sidney Fine, who is now in his 90s, gathered
together some people at Le Perigord one Sunday to hear a
recording by Michael Jackson of his song. It's a lovely
song, called 'Seeing Voices,' after the title of a book on
deafness by Oliver Sacks. The event was also lovely — a
tribute to Peter and to a father's enduring devotion. — Bud
Trillin."
Guy Palmer called to ask about the March class
meeting and filled me in on his activities with Chatham
Investments. Guy is now semi-unretired and is working with
son Philip and others, managing money in Savannah, Georgia.
I hope many of you read the article in the YAM, "When
Yale Changed," by Geoffrey Kabaservice. It is a fine
memorial to Inky Clark; he would enjoy it.
While searching for a Web master I was directed towards
Mo Raker, who has a successful, small software
company in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Though my call to Mo
did not yield its original purpose, I did hear about Mo's
company, and about some of his trips with spouse Jan. Mo was
not one of the classmates on the China trip, though he has
traveled there extensively, but he will be on the India
trip.
John Swezy, self-described dropout from the Class
of '57, sent his dues, also greetings to Richard
Newman and Morris Raker (see above), and admits to
reading anything by his classmate from Kansas City, Bud
Trillin. Allan Wendt retired from the foreign service
at the end of 1995, but went back to the State Department in
December 1998 and has been working full-time on Kosovo and
related issues.
Ed Meyer has been selected as a delegate for Bill
Bradley in the New York presidential primary, and hopes for
further campaign activity after that, "notwithstanding his
Princeton education." Joe Vittoria and Luciana
celebrated their 37th anniversary in October and were
blessed with their fourth grandchild, courtesy of Edward '93
and spouse.
I was saddened to hear of the death of John Tyson,
in Richmond, Virginia. I had not seen John in a number of
years, but his voice and face (circa 1957) are strongly
imprinted on my memory. He will be missed. Condolences to
family and to all of us, his friends.
—Ellsworth Davis
Notes: February 2000
Yale-Harvard football is not what it was in the days of
Larry Kelley (what a story!), but can still provide thrills
for the faithful. On a balmy day at The Bowl the Yalies
prevailed in a nail-biter. Our great quarterback, Joe
Walland, left the hospital and his IV and reported to The
Game where he threw more than 60 passes, won a squeaker in
the last three minutes — and then checked back into the
hospital. Move over, Dink Stover!
We had an excellent meeting on The Class Project at Nancy
Mongillo's home prior to the game. In attendance, and
participating vigorously, were: Berne Kosto, Peter
Fritzsche, Malcolm Mitchell, Tom Perkins, Nick Tingley, Dave
Bowman, Sandy Clark, Gerry Neary, Rod Correll, Roberts,
and Davis. We think we will have a useful role to
play in providing a system of support and encouragement for
music education for all schoolchildren in the U.S.
educational system. We are proceeding on several fronts and
there will be opportunities for constructive participation
for every classmate.
The post-game party, also at Mongillo's (warm thanks to
Nancy and family), was invigorated by the Yale win. In
addition to the earlier named, we were graced with the
company of the following: Gail Bowman and Gayle Kosto,
Chris Sonne and Sally, Dick Jones and Elie,
Steve Flagg, Howie Gillis and Edwina, Garson
Heller and Velma, Tom Quirk, Ed Meyer and Patty,
and Paul Gimbel. Our corresponding secretary left the
party a little early (1. Teenaged daughter anxious to rejoin
her peer group, and 2. Newly installed pacemaker not
perfectly tuned, leaving user operating at low energy
level.) All is now well, and I'm quite thrilled with new
consistency of heart rhythm. Nevertheless, I know I missed a
lot of good gossip, and I apologize.
I urged attendance at our class dinner at the Yale Club
of New York in the last notes. I now urge you to come on
March 16, 2000, not March 18. Don Roberts attended
the AYA fall Assembly, "Yale and Leadership," pinch-hitting
for Bill Ellis, who was traveling in New Zealand. Don
writes, "Our class was prominent. Merrill Clark and
Alan "Around the world in 80 Days" Hockstader
were there jointly representing the Yale Westchester Alumni
Association. Judge Dick Newman represented the Yale
Club of Montclair. Howie Gillis attended President Levin's
wrap-up lunch.
"With such a general topic, the assembly is difficult to
summarize. The best panel included four Yale graduates: the
head of a not-for-profit, the head of the Environmental
Defense Fund, the governor of Vermont, and the ambassador to
Denmark. They discussed how Yale had helped them become
leaders: discipline required by a Yale education — rigorous
thought based on facts; confidence generated from succeeding
at Yale; mentoring from faculty and alumni; stress on
excellence; listening to and understanding the points of
view of others; Yale's expectation that its students will be
leaders; perseverance in striving to be the best you can be.
"President Levin spoke about the physical renewal of Yale
and New Haven at lunch which took place in the Yale New
Haven Omni Hotel, an appropriate symbol of New Haven's
improved fortunes. New Haven's retail business continues to
decline, but the city is becoming home to more people. A
300-unit apartment building near the Yale campus is 95
percent occupied. The area across from the Shubert theater
is being revived as housing. The theater itself is being
refurbished. (He noted that the Royal Shakespeare Company
played two weeks this summer at the Long Wharf Theater.)
Yale is putting money into many of these ventures.
"The campus looks much more attractive. Berkeley, the
first college to be completely renovated, reopened in
September and looks great. Branford is undergoing a complete
renovation and will be followed by Saybrook in school year
2000-2001 and T.D. the following year. He mentioned the
prospect of a 13th and 14th college in the next decade as
Yale wishes to increase class size from 1,375 in the Class
of 2003 by about 100. Three new buildings will go up on
Science Hill. The first one, an environmental building near
the Peabody Museum, is underway.
"Yale is preparing to announce the Yale World Fellows
program, a kind of domestic Rhodes Scholar arrangement, that
will look worldwide for men and women ages 27-33 to study at
Yale for one school year. The program will start with ten
participants and expand to 20." (Thank you, Don, for this
informative report.)
Don also forwarded a letter from William Bidwell '63
telling about this year's Donald K. Walker Scholars: Rashad
Bartholomew, David O. Farrell, and Matthew W. Lewis. All
three of these young men are exceptional scholar-athletes,
and all three play football at Yale. Space precludes
providing the full bios on these three men, but they have
already been living full, productive lives and we can feel
privileged to be helping them.
Brian Walsh has announced he will retire as
headmaster of the Buckley School in New York City at the end
of the 2000-2001 school year. Brian will have served as head
of Buckley for 19 years, and will be the longest-serving
head of a New York City private school. Congratulations,
Brian; great run.
I'm sorry to report the passing of J. Wayne
Silbersack. Wayne was living in Darien, Connecticut,
with his wife Barbara. We extend condolences to her and the
rest of the family.
In keeping in tune with our Class Project, best wishes
for a melodious millennium.
—Ellsworth Davis
Site designed and maintained by Christopher
Bates.
This Page Last Updated: February 23, 2008.
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