Link to ClassNotes-MarchApril2014 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes March-April 2014
During the November AYA Assembly in New Haven, the Class of 1963 received the AYA’s Outstanding
Innovation Award. The citation in the Assembly program read as follows: “For its 50th Reunion this year, the
Class of 1963 created something new – the Yale College Class of 1963 Teaching Awards. Organizers asked
class members to nominate teachers and mentors from their undergraduate days for recognition. Class
members made a total of 145 nominations, and 19 of the nominees attended a special lunch during the
reunion at which classmates read tributes to the teachers who could be present. Nominees were given
certificates and VIP treatment, and a list of all nominees, living and deceased, was circulated. By allowing
class members to express gratefulness and reflect on the teachers who had changed their lives, the awards
infused a special spirit into the 50th Reunion. The Class of 1963 notes that the awards ‘cemented the kind of
emotional and intellectual bond which, we believe, best connects alumni with the Yale we remembered and
the Yale we support today.’” Class AYA delegate Mike Skol, who accepted the award on behalf of the Class,
later talked with President Salovey, who reiterated his appreciation for what we had done.
As previously reported, Jerry Kenney received the Lifetime of Achievement Award at the Blue Leadership Ball
in New Haven on the Friday evening of the Harvard weekend. Among the classmates who were on hand to
honor Jerry were Dan Arons, Jud Calkins, Ed Dennis, Denny Landa, Hank Higdon, Michael Freeland, Nelson
Luria, Ian Robertson, Fred Schneider, Victor Sheronas, Mike Skol, Jim Thompson, Neil Thompson, Peter
Truebner, David Weinstein, and Ty Welles.
Leo Damrosch, Research Professor of Literature at Harvard, has published a critically acclaimed biography of
Jonathan Swift. Leo explains his choice of subject as follows: “I’ve read and admired Swift ever since I was an
undergraduate 50 years ago, and I’ve taught his works often over the years. He fascinates me as a great
writer who also had a profound influence in the social and political world. As Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral
in Dublin, he catalyzed resistance to oppression by England, and did much to create an Irish national
consciousness.”
Tony Elson’s book, “Globalization and Development – Why East Asia Surged Ahead and Latin America Fell
Behind”, has just been published by Palgrave Macmillan. It is closely related to a course on comparative
economic development which Tony has been teaching for a number of years at the Johns Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. The book is a companion volume to Tony’s previous
book, “Governing Global Finance”, as the themes of both books reflect Tony’s many years of experience at
the International Monetary Fund. Tony hopes that classmates with an interest in globalization, economic
development, East Asia, or Latin America will have occasion to read the book and let Tony know what they
think.
Mike Lieberman has published a new book of poems, Bonfire of the Verities, put out by Texas Review Press
in both a print and a Kindle edition (Amazon). As Mike explains: “What speaks here is doubt and the
commitment to cast aside the apparent truths we all accumulate. These verities are what are tossed onto
the bonfire.” For a YouTube video of Mike discussing and reading from his poems, go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKfuBOTqN6k.
Bill Nordhaus has been designated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as
the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for 2014. Bill previously served as Vice
Chairman.
Robert H. Nichols, a prominent labor union lawyer, died Friday, November 22, 2013, after battling cancer for
a year and a half.
Bob lived the bulk of his adult life in the Kenwood area of Chicago, where he and his long-time wife Jean
Christy Nichols raised their four children, Marc, Seth, Ethan, and Rebecca . The Nichols divorced recently
after more than 40 years of marriage. Jean was a school teacher in the Chicago Public School System and one
of the pioneers of the Head Start program in the mid-’60s.
Bob was a graduate of the Harvard School for Boys in Chicago, where he was a high-scoring forward on the
basketball team, making the All-State small school squad in his senior year. At Yale, a knee injury cut short
his basketball career, causing him to switch to the lightweight crew. After graduation from Yale, Bob spent a
year in San Francisco, earning a certificate in public affairs from the Coro Foundation and whetting his
interests in public service and the labor movement.
After earning a law degree at the University of Chicago in 1966, Bob joined the well-known union-side law
firm of Cotton, Watt, Jones and King. During his career there, he represented various locals of the Meat
Packers Union and the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA). Bob became an expert on airline merger and
seniority list integration issues. He was most proud of the litigation he helped mount that won for the first
time female flight attendants’ right to continue to fly after marriage.
When his law firm dissolved in 1995, Bob went to work full-time at ALPA ultimately becoming its senior staff
person for the United Pilots. These were contentious and troubled times, culminating in United’s descent
into bankruptcy between 2002 and 2006, which resulted in steep wage cuts and loss of pensions for the
pilots. Bob also played a key role in United’s subsequent merger with Continental, helping to win a decent
collective bargaining agreement for the pilots and achieve seniority integration of the two pilot groups.
“Trying to get a bunch of pilots to agree on anything isn’t like herding a bunch of cats – it’s more like taming a
bunch of mountain lions,” points out Jonathan Laing, Senior Editor for Barron’s and Bob’s brother- in- law.
Bob was respected by management negotiators for the fairness and pragmatism of his advocacy.
Bob was an avid sailor for more than four decades, sailing out of Monroe Street Harbor in Chicago. He also
liked to spend time in his summer home in New Hampshire.
Ed Walsh recalls that Bob was the driving force behind his attendance at the 50th Reunion. Ed adds: “I
suspect that his desire to attend the Reunion kept him going after his diagnosis.”
Perhaps a posting on the ALPA website summed up Bob’s life most succinctly: “Bob was a great lawyer, a
good friend and a big, humorous, engaging personality with lots of interests.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Link to ClassNotes-MayJune2014 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes May-June, 2014
There will be a Class of 1963 Mini-Reunion in Philadelphia, PA on Thursday through Sunday,
April 24-27, 2014. The Mini-Reunion Committee, led by Charlie Dilks, has put together a very interesting
and educational program for the Philadelphia Mini-Reunion, which will give us a behind-the-scenes
perspective on the City of Brotherly Love that not many visitors are privileged to receive. By careful
budgeting, and with contributions from several “class angels”, the Mini-Reunion Committee has been
able to establish a very attractive price of $675 per person (exclusive of hotel accommodations). In
addition, 40 hotel rooms have been set aside at a special price in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown
Philadelphia. These specially priced rooms are available on a first come/first served basis until March
25, 2014. To register electronically for the Mini-Reunion, go to http://tinyurl.com/63philly. To reserve
one of the specially-priced rooms at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, call the hotel directly at (215) 523-8000 or
call the central reservations line at (800) 241-3333 and reference the event name (Yale Class of 1963)
and the program dates (4/24-27/2014). To make your reservations on-line, go to
https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Philadelphia/Reservations/Default.htm, enter check-in and
departure dates (4/24-27/2014), under “Special Rates” click on “Group Code” and enter the group code
YAGYAGA, then click on “Continue” and follow directions to complete the reservation.
An exhibition at the Grolier Club in New York City (60th Street just west of Park Avenue) on
“Theodore Low De Vinne, Dean of Printers”, co-curated by Michael Koenig, opened on February 19,
2014 and will run until late April 2014. De Vinne’s passion for the art and history of the book earned him
the title “Dean of American Printers.” He was a founding member of the Grolier Club, and his De Vinne
Press of New York City was responsible for most of the important Grolier Club works published during
his lifetime. He was also a leader in his profession (particularly in the development and adoption of new
printing technology), a committed scholar in the history of printing, and an accomplished author of
works on the origins and history of printing. It was De Vinne who established that it was the invention
of the adjustable type mold that constituted the invention of printing in the Western sense, and that
Gutenberg was the inventor. He received an honorary degree from Yale in 1901.
Jud Calkins retired from active law practice in 1999, by design in order to greet the new
millennium. Jud’s law license stays current but his livelihood is investment real estate, accumulated
over time, which he manages from home, a semiretirement that satisfies multiple needs and desires.
Jud celebrates 21 years of marriage to Pilar nee Fuentes of Chile (chance meeting at a singles dance!).
Their son, Rexford Cesar, now 12, is a budding song and dance man, having starred in the summer St.
Louis Municipal Opera. Jud and his family spend time with their extended family in Chile, where they
have real estate holdings as well. They spent the 2013 Christmas (in summer!) there with a side
excursion to lonely Easter Island, part of Chile far west in the Pacific, where they learned of the Rapa Nui
and the extraordinary figures they carved from compacted volcanic ash and transported to island
shores. Jud devotes much time currently to the presidency of a giant condo complex where they have
realty holdings. He has travelled to Northern Ireland, New Brunswick, and sites domestic in recent years
on a family history quest, and is now ready to follow his former journalistic bent and write up the
findings. Pilar has become proficient in fashioning costume jewelry, including extraordinary purses from
pop tops off soda cans. Jud is a St. Louis senior Olympian in the football throw (gold medalist) and the
power walk, and reports that he grows closer each year to his classmates in ’63.
Phil Stevens is in communication with Nigeria's National Commission on Museums and
Monuments regarding plans for the Phillips Stevens Centre for Esie Studies, proposed by the king and
dignitaries of the town of Esie in Nigeria, who honored Phil with a chieftaincy title in December 2012.
Esie is the site of the famous and mysterious Stone Images of Esie. Phil's 1978 book about them remains
the definitive work. Finally, Phil hopes, more work will be done toward uncovering the origin of these
sculptures.
Richard R. Jacunski died on September 24, 2013 at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Barnegat,
NJ. Dick Jacunski and his twin brother Bob (who died in 2011) entered Yale with our Class in 1959. As
Dick wrote in our 50th Reunion Class Book, he and his brother Bob were “blessed and honored to play
end on undefeated 1959 Freshman Football and undefeated 1960 Yale Football teams.” Dick took a
leave of absence after his knee was broken in a football practice accident, returning in 1963 and
graduating in 1965. Dick earned his MBA with honors at Seton Hall University, and worked as a business
broker and as a negotiations engineer in Sales Marketing for Westinghouse in Newark, NJ. Dick is
survived by his wife, Joyce Dul-Jacunski; three daughters, Johanna Weinberg, Elizabeth Purcell, and
Barbara Nina; and six grandchildren.
Hank Hallas remembers Dick and his brother as follows: “When I first met Dick and Bob at our
first Freshman Football practice I had the first of several ‘what the hell am I doing here’ moments during
my speckled football career. We always referred to them as ‘the Twins’, and none of the other ends
were very good at telling them apart. The Twins were the quintessential Yale Football ends. They were
tough, they were fast, they knew the Yale system, and they could catch. They also played hard every
snap, never complained, and were always gentlemen. The one liability, which most of us didn’t consider
as such, was that their father was the Yale End Coach. Truth be known, I never saw any favoritism
issued to either man. It wasn’t until after graduation that I began to reflect on the burden on the Twins
to have a Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame father as a coach. My primary recollection of both Dick and
Bob is the outstanding football skill they possessed and their dedication of effort while maintaining a
gentlemanly approach to their fellow ends. I salute them both.”
Ian Robertson recalls: “Richard Jacunski (RJ) and his brother Bob had distinguished high school
football careers in New Haven. In after years, RJ, in an obituary for his brother, mentioned that Bob had
been an All New England end. Typically, RJ did not mention that he too had been named All New
England. It was my privilege to ‘compete’ with RJ for playing time at left end. During our Freshman
Football season, RJ and Dillon Hoey were the starting ends. Although most of us played in every game,
RJ was clearly the superior athlete. In 1960, RJ did particularly well in preseason camp, but not well
enough to crack the starting lineup of a stellar end squad. The 1960 season was the stuff of dreams. It
was Yale’s last unbeaten untied season, the last time Yale finished as a nationally ranked team, and the
last time Yale won the Lambert trophy. RJ and Brother Bob got to be part of all that. In the Dartmouth
game that year, RJ proved himself to Head Coach Jordan Olivar. RJ played hurt, but rose to the occasion.
Had he not broken his knee the next fall, he would have had an outstanding football career at Yale. He
was always a gentleman, a pleasure to compete against, and remained a beloved member of the
undefeated ’59 Freshman team.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Link to ClassNotes-JulyAugust2014 pdf file
YAM Class Notes for July-August, 2014
Draft copy
On April 24-27, 2014, there will be a mini-reunion of the Class of 1963 in Philadelphia, PA.
Classmates registered to attend include Jay Brooks, Charlie Dilks, Michael Freeland, John Gillespie,
Doug Graybill, Dale Hershey, Michael Koenig, Joe Lastowka, Doc LeHew, Nelson Luria, Jon Rose,
Seymour Saltus, Brian Salzberg, Victor Sheronas, Guy Struve, Cliff Swain, Sam Taylor, Ty Welles,
and Michael Wilder. The mini-reunion committee, led by Charlie Dilks, has put together a
fascinating exploration of the City of Brotherly Love, including the Barnes Museum, the Natural
History Museum, and the National Constitution Center.
Leo Damrosch won the National Books Critics Circle award for biography for his life of
Jonathan Swift, which was reported in a previous Class Note. The biography was also one of two
finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in biography.
An exhibition of panoramic photography by Gus Foster and others will be held at 333
Montgomery Arts in Santa Fe, NM on April 25-June 2, 2014. Gus uses a large format panoramic
camera to capture stunning large scale color images of the American landscape.
Jon Larson has published a two-part book. Part I, entitled “Self-Publish Your Own Book”, is
an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to using Internet resources to self-publish a book. Part II of
the book, building on the catalog for the book exhibit at last year’s 50th Reunion, is a celebration of
Class authors and their books. Jon’s book is available through amazon.com. Jon has generously
agreed to contribute the net proceeds of the book to our Class Treasury.
Tom Lovejoy has been named as a Commander of the French Ordre des Palmes Académiques
(the counterpart of the French Legion of Honor for educators and academics) for his “exemplary
commitment to the protection of biodiversity through international collaboration with partners
such as France.”
In this Class Note, we have to report the deaths of three classmates, making the space
available even more inadequate than usual. For fuller obituaries and personal remembrances by
classmates, please go to the In Memoriam section of the Class website, www.yale63.org. As a
reminder, the In Memoriam section of the Class website is password-protected; the password is
yale63
Darrel E. Ashcraft died on March 17, 2014 in East Taunton, MA. Darrel earned degrees from
Yale, Concordia Seminary, Stanford University, and Simmons College. He taught religion at a high
school and junior college, served as a Lutheran minister, and worked as a reference librarian. Darrel
loved to sing in choirs, and appreciated organ music. He is survived by his wife, Linda, his son,
Jeremy, his daughter-in-law Tedra, and two grandchildren. Linda reports that “Darrel was delighted
to make his 50th reunion. He thoroughly enjoyed the organ tour at Woolsey, the dinners, seeing
classmates, the song fest, and ALL the hoopla.”
Thomas A. Gildehaus died on March 10, 2014 in Orlando, FL. After earning an MBA in 1970
from Harvard, where he was a Baker Scholar, Tom worked in banking and investing before
becoming Executive Vice President of Deere & Company in 1981. Thereafter, he was President and
CEO of UNR Industries in Chicago, and Chairman and CEO of Northwestern Steel and Wire Company
in Sterling, IL. After retiring in 2000, Tom devoted himself to his family, and was a leader in
philanthropic organizations, including the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, IA. Hank Higdon
remembers Tom as a standout football player at Andover, whose Yale playing career was ended by
an injury. In later years, Hank recalls, “I remember being so impressed with his maturity, wisdom,
business savvy, fluency in Spanish, and worldliness.” Erik Jensen, another football teammate,
remembers a long conversation with Tom before our 50th Reunion. Erik adds: “It was, in itself, a
mini-reunion. I sincerely wish he had been able to join us. It is a good reminder that at this point
we often don’t get a second chance.”
Michael T. (“Timo”) Gilmore died on March 3, 2014. Timo was Professor Emeritus of English
at Brandeis University, where he had taught since earning his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1974. During his
years at Brandeis, Timo wrote eight books and dozens of articles on 19th century American
literature and culture. His scholarship paid particular attention to the relationship between
literature and politics, and he brought to his literary studies the skills and learning of a historian and
the deep political commitments that were already evident in his undergraduate years at Yale.
Among Timo’s books were “The Middle Way: Puritanism and Ideology in American Literature”
(1977); “American Literature and the Marketplace” (1985); “Differences in the Dark: American
Movies and English Theater” (1998); “Surface and Depth: The Quest for Legibility in American
Culture” (2003); and “The War on Words: Slavery, Race and Free Speech in American Literature”
(2010). Timo’s lecture survey on 19th century American literature was a “must-take” course for
undergraduates. At the time of his death, Timo was hard at work on a study of literary radicalism in
his beloved Cambridge.
Link to ClassNotes-Sept-Oct2014 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes September-October 2014
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Dick Moser has been elected as our new Class AYA Delegate for a three-year term beginning on July 1,
2014. Dick succeeds Mike Skol, who has served ably as our Class AYA Delegate for the past three years.
Dick encourages classmates who wish to share their thoughts on AYA and the University to e-mail him at
dmoser@fwdassoc.com.
Charles Faulhaber, who retired in 2011 after 16 years as Director of The Bancroft
Library (UC Berkeley’s Beinecke) and 42 years as a professor of medieval Spanish literature at
Berkeley, was awarded the Encomienda of the Orden de Isabel la Católica by King Juan Carlos I
of Spain for services to Spanish culture. For the past 30 years Charles has been leading a project
to create a union catalogue of the primary sources, manuscripts and early printed books for the
study of medieval Spanish culture. The project just received an NEH grant for 2014-2015.
Herman “Art” Gilliam has published a book entitled One America: Moving Beyond the
Issue of Race. The book reflects the impact on blacks of living in America, especially in the
entrenched segregation of the Deep South, during a period from the 1950’s to the election of a
black president. It also describes critical differences in the self-images of blacks and whites and
how that influences our perceptions of each other. Ultimately, it is a book about Art’s hope and
vision for the future of America. The book quotes from the message Art wrote to classmates in
our 50th Reunion Class Book, in which Art said: “The experience of having spent four years at
Yale profoundly influenced my life . . . . There is a sense in which living in a world in which you
are continuously relegated to second class citizenship can strip away your self-esteem and selfconfidence. It can also lead to a bitterness and sensitivity that, without intervention, could last
for a lifetime. I can say thankfully . . . . that for me Yale was that intervention.” To order an
autographed hard copy of Art’s book, send a check for $30 to Baldwin House Press, Art Gilliam
“One America”, 840 Bluebird Road, Memphis TN 38116. For more information, visit the
OneAmericaBook.com website on the Internet.
Mike Lieberman’s new novel, The Lobsterman's Daughter, has been published by
Texas Review Press. The story is part literary fiction and part murder mystery and is narrated by
a young woman who has recently graduated from Harvard and submitted “The Lobsterman's
Daughter” as her honors thesis. The novel tells a tale of murder and deceit in five generations of
her Maine family and ultimately asks us to consider our own capacity for evil, what it means to
atone, and where grace resides.
After teaching photography at the Ohio State University for 25 years, Tony Mendoza
retired this past year, mostly to become a full time artist. He also recently published a novel, A
Cuban Summer, published by Capra Press. It’s a coming-of-age story that takes place in Havana
in 1954, when the protagonist, a 13-year-old boy named Tony, explores the very naughty aspects
of the city of Havana.
Martin Wand has just returned from a two-and-a-half-week tour of Japan organized by
Yale Educational Travel. Martin reports that the Yale tour was very well organized, with highend accommodations and interesting fellow travelers; the itinerary was well planned, diverse,
and interesting, with excellent speakers. While in Japan, Martin and his wife Karen were able to
spend time in Tokyo with Koichi Itoh, his wife Naoko, son Kohei, and daughter Oriko. Koichi
remains active running his family business as well as being on the boards of a number of
international companies and funds. He is healthy, happy, the center of a loving family that
includes four grandchildren. He is a most gracious host who knows all the top restaurants in
Tokyo and must be considered one of the major reasons for classmates to visit Japan
Louis Daniel “L.D.” Brodsky died on June 16, 2014 in his home in St. Louis, MO. L.D.
was born and grew up in St. Louis, where he attended St. Louis Country Day School. Besides
his academic excellence, he was an all-around athlete, playing varsity football, varsity soccer,
and varsity baseball, and serving as President of the Athletic Association in his senior year. L.D.
earned a B.A. in Spanish, magna cum laude, at Yale in 1963, where he played freshman soccer
and rowed crew all four years, earning the Major Y Award and Numerals. He received an M.A.
in English from Washington University in 1967, and an M.A. in creative writing from San
Francisco State University in 1968. L.D.’s passion for writing poetry began in 1963, and over
his career he wrote close to 12,000 poems and authored 83 volumes of poetry, which garnered
praise from Maya Angelou, Elie Wiesel, and many other notable authors. He also wrote 25
volumes of prose, including nine books of short fiction. In 1988, he founded Time Being Press
(later Time Being Books), a publishing company specializing in poetry. His final endeavor was
writing The Words of My Mouth and The Meditations of My Heart (Time Being Books, 2014),
chronicling his year-plus-long journey living with brain cancer. In addition to his writing, L.D.
was a leading William Faulkner expert, authoring nine books of scholarship on Faulkner and
amassing, over a 30-year period, one of the four largest collections of William Faulkner
materials in the world. In 1988, he transferred ownership of his collection to Southeast Missouri
State University and continued to serve as curator of the collection, developing it on behalf of the
university. Although L.D.’s writing and collecting brought him great joy, his greatest
accomplishments in life, he said, were his daughter and son, Trilogy Mattson and Louis Daniel
Troika Brodsky III.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec2014 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes November-December 2014
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Class of 1963 lunches and dinners are being held regularly in cities around the country.
The cities where Class lunches and dinners are taking place, and their organizers, are as follows:
Denver (Erik Jensen, ejensen@crccllc.com, and Wally Grant, wallygrant@msn.com); New York
(Mike Koenig, michael.koenig@liu.edu); Philadelphia (Michael Freeland,
freelanm41@comcast.net); the San Francisco Bay Area (Dick Moser, dmoser@fwdassoc.com),
and Washington, DC (Peter Cressy, pcressy@discus.org). The Class lunches and dinners are a
great way to stay in touch with classmates and meet new friends. If you are in or near one of
these cities, and are not currently receiving e-mails about Class lunches and dinners, please let
the organizers know.
Jud Calkins’s son, Tucker Ross Calkins, died peacefully in his sleep on June 30, 2014 at
the age of 43. Tucker was a lawyer in Los Angeles and a graduate of Ladue High School, the
University of Missouri, and Quinnipiac University School of Law. He will be remembered for his
infectious enthusiasm and ready grin, his passion for politics, history, and sports, and his
adventurous travel.
Mike Koenig and his wife Luciana Marulli took a three week Yale Educational Travel trip
to the Five "Stans" (all except Pakistan and Afghanistan). Mike reports: “The trip was
extremely interesting and rewarding. Who knew that a millennium ago Uzbekistan was the
intellectual capital of the world, with Avicenna, Al Khowarizimi (as in algebra and algorithm),
and Al Biruni (who scooped Copernicus by centuries). The trip was very well organized, and our
trip companions were delightful.”
John Lahr’s biography “Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh” will be
published by Norton in late September. Early favorable reviews include the following from Bill
Bryson: “Splendid beyond words. It would be hard to imagine a more satisfying biography.”
Information is available at www.tennesseewilliamsbiography.com John will be going on a fivecity tour (LA, SF, Chicago, Boston) which kicks off in New York at the 92nd St Y on September
29, 2014.
Frank Nora writes: “Immediately after graduation I served 3 years in the Navy Civil
Engineer Corps (‘Seabees’). I then earned my MSCE at MIT in 1967. Over the next 34 years I
tried my hand at construction management, 22 of those years being with my own general
construction company. In 2001 I fulfilled my life's ambition and started my own one-man
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consulting engineer practice, specializing in structural engineering. Concerning my years at Yale
I guess I could be classified as one of the members of the ‘weenie" category, meaning that I
didn't smoke, drink or date. I was lucky to have a roommate named Bob Bienvenue. Bob put
up with my extreme immaturity during Freshman year. He certainly should have kicked my butt
on several occasions that year. Bob once defended me when his Deke brothers asked him why
he roomed with a ‘weenie’. His response was that despite the fact that I was a ‘weenie’ I was
still a ‘nice guy’. God bless decent, honest Yale men like Bob. Dale, my wife of 49 years, has
been every bit as patient and understanding as Bob Bienvenue. We have two sons, a daughter,
two daughter-in-laws, but sadly no grandchildren.
Bill Reed serves as President of the Keene Valley LIbrary Association. Bill reports: “Our
building, completed in 1896, much beloved in our community, is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. We are undertaking a major ‘transformation of our space to bring up to date
all the many and varied services the library will be providing over the next decades. We find it
very exciting and interesting to consider what a library such as ours should be, going forward.
Libraries today are becoming as much community centers as sources of information.”
Pennell Rock writes: “Sometimes I feel out of place among the lawyers, doctors,
financiers, and professors who make up the body of our class as it now coheres. I began to
diverge from that mentality as soon as I graduated and wanted to explore alternatives to the
mid-Atlantic worldview of our formation. Over seven years I pushed as far as India, the land of
primordial alternatives, where I had my fill of non-Western thinking. Recently I was invited to
speak at a conference in Kerala sponsored by INK, a subsidiary of the TED talks, to extol the
genius of India to an audience of trendy Indians who are psychically fleeing to the West. Since
the talk was for an Indian audience, those still rooted in mid-Atlanticism may want to watch it
twice, doing the little ‘mind-experiment’ at the beginning to figure out what the hell I am
talking about.” The talk can be found on Youtube.com under William Pennell Rock, or at
http://youtu.bexhKSESjlFfA
John Sack has published the second, expanded edition of his “Mystic Mountain”, a guide
for transforming our wisdom years. John contends that the current elder explosion has opened
a door to unparalleled soul work, the wisdom that comes with age. In clear, nonacademic
language he seeks to stir the boundless spirit dormant in each of us. For those yearning to live
as closet contemplatives, he lights the mystic path as it shines through the larger journey from
birth to return. “Mystic Mountain” also draws on wisdom traditions worldwide, piecing
together the fragmented shards of Truth held by each, and draws as well upon his own
experience as a Trappist monk and Hindu yogi. Print and Kindle versions can be found at
Amazon.com. Also, so far on Kindle only, John has posted the first five short stories in a series
called “Trappist Tales” (with more to come). John and his wife, author Christin Lore Weber, live
at Casa Chiara Hermitage in the mountains of southern Oregon.
Cameron Smith and his wife Seymour spent January-March 2014 volunteer-teaching
English in Dong Ha, Vietnam, which is only a few kilometers south of the former Demilitarized
Zone. They taught at a private school founded and paid for by a successful local informationtechnology entrepreneur who decided to devote himself to the education of elementary and
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high school children. He, the staff, and students work 7:30-5:00 Monday-Saturday, and a
significant number of students come in Sunday for extra lessons. Several of the weekday
English classes were after 5:00 in order to make them two hours long. With this intensity,
students learned our language, which is about as far from Vietnamese as you can get, very
quickly. Native English speaking teachers would always be welcome because it is very difficult
for even university-trained local teachers to get across our difficult pronunciation and wordstress. Cameron and Seymour find it hard to overstate how welcoming and kind the people old
and young are. Cameron and Seymour plan to teach in Indonesia in January-March 2015 and
would welcome any contacts that classmates have there.
John Tuteur won reelection to his fifth term as Napa County Assessor-Recorder-County
Clerk with 69% of the vote in a contest where he was outspent by his opponent. John has now
served Napa County for 36 years and is hoping for many more years of service. During his
tenure the county became the first in California to place its grantor-grantee official records
index online back to the first documents from 1850. For his next term, John is working with his
dedicated staff to commence electronic recording of documents.
Daniel L. Arons died on August 6, 2014 at his home in Cambridge, MA, following a
courageous 18-month struggle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Elissa (Beron) Arons, his
daughters Rebecca, Dara, and Abigail Arons, and his grandchildren Eli and Tessa Fastiff and
Hazel, Leah, and Rose McDiarmid. After college, Dan graduated from Yale Medical School, and
completed residency training at Boston City Hospital and a Diabetes Fellowship at Thorndike
Labs of Harvard. He practiced at a community teaching hospital in Cambridge, MA, and later
joined an academic primary care program at Massachusetts General Hospital and became a
faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Dan relished teaching and also was an oldfashioned family doctor, caring for one and two generations of patients, some of whom he had
known for over 40 years. He was still caring for patients a few weeks before his death. Dan
loved Yale, and was outstanding in his service to Yale, receiving the Yale Alumni Fund
Chairman’s Award and the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. Dan was the Co-Chairman of
the highly successful 50th Reunion Gift Fund, a member of the AYA Board of Directors, and a
faithful member of the Class Council for many years. Dan and Elissa pioneered the Class
tailgate parties in conjunction with Harvard games in Cambridge, a tradition which will
continue. Remembrances of Dan by classmates are posted in the In Memoriam section of our
Class website, www.yale63.org, and only a few can be quoted here. Bob Barker wrote, “Dan
always seemed an island of calm in a sea of turmoil. He had a wonderful, gentle sense of
humor, and a gritty stoicism that served him well even as his illness progressed.” Richard
Rosenfeld recalled, “From his medical practice to his relationship with family and friends, Dan’s
life was a life in service to others. As a beneficiary of his kindness and his friendship, I will never
forget him.” Ron Sampson wrote, “Our class will miss his kind presence and good counsel.”
Christopher James Elkus died peacefully at his home in Ligonier, PA on July 16, 2014,
following a long and progressive illness. He is survived by his wife Gretchen M. Elkus; his son
James M. Elkus and granddaughter Sonya R. Elkus; and his sister Peggy H. Elkus. After
graduating from the New York University School of Business, Chris lived in New York City, where
he worked as an investment manager for large corporations and organizations such as the
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United Nations. He served as President of the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a multi-service
organization that has served people in need in the East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island.
Upon his retirement to Ligonier, PA, he founded Waterford Capital Management. Chris was an
avid sportsman, traveler, and lover of the outdoors. He enjoyed skiing, fishing, hunting, golf,
squash, and tennis. Bill Petty recalls: “We first met in the fall of 1959 and both rowed on the
First Freshman crew. We have lost a fine classmate, and I will miss his humor and insights.”
Bryan Rogers died at home on May 28, 2013, after a lengthy illness and in the care of his
wife Cynthi, and his son Kyle. After receiving M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University
of California at Berkeley, Bryan held positions at UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University,
and Carnegie Mellon University. Both a practicing artist and a writer, he published and
exhibited his work both nationally and internationally. Bryan was appointed Dean of the School
of Art and Design at the University of Michigan in 2000, and was the School’s longest-serving
Dean, serving until 2012. The current Dean of the School, Gunalan Natarajan, said: “For those
who worked closely with Bryan, he is remembered most for his wry and often wicked sense of
humor, his grace and devoted friendship, his love of music and reading, and the many acts of
kindness that he performed without expectation of thanks or recognition.”
A special forum on democracy was held in Washington DC on July 14, 2014, the birthday of our
late classmate Mark Palmer, to honor Mark's vision and his legacy in promoting the
establishment of democratic institutions and practices around the world. The forum was
hosted by the Council for a Community of Democracies (CCD), a leading democracy NGO which
Mark served as Vice President of the Board of Directors, and was moderated by our classmate
Steve Steiner. Over 40 democracy experts and activists and close professional associates of
Mark took part in this special forum, which was planned as the informal start to a series of
substantive events that will seek to advance and institutionalize Mark's inspiring legacy in this
field. Participants noted, among other things, Mark's leading role in the establishment of the
National Endowment for Democracy and its network of democracy institutions, as well as his
leadership, as United States Ambassador to Hungary, in giving moral support to the Hungarian
democracy activists who opposed and eventually brought down the Communist regime. Mark
later led the way, under CCD auspices, in the publication of a “Diplomats Handbook on
Democracy Advancement”, which numerous governments now use as a training manual for
their diplomats. Subsequently, Mark also led the way in the publication of a similar practical
handbook for military officers around the world. The next step in efforts to advance and
institutionalize Mark’s legacy will be a forum hosted in Washington by Freedom House on
September 15, which will focus on the state of governance in Russia and the repercussions of
Russian actions in Ukraine on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. This will be
followed by future forums which address, among other key international issues, the state of
Internet freedom and the crises in the Middle East.
4
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb2015 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes January-February 2015
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Elissa Arons will continue the tradition of post-Harvard-game parties that she and Dan Arons
established by giving a cocktail party for Yale ’63 classmates following the Harvard game on
November 22, 2014 at 1010 Memorial Drive, Apt. 11E, Cambridge, MA 02138. If you will be
attending, please e-mail Elissa at elissaarons@gmail.com to let her know that you will be there. We
look forward to seeing many classmates there.
The Class’s undefeated freshman football team of 1959 gathered for its 55th reunion in New
Haven on the weekend of the Yale-Army game, September 26-28, 2014. This group, which has
made it a practice to welcome every class member who came out for the team back in 1959 (more
than 100 of our Class did), is virtually unique at Yale, we believe, in its size and longevity. This year,
16 team members came back and could have fielded a full slate of players. Here is the lineup:
Backs: Hank Higdon, Jerry Kenney, Denny Landa, and Dave Weinstein; Receivers: Fred Andreae,
Larry Gwin, Hank Hallas, and Ian Robertson; Interior linemen: Erik Jensen, Peter Kiernan, Dave
Mawicke, Jim Thompson, Pete Truebner, and John Younger. Honorary team members Vic
Sheronas and Guy Struve were also there.
A full range of activities was enjoyed: visiting the Yale football team’s Friday practice session
in the Bowl, Friday night cocktails and dinner at the Barcelona Restaurant, lunch and watching the
game from fine seats in the Kenney Center, and cocktails and dinner at Mory’s following the game.
(Thank you, Chris Getman, ’64 AND ’63.) Additionally, the team enjoyed meeting with Rich Marazzi,
author of the newly published history of the Bowl on its 100th anniversary, and Jerry Kenney was
kind enough to present each team member with a signed copy of that book. Speaking of the Bowl’s
100th anniversary, one team member noted that, as ancient as that stadium seems, more than half
of its life has occurred AFTER our class members played there.
It was a terrific weekend, enjoyed by all. There was widespread sentiment among those
present that Yale’s upset victory over Army did great credit to the enthusiasm, recruiting prowess,
and coaching abilities of Tony Reno and that the Yale football program is on the path toward
restoring its reputation for a quality and winning football program in the Ivy League and beyond. If
by chance any 1963 class member reading these notes who came out for freshman football back in
1959 has not been receiving e-mails and other notices/invitations involving the team, and wishes to
be included, please alert Ian Robertson at ianrobco@earthlink.net so that you can be added to the
team mailing list.
On a beautiful Fall day in central Virginia, our classmate Wick Murray led his third Civil War
exploration for the class at the Spotsylvania Battlefield. We delved into the moment that General
1
Grant took command in the East, transforming the Army of the Potomac into the instrument that
defeated the Army of Northern Virginia as Grant continued to develop many elements of modern
military strategy. The outing was ably managed again by Paul Field with “Wickipedia” signage
decorating the bus. Classmates who attended included Paul Field, Michael Freeland, Marc
Lavietes, Wick Murray, Alan Parker, Jay Rixse, Jon Rose, Herb Rosenthal, Guy Struve, Fielding
Williams, and Jim Wetmur.
In August 2014, Paul Field and three others celebrated his eldest brother-in-law’s second
knee replacement by hiking the remote Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. In six days, “The Four Geezers”
hiked 81 miles over three mountains, around beautiful beaches, and through tiny villages where
time has stood still. Paul reports that “the walk was challenging, the food was remarkable (the best
fish I’ve ever had), and the wonderful people were the best part.”
Steve Hall reports from India, where he is on assignment with Bechtel: “Life here is mostly
work, eat, and sleep while Tracy finishes up her B. Lit. back in Cambridge at Harvard Extension. The
only thing of note recently was a weekend trip to Mumbai to see the Gate of India and the Taj
Hotel. I had wine and calamari in the Harbour Bar and watched the ferries arrive and depart from
The Gate. There were whiffs of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in the architecture, and the ferries
were strangely reminiscent of the European side of the Bosporus in Istanbul. This was ground zero
in the terrorist attack of some years ago.”
John Lahr’s biography of Tennessee Williams, profiled in a previous Class Note, is one of the
nominees for the 2014 National Book Award for nonfiction.
On September 15, 2014 in Washington, DC, Freedom House and the Council for a Community
of Democracies hosted a major foreign policy conference in honor of our late classmate Mark
Palmer. This event, on The Challenge of Authoritarianism in Putin’s Russia and Across Eurasia,
inaugurated the newly-created Mark Palmer Forum on Advancing Democracy, which is designed to
honor and advance Mark’s impressive legacy in furthering democracy and human rights across the
world. Among other activities, the Mark Palmer Forum will support democracy and human rights
activists globally and host periodic events focused on major challenges to democratic governance.
The capstone of these activities will be a major foreign policy conference each year on September
15, which has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Democracy.
Stanton Samenow has published a revised and updated paperback edition of his book, Inside
the Criminal Mind, first published 30 years ago. New material in this edition includes: an
exploration of the Internet as a rapidly growing arena for criminal activity; an expanded discussion
of how drug manufacturing, distribution, and use provide unique opportunities for intrigue,
excitement, and financial gain; an examination of two different homicide cases in which the
perpetrators came from opposite backgrounds, highlighting Samenow’s findings that the criminal
mind cannot be blamed on social upbringing; a new chapter on the sex life of the criminal, arguing
that sex crimes have little to do with sexual fulfillment; an examination of the scarcity of successful
insanity pleas; a closer look inside prison walls, offering a vivid picture of what employees at
correctional facilities encounter every day; a radical new approach to anger management based on
Samenow’s research and clinical practice; and updated findings of genetic and biological research
into whether some people are “wired” to become criminals. Inside the Criminal Mind is published
by Broadway Books, with a publication date of November 4, 2014.
2
Yale Kneeland III died suddenly on August 25, 2014. He was a graduate of St. Paul’s School,
Yale College, and NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. Yale worked as a conservator at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art for many years. He is survived by his wife Judith Cotton, son Timothy Cotton, two
sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Leonard Chazen remembers Yale as follows: “I was
introduced to Yale in the spring of our Junior Year when the Elihu 1963 delegation had its first
meeting. Yale had started out with the Class of 1960, taken time off to serve in the military and
work in business, and was now back in New Haven to get his college degree. He seemed like a man
of the world who had been dropped into a group of inexperienced boys. At our weekly Monopoly
games with Dick Neubert, Yale would tell me. ‘It’s not enough to earn a living; you have to make
“keeping money”.’ I now see that Yale was talking about private equity before it even had a name.
To someone who wondered what he would do with himself when he got out of college, Yale’s vision
of life was totally dazzling. Years later, I discovered that Yale had left business early and had spent
most of the past five decades as a curator at the Metropolitan Museum. Although by then I had
learned that people’s lives take unpredictable turns, I wasn’t ready for this: the tough-talking Yale
Kneeland had become one of the world’s leading experts on decorative arts. At lunch at our 50th
Reunion, my wife and I talked to Yale and his wife about their travels in Morocco, and they offered
to help when we were ready to plan our long-deferred trip to North Africa. That would have been a
great excuse to get back in touch with Yale. Unfortunately, it never happened, and then I learned
the news that Yale had died over the summer.”
Jerald L. Stevens died at his home in Chester, VT on September 5, 2014. Jerry loved ideas,
people, and community. Active as a volunteer in the neighboring town of Grafton, he expressed his
love of books and learning as a trustee of the Grafton Library, his enjoyment of a good party
through his promotion of the Grafton Day Celebration, and his willingness to cause a ruckus in
passions like his alternative plan for the abandoned Red Church building. Although variously
describing himself as an atheist and a Buddhist, he was active at and a deacon of the Grafton
Church. Jerry was ever curious about and generous with others, and appreciative of their individual
perspectives, insights, and strengths. He was a confidante and catalyst for many, including his
partner Michelle Dufort, four siblings, children Jake, Peter, Will, and Kate, his former wife Barbara,
and their six grandchildren.
Swimming and his keen intellect led Jerry from Bloomington, IL to Yale. He graduated from
Yale College in 1963 and from Harvard Business School in 1967, and worked in private finance.
Jerry was appointed at age 33 as Welfare Commissioner and then Secretary of Human Services by
Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Five years later he became the Vice President of Finance
and Administration at Yale University. Jerry returned to the private sector as President of Vanguard
Investments in 1983. He retired to Vermont in 1994. Always an athlete and lover of things physical,
Jerry played rugby in college, ran the Boston Marathon in the 1970s, biked to work before it was
cool, and became a master club rower in his fifties. Last year he was still bench-pressing 200
pounds.
Jerry’s roommate Phil Stevens recalls: “Jerry was smart – and wise, and he was truly a loyal
friend. In my experience, friendship was a special thing for him – friends came first. It was exactly
like that in early September, a few days before he passed, when I phoned him. Kate answered, and
advised me that he was weak . . . but he picked up the phone and in a strong voice, sparked by
obvious delight at talking to me, he told me of his condition, and plans, and alternative plans for his
3
own demise. Indeed, in the words of Dylan Thomas, Jerry was not going to ‘go gentle into that
good night.’ My friend, I will miss you.”
Another of Jerry’s roommates, John Lahr, recounts: “About 18 Christmases ago, my family
and I rented a house in Vermont to be with Jerry, who had cancer and who, it was thought, would
not see out the year. The stubborn bastard has only just this month decided to leave us. Those
extra nearly two decades were gravy. Jerry was, by any measurable standard known to man,
eccentric. He was incorrigible, insatiable, irrepressible, smart – very smart – fierce, funny,
unmoored, unabashed, human. He was also, it must be said, dangerous. It was hard to walk the
streets with the guy either in Vermont or in Manhattan. ‘Hi ya,’ he’d say to people, mostly
attractive women. You sometimes had to walk behind him or even away; it was just too
embarrassing. But Jerry was undaunted. He sailed through life propelled by his own whims and his
own whimsy. Of course, there was a shadow to Jerry; his compulsions and his rustication in the
country broadcast anxieties he preferred the world, and maybe even himself, not to know. But he
met life with courage and vigor and wonderful humor.”
Joseph Martin Wikler died on September 19, 2014 in Portland, ME, where he had summered
for the past 23 years. Joe practiced law for only two years before following his passion for
investment research, and taking the advice of one of his law school classmates that it was
preferable ‘to be paid by the idea, rather than by the hour.’ By the time he was in law school, Joe
could be found in one of three places – the library studying, the gym working out, or the Bache
office watching the tape (no CNBC yet). After several years in the Chief Counsel’s Office of the IRS,
he decided to turn his avocation into a vocation and was hired as an entry level analyst with an
advisory firm in DC. He stayed for six years, becoming a partner and a Certified Financial Analyst.
He then left to join a start-up investment advisory firm, The Rothschild Co. of Baltimore, where he
was Director of Research and eventually the Chief Investment Officer. Over the next 20 years the
firm grew and was then acquired by United Asset Management. Joe retired in 1994, although he
continued working as an independent analyst. Joe was President of the Baltimore Security Analysts
Society and was well known in the Baltimore investment community. In retirement he joined the
Board of Directors of the Fortis Mutual Funds. After Fortis was sold he was invited to the Board of
The Oppenheimer Funds, where he was a director until his death. He was also on the Board of the
Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore. For the past ten years Joe sponsored a Case Competition
for business and finance majors at the University of Maryland. An active weightlifter and tennis
player, Joe was especially proud of his home court in Harrison, ME, where he enjoyed more than 20
years of competition and camaraderie. He is survived by his wife Madeline (Brown ’65), daughters
Judy Rose Sensibar (Brown ’90) and Karen Ruth Wikler (Brown ’91), and four grandsons.
Peter Jennings Wood passed away on September 5, 2014 at his home in Midlothian, TX, from
complications relating to lung cancer. Born in 1941, Peter met Carol Gerling in Yosemite Park in
1964, and they were wed exactly three years later. Peter learned a love of architecture from his
father and discovered a passion for education after graduating from the Yale School of Architecture
in 1971. This led him to a career that included the University of Texas at Arlington, the American
Institute of Architects, the University of Nebraska, the University of Houston where he held
positions as Associate and Assistant Dean and Dean, and finally Prairie View A&M. His long career
also included service in the Army as a Russian linguist. In 2001, he was awarded Educator of the
Year by the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Peter is survived by his wife
Carol, his children James, Anne, and Charles, and three grandsons. He is remembered by family,
4
colleagues, and friends as a man of integrity, great sense of humor, always encouraging others,
wonderful host and trip planner extraordinaire – the last being a trip to Yosemite to celebrate the
50th anniversary of his and Carol’s meeting.
5
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr2015 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes March-April 2015
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Several places are still available on the Class of 1963 Tour de France September 2-28, 2015.
Jon Larson, Jim Thompson and Jere Johnston (the Barge guys) report: “We have filled 39 of the
42 available places on the two canal barges. So far we have 32 touring the Loire Valley and
Versailles, 34 joining us for Normandy, and 37 gathering for a week in Paris. We have several
more openings and we welcome classmates to join us for the barges and for any of the four
tour legs of Normandy, Loire Valley, Versailles, and Paris and the Class Dinner at the historic
Cercle de l'Union Interalliée in Paris. The full four legs together over 17 days are priced at close
to $6,700 per person double occupancy (excluding airfare). By arranging this trip ourselves, we
have reduced the cost of this unique trip by 40% under the typical rate that would be offered
by a tour operator.” For information about joining the Y63 Tour de France, please e-mail Jon at
jon_larson@hotmail.com.
Elissa Arons continued the tradition of post-Harvard-game parties that she and Dan Arons
established by giving a cocktail party for Yale ’63 classmates at her apartment on Memorial
Drive in Cambridge after the Harvard game on November 22, 2014. Following an exciting game
whose outcome was in doubt until the last minute, the following classmates gathered together:
David Barry, Bob Dickie, Hank Higdon, Mark Horlings, Erik Jensen, Jerry Kenney, Eben Ludlow,
Avi Nelson, Lea Pendleton, Guy Struve, Neil Thompson, Michael Wilder, and Joe Wood.
1
On November 17, 2014 David Boren celebrated 20 years as President of The University of
Oklahoma. He is believed to be the longest-serving president at a statewide flagship public
university in the U.S. David is also marking 47 years in public service, having also been Governor
and U.S. Senator – the first in Oklahoma history to serve in all three positions. David says, “For
Molly and me, these have been the happiest 20 years of our lives. To be able to invest your life
in the next generations in a place which you love is rewarding beyond measure.”
Jud Calkins writes: “The Lord giveth and taketh away. In mid-summer of 2014, my twin son
Tucker Calkins was suddenly taken away, as previously reported in this space. Thereafter, on
November 7, 2014, Pilar, Rexford (now 12 years old), and I welcomed a newborn into our lives,
Cristina (Pilar’s middle name) Elizabeth (my mother’s name) Calkins. She is already out and
about, taking in two performances last week of Hairspray, featuring her big brother in a
prominent song and dance role. Cristina is healthy and thriving and looking forward to reunions
with the lads of ’63.”
Steve Goulding relates: “By now Peggy and I should be in Tucson, missing Illinois’ winter. I hope
to be flying around in a two-seater with her, as the ‘children’ are now running the business. We
may be leaving Illinois if the mega hog farm goes in across from our country home (or if the
business climate gets worse). We just got back from Belize, our third dive trip of 2014. Diving
has been one of our passions, along with flying, duck hunting, and Da Chicago Bulls.”
Bob Hanson reports: “After 25 years, Arlene and I came to the difficult conclusion that the
daunting task of running a 1,400 acre ranch in northwestern Wyoming was too much to handle
at our respective ages. Also a consideration was the fact that last winter's storms created a
potential threat to our health and well-being, since we had 86 inches of snow in February alone,
and were completely cut off from the outside world for close to two weeks. Had there been a
medical emergency, it is doubtful that we could have been pulled out. We made the decision to
move to Arizona, and I can report that we bought a beautiful property in Cave Creek, a lovely
community in the desert foothills just north of Scottsdale. We swapped 1,400 acres for 4.5
acres, and have a lovely forest of Saguaro cactus on the property, as well as a pool and all the
usual Arizona amenities. Yes, we know that it gets brutal in the middle of the summer, but I'll
be smiling when I read later this winter of all the blizzards in the northern climes. If that move
wasn't enough, we can also report the October marriage of our son Robert, Class of 2002. It
took place in Cancun – a great place for a destination wedding. Now all three of our children are
married, and we are blessed with five wonderful grandchildren.”
An unclaimed picture of an 18-year-old girl named Alice Isaac, taken during the Nazi occupation
in 1943, recently turned up at a photographer's studio in Amsterdam. Incredibly, researchers in
Holland were able to track down her nephew in Seattle, freelance journalist Ronald Holden, to
confirm her identity. Ron writes: “Tens of thousands of Jews who lived in Amsterdam were
deported to death camps in the late summer of 1943. Alice never picked up her prints, which
were no doubt intended for false papers, because she too was captured and interned at
Bergen-Belsen.” Also held at Belsen was her classmate Anne Frank, who succumbed to typhus
just weeks before the camp was liberated by the British. But Alice Isaac survived, and was
2
reunited with her sister (who had emigrated to the US before the war broke out); she attended
college, married, and became a high-school language teacher in California. She eventually
retired to Arizona and passed away this year at the age of 89. With the discovery of the
unclaimed photograph, Ron has now undertaken a new assignment: to honor the Holocaust
victims, including his aunt, whose stories were never told. Here's a link to Ron's blog post:
http://www.cornichon.org/2014/10/nobody-knows-me.html
Bill Kramer says: “I continue to work and enjoy it. I also enjoy the Class Notes and all the
continued contact resulting from the 50th.”
Doc LeHew reports: “I’m planning to get married on December 19, 2014 to Terrie Van Lengen.
We will continue to live in Naples, FL. Retirement is suiting me just fine.”
On November 5, 2014, Tom Lovejoy received the New York Botanical Garden Gold Medal in the
presence of all five living medalists. On December 3, 2014, Tom received the Woodrow Wilson
Award for Public Service at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The award has been
presented only ten times, and this was the first presentation to a scientist. Tom says: “My
grandfather-in-law, Charles Seymour, was Colonel House’s assistant at the Paris Peace
Conference, so the award has even a little extra meaning for me.”
Avi Nelson continues to host political talk shows on radio (WRKO – Boston). He also publishes
an occasional op-ed piece in the Boston Herald.
Ken Porter, Jon Larson, and wives Sally and Karen enjoyed spending an evening in October with
John Lahr at his book signing stopover in San Francisco while on his five city American publicity
tour for his latest book, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, which also included
Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and New York City. We were joined in the famous old American
Conservatory Theater's Geary theater by a large crowd of interested readers and theater goers
for an evening conversation with Carey Perloff, Artistic Director of A.C.T. John was available
afterwards for book signings.
Brian Salzberg was elected a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) “for development of optical
methods in cell physiology and neuroscience, including the discovery of voltage-sensitive dyes
and calcium indicator dyes, and functional imaging using these probes”. Since the early 1970’s
Brian has pioneered the application of optical methods to cell physiology and neuroscience. In
1972 he and his colleagues discovered the first molecular probes of membrane potential, the
merocyanine voltage-sensitive dyes. This was followed by optical recording of action potentials
from individual neurons and then multiple-site optical recording of membrane voltage, which
paved the way for functional imaging of the nervous system. Brian and his colleagues then
introduced the first calcium indicator dye (Arsenazo III), which led to the development of
fluorescent calcium indicators. Other contributions included the first recording of voltage
changes from vertebrate nerve terminals, the discovery of light scattering changes in these
terminals, the detection of robust intrinsic fluorescence changes from these same terminals,
3
which help us to understand the coupling of action potentials to mitochondrial activation, and
the discovery of extremely rapid mechanical "spikes" in nerve terminals.
Charlie Soule writes: “My wife, Frankie, died after a long 12-year case of Alzheimer’s. Her case
was the centerpiece of our discussion group on Alzheimer’s at the 50th Reunion. Her long
decline with no hope makes me believe in euthanasia.”
Dick Teitz has been in Tbilisi, the capital of the Georgian Republic, since September 2014,
working as a special consultant to the Ministry of the Environment (like the U.S. Department of
the Interior), developing a marketing plan for international eco-tourism in the Protected Areas
(aka national parks). Dick reports: “Tbilisi is an interesting city, with buildings from the middle
ages, and alongside them KFC, McDonald’s, Nike. In my free time I visit museums, try ethnic
restaurants, and go to films and concerts. Tbilisi has a population of almost a million and a half,
and there are a fair number of cultural activities. I rent a room and board in a newish high rise
in the western outskirts of the city, and there are a few running trails I jog in the hills. To get to
work is a bit over an hour (after a mile walk to the bus stop) by minibus, and I'm in the office 9
to 6. I leave home around 7:30 and get home 12 hours later. I speak so-so Georgian, but a
number of my co-workers are English speakers so we manage.” Dick spent an evening with our
classmate Lance Fletcher and his wife, who have lived in Tbilisi since the early 2000’s, advising
the Georgian government on legal and education infrastructure systems.
We have just learned that our classmate Richard Norman Neubert died on October 14, 2010.
At the time of his death, Richard lived in Falls Church, VA. As recalled by his younger brother
Stephen, Richard was a handsome, charming and “cool” young man who was generous to the
point of inviting him to join Richard and his date for a college weekend in his freshman year at
Yale, as well for a month-long driving trip cross-country during the summer after his junior year.
He was also a devoted husband to his wife Deborah and a loving and supportive father to his
two daughters, Alexis and Katherine. He lived in a variety of places during the various phases of
his life, from New York City to Los Angeles to Western Massachusetts to New York City again
and finally to Northern Virginia/Washington, DC. His talent as a writer and artist infused his
work as an editor for the Yale Daily News, as a screenplay writer and documentary filmmaker,
and as a marketing communications writer and manager. He endured his illness with courage
and grace, and he is greatly missed by his family.
Warren Hoge recalls Richard Neubert as follows: “In the years before we arrived at Yale, Dick
Neubert and I had become such close friends that we arranged to room together freshman
year. We had formed that friendship in a summer community on Fire Island where our families
had cottages, and we both got jobs as pot washers in the kitchen of a ship that went to five
European and North African ports over the summer of 1960. Always adventurous and a little
reckless, Dick almost brought that journey to a quick and ignominious end by shouting ‘Man
Overboard!’ one late night in the middle of the Atlantic and causing the captain to summon all
300 hands on deck and demand that the culprit confess. No one did, and the truth has
remained a secret until now. At Yale, Dick cut a distinctive and alluring figure. One of the
handsomest members of the class, he accessorized his Byronesque good looks with a shock of
4
unruly hair, rumpled three piece suits and a book always clutched under his arm. Tall and very
thin and walking in a head- held- high way that seemed to further elongate him, he strode
across campus with a tousled purposefulness that suggested he was always going to be one
step ahead of the rest of us English majors in finding creative pursuits. Sure enough, after
graduation, he went West and became a Hollywood screenwriter and rakish squire to movie
stars. I envied him and always felt a little special for being in his presence.” Len Chazen
remembers: “When I spent a summer in the late 60’s at the Rand Corporation working on
communications regulation, Dick was my glamorous Hollywood friend. He had just finished a
well-received documentary on the Los Angeles skid row, and he seemed to know all the
glamorous young people in Hollywood. Being the wonderful person he was, he found plenty of
time to hang out with the policy wonk from New York. We had great times in Santa Monica that
summer and whenever a scandal erupted, Dick was there to give us the inside story.”
5
Link to ClassNotes-May-June-2015 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes May-June 2015
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Mike Haltzel will be on leave from Johns Hopkins University SAIS for most of 2015 while
he is Visiting Senior Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) in Helsinki.
Mike writes: “Helen and I are excited about returning to the wonderful country of Finland
where we lived many moons ago when I was researching my doctoral dissertation. FIIA is an
outstanding institution that plays a key role in Finland's policy formulation and has some of
Europe's most talented experts on Russia and Eastern Europe. Right now as a result of the
Ukraine crisis and other aggressive actions by Russia, for the first time Finland is seriously
considering NATO membership, an issue with which I have been involved both in the U.S.
Government and in academe for more than two decades. At this important juncture, I confess
to being flattered to have been invited by FIIA, especially at this stage in my career. Closer to
home, before Christmas Dick Foster and I got together for a nice catching-up dinner in D.C.”
Ralph Howe reports: “The degree of cobalt-poisoning my body got from the metal-onmetal (M-O-M) Smith & Nephew replacement (right) hip remains a topic of discussion with
attorneys on both sides. My original M-O-M hip, installed four years ago, was ‘revised’ two
years ago. Recovery has been slow and limited. Nonetheless I play tennis, court tennis, and
squash tournaments as the body allows, but am only really competitive in doubles. I was going
1
to, but in the end didn't, play any National events this past year.” Those of us who can only
dream of playing in National events would be quite happy to be doing a fraction of what Ralph
is doing.
Wynne Morriss’s daughter, Anne Morriss, is the founder and CEO of GenePeeks, Inc., a
genetic information company that uses patented technology to identify inherited disease risk in
future generations. Anne recently appeared on 60 Minutes to discuss the work of her
company.
Bill Nordhaus has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Boston for 2015. Bill, who has been on the Yale faculty since 1967, is one of
three Class C Directors appointed to represent the public.
Stan Riveles is the President of the D.H. Lawrence Ranch Alliance, which was formed to
restore and revitalize the D.H. Lawrence Ranch outside of Taos, NM. D.H. Lawrence was one of
the leading novelists of the 20th century, known to most of us as undergraduates as the author
of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Lawrence and his wife Frieda lived in this remote area of New
Mexico in the early 1920s, on property given to them by the heiress and local philanthropist
Mabel Dodge Luhan. Many of Lawrence’s short stories and non-fiction from the period
described his experiences there, and Lawrence wrote, “I think New Mexico was the greatest
experience from the outside world that I have ever had. It certainly changed me forever.”
Lawrence died in France in 1930, but his remains were later interred on the Ranch, which was
dedicated as a memorial site by his wife Frieda. The property fell into neglect after his death,
and was closed to visitors from 2010 to 2014. Stan recounts: “We formed the D.H. Lawrence
Ranch Alliance among representatives of the diverse local community – Native Americans,
2
Hispanics, and Anglos – to restore and revitalize the Ranch and to work with the University of
New Mexico, which owns the Ranch. It is a big international attraction. We finally reopened
the Ranch after several years of effort and beginning the process of revitalization.”
Phil Stevens delivered the Convocation Address, titled “Africa’s Greatest Mystery,” at
Georgia Southwestern University on October 21, 2014. Phil’s visit to Americus included a
private dinner with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and attendance at a reception to honor Mrs.
Carter at her Institute for Caregiving on the college campus. Phil’s talk, at the invitation of the
college president, focused on the Stone Images of Esie, Nigeria. For his work at Esie in the
1960s and 1970s, Phil was given an honorary chieftaincy title in 2012.
Since retiring from teaching Linguistics and Chinese at the University of Illinois, John
Rohsenow has been volunteering at the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, the only such
museum in the country. John serves as the Secretary (“because I can edit in both languages”),
and welcomes all classmates to come in for a personalized tour.
Peter Stokes Godfrey died on January 8, 2015 in Scottsdale, AZ. Husband, father,
mentor, and friend, he leaves behind a lifetime of memories; sailing all over the world, rowing
at Exeter, Yale, and Cambridge, and a long and successful career in risk management. Peter is
survived by his wife of 48 years, Nancy, and their children Alexandra and Thompson and their
families. Bill Petty recalls Peter as follows: “We first met in the fall of 1959 at Yale, where we
went on to row together for four years – beating Harvard two out of four times! We both
married Nancys and spent a lot of time helping them accumulate a boatload of sailing trophies.
An avid competitor and a true friend.” Jon Larson says: “Pete was another of my many Yale
colleagues who always appeared bigger than life to me. He was taller (by 4 inches). He rowed
3
on the Yale heavyweight crew and for Trinity Hall, Cambridge, while I was consigned to the
intramural Calhoun crew. We all miss the big guy. He faced the end head-on like everything
else he faced and encountered in life. He fought and finally lost the good fight that each of us
will eventually lose in time. But Pete remains alive forever in the minds, memories, and hearts
of his family, his Yale classmates, and everyone else who knew him, because I cannot imagine
anyone not liking Pete, even the competitors he beat soundly rowing crew, sailing the open
oceans, and insuring high-risk business transactions.”
Richard Smart Rewis died on January 25, 2015 at Roper Hospital in Charleston, SC.
Richard graduated from Yale in 1963, and proudly served in the United States Marine Corps. A
beloved husband and father, he was a caring and enthusiastic teacher and church musician who
will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his devoted wife of 37 years, Eulonda
Brillon Rewis; his sons Ben Rewis and Sam Merrill; his stepsons Ken Bailey and Jeff Bailey; his
stepdaughter Carol Lazu; and his grandchildren and stepgrandchildren.
Peter Louis Truebner, who entered Yale with the Class of 1963 and graduated with the
Class of 1964, died on January 23, 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer. Peter earned his
Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan in 1967, and his Master of Law from Georgetown
University in 1969. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of
New York from 1969 to 1974, and then returned to Connecticut, where he practiced law for the
next 40 years, focusing on criminal defense, civil litigation, and family law. Willie Dow reports
that Peter “enjoyed an excellent reputation as a scrappy and tenacious trial lawyer.” From
1994 to 2009, Peter served as a Commissioner of the Darien, CT Police Department. He is
survived by his wife, Jan; his son Steve Truebner and his daughter Blair Truebner Gorman; and
4
several grandchildren. Jud Calkins remembers: “There he is, across the room, deeply engaged
in conversation, leaning in to his listener, drink clutched in one hand, the other chopping the air
for emphasis. As he catches sight of another approaching friend, a broad grin flashes, an open
palm shoots forward, and a throaty greeting emerges from deep within – followed, inevitably,
by a provocative opening line. Truebs – the guy who always got on the bus, no matter how
outmanned he was physically by his opponent. Tough as nails on the interior line: there he
was, future Marine, going up against the West Point junior varsity and doing them in as a proud
co-captain, so designated by beloved coach Stu Clancy.” Dave Mawicke recalls: “Peter was a
friend, classmate, teammate, and my lawyer. In the latter capacity, I put him to the test, often.
He never failed me.” Ian Robertson says: “On the football field, Peter was a man who gave no
quarter and expected none. Had he been called upon to defeat a Balme-Pyle double team, he
would have said, ‘I can take ’em!’ Early last year Peter suffered what was thought to be a
stroke. Extensive tests revealed another diagnosis. Peter reported, ‘There was no hemorrhage,
only melanoma of the brain and liver.’ Only a Balme-Pyle double team. He could take ’em. His
was a valiant battle. There was no fear, or despair, only frustration that ‘they won’t let me
drive.’” Chris Getman ’64 sums up: “Truebs was a funny, loyal, intelligent, witty, and
compassionate man. It was a privilege for me to have been his friend for almost 55 years. As
he liked to say (shift to Truebner mode), ‘The car was in the garage the whole time.’”
5
Link to ClassNotes-July-Aug-2015 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes July-August 2015
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Several spots are still available on the Class of 1963 Tour de France on September 2-28,
2015. Jon Larson reports: “We have filled 39 of the 42 available places on the two canal
barges. So far we have 32 touring the Loire Valley and Versailles, 34 joining us for Normandy,
and 37 gathering for a week in Paris. We have several more openings and we welcome
classmates to join us for the barges and for any of the four tour legs of Normandy, Loire Valley,
Versailles, and Paris and the Class Dinner at the historic Cercle de l'Union Interalliée in Paris.
The full four legs together over 17 days are priced at close to $6,700 per person double
occupancy (excluding airfare). By arranging this trip ourselves, we have reduced the cost of this
unique trip by 40% under the typical rate that would be offered by a tour operator.” For
information about joining the Tour de France, please e-mail Jon at jon_larson@hotmail.com.
Elissa Arons continued the tradition of post-Harvard-game parties that she and Dan
Arons established by giving a cocktail party for Yale ’63 classmates at her apartment on
Memorial Drive in Cambridge after the Harvard game on November 22, 2014. Following an
exciting game whose outcome was in doubt until the last minute, the following classmates
gathered together: David Barry, Bob Dickie, Hank Higdon, Mark Horlings, Erik Jensen, Jerry
Kenney, Eben Ludlow, Avi Nelson, Lea Pendleton, Guy Struve, Neil Thompson, Michael
Wilder, and Joe Wood.
1
On November 17, 2014 David Boren celebrated 20 years as President of The University
of Oklahoma. He is believed to be the longest-serving president at a statewide flagship public
university in the U.S. David is also marking 47 years in public service, having also been
Governor and U.S. Senator – the first in Oklahoma history to serve in all three positions. David
says, “For Molly and me, these have been the happiest 20 years of our lives. To be able to
invest your life in the next generations in a place which you love is rewarding beyond measure.”
Jud Calkins writes: “The Lord giveth and taketh away. In mid-summer of 2014, my twin
son Tucker Calkins was suddenly taken away, as previously reported in this space. Thereafter,
on November 7, 2014, Pilar, Rexford (now 12 years old), and I welcomed a newborn into our
lives, Cristina (Pilar’s middle name) Elizabeth (my mother’s name) Calkins. She is already out
and about, taking in two performances last week of Hairspray, featuring her big brother in a
prominent song and dance role. Cristina is healthy and thriving and looking forward to
reunions with the lads of ’63.”
Steve Goulding relates: “By now Peggy and I should be in Tucson, missing Illinois’
winter. I hope to be flying around in a two-seater with her, as the ‘children’ are now running
the business. We may be leaving Illinois if the mega hog farm goes in across from our country
home (or if the business climate gets worse). We just got back from Belize, our third dive trip of
2014. Diving has been one of our passions, along with flying, duck hunting, and Da Chicago
Bulls.”
Bob Hanson reports: “After 25 years, Arlene and I came to the difficult conclusion that
the daunting task of running a 1,400 acre ranch in northwestern Wyoming was too much to
2
handle at our respective ages. Also a consideration was the fact that last winter's storms
created a potential threat to our health and well-being, since we had 86 inches of snow in
February alone, and were completely cut off from the outside world for close to two weeks.
Had there been a medical emergency, it is doubtful that we could have been pulled out. We
made the decision to move to Arizona, and I can report that we bought a beautiful property in
Cave Creek, a lovely community in the desert foothills just north of Scottsdale. We swapped
1,400 acres for 4.5 acres, and have a lovely forest of Saguaro cactus on the property, as well as
a pool and all the usual Arizona amenities. Yes, we know that it gets brutal in the middle of the
summer, but I'll be smiling when I read later this winter of all the blizzards in the northern
climes. If that move wasn't enough, we can also report the October marriage of our son
Robert, Class of 2002. It took place in Cancun – a great place for a destination wedding. Now all
three of our children are married, and we are blessed with five wonderful grandchildren.”
An unclaimed picture of an 18-year-old girl named Alice Isaac, taken during the Nazi
occupation in 1943, recently turned up at a photographer's studio in Amsterdam. Incredibly,
researchers in Holland were able to track down her nephew in Seattle, freelance journalist
Ronald Holden, to confirm her identity. Ron writes: “Tens of thousands of Jews who lived in
Amsterdam were deported to death camps in the late summer of 1943. Alice never picked up
her prints, which were no doubt intended for false papers, because she too was captured and
interned at Bergen-Belsen.” Also held at Belsen was her classmate Anne Frank, who
succumbed to typhus just weeks before the camp was liberated by the British. But Alice Isaac
survived, and was reunited with her sister (who had emigrated to the US before the war broke
out); she attended college, married, and became a high-school language teacher in California.
3
She eventually retired to Arizona and passed away this year at the age of 89. With the
discovery of the unclaimed photograph, Ron has now undertaken a new assignment: to honor
the Holocaust victims, including his aunt, whose stories were never told. Here's a link to Ron's
blog post: http://www.cornichon.org/2014/10/nobody-knows-me.html
Bill Kramer says: “I continue to work and enjoy it. I also enjoy the Class Notes and all
the continued contact resulting from the 50th.”
Doc LeHew reports: “I’m planning to get married on December 19, 2014 to Terrie Van
Lengen. We will continue to live in Naples, FL. Retirement is suiting me just fine.”
On November 5, 2014, Tom Lovejoy received the New York Botanical Garden Gold Medal
in the presence of all five living medalists. On December 3, 2014, Tom received the Woodrow
Wilson Award for Public Service at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The award has been
presented only ten times, and this was the first presentation to a scientist. Tom says: “My
grandfather-in-law, Charles Seymour, was Colonel House’s assistant at the Paris Peace
Conference, so the award has even a little extra meaning for me.”
Avi Nelson continues to host political talk shows on radio (WRKO – Boston). He also
publishes an occasional op-ed piece in the Boston Herald.
Ken Porter, Jon Larson, and wives Sally and Karen enjoyed spending an evening in
October with John Lahr at his book signing stopover in San Francisco while on his five city
American publicity tour for his latest book, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh,
which also included Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and New York City. We were joined in the
4
famous old American Conservatory Theater's Geary theater by a large crowd of interested
readers and theater goers for an evening conversation with Carey Perloff, Artistic Director of
A.C.T. John was available afterwards for book signings.
Brian Salzberg was elected a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) “for development of
optical methods in cell physiology and neuroscience, including the discovery of voltagesensitive dyes and calcium indicator dyes, and functional imaging using these probes”. Since
the early 1970’s Brian has pioneered the application of optical methods to cell physiology and
neuroscience. In 1972 he and his colleagues discovered the first molecular probes of membrane
potential, the merocyanine voltage-sensitive dyes. This was followed by optical recording of
action potentials from individual neurons and then multiple-site optical recording of membrane
voltage, which paved the way for functional imaging of the nervous system. Brian and his
colleagues then introduced the first calcium indicator dye (Arsenazo III), which led to the
development of fluorescent calcium indicators. Other contributions included the first recording
of voltage changes from vertebrate nerve terminals, the discovery of light scattering changes in
these terminals, the detection of robust intrinsic fluorescence changes from these same
terminals, which help us to understand the coupling of action potentials to mitochondrial
activation, and the discovery of extremely rapid mechanical "spikes" in nerve terminals.
Charlie Soule writes: “My wife, Frankie, died after a long 12-year case of Alzheimer’s.
Her case was the centerpiece of our discussion group on Alzheimer’s at the 50th Reunion. Her
long decline with no hope makes me believe in euthanasia.”
5
Dick Teitz has been in Tbilisi, the capital of the Georgian Republic, since September 2014,
working as a special consultant to the Ministry of the Environment (like the U.S. Department of
the Interior), developing a marketing plan for international eco-tourism in the Protected Areas
(aka national parks). Dick reports: “Tbilisi is an interesting city, with buildings from the middle
ages, and alongside them KFC, McDonald’s, Nike. In my free time I visit museums, try ethnic
restaurants, and go to films and concerts. Tbilisi has a population of almost a million and a half,
and there are a fair number of cultural activities. I rent a room and board in a newish high rise
in the western outskirts of the city, and there are a few running trails I jog in the hills. To get to
work is a bit over an hour (after a mile walk to the bus stop) by minibus, and I'm in the office 9
to 6. I leave home around 7:30 and get home 12 hours later. I speak so-so Georgian, but a
number of my co-workers are English speakers so we manage.” Dick spent an evening with our
classmate Lance Fletcher and his wife, who have lived in Tbilisi since the early 2000’s, advising
the Georgian government on legal and education infrastructure systems.
We have just learned that our classmate Richard Norman Neubert died on October 14,
2010. At the time of his death, Richard lived in Falls Church, VA. As recalled by his younger
brother Stephen, Richard was a handsome, charming and “cool” young man who was generous
to the point of inviting him to join Richard and his date for a college weekend in his freshman
year at Yale, as well for a month-long driving trip cross-country during the summer after his
junior year. He was also a devoted husband to his wife Deborah and a loving and supportive
father to his two daughters, Alexis and Katherine. He lived in a variety of places during the
various phases of his life, from New York City to Los Angeles to Western Massachusetts to New
York City again and finally to Northern Virginia/Washington, DC. His talent as a writer and artist
6
infused his work as an editor for the Yale Daily News, as a screenplay writer and documentary
filmmaker, and as a marketing communications writer and manager. He endured his illness
with courage and grace, and he is greatly missed by his family.
Warren Hoge recalls Richard Neubert as follows: “In the years before we arrived at Yale,
Dick Neubert and I had become such close friends that we arranged to room together freshman
year. We had formed that friendship in a summer community on Fire Island where our families
had cottages, and we both got jobs as pot washers in the kitchen of a ship that went to five
European and North African ports over the summer of 1960. Always adventurous and a little
reckless, Dick almost brought that journey to a quick and ignominious end by shouting ‘Man
Overboard!’ one late night in the middle of the Atlantic and causing the captain to summon all
300 hands on deck and demand that the culprit confess. No one did, and the truth has
remained a secret until now. At Yale, Dick cut a distinctive and alluring figure. One of the
handsomest members of the class, he accessorized his Byronesque good looks with a shock of
unruly hair, rumpled three piece suits and a book always clutched under his arm. Tall and very
thin and walking in a head- held- high way that seemed to further elongate him, he strode
across campus with a tousled purposefulness that suggested he was always going to be one
step ahead of the rest of us English majors in finding creative pursuits. Sure enough, after
graduation, he went West and became a Hollywood screenwriter and rakish squire to movie
stars. I envied him and always felt a little special for being in his presence.” Len Chazen
remembers: “When I spent a summer in the late 60’s at the Rand Corporation working on
communications regulation, Dick was my glamorous Hollywood friend. He had just finished a
well-received documentary on the Los Angeles skid row, and he seemed to know all the
7
glamorous young people in Hollywood. Being the wonderful person he was, he found plenty of
time to hang out with the policy wonk from New York. We had great times in Santa Monica
that summer and whenever a scandal erupted, Dick was there to give us the inside story.”
8
Link to ClassNotes-Sept-Oct-2015 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes September-October 2015
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Dick Moser has been elected as our new Class AYA Delegate for a three-year term beginning on
July 1, 2014. Dick succeeds Mike Skol, who has served ably as our Class AYA Delegate for the
past three years. Dick encourages classmates who wish to share their thoughts on AYA and the
University to e-mail him at dmoser@fwdassoc.com.
Charles Faulhaber, who retired in 2011 after 16 years as Director of The Bancroft Library
(UC Berkeley’s Beinecke) and 42 years as a professor of medieval Spanish literature at Berkeley,
was awarded the Encomienda of the Orden de Isabel la Católica by King Juan Carlos I of Spain
for services to Spanish culture. For the past 30 years Charles has been leading a project to
create a union catalogue of the primary sources, manuscripts and early printed books for the
study of medieval Spanish culture. The project just received an NEH grant for 2014-2015.
Herman “Art” Gilliam has published a book entitled One America: Moving Beyond the
Issue of Race. The book reflects the impact on blacks of living in America, especially in the
entrenched segregation of the Deep South, during a period from the 1950’s to the election of a
black president. It also describes critical differences in the self-images of blacks and whites and
1
how that influences our perceptions of each other. Ultimately, it is a book about Art’s hope and
vision for the future of America. The book quotes from the message Art wrote to classmates in
our 50th Reunion Class Book, in which Art said: “The experience of having spent four years at
Yale profoundly influenced my life . . . . There is a sense in which living in a world in which you
are continuously relegated to second class citizenship can strip away your self-esteem and selfconfidence. It can also lead to a bitterness and sensitivity that, without intervention, could last
for a lifetime. I can say thankfully . . . . that for me Yale was that intervention.” To order an
autographed hard copy of Art’s book, send a check for $30 to Baldwin House Press, Art Gilliam
“One America”, 840 Bluebird Road, Memphis TN 38116. For more information, visit the
OneAmericaBook.com website on the Internet.
Mike Lieberman’s new novel, The Lobsterman's Daughter, has been published by Texas
Review Press. The story is part literary fiction and part murder mystery and is narrated by a
young woman who has recently graduated from Harvard and submitted “The Lobsterman's
Daughter” as her honors thesis. The novel tells a tale of murder and deceit in five generations
of her Maine family and ultimately asks us to consider our own capacity for evil, what it means
to atone, and where grace resides.
After teaching photography at the Ohio State University for 25 years, Tony Mendoza
retired this past year, mostly to become a full time artist. He also recently published a novel, A
Cuban Summer, published by Capra Press. It’s a coming-of-age story that takes place in Havana
in 1954, when the protagonist, a 13-year-old boy named Tony, explores the very naughty
aspects of the city of Havana.
2
Martin Wand has just returned from a two-and-a-half-week tour of Japan organized by
Yale Educational Travel. Martin reports that the Yale tour was very well organized, with highend accommodations and interesting fellow travelers; the itinerary was well planned, diverse,
and interesting, with excellent speakers. While in Japan, Martin and his wife Karen were able
to spend time in Tokyo with Koichi Itoh, his wife Naoko, son Kohei, and daughter Oriko. Koichi
remains active running his family business as well as being on the boards of a number of
international companies and funds. He is healthy, happy, the center of a loving family that
includes four grandchildren. He is a most gracious host who knows all the top restaurants in
Tokyo and must be considered one of the major reasons for classmates to visit Japan
Louis Daniel “L.D.” Brodsky died on June 16, 2014 in his home in St. Louis, MO. L.D. was
born and grew up in St. Louis, where he attended St. Louis Country Day School. Besides his
academic excellence, he was an all-around athlete, playing varsity football, varsity soccer, and
varsity baseball, and serving as President of the Athletic Association in his senior year. L.D.
earned a B.A. in Spanish, magna cum laude, at Yale in 1963, where he played freshman soccer
and rowed crew all four years, earning the Major Y Award and Numerals. He received an M.A.
in English from Washington University in 1967, and an M.A. in creative writing from San
Francisco State University in 1968. L.D.’s passion for writing poetry began in 1963, and over his
career he wrote close to 12,000 poems and authored 83 volumes of poetry, which garnered
praise from Maya Angelou, Elie Wiesel, and many other notable authors. He also wrote 25
volumes of prose, including nine books of short fiction. In 1988, he founded Time Being Press
(later Time Being Books), a publishing company specializing in poetry. His final endeavor was
writing The Words of My Mouth and The Meditations of My Heart (Time Being Books, 2014),
3
chronicling his year-plus-long journey living with brain cancer. In addition to his writing, L.D.
was a leading William Faulkner expert, authoring nine books of scholarship on Faulkner and
amassing, over a 30-year period, one of the four largest collections of William Faulkner
materials in the world. In 1988, he transferred ownership of his collection to Southeast
Missouri State University and continued to serve as curator of the collection, developing it on
behalf of the university. Although L.D.’s writing and collecting brought him great joy, his
greatest accomplishments in life, he said, were his daughter and son, Trilogy Mattson and Louis
Daniel Troika Brodsky III.
4
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2015 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes November-December 2015
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Save the date! On April 14-17, 2016, the Yale ’63-’64 Civil Rights Mini-Reunion will be held in
Atlanta, GA. Please mark your calendars now for this landmark event, which will commemorate
the Civil Rights Movement and the part our classmates played in it, and also look forward to the
future. Importantly, it will celebrate the deep roots of the Movement in Atlanta as well as the
many dimensions of African-American culture – music, art, and food – in that city. Jonathan
Holloway, the Dean of Yale College and a distinguished Professor of African-American Studies,
has already agreed to give the keynote address at the Mini-Reunion on April 14, 2016. Our
classmates Art Gilliam and Tom Greenspon and his wife Barbara (who first met on a Civil
Rights picket line in Tom’s junior year) are among those planning the program for the MiniReunion. We look forward to seeing many of our classmates there.
The Atlanta Civil Rights Mini-Reunion is one of the first fruits of the partnership which
our Class has entered into with the Yale Class of 1964, under the leadership of its energetic Class
Secretary, Tony Lavely. Our Class has many strong links to the Class of 1964, going back to our
undergraduate years, and this partnership seeks to build on those links to do things that neither of
our two Classes could do as well alone. Within the collaboration, we aim to preserve the
intimacy of a classmate gathering. As always, dialogue, intellectual growth, and camaraderie
1
will be key objectives. Our joint activities with the Class of 1964 can range from joint Class
lunches and dinners in particular localities, to mini-reunions like the Atlanta Civil Rights MiniReunion. If you have ideas as to activities that we could productively engage in together with
the Class of 1964, please let us know about them!
The Class of 1963 was immensely saddened by the death of Mike Pyle ’61, the captain and
iconic symbol of Yale’s undefeated and untied 1960 football team. Mike was an extraordinary
athlete and sportsman and an example for many of our classmates, with whom he created bonds
of friendship that lasted a lifetime. After graduation, Mike played on the championship Chicago
Bears and was President of the NFL Players Association. Tragically, he suffered from dementia
in his last years.
Jud Calkins reports: “On June 3, 2015, Pilar and I and son Rexford finalized the adoption
of Cristina Elizabeth Calkins into our family. At eight months she is hale and hearty, with bright
blue eyes and red hair (just like me as a shaver), and eagerly awaiting presentation to the Gang of
’63 at the next Reunion. Recognizing that under the circumstances I’d better stay hale and
hearty myself, I became a repeat entry in the annual St. Louis Senior Olympics on Memorial
Day, taking gold in the football throw for distance and accuracy, the latter gauged by the number
of strikes through a hole in a plywood board. I am pleased to say that my first in the distance
made it five out of six in the years I have entered, although my distance has declined from 44
yards at age 63 to 35 yards at 73. One of these years I vow to practice in advance to get my
numbers back up!”
Pete Cressy will step down as the President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council at the
end of this year. Pete noted that it has been a great third career. The Washington Post ran a
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headline in the Style section saying that “the best job in Washington will soon be available.”
Pete says he knows more about Scotch and Bourbon than he ever thought possible, but remains
an old fashioned beer drinker. He points out that he is particularly pleased that while the market
share for spirits has grown by 25% during his tenure, underage drinking has dropped by nearly
30%. Pete intends, working closely with Paul Field, to keep the Washington, DC Class lunches
and other programming on track. The next Class lunch will likely be in late October and, longer
term, an event at Mount Vernon involving the new George Washington Presidential Library is
under consideration. Pete and the Distilled Spirits Council have raised over $5 million for
Mount Vernon and Pete will become the Director of Executive Leadership Programs at Mount
Vernon (on a part time basis) beginning in January of 2016. He will also do some teaching and
fundraising for UMass Dartmouth, where he was Chancellor from 1993 to 1999.
Tom Holahan died in August 2007. His friends and family established a Fund in his
memory that supports youth employment. Summer 2015 was the eighth year the Fund has helped
support New Haven high school students working in New Haven’s parks. All of the students
received a stipend from New Haven’s Youth@Work; the supervisors were paid primarily by the
Tom Holahan Fund and other donors. These “park interns” cleared trails, planted trees,
maintained playgrounds, and more – a win-win for New Haven and its public parks.
Sally Loeser reports that her daughter and her family visited Gregg Loeser’s freshman
year roommate John Blythe and his wife Pam in Denver. Sally recalls: “Even before Gregg and
I were married and John was an usher in our wedding, he would spend time at my house with my
mother in New Haven. John has been a wonderful, loyal, and important friend to both Gregg and
me over many, many years. Going way, way back when our girls were little we used to go to the
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top of East Rock and have a fun, cheese fondue picnic! Looking back, I am also reminded of
Bill Porter, another wonderful friend who also kept in touch after Gregg died in 1995.”
Lanny Lutz has started work with Hudson Energy, a supplier of natural gas and
electricity. His job is to approach commercial enterprises to see if they’re using cost control
programs for their energy needs. Lanny comments, “It’s a tough row to hoe, but not bad for an
out-of-work actor continuing to seek acting gigs.” This summer, Lanny also visited his daughter
and grandson in Paris.
William von Raab writes: “I have not got too much to say. I am just down here on my
farm north of Charlottesville, trying to put a deal or two together and playing polo on my own
field with my son Nicholas (U VA 2013) and a group of a dozen or so indefatigable friends.”
The Rev. Stephen Robb Billings, 74, of Haverford, PA, an Episcopal priest and advocate
for those oppressed or in need, died on July 1, 2015 of lymphoma at his vacation home in
Falmouth, MA. He had fought the disease since 2010.
Stephen grew up in Coral Gables, FL. He sensed that he might be called to minister in the
Episcopal Church but initially dismissed the idea, feeling unworthy of such a calling. “Only
later did I come to understand that it was not a matter of my worthiness, but rather of God’s
purposes and Grace,” Stephen wrote in our 50th Reunion Class Book. As graduation from Yale
drew near in 1963, Stephen was nominated to receive a one-year fellowship to the Episcopal
Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. He accepted the fellowship to test the vocation, and never
looked back. He graduated from Episcopal Divinity School in 1966 and underwent clinical
pastoral education at Worcester State (Mental) Hospital, which laid the foundation for a fulfilling
and challenging life following Jesus Christ, as a priest.
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Living out his calling as a priest was always grounded in the ministry of local
congregations. From 1966 to 2006 Stephen served many local churches and agencies. He was
curate at Church of the Messiah, Gwynedd, PA; Assistant Rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal
Church, Ardmore, PA; Executive Director of Community Youth Services NGO (a drug and
alcohol abuse prevention effort), Bryn Mawr, PA; Rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles and
the Mediator, Philadelphia; and Director of the Department of Church and Community
Ministries at Episcopal Community Services, the social services arm of the Diocese of
Pennsylvania. Stephen also served as a volunteer associate chaplain at Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia and the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital; as a part-time psychotherapist; and as a
teacher of pastoral care. He cared deeply about people, and advocated for those who were
oppressed or in need, recovering from addiction, incarcerated, mentally ill, or marginalized. He
made mission trips to Malawi in 2005, 2007, and 2009, and in his retirement years was an active
volunteer at the Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA.
Stephen was a vital part of the Class of 1963. While at Yale, he sang in the Glee Club,
served as manager in his senior year, and organized the Glee Club’s European tour in 1963. In
later years, Stephen created the memorial service by which we have remembered our deceased
classmates at each Reunion beginning with the 40th, and organized the Glee Club’s participation
in our Reunions.
Stephen was an avid gardener, swimmer, runner, sailor, and (in his early years) bicyclist.
He liked to do home repairs and repurpose found objects for creative, unexpected uses. He loved
caring for his grandchildren and his pet dogs.
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Stephen is survived by his beloved wife and chief collaborator, Barbara Morrison Billings,
his daughter, Melissa J. Billings (Richard J. Soedler), and grandchildren Richard, Grant, Neil,
and Jade, as well as three brothers, a sister, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great
nephews.
Dale Hershey remembers: “The list of causes Steve adopted and pursued successfully is
staggering. He worked with organizations, but he also aided people one by one. He could calm
and reassure and reconcile. He knew how to do practical things. He stepped in when these skills
were most needed. His broad, friendly smile, along with wise counsel, could put anyone at
ease.” David Boren writes: “Steve was the best possible roommate, always thoughtful and kind
and always there for Dale Hershey and me when we needed him. He was that way for the rest of
his life.”
In recognition of Mark Palmer’s years of leadership in efforts to advance democratic
institutions and human rights around the world, the American Foreign Service Association
(AFSA), with the support of Dr. Sushma Palmer, has established a new Mark Palmer Award for
a member of the United States Foreign Service who has demonstrated “distinguished
achievement in advancing democracy, freedom and governance through bold, exemplary,
imaginative and effective efforts. The first recipient of the Award was Andrew Young of the
U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali, who was recognized for advancing democracy and freedom
under extraordinary circumstances, especially in Burma and Mali.
There will be a memorial service for Stephen Baillie Parker at 2:00 PM on Sunday,
October 4, 2015 in the chapel of Milton Academy, Milton, MA. Steve’s son Harrison will be
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bagpiping at the service and afterward at the dedication of a copper beech in Steve’s memory
outside of the chapel. All classmates are welcome.
Robert Francis Tomain died on August 1, 2015 in Atlanta, GA. Born in Pittsburgh, PA,
Bob graduated from Yale College in 1963 and received an MBA from Georgia State University.
He married Marlene Galket, also of Pittsburgh, in 1963. After serving four years as a captain in
the Air Force, he began a lifetime career in the mortgage lending industry, culminating in
becoming CEO and Chairman of Home Federal Savings & Loan in Atlanta and Homebanc,
which became the largest home lender in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Under his leadership,
innovative concepts were introduced to the industry. Ultimately, Home Federal became the first
savings & loan in Georgia traded on NASDAQ. After the successful sale of the company, Bob
held several directorships with local financial institutions. In 1996, he ran with the Olympic
torch for the Games held in Atlanta. He is survived by his wife of 52 years; three daughters,
Leslie Tomain, Robin Shelley, and Shelley Taylor, a sister, and six grandchildren. Bob will be
remembered for his generosity, outspoken honesty, caring for those he deeply loved, and singing
his version of Blue Moon.
Jim Little writes: “Bob was one of our roommates in Berkeley. He was a wonderful guy
who valiantly fought mouth and then throat cancer for several years, enduring many procedures
and much medical treatment. He participated in all of our Berkeley roommate mini-reunions
over the years with Dillon Hoey, Ned Mason, Lee Marsh, Nelson Levy, Rees Jones, Tom
Fake, Dick Cheney, Dick Ainsworth ’64, Walt Macauley ’64, and me. Bob started dating
Marlene, who would become his wife of 52 years, while at Yale in 1960. I started dating my
future wife, Molly, the same year. We have maintained a friendship with them all this time and
got to see them most recently in March along with Nelson and his wife, Louisa. At that time,
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Bob was on a feeding tube and spoke in a hoarse quiet voice, but he was full of life and spirit and
flashed his old sense of humor. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
8
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2016 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes January-February 2016
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
We are now just about halfway between our highly successful 50th Reunion in 2013 and
our 55th Reunion in May of 2018. To help ensure that our 55th Reunion will be our most
inclusive Reunion ever, we are planning to make the 55th Reunion free of charge to attendees.
In order to make this possible, we are asking classmates to contribute, in addition to their
regular Class dues, an additional amount to the Class of 1963 Reunion Expense Reserve. By
contributing to the Reunion Expense Reserve, you are helping to defray the cost of the 55th
Reunion for everyone, yourself included. We have already raised more than $77,000 toward the
estimated cost of $225,000, but we need to keep up the momentum. So please give what you
can to the Reunion Expense Reserve – the suggested contribution is $200, but all contributions
are welcome.
From September 2 to 28, 2015, the Yale ’63-’64 Tour de France afforded a memorable
combination of congenial companionship, excellent dining and wines, barge tours of the canals
of Burgundy, and trips to the beaches of Normandy, the chateaux of the Loire, and the cultural
riches of Paris to its participants, who were Cynthia and Ron Allison, Alison and Phil Arnold,
Charles Barker ’64, LaForrest and Alex Campbell, Shirley and Ed Carlson, Sarah Anne and Peter
Cressy, Martha and Ed Dennis, Martin and Marianne Galt, Kathy and Fred Hanser, Pat and Rick
Holloway, Pat and Jere Johnston, Karen and Jon Larson, Louisa and Nelson Levy, Gwendolyn
Hope and Geoff Martin, Wick Murray, Lynn and Chip O’Neill ’64, Lisa and Vic Sheronas, Marcia
Hill and Guy Struve, Janice and Brian Sweeney, Mayda Tsaknis and Jim Thompson, Sandra
Zieky and Michael Wilder, Kathleen and Robert Whitby ’64, and Marilyn Sue and Richard
Worley.
The Tour de France came about thanks to the creativity and extraordinary hard work of Jon
Larson, aided by the other “Barge Guys”, Ed Dennis, Charlie Dilks, Fred Hanser, Jere Johnston,
and Jim Thompson. In Normandy, we were lucky enough to have Wick Murray, a noted expert
in military history, as our guide to the Normandy landings. Terrific photographs of the Tour de
France, taken by Pat Johnston, can be found on the Class Website. www.yale63.org
On September 17, 2015, following an informative briefing at the U.S. Embassy, the first-ever
Class of 1963 dinner to be held outside the United States took place at the Cercle de l’Union
Interalliée in Paris, where the Tour participants were joined by Jeff Barnouw, Greg Good, Chuck
Lubar, and Pennell Rock, and we heard a very interesting talk by Philippe Labro, a writer,
1
filmmaker, entrepreneur, and friend of Chuck Lubar, about matters of joint interest and
concern for our countries.
On October 7, 2015, the initial Connecticut Yale Class of 1963 lunch was held at Mory’s,
organized by Tom Iezzi. Classmates present included Phil Arnold, Charles Cheney, Willie Dow,
Rick Holloway, Alan Magary, Bill Moore, Bill Oldakowski, Dave Reynolds, Fred Schneider,
Martin Wand, and Mike Wilder. Similar Connecticut lunches are planned in the future. If you
would like to be added to the e-mail invitation list for future Connecticut lunches, please e-mail
Tom Iezzi at iezzi@sbcglobal.net.
The undefeated 1959 Bullpups freshman football team achieved another outstanding result at
this year’s Yale Football Association golf tournament on August 10, 2015. Last year’s
tournament produced about 100 flags and raised approximately $50,000. This year “teams”
were asked to contribute two flags each with a goal of raising $100,000. Emails went out from
Ian Robertson to the august group Fred Andreae, Jim Biles, Jud Calkins, Bob Clark, Chris Clark,
Wolf Dietrich, Chuck Duncan, Tom Fake, Roger Flannery, Bill Flippin, Michael Freeland, Tony
Gengarelly, Chris Getman, Wally Grant, Larry Gwin, Hank Hallas, Fred Hanser, Chuck Hellar,
Hank Higdon, Bill Hildebrand, Mark Horlings, Jay Huffard, Tom Iezzi, Erik Jensen, Bill Kay,
Dave Keller, Jerry Kenney, Peter Kiernan, Bill Kramer, Dennis Landa, Joe Lastowka, Jim Little,
Lee Marsh, Dave Mawicke, Gar Murtha, Bill Nordhaus, Stan Riveles, Victor Sheronas, Guy
Struve, Jim Thompson, Dave Weinstein, Dave Winebrenner, and Tex Younger. Final flag count
for the group: 55. As a result, our entire group has been included in the 2015 Yale Football
Association Honor Roll.
In early October 2015, ten of the Whiffenpoofs of 1963 gathered at the farm of the Danny
Rowland family in South Londonderry, VT, where they first visited in 1963. Those attending
were Marjorie and Tony Elson, Sandy Fraze, George Hamlin, Henry Hewitt, Olivia and Warren
Hoge, Frissie and Bill Reed, Wendy and Danny Rowland, Ron Sampson, Carolyn and Charley
Sawyer, and Nancy Cobb and Gurney Williams. On Sunday evening, October 4, 2015, the
Whiffs performed on the grounds of Hildene in Manchester, VT, the historic summer home of
Robert Todd Lincoln and his wife Mary Harlan. Hosting the community event were Barry
Rowland ’57 and his wife Wendy. The concert was a dress rehearsal for the 55th Reunion in
2018.
In September 2015, Bill Bell and Pepper Stuessy rendezvoused in Minnesota for a four-day
canoe trip in Voyageurs National Park on the Canadian Border. Pepper reports: “We were so
skilled that we did not even get our shoes wet at any time when we beached or launched. Bell
fished and Stuessy photographed, each with minor to marginal success. We told a few stories,
many more lies, and could even recite a few poems from our undergraduate days. The only
mishap was blowing past the campsite reserved for night two. But, as luck would have it, we
ended up at our third campsite. We had great sunrises and sunsets, prime Milky Way viewing,
frequent bald eagle observing, and a chorus of howling wolves.”
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Paul Dahlquist recounts: “My wife, Charlene, our daughter, Kristine, and I have just returned
from a trip to Ireland and England in celebration of 50 years of marriage. In England we pursued
some family history with the dedication of a plaque in a little church in Cawthorne to my greatgreat-grandfather, Thomas W. Atkinson, who was a stone carver, architect, painter, and
explorer in the 1840’s of the Siberian Steppes, including what is now Kazakhstan. A delegation
from the Kazakh Embassy in London came to the dedication. I presented the Cawthorne
Museum with the handwritten notes Thomas had used in 1860 when giving a speech about his
travels to the Cawthorne history group. We also visited Merton College at Oxford where my
Uncle Alatau Wilder had been on the crew in 1920. Charlene and I finished our trip at Brown
Ledge Camp where we met 50 years ago, courtesy of the Yale Placement Office, which asked
me if I wanted to teach golf at a girls’ camp the summer after graduation. That turned into a
lifelong relationship – I found my wife there and our daughter found her husband there, and we
have many good friends from the summers between 1963 and 1988 that we spent there as
counselors. Meanwhile I curated an exhibit at the Lyman Museum in Hilo, HI, showcasing
paintings from 1779 to the present dealing with Hawaii, with some contemporary photographs
of similar scenes. It is great fun keeping my involvement in curation even while supposedly
retired.”
Lowell Dodge and his wife Diane recently finished a new home near Boulder, CO to be near
their daughter Allison, an acupuncturist and, with her husband, an organic farmer. The house
sits next to a lake and looks out on a wide panorama of the Front Range centered on Longs
Peak. Lowell is setting up a woodworking shop in a nearly completed barn, where he plans to
continue turning out furniture in cherry and walnut and to get into wood art. He and Diane
enjoy working on the organic farm and spend many hours pulling weeds, doing firewood, and
other tasks as assigned. They will divide their time between Boulder and a Chevy Chase, MD
apartment near Diane’s daughter Karen, a nurse-midwife/Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins,
and two grandchildren. They also visit Lowell's daughter Shannon, a developer of affordable
housing with a nonprofit in San Francisco. and grandson Silas. Lowell retired in 2013 from
running a nonprofit (his sixth). Diane recently sold Teaching Strategies, a company she began in
1988 to develop and publish early childhood curriculum and assessment systems. Both serve on
nonprofit boards.
Carter Findlay writes: “Since retiring at the end of May 2015, I have been trying to catch up on
years of deferred housekeeping and maintenance and also get restarted on the research
project that is now my greatest priority, the most important and lavishly illustrated book
published about the Ottoman Empire in the 1700’s, Ignatius Mouradgea d’Ohsson’s Tableau
general de l’Empire ottoman. Not likely to head the bestseller list, but an astonishing story –
both the man and his book.”
Nancy Godfrey is co-editor of the Smith ’66 50th reunion class book, with Susan Holahan as one
of the editors. Nancy and Susan reconnected at our 50th Reunion.
The Association of Information Science and Technology has presented its highest award, the
Award of Merit, to Mike Koenig. In presenting the award to Mike, the Association stated: “Few
3
people have touched as many lives or mentored as many people as Mike. In his gentle and
unassuming way he has made the profession a better place to practice. He has bridged the
cultural gap between distinct areas of computer and information science and between
commercial and academic sectors. He has proven that the theories he has taught can work in
the real world. His productivity in the field is impressive. He represents the best in information
science research, teaching, and practice.”
Victor Laruccia reports: “I run an Italian film festival in San Diego, the ninth edition of which ran
from October 13 to 24, 2015. It keeps me very engaged and most of the time it is fun. Definitely
not serious. We plug into Italy as it is today, warts and all, but also art and enthusiastic
sensuality. You can check us out and sign up for the festival newsletter on our website,
www.sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com.”
Tom Lovejoy addressed the crowd on the Mall in Washington, DC on September 24, 2015,
when the Pope visited the capital. Tom spoke about the Amazon, where he first set foot 50
years ago. Tom is also featured in the November 2015 issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Chuck Lubar reports: “After 34 years at Morgan Lewis in London, where I was founder of the
office, managing partner for many years, and had an active international tax practice, I have
parted company and joined the London office of McDermott Will & Emery. McDermotts has a
strong specialty in the international cross-border tax practice. It was a difficult transition
because of the complexity of unraveling 34 years of practice history and moving the practice to
a new firm. I am now happily ensconced with a wonderful group of lawyers. I am truly reenergized, although I do want to ease off a bit and pass much of the practice over time down a
generation. So it looks like I will stay in London, and the good news on the personal side is that
my son, Alex, his wife and their son will be moving back to London after 18 years in the States
to join with our other two children and three grandchildren who are more permanent residents
of England. Still haven’t acquired the accent!”
Dick Malmed has finished two novels. Dick relates: “One is a Grisham-type detective story
called Carmen’s Journey, which is basically a combination of some of my adventures as a lawyer
over the last 50 years. The other is called Jesus Unbound, and draws some controversial
conclusions about the life of the historical Jesus based on forensic analysis and research in
Roman and Jewish law. Both novels will be available on Kindle and Nook, and paperbound
copies are available from Authorhouse. In the meantime I am still powerlifting and set a new
record at 320 on the bench. My golf is still in the mediocre range.”
Herb Rosenthal reports that on September 7-9, 2015, six Timothy Dwight classmates and
spouses gathered at the home of Rosemary and Norm Dawley in Lusby, Maryland. Attending
were Sally and Ken Porter, Sandy and Bill Bassin, Gay and Walt Sturgeon, Carole and Fred
Pritzker, and Nancy and Herb Rosenthal. Tuesday night the group was joined by Anne and
Stovy Brown. The group swam, kayaked, visited the Patuxent Naval Air Museum, and talked
and ate just like old times. Herb states: “All six of us are having fun doing what we want to do;
we are very lucky to be able to do so, and we know it.”
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Martin Wand has received the Distinguished Achievement Award of the New England
Ophthalmological Society, the second oldest medical specialty (and the oldest ophthalmic
society) in the country. The award has been given only 21 times since 1950. Martin stated:
“Many of the previous recipients of this award were my teachers and mentors at Harvard. I was
humbled that my peers thought that I deserved this award.”
Dan Waugh and his wife Charlotte continue to explore the world in connection with his ongoing
academic projects in “retirement”. They were at a conference in Cambridge, UK a year ago and
spent three months in spring and early summer this year based in Uppsala, Sweden, where Dan
is working on a co-authored book relating to Muscovite Russian history. The stay in Europe also
included trips to Tallinn, Copenhagen, and London. Dan is currently processing and donating to
the important David Collection in Copenhagen his sizable collection of photographs of Islamic
architecture, relating to his interests in the historic Silk Roads. In October Dan and Charlotte
headed to Andalucia for a first acquaintance with the Islamic heritage of southern Spain. They
have also been indulging in trips with their son, Max, a professional wildlife photographer, who
has guided them in Costa Rica and the Galapagos.
Richard Chandler Seamans passed away on September 27, 2015, while pursuing his greatest
passion (after skiing), hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Yosemite National Park. Richard
graduated from Mount Lebanon (PA) Senior High School in 1959, and from Yale University in
1963. He earned his law degree in 1966 at Harvard Law School. On June 13, 1964, Dick married
his high school sweetheart, Susan White Seamans, whom he met and first dated in 1958. Suzy
served as a city council member and mayor in Rolling Hills Estates, CA. Dick practiced law for
Rockwell International and The Boeing Company for over 30 years. He retired in 2001 and spent
the last 14 years actively enjoying life. He was an avid skier and hiker in the Mammoth Lakes
area, and played tennis frequently. In the past several years he became an aspiring
photographer, capturing the scenic landscapes of his hikes and the many destinations to which
he traveled with his wife. He recently received an award for one of his photographs. Dick is
survived by his wife; his two children, Pamela Seamans Feldman and Andrew White Seamans;
and four grandchildren.
Terry Throop remembers: “I first met Dick during the Yale recruiting process. We were both
public high school students, soon to embark on our Yale adventure in a world very different
from western Pennsylvania where we grew up. I met Dick’s future wife, Suzy, early in our
friendship. Our bridge playing expanded to include Joe Wikler and his wife Maddy, and my wife
Kate, who often joined us on a blanket on the Davenport courtyard. Those friendships endured
– we were all together at our 50th reunion just two years ago. Both Joe and Dick have died
since the reunion, leaving only Rod Weekes and me as surviving roommates. Dick graduated
from Harvard Law School, and followed up his Yale ROTC participation with service in the US
Army JAG Corps. He was fortunate to be stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco while he was
on active duty. That posting led him and Suzy to choose California as their home. They moved
to the Palos Verdes peninsula in the early seventies, where Dick worked as an Assistant General
Counsel for Rockwell International and later Boeing. In Dick’s own words, ‘When it became
apparent that I could make ends meet with my pension and 401(k), I retired at fifty-nine and
5
one-half.’ In his retirement, Dick spent much of his time traveling with his family. A picture of
Dick, Suzy and various children and grandchildren was always the first holiday card to arrive in
our mailbox.”
6
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2016 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes March-April 2016
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
The Yale ’63 British Isles tour in September of 2016 has 36 confirmed with space
available for up to eight more. It features 17 days (September 11-27) London to London via
Wales, Ireland (south and north), and Scotland, and an optional three-day extension (September
27-30) to the English Lake District. Travel is by private motor coach, ferry, and rail. You can
view the itinerary details and costs on our Yale ’63 website (www.yale63.org). For availability
and answers to any questions, e-mail Jon Larson at jon_larson@hotmail.com or Jim Thompson
at jlthompson@mmcanby.com. We are implementing the best features of our very successful
Tour de France in September 2015, including a lot of personal time and emphasis on sharing and
getting to know each other better in a more relaxed and intimate manner than possible at shorter
mini-reunions.
On Harvard weekend, November 20-22, 2015, members of the 1959 Bullpups gathered to
celebrate the 55th anniversary of the undefeated and untied 1960 Yale football team. Present
were Jud Calkins. Wendi and Charles Duncan, Lynne and Michael Freeland, Chris Getman
’64, Louise and Hank Hallas, Erika and Hank Higdon, Marcia Hill, Mark Horlings, Jerry
Kenney, Kathy and Peter Kiernan, Denny Landa, Dave Mawicke, Tim O’Connell, Chris and
Stan Riveles, Ian Robertson, Lisa and Vic Sheronas, Mayda Tsaknis and Jim Thompson,
Paula and Dave Weinstein, and Tex Younger.
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The weekend began on Friday with the Levering Luncheon at the Kenney Center, in
which alumni football players from both Harvard and Yale broke bread together. After the
luncheon, the group watched the Yale team work out and talked with some of the players.
Friday evening, there was a cocktail reception at Mory’s, and then the Blue Leadership Ball,
where members of Yale’s athletic community were honored for their athletic and leadership
contributions to Yale.
Following the Harvard game on Saturday afternoon (which left everyone more
determined than ever to continue the progress begun by Coach Tony Reno so that we can end
Harvard’s win streak), many members of the group went to the Quinnipiac Club in New Haven
for dinner and to pay respects to Mike Pyle, the deceased captain of the 1960 team. Members of
that team, including Tom Singleton, Hardy Will, and Bob Blanchard, remembered Mike Pyle
with stories and events and pointed out the great difference he made to our undefeated season in
1960. Mike’s daughter was there, as were his two grandsons. Also, at this event Charles
Duncan presented Ian Robertson with the “Hands of Steel and All Heart” trophy for his special
leadership of the You Guys, the team, and the Yale Class of 1963.
Doug Allen is in India for five months as part of his philosophy research sabbatical from
the University of Maine. He is based at the spectacular campus of the Indian Institute of
Technology Madras in Chennai. In November and early December, he and his wife lived
through the record monsoon, with the heaviest rainfalls and flooding in Chennai since 1901. In
December, Doug delivered the keynote lecture for the International Summit on Peace and
Harmony at Banaras Hindu University. His keynote was on “Mahatma Gandhi’s Philosophy of
Peace and Harmony and Its Significance or Irrelevance for India and the World in 2016.” The
summit coincided with the arrival of the remarkable Walk of Hope/Manav Ekta Mission
marching from the southern tip of India to Kashmir, 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles), in 500 days.
2
Banaras (Varanasi) is the holiest Hindu city on the Ganges, and BHU is where Doug spent 19631964 after graduating from Yale. Doug was also selected as the first Visiting Academic Chair of
Gandhian Studies at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai. In
February, he will deliver the Institute Lecture at IIT Bombay on “Is Gandhi Significant for India
in 2016?” As part of his research project Doug is writing a new Gandhi-inspired book. He also
hopes to complete a second book on the phenomenology of religion (interpreting meaning, myth,
symbolism, religion, and violence, etc.).
Jerry Bogert writes: “Very happy to report that our oldest granddaughter, Madeline B.
Bogert, entered the Yale Class of 2019 this fall.”
Bob Bradshaw reports: “This is probably my last year as a full-time employed person.
Have added one more community service program. Am sponsoring four major initiatives, which
enables me to work with about 50% of the senior class outside of class. Still teaching full time
and learning more about our history with each assignment. Still digging for answers. Basketball
tryouts have commenced. I get to help our varsity coach when time permits. We were odds-on
to win a state championship next March until our All-American center tore his ACL one month
ago. He had already signed with UConn. We will still be pretty good. And, of course, there are
relationships to nurture – the real heart and soul of secondary school teaching.”
Val Dusek wrote in a letter published in the Wall Street Journal on October 30, 2015:
“It’s a pity that Matt Ridley dismissed basic science (‘The Myth of Basic Science,’ Review, Oct.
24). Without the very abstract general theory of relativity, your GPS navigation system wouldn’t
work. Without the abstract ideas of quantum mechanics, we wouldn’t have lasers and CD
players. And without a basic understanding of the structure of the DNA molecule, we would
have no chance of tackling many genetically based diseases.”
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On December 3, 2015, Rees Jones, Molly and Jim Little, and Susan, Benjamin, and Jon
Rose were among the 250 invited guests at the unveiling of the bust of former U.S. Vice
President Dick Cheney. Jim Little reports: “The turnout of current and former government
officials, congressmen, and senators was very impressive. The speakers included Senators Roy
Blunt and Mitch McConnell, Congressman Paul Ryan, former President George W. Bush, and
Vice President Joe Biden. All of the remarks were diligently prepared and sincerely given,
thanking Dick for his long and dedicated service to the country. Each speaker inserted just
enough humor to add some fun to the event. All of the speakers remarked on Dick’s love of
family and each praised Lynne for her accomplishments. Dick was the last to speak and was
humble and thankful to all (especially Lynne) who had helped him through his incredible
journey. It was a very exceptional event.”
Avi Nelson has been elected to the Board of Directors of the MSPCA (Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Avi writes: “The passage of time has
reinforced my long-held opinion that the world would be a better place if votes were apportioned
by the number of feet.” Also on the board is John Carberry, Yale ’65.
After playing a role in nuclear arms negotiations during the last part of his 36 years in the
U.S. diplomatic service, in 2002 Steve Steiner began a “second career” at the Department of
State focusing on democracy and women’s rights issues. He played a part in shaping and
implementing the Bush Administration’s Millennium Challenge Account Initiative, a new
assistance program focused on countries willing to make the transition to democratic
governance. In 2004, Steve started up the Department's flagship program for Iraqi women, the
Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative, which he led for five years. He likewise took on a
leadership role in programs to empower the women of Afghanistan. Steve later served as the
4
Department’s lead in U.S. efforts to counter human trafficking for purposes of forced and child
labor. Since early 2011, Steve has been a member of the Gender and Peacebuilding team at the
United States Institute of Peace. One of his key initiatives at USIP has been to train men in
countries that have gone through violent conflict to accept a peaceful notion of masculinity, to be
peace builders in their communities and to respect the rights of women. He is now starting up
such a program working with young men in Afghanistan.
John K. “Jack” Irwin passed away peacefully on November 23, 2015 in Newport
Hospital, Newport, RI, with his wife, Karyne Wilner, at his side. Since 1995, Jack owned and
operated Forest Park Mobile Homes and the Redwood Management Company. Born on
February 5, 1942, Jack graduated from Langley High School, Pittsburgh, PA in 1959 and from
Yale College in 1963 with a degree in economics. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves as a
First Lieutenant, Field Artillery, receiving an honorable discharge in 1975. Prior to owning
Forest Park Mobile Homes, Jack worked for McMichael Yacht Brokers Limited in Mamaroneck,
NY, as a consultant to the banking industry in New York City, and in corporate management and
real estate in Boston, MA and Newport, RI.
Jack’s numerous hobbies included sailing, photography, reading, and contract bridge. He
enjoyed auto racing in Seekonk and baseball in Pawtucket, and was an avid fan of NASCAR and
the Boston Celtics. In the past he was a member of the American Contract Bridge League and
Race Committee Chair of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Recently he hosted an exchange student
from China, Jiaming Li, for her junior year at Portsmouth High School. Jack is survived by his
loving wife Karyne and his daughter Nicole, both of whom are grateful to have had the
opportunity to experience his kindness, love, loyalty, and wisdom. He also leaves his brother,
Jim Irwin of Canandaigua, NY, and his sister Janice Wagner of Wadsworth, OH. The uncle of
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Steve, Linda, Joyce, and Rusty, and great uncle of Jenny and JJ, he enjoyed sharing time with
them at many family get-togethers.
Doug Jenner recalls Jack Irwin as follows: “It was easy to become friends with Jack,
and many of us did, because he treated everybody well, was not intimidated or overly impressed
by anyone, usually had something smart or funny (or both) to add to any interaction, and had a
wide range of interests. Jack's friends included scientific types like Kirby Klump, Aaron
Bloch, and Steve Wilson, brilliant intellects like Harry Silverstein and Fritz Thiel, ultimate
prepsters like Ridge Hall and Jerry Bogert, business and economic stars like Pepper Stuessy,
Doug Wickham, and Jim Rogers ’64, athletes like Hank Hallas and Erik Jensen, and a whole
bunch of people I couldn't categorize except as great guys and good friends -- Nichols, Laing,
Milikowsky, Throop, Jeter, Ross (nobody used anyone else’s first name in those days). After
Yale, I didn't see Jack for many years, until he and Karyne and Nicole came to Colorado for a
visit about five years ago. The years melted away almost instantly. Jack, the essential bachelor
for so many years, was extraordinarily pleased and proud to have a family at that stage of his life,
and clearly it added a great deal of meaning to his life. We also had an enjoyable connection at
our 50th Reunion, and sadly that was the last time I saw him.”
Hank Hallas likewise remembers being with Jack at the 50th Reunion: “Jack and his
lovely wife were among the many highlights of that glorious reunion. I was personally very
happy for him and how things worked out. We both weren’t so sure back in the spring of 1963.”
Fritz Thiel remembers Jack saying at the 50th Reunion: “After years of moving from
one business area to another and always being responsible for reports to a manager, I finally
realized that I would much prefer to be my own boss. And given this thought, I decided that a
mobile-home rental park would be just fine. Yes, my workers and I constantly have to deal with
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standard recurring problems: plumbing, broken fences, damage one person has done to another’s
property, and so on. But we just deal with it. And owning the rental park allows me to earn
enough to live decently and be fully independent.”
Terry Throop recounts: “I ran into Jack in Newport, RI in the early ’80’s. We
reconnected easily and spent quite a bit of time together, during what I now know was a very
stressful period before Jack began his most satisfying and rewarding years. When Karyne and he
got together, his life was fulfilled. I regret that I didn’t meet Karyne until our 50th Reunion, and
our time together there was too short.”
On October 14, 2015, Freedom House in Washington, DC held the second annual Mark
Palmer Forum for the Advancement of Democracy. The forum, established in 2014 to honor and
carry on the legacy of our classmate Ambassador Mark Palmer, focused this year on the
perspectives of front-line activists seeking to advance democracy in countries suffering under
dictatorships and on establishing recommended priorities for the next U.S. Administration.
Panelists and participants in the forum included senior U.S. Government officials, civil society
leaders and activists, and prominent human rights defenders from authoritarian countries.
William C. Stifler III, a retired lawyer who had been chief real estate solicitor for the
City of Baltimore, died on November 27, 2015 of complications from dementia at Symphony
Manor Assisted Living in Roland Park, MD. After graduating in 1959 from the Gilman School,
where he captained the baseball team and played varsity basketball and football, he began Yale
with our Class. He transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park, where he earned a
bachelor’s degree in 1964. After graduating from the University of Maryland Law School in
1967, he clerked for Maryland Court of Appeals Judge William J. McWilliams. In 1968 he
joined the Baltimore law firm of Niles, Barton & Wilmer, where he worked for nearly two
decades. He subsequently practiced with Weinberg & Green and Semmes, Bowen & Semmes,
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before being named chief real estate solicitor for the City of Baltimore in 2004. He retired in
2011.
“Billy was deeply committed to the intellectual and ethical pursuit of the law, and served
for 15 years as Secretary of the Character Committee of the Maryland State Bar,” said his wife of
32 years, the former Ellen Keats, who is Executive Director of Development at the Kimmel
Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was active in numerous civic, educational, and
museum organizations, and served on such nonprofit boards as Maryland Prisoners Aid, the
Baltimore Montessori Charter School, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and Gilman School.
He was President of the Hampden Family Center for many years. Beginning when he was a
young boy, he spent summers at the family home on Isle au Haut in Maine. He also maintained
a deep interest in the history of the American South, and was a fan of the blues. In addition to
his wife, he is survived by a son, William C. Stifler of Towson, MD; a daughter, Sarah L. Stifler
of Los Angeles; a stepson, James W. Sibal of New Orleans; a stepdaughter, Allison S. Baker of
Towson, MD; two brothers; and seven grandchildren.
George Nilson, the City Solicitor of Baltimore, recalled: “He handled significant and
challenging deals with good cheer. He was just a lovely and delightful gentleman. He was well
liked by the people he worked with in the department.” Bob Grose remembers: “Bill and I
grew up together in Baltimore, and roomed together freshman year. I have a vivid memory of
our parents dropping us off at the train station with our one suitcase as we headed up to Yale
without them. That would hardly happen today. Unfortunately, Bill got sick and had to return
home and was unable to complete freshman year. He remained a good friend for many years and
he will be missed by his family and friends.”
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Link to ClassNotes-May-June-2016 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes May - June, 2016
* * * * * *
John Davison reports: “Several years ago I grew restless during my retirement
from a long career in broadcasting. Selling, buying, and renting real estate in New
York City has turned out to be very gratifying. The Yale connection has resulted in
several clients and referrals. To keep the momentum going, I have just joined Douglas
Elliman, New York’s largest real estate company. Apartment hunting in New York,
anyone?”
On February 11, 2016, the National Geographic had an all-day program
celebrating Tom Lovejoy’s 50 years of work on biodiversity and Amazon
conservation, culminating in a public interview in the National Geographic Auditorium
by Jim Lehrer. Tom has agreed to serve as a Science Envoy for 2016 for the
Department of State.
Lanny Lutz relates: “Recently I taped the role of a rip-roarin’ revivalist
preacher on ‘Unshackled’, complete with abundant audience ‘amens’ in the
background. Don’t know if Grandpa (who was a well-established evangelist in PA,
WVA, and MD) did it like that (he left the planet long before I was born), but in over
25 years playing all kinds of characters on the show, that was the most fun I ever had
on ‘Unshackled’. Airing on all USA Christian broadcasting stations the week of April
24-30, 2016.”
Ron Sampson reports: “Early in my annual three-month hibernation from the
northern winter this year, I had a wonderful dinner in Adelaide with Norm
1
Etherington and his wife Peggy, who have retired there. Norm is having three books
published in roughly a 12-month period, and in addition is constructing a new home
over the next couple of years, architected by one of their sons. No doubt the new
palazzo is a wonderful affirmation of life, but I did feel obliged to suggest to Norm that
his profusion of new books might give ‘retirement’ a bad (or at least unusual) name.
On her part, Peggy is editing and writing chapters for a volume on the Aboriginal
history of the State of South Australia. On leaving Adelaide I went on to Melbourne
for the Australian Open tennis championships, which I’ve attended now for 22 years,
and thence to Noosa Heads, Queensland for six weeks, accompanied by 20 books in
hard copy which I’d brought all the way from home. So, not just a wastrel but a
Luddite.”
Thomas F. Christie, Jr. passed away peacefully at Stamford Hospital,
Stamford, CT, on February 3, 2016. He was born on December 28, 1939 in Mount
Vernon, NY. He graduated from Yale University in 1963 and served as a Naval officer
and aviator for five years before starting a long career as a banker. He is survived by
his wife, Gail Hashagen Christie, his sons, Thomas Christie (wife Monica) and Peter
Christie (wife Melanie), three grandsons, his sister Martha Christie Nash (husband
James), his brother-in-law, John Hashagen (wife Huntly), and three loving nieces.
Tom’s wife Gail wrote: “My husband, Tom, left us shortly after midnight. I had to say
goodbye to the man I’ve been married to my whole adult life. My guitar-playing,
Naval aviator, international banker, computer geek husband. My first love and father to
our two wonderful sons. He was released from the progressive supranuclear palsy
(PSP) he suffered in the past few years, and was guided through the transition to a new
life with healing energy from my many fellow Reiki friends.”
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Geordie du Pont writes: “Tom Christie’s loss is shocking. His low key, wry,
ironic humor and his ballad guitar style were paced for the long run. He had a killing
sense of humor which was greatly appreciated. Tom loved discussing politics, artificial
intelligence, and climate. His family was the joy of his life.”
Paul Field recalls Tom as follows: “We first met, sopping wet, as lifeguards
and swimming instructors at the New Haven YMCA in 1962. Wet or dry, our
friendship was close, and has endured over five plus decades and long distances. Tom
was multi-talented and brilliant. In college he held a national merit scholarship, played
football, soccer, and baseball, and was on the freshman swimming team. He played the
guitar and sang in the Freshman Chorus, Apollo Glee Club, and the Augmented Seven.
I was a witness to love at first sight – of Tom being hit by a gigantic lightning bolt. His
singing group had performed at a freshman mixer at Smith. He saw a stunning 17-yearold, two weeks into her freshman year. He was transfixed. He contrived to leave his
guitar behind so as to have an excuse to see her again. They started dating and Tom
was overwhelmed by her. So by 19 Gail found herself not a college sophomore or
junior but a Navy wife. Tom came home from Vietnam with a chestful of medals, and
he and his beloved Smith freshman built a wonderful life together. As the years went
by, he saw his Gail as the extraordinary, confident, complete, caring, connected core of
the family and their lives.”
Richard Magnus Hopper died of brain cancer on January 2, 2016. Dick was
born in Oneonta, NY in 1941, and spent his childhood in Hudson, NY. He attended the
Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA (1959), Yale University (1963), and the University
of Colorado Law School (1966). Dick decided after attending law school in Colorado
that the West would be his home. He worked briefly for the IRS, then as a trust officer
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at Wells Fargo, and ended his legal career with the law firm of Lentz, Evans & King
(now Robinson, Diss & Clowdus), where he practiced from 1980 to 2010. He was
involved in estate planning, probate administration, and related fields. In 1982 he
married Barbara Ann Lasko. His wife Barbara writes: “We were married for almost 34
years, together for 40. We enjoyed yearly visits to the family condo on Maui, and spent
time in Panama, where we currently own two properties in partnership with his Yale
classmate, Michael Preston Green. Dick was a wonderful man, funny and quick and
kind. During his illness he was fortunate to keep all his mental faculties, memory, and
wonderful sense of humor. He enjoyed many visits from friends and family and also
his evening cocktail. He was a blessing in our lives and died at home surrounded by
love.”
Marc Lavietes remembers: “Dick and I were two of a very heterogeneous
group of five people (Mike Green, Bill Stirlen, and Lee Weisberg were the others) who
moved together from Calhoun to Stiles in our Senior year. We shared many dinners
together and as Senior year progressed spent more and more time over bridge games
and social events. Dick was the most congenial among us and thus often brokered our
disagreements over bridge games, current events, and the like. My path has crossed
many times with Dick and Barbara over the years. I am grateful that we got to spent a
delightful day together in Denver last spring while on my way to San Francisco!
Wick Murray recalls: “I first met Dick in my junior year at Berkshire – and
from that first meeting, I quickly came to value his wonderful, dry sense of humor, his
fund of sharp, amusing witticisms, and his love of conversation. Boredom was simply
not in his vocabulary. I shall deeply miss his friendship and the possibility of future
times with him.”
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Frank Scott Letcher passed away in the presence of his family on December
17, 2015. He was an accomplished physician; a loving husband and parent; a
passionate supporter of the arts, with a lifelong interest in Russian music, literature, and
culture. He touched many lives, and he will be missed deeply. Frank was a cum laude
graduate of Yale University, majoring in Russian language. During college he met
Irina Koslova, and they married in 1963. After graduating from Washington University
Medical School in St. Louis in 1967, he went on to serve as a Lieutenant in the U.S.
Naval Reserve in Philadelphia and two years as Director of the Head Injury Research
Laboratory at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, MD. He completed
his medical training as a resident at Washington University and was certified by the
American Board of Neurological Surgery. He practiced neurosurgery for 30 years in
Tulsa, OK, until his retirement in 2005. Frank Letcher had an enormous range of
interests. He was fluent in Russian, and taught neurosurgical techniques in Russia after
the fall of the Soviet Union. In 1991, he founded the first private practice of
neurological surgery in Russia with Dr. G. S. Tigliev, which still exists today in St.
Petersburg. Frank was passionate about music. After his retirement in 2005, he
became the founder, President, and CEO of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, which is
now flourishing in its tenth year. The center of Frank Letcher’s life was always his
family, and in particular, his wife Irene. In our 50th Reunion Class Book, he wrote: “I
will never be able adequately to express either the depth of my love for my wife or how
much I owe her. I have known true love for 53 years. I am enjoying life and I am at
peace for which I am so very grateful.” He is survived by his brothers, Scott, John, and
Bill Letcher, and their families; his wife Irene; his daughters, Elizabeth Letcher and her
husband Steve Doberstein, and Katherine Martin Groseclose and her husband Chris
5
Groseclose, two granddaughters, and two grandsons.
Jim Courtright recalls: “From Frank's early Yale years, he developed a deep
appreciation of the richness of Russian culture and shared that appreciation with us. He
attended as many reunions as I can remember and, as my memory allows, always with
his wife Irene He will certainly be remembered for moving our conversations to a
higher level, with humor, insight, and wit. Frank remained committed to and engaged
in efforts for the betterment of others. I recall his strong support, encouragement, and
commitment to the Class Support Network, as well as the recent discussions of sportsrelated brain trauma. For this and much more, he will be remembered as one who cared
deeply for Yale and his classmates.”
Val Dusek remembers Frank Letcher as follows: “Our first night as roommates
at Yale Frank, Carlton Chickering, and I argued until 3 AM about Baron Korzybski's
interpretation of special relativity. I thought that is what college should be like. The
original stimulus may not have been of the highest quality, but the argument was. He
was very argumentative when young (If you said it was raining, he would argue,
ingeniously, that it was not). This sometimes drove me up the wall. But as he and I
mellowed with age we got along very well. His interest in Russian and Russia, greatly
enabled by his marrying Irene, led him to practice medicine in Russia for some years
until the post-Yeltsin deterioration and corruption drove him out. He also sponsored
contemporary Russian art and facilitated the publication of ‘The Metaphysical Head’,
combining his aesthetic interests with his medical ones. He became a brain surgeon
and, after retiring, almost single-handedly revived the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. He
had an excellent but somewhat perverse sense of humor and once typed in a demo
typewriter at the Yale Coop, ‘This typewriter has a lascivious carriage.’ He made
6
Russian-Latin puns which none of us could understand, and then laugh uproariously.”
Guy Struve writes: “Frank Letcher was one of the unsung heroes of our 50th
Reunion. He telephoned scores of classmates to urge them to come to the Reunion.
Because of his warm and outgoing nature, he was often successful. His friends will
remember his passionate engagement with Russia and the arts. Frank was a man who
cared deeply, and who changed many lives for the better.”
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
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Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2016 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes July-August, 2016
* * * * * *
We still have a few openings for our Yale ‘63 British Isles Tour 2016 from
September 10 to 30, 2016. Visit England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales by coach,
ferry, and train, with five days in London. Check our Yale ‘63 website
www.yale63.org for information, or e-mail Jon Larson at jon_larson@hotmail.com
or Jim Thompson at jlthompson@mmcanby.com. The tour features a full set of
professionally guided tours, a U.S. Embassy tour, and a special Yale ‘63 minireunion reception at the Savile Club.
Jim Axtell recently published his 19th book, Wisdom’s Workshop: The
Rise of the Modern University (Princeton UP). It got a favorable review by the
President of Wesleyan in the March 4-5, 2016 issue of the Wall Street Journal. In
2012, Jim edited and wrote the lead essay for The Educational Legacy of Woodrow
Wilson: From College to Nation (U Va Press), a subject that has hit the headlines,
especially in Princeton, of late. At the invitation of a Princeton Board of Trustees
subcommittee on Wilson’s legacy, Jim was asked to contribute his written
thoughts on Wilson’s educational role at Princeton and whether it was cause to
remove his name from the university’s School of Public and International Affairs
and a residential college. In addition to copies of his Legacy essay and the first
chapter of his work The Making of Princeton University: From Woodrow Wilson
to the Present (Princeton UP, 2006), which probed what Wilson might think about
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modern Princeton, Jim submitted a long bulleted list of considerations. The
Princeton Board of Trustees ultimately decided not to make any name change.
You can guess where Jim stands on the issue.
David Breithaupt writes: “I was diagnosed with smoldering myeloma two
years ago. Finally, in February 2015 it developed into myeloma. After a few
months of chemo and a stem cell transplant, the cancer is now in complete
remission. Am feeling really fortunate!”
Don Cooke, Ron Crawford, and Mike Koenig descended on Bob
Kusterer in Bradenton, FL for a week-long ’63 JE mini-reunion on April 5-12,
2016. Mike Koenig reports: “Highlights were SUNnFUN, the aircraft
extravaganza, the REVS Auto Museum with the Cunningham (Yale ’31) and
Collier collections focusing on racing cars, and the Ringling Circus Museum. Oh,
yes, also frequented were Woody’s River Roo on the Manatee, and Linger Lodge.”
Davis Dassori writes: “My dear wife, Andrea, died on April 18, 2016.
She had been diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2014. We declared 2015 a
‘jubilee year’ and had some wonderful times, including two trips to Italy and trips
with our whole family to Mexico and England, before the disease eventually began
to overtake her. My life feels empty right now; but I'm filled with gratitude for the
wonderful life we shared, our beautiful children and grandchildren, and the
boundless kindness and staunch support of our loving friends.”
Carter Findley reports: “Carter and Lucia Findley have good news: the
birth of their first grandchild, William Lucian Findley-Lilly, born to Madeleine
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Vaughn Findley (Yale ’96) and Stephen Lilly on November 19, 2015. We are so
excited!”
Donald Avery Graham, aka Sharif, writes: “On January 30, 2016 I was
in a terrible car accident (T-boned by someone going 50) in Palm Springs, CA.
My spine was broken in several places (I’m still in a halo brace), three ribs broken,
and my pelvis cracked in three places. Amazingly, no nerve damage. My partner
of nearly four years, Lyle Delariviere, must have snapped his head badly. He was
in a coma for 11 days, then woke up. I saw him to say welcome back, but the next
day I was told that his family and doctors had decided to pull his breathing tube as
there was nothing they could do for him. He died on Valentine’s Day. He was
only 55 years old, and I would happily have died in his place, but I was not given
that option. Fortunately, I am a person of faith and know I will see him in the next
life. I will be out of my halo in eight days, and then can return to regular life.”
Steve Hall reports: “On December 7, 2015 I joined Bechtel’s WTP Project
(Hanford Tank Waste Treatment & Immobilization Plant) in Reston, VA to work
on a project subsection called Direct Feed Low Activity Waste (DFLAW). The
project involves 177 underground storage tanks containing a total of 56 million US
gallons of radioactive waste at the Hanford, WA site where the plutonium reactors
were located. The mission is to process and vitrify this waste to stable form for
permanent storage. Progress has been slower than desired, fueled by both extreme
caution and the plethora of unknowns involved. DFLAW is expected to break the
logjam by treating the least noxious waste first, learning from an operations point
of view on what it is hoped is the easier part of the problem. This is another first
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of its kind project for Bechtel.”
Joe Schofer and his wife Nancy hosted a Northwestern University
Alumni Association group on a cruise to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal in early
February, and they were joined by Ted Murray and his wife Caroline. Ted
relates: “We had spectacular weather as we explored some of the forests of Costa
Rica, but the highlight of the trip was Joe's illustrated lecture and personal
narration as we made a daylight transit of the canal. From his Civil Engineering
roots at Yale, Joe has developed a specialty in large-scale infrastructure projects,
and his commentary was very insightful. I did manage to arrange a trip to the
ship's engine room, where we all admired Rolls Royce diesel engines at fullthroated work. We also enjoyed visiting the bridge of the ship while underway,
which took me back to my Navy days. It was great fun for all, and the combination
of nature and technology, along with some good food and wine, made this a grand
voyage for renewing a long-standing friendship.”
Theodore (Sam) Streibert reports: “I am doing well. I have met a new
lady and we are enjoying getting to know each other and having fun. I play regular
tennis, still climb, and love keeping up the place. I am active with the community
and still practicing architecture.”
Joseph C. Glass III died of colon cancer on February 25, 2016 in
Montclair, NJ. Joe grew up in Brownsville, PA, and was a state champion debater
in high school. Accepted at Brown, Harvard, and Yale, he felt immediately at
home at Yale, and his attendance there was his proudest achievement. After his
first year at Yale, he lived for a year in New York City, working as a bank teller
4
and spending every penny he made going to the theater and attending concerts.
When he returned to Yale he was ready for success. After graduating from Yale,
Joe enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and was stationed for several years at a weather
station in Alaska. From 1968 to 2008, Joe worked for major financial institutions,
including Hutton, UBS, and several others. He was one of the first Black men to
have a seat on the NY Stock Exchange. He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia
University. Joe continued to work part time as a broker with Royal Alliance until
December 2015, when he officially retired. Joe and his first wife, Muriel, had two
daughters, Jessica and Rachel. When the girls were approximately six and eight
years old, Muriel died, leaving Joe to raise his daughters alone, with the help of his
mother. A few years later Joe married again and had a son, Phil. This marriage
ended in divorce, and Phil moved with his mother to Delaware. Joe did not
remarry.
Nuala Pacheco, Joe’s friend during his last five years, wrote: “Joe had an
amazing memory for people and events. He remembered the name of every person
he’d ever met, going back to Kindergarten days. He loved music, and was quite an
accomplished classical pianist. His grand piano was one of his cherished
possessions. His other great passion was reading. Joe was a lifelong learner, and
could turn his mind with interest to any topic. He enjoyed travel and was very
interested in art and architecture. When I met Joe in 2011, he had already been
diagnosed with the colon cancer that took his life. He was diagnosed at Stage 4,
and had several surgeries before he began biweekly chemotherapy. Despite all
this, he maintained his positive attitude, and he never let the diagnosis get him
5
down. He’d recently had his DNA tested and was tickled pink to learn that he had
a 28% European heritage, and was 66% Bantu. When I’d ask him how he was
doing, he’d respond, ‘“Bantu Guy” hasn’t given up the fight!’ He died with the
same dignity with which he lived, grateful for the fulfilling life he’d led, in full
control of his senses, refusing all pain medication, and accepting death
peacefully.”
Leonard Chazen recalls: “Joe was one of the most interesting people I
met at Yale. He rejected political correctness even before the term was invented,
and proudly intended to make his mark on Wall Street, which he eventually did.
For me the highlight of our 50th Reunion was getting together over lunch with Joe
and Yale Kneeland, and it’s sad to think that they’re both gone.”
Sven Erik Hsia died on February 13, 2016. Sven was the son of SungYo Hsia, a member of a prominent diplomatic family from Shanghai, and Suzanne
(Chow) Hsia. His early years were spent in Sweden, and in 1950 he and his then
recently widowed mother immigrated to New York City. Sven graduated from
Phillips Academy (Andover), Yale College, University of Virginia Law School,
and NYU Stern School of Business. His early career was with the Wall Street
firms of Bache & Co., Evans & Co., and White Weld, among others. Sven
founded Kensington Capital Management, Ltd., which merged in the early 1990’s
with the Roosevelt Investment Group, where he was a Managing Director. Sven
retired in 2015. His interest in education led him to participate in The Duke of
Edinburgh Foundation, East Side House Settlement, Youth Foundation of New
York, Holland Lodge Foundation, and Thomas J. Watson Library at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was a member of the Union Club. He is
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survived by his devoted wife, Ay-Whang Hsia.
Bob Jensen recalls: “I was Sven’s roommate for three years. He was a
multi-ethnic person, who fostered a multi-ethnic group of roommates. He invited
me from Seattle, to join Tom Rusling, from Rochester, New York, and Jorje
Zalles, from Lima, Peru, as his roommates. When Jorje took a one-year leave of
absence, we were joined by Lindsey Kiang, of Japanese descent, from Hawaii. Is
it any wonder we considered ourselves as a little United Nations? Sven was the
epitome of energy. He was in constant motion. We occasionally talked about
girlfriends. He asked me what I would think were he to date an American girl. I
always thought, ‘Why not?’ Little did I suspect he ultimately would marry AyWhang, a lovely Chinese girl from Malaysia. It is fitting that Sven, who excelled
in our culture, would find enduring peace and happiness with Ay-Whang. Sven
was humble, generous, and selfless. I am grieved by his passing, but am hopeful
we will meet again.”
Ogden Mills (“Dinny”) Phipps died of pancreatic cancer on April 6,
2016 in Manhattan. Dinny attended Deerfield Academy and graduated from Yale
College in 1963. From 1976 through 1994 he was Chairman of Bessemer Trust,
the private bank and investment adviser established by the Phipps family in 1907.
He served as Chairman of Bessemer Securities from 1982 until 1994 and sat on the
boards of both companies until retiring in 2015. Dinny played championship-level
court tennis, winning the national doubles championship several times.
Dinny belonged to one of horse racing’s leading families. With wealth
inherited from Henry Phipps, one of Andrew Carnegie’s partners, his grandmother
7
Gladys Livingston Mills Phipps started the Wheatley Stable, which bred, among
others, Seabiscuit and Bold Ruler, sire of Secretariat. Dinny’s father, Ogden Mills,
who died in 2002, raced legendary horses like Buckpasser, Easy Goer, and
Personal Ensign. Starting out with a handful of horses, Dinny developed a
breeding operation at Claiborne Farm in Paris, KY. “We are about the fillies.
They provide consistency over generations,” he said in 2013, the year that Orb,
which he co-owned, won the Kentucky Derby. In an age when some owners look
for precocious, win-early horses to recoup their investments quickly, he took the
patient approach, emphasizing soundness, durability, and the bloodlines to
generate future champions.
Dinny was the longest-serving chairman in the history of the Jockey Club,
holding that office from 1983 to 2015. As chairman of the Jockey Club, he was a
leading voice for reform in the racing industry, calling for a much stricter policy on
the use of equine drugs. “The facts are clear: if we care about the future of our
sport, our equine athletes cannot be burdened by the taint of drugs.”
He is survived by his wife, the former Andrea Broadfoot; a son, Ogden
Phipps II; four daughters, Kayce Reagan Hughes, Kelly Reagan Farish, Lilly
Phipps Cardwell, and Samantha Phipps Alvarez; and 24 grandchildren.
Jim Thompson remembers: “Dinny Phipps was a member of Pierson
College and roomed across the hall from Hoy McConnell and me during
sophomore year. He was a fun, down-to-earth guy, who enjoyed life and was
interested in sports and horse racing. He was a good athlete with remarkable
quickness for a man his size. At breakfast one morning in the Pierson dining hall
8
he was reading the New York Times and suddenly he raised his fist and said,
"Yes!" with real excitement. One of his horses had just won a race. Dinny would
travel home or to other parts of the country on weekends. This caused him to
return to Yale late Sunday night or early Monday morning. He would park his car
on York Street adjacent to Pierson and in front of J. Press and go to bed. He never
got up in time to move his car before it was ticketed and/or occasionally towed by
the New Haven police. After accumulating a score of tickets, he made a deal with
the manager of J Press to either have his car moved or pay his tickets on a timely
basis. At the end of the semester, he came into our room across the hall, asking to
borrow my books and assigned readings in two classes we took together. He
explained that he was a fast reader, so exams wouldn't be a problem, but my class
notes would help, which I gladly shared with him. Dinny was a talented and good
natured person who we enjoyed talking with and sharing ideas. I would have liked
to know him better at Yale but our social and academic paths diverged.”
James Hamilton (“Kimo”) Tabor II, of Waimea, Hawaii, died on
February 3, 2016 in Kona Community Hospital. A retired accountant and
management consultant, he was born in Honolulu, HI. He is survived by sons
Joshua and Britton, daughter Sloane Perroots, sister Lisa Davis, and six
grandchildren.
Tom Chun recalls: “Kimo and I met and became friends in a world that no
longer exists. Hawaii in the 1950’s was often described as a ‘racial paradise’ of
peace and harmony, but this was a myth to bolster the tourist industry. Although
Hawaii’s population was predominantly non-European, Punahou School (where
9
Kimo and I met) was majority European. In this world, Kimo was a prince of the
realm. His father was president of one of the legendary ‘Big Five’ companies that
controlled the sugar industry under the Kingdom of Hawaii and then dominated the
Hawaiian economy through the mid-20th century and statehood. By contrast, I
was essentially a nobody. Despite our sharply different backgrounds, we became
friends at Punahou. We both joined the Fence Club at Yale, where our friendship
became even stronger. After graduation, Kimo used to visit me from time to time.
Eventually, our contacts became less frequent, particularly after he took up
residence on the Big Island.”
Paul Dahlquist writes: “Almost everybody in Waimea knew Kimo,
although few probably knew much of his history. His brilliant mind just kept
churning, and conversations with him were fascinating, if not always fully
understood by mere mortals. Kimo will definitely be missed.”
John Derby recounts: “My memories of Kimo go back to being Boy
Scouts together at Troop 35. During the summer of 1962, between our junior and
senior years, Kimo and I went to Europe together. We flew to Paris and took a
train to Munich, where we picked up a brand-new Volkswagen. In the ensuing
three months we managed to put over 17,000 miles on the odometer. Kimo made
it back from Vietnam in time for our wedding. We didn’t have much contact after
he moved to the Big Island.”
Jon Larson writes: “As Tom Chun clearly states, not all was perfect under
the surface in Paradise, but for us at Punahou, these were idyllic times, never to be
repeated. I kept close to Kimo over the years, through his service in Vietnam, his
10
family and career in Honolulu for many years, and his relocation to Waimea in the
Big Island. Kimo was a very deep thinker. He marched to an internal drummer,
different from many of us. A real gentleman and a very gentle soul. I never once
heard him raise his voice in anger. At his request his remains have been spread
high up on the volcanos of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island.”
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
11
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2016 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes September-October, 2016
* * * * * *
On May 13, 2016, a Class of 1963 event, masterfully organized by Peter Cressy,
was held at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Present were Jim Biles, Shirley and
Ed Carlson, Susan and Charles Cheney, Sarah Anne and Peter Cressy, Midge and Skip
Eastman, Jo Anne and Paul Field, Lucia and Carter Findley, Bev and Steve Gunther,
Steve Hall, Mimi Head, Pat and Jere Johnston, Alice and David Joseph, Joan and Bob
Kelly, Luciana Marulli and Mike Koenig, Mike LaFond, Jane and Ernie Linsay, Nelson
Luria, John Mansfield, Lee Smith and Wick Murray, Inga and Alan Parker, Susan and
Jon Rose, Lisa and Victor Sheronas, Elaine Soeder and Charlie Soule, Marcia Hill and
Guy Struve, Gay and Walt Sturgeon, and Liz and Tom Wehr. The event included
discussions of George Washington as a military leader (by Peter Cressy and Wick
Murray), statesman, entrepreneur, and slave-owner; tours of the Mount Vernon house
and grounds, Education Center, grist mill, and distillery (with whiskey tasting); and
dinner at the Mount Vernon Inn. We are extremely grateful to Peter Cressy for
conceiving this event and bringing it to fruition.
Believing that climate change is the major threat to civilization as we know it,
Peter Erskine marched on the Shell and Tesoro oil refineries in Anacortes, WA as one
of 1,000 activists in the three day non-violent direct action, “Break Free from Fossil
Fuels,” occurring in 15 countries in May, 2016. Peter wrote: “I acted in support of the
52 people, from 18 to 74 years old, who were locked down to the train tracks for two
days, were arrested, and now faced charges for trespassing. One entire day of the
1
action was devoted to solidarity with the Native American tribes whose land is now
occupied by the two refineries. There is beautiful footage in the video link,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx2bPIQjthg (at 18 seconds and 104 seconds, I am
the dorky guy in the red sweater carrying the banners). After 25 years of making art
about climate change (see my website www.erskinesolarart.net) and hopelessly seeing
the CO2 in the atmosphere increase by 40%, non-violent direct action now seems like
the most useful thing I can do for my grandchildren.”
Dick Foster reports: “After years of avoiding serious sports, I entered this
year’s International Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston in February, known as
the C.R.A.S.H.B.’s (a double entendre which originally stood for ‘Charles River
Association of Sculling Has Beens’) . I am happy to report that I can report after the
event. There were not many in our age group competing over the 2K distance, but I
managed to finish in the top five. I was in the oldest flight of our age group (70-74), so
I had to fend off a bunch of youngsters. Next year I will be the youngster, so perhaps I
will have a better shot at a higher position. My youngest son, Thomas, graduated from
Mother Yale in in May 2016. He is going on to Oxford for a D. Phil in Astrophysics
(he counts exoplanets). He is stroking the JV lightweight crew for Yale this year. (No,
he and his father do not race each other.) Cath is well and teaching health policy at
Columbia and serving on various hospital boards. My older boys are doing well with
the oldest at JPMorgan in FinTech M&A and the middle son (Yale ’96) running a
medtech startup in San Francisco, Digisight – digital ophthalmology. He has sired my
three grandsons.“
Retracing a course Troy Murray first took 52 years ago through Japan's Inland
2
Sea, sailing then aboard a wooden-hulled Navy minesweeper based on Kyushu, Troy
and Pat enjoyed a cruise that included stops not only in the Inland Sea but also in South
Korea, along Honshu's northwest coast, and Tokyo. Their congenial shipmates
included two members of our partner Yale Class of 1964 (Dave Lindsay and Stuart
Aisenbrey), along with 14 other Yalies and their spouses. Troy writes: “Even after the
changes of half a century, Japan and her people remain compellingly attractive and
interesting.”
Cedric (Ric) Reverand retired in December of 2013 after serving as a
professor of English at the University of Wyoming for 43 years, during which he
received the university’s major teaching awards (The Ellbogen Award for Outstanding
Teaching and the Mortar Board “Top Prof Award”), and, in 2003, UW’s highest honor,
the George Duke Humphrey Distinguished Professor Award. Ric remains active as a
scholar of 17th- and 18th-century literature; in fact, the first thing he did upon
retirement was finish up editing an anthology of essays, Queen Anne and the Arts
(Bucknell University Press, 2014), timed to be published in the anniversary year of
Queen Anne’s death. And Ric continues as editor of one of the leading scholarly
journals in his field, Eighteenth-Century Life. In February 2016, Ric also received the
Governor’s Arts Award in recognition of his building and running UW’s concert series
for nearly 30 years.
Stan Riveles ventured from Taos to visit his children back east in May 2016. In
Boston, he walked with his daughter Maria for a POTS fundraiser and awareness rally.
A difficult-to-diagnose autonomic disorder, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia
syndrome) is caused by the body's failure to properly regulate blood pressure and heart
3
rate. Fatigue, migraines, nausea, and dizziness are among the chronic side effects.
Many consultations with specialists failed to yield a diagnosis until, through the late
Dan Arons’ intervention, she was led to the right physician and evaluation. Maria
works in development at Harvard Law School. Her symptoms are currently under
control. Stan’s son Simon, whom he visited in Brooklyn, has a thriving, specialized
law practice in the area of hedge and private equity fund formation (Riveles Wahab
LLP). On a concurrent visit to the Ellis Island Museum, Stan found the ship’s manifest
documenting the arrival of his grandmother and father. It lists “Luba Rywles (age 60)
and Judel Rywles (age 13)” as arriving on the Aquitania and being admitted to the U.S.
on March 11, 1922.
Since his retirement from the U.S. Department of State, Steve Steiner has now
been working for over five years on the Gender and Peacebuilding team at the United
States Institute of Peace, where he has focused on programs to empower women in
countries that have gone through violent conflict and engaging men in those countries
to respect the rights of women. Most recently, he has been involved with a new
program training young men in Afghanistan on peace building and gender respect.
Steve also has just returned from Ukraine where he has been taking part in a USIP
program providing training in peace building, reconciliation, and leadership skills to
women and men who have been displaced from their home regions by the Russian
occupation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine currently has 1.7
million Internally Displaced Persons, fourth in the world after Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Dick Teitz recounts: “I planned to work for four months in Chalatenango, El
Salvador, but canceled after my partner Ellen suffered a major stroke in January 2016.
4
Fortunately, she has made an excellent recovery, and I likely will take another USAID
overseas project in the Fall of 2016.”
Joe Valenta and his wife Cindy have built a new small single-story home in
Everett, WA, and love it. Joe anticipates that this will be the last in a long line of 14
new homes they have owned over his years in the midwest and on the west coast He
was a real estate broker for the past ten years, after retiring from IBM in 2005. Earlier
this year Joe and Cindy went on an amazing Princess Cruise of East Asia, ending with a
tour to the Great Wall on the day of his 76th birthday! Joe and his wife will celebrate #
50 next year. Upon returning home, Joe completed his autobiography, a composition of
short stories about homes, travels, employment, and life’s lessons for his family...Now
he will undertake research into his Czech ancestry, with future plans to visit Prague.
This fall Joe, who is a retired Navy Captain, will participate in the annual conference
for the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS) in Hawaii in support the group’s
many projects to honor our nation’s sea service history. With real estate squarely in the
past, he is focusing on the nearby grandkids, landscaping projects, and rekindling his
passion for painting, specializing in American folk art.
Walter Alexander Hunt, Jr. passed away peacefully on May 27, 2016.
Originally from Summit, NJ, Walter graduated from The Pingry School in 1959. He
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1963, followed by a Master
of Architecture degree from Yale in 1967. Upon completion of his studies at Yale,
Walter moved his family to San Francisco and commenced a 38-year career at Gensler.
In 1978 he relocated to Denver to lead Gensler’s office there, followed by a move in
1985 to co-lead the New York office. His career included projects worldwide. He
5
served on the Board of Directors of Gensler and became the Northeast Managing
Director and Vice-Chair of the firm, retiring from the firm as Vice-Chairman Emeritus
in 2012.
Walter spent more than four decades in the design industry, serving on the
Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of The American Institute of Architects
from 1997-1998 and as the President in 1999. He was an active fundraiser for Yale’s
School of Architecture, serving on the Board of Directors of the Yale Alumni Fund
since 1992 and receiving the President’s Award from Yale Alumni Fund in 2004 for his
service to the School of Architecture. Walter was elevated to Fellow in the American
Institute of Architects in 2005 and received both the President’s Award and Harry B.
Rutkins Award from the Center for Architecture/AIA – New York Chapter in 2006. He
received the James Kubeny Distinguished Service award by AIA New York State in
2012. Also in 2012, the Center for Architecture Foundation established the Walter A.
Hunt Jr. Scholarship Fund in honor of his efforts. After retirement, Walter founded
ONE@@TIME Project Consulting, which provided pro bono consulting services
exclusively for not-for-profit organizations.
Walter is survived by his beloved wife, Judith Tansey Hunt; sons David
Alexander Hunt, Christopher William Hunt ’90, and and Stephen Austin Hunt ’96, and
grandchildren William, Madeleine, Eleanor, Taylor, Caroline, Ryan, Hannah, and
Alexander.
Dave Hilyard remembers: “Walter and I were born and grew up in the same
town and then roomed together for four years at Yale. I have never known anyone
more patient and tolerant and less judgmental of others. What we all saw was an
6
altogether cheerful, altogether friendly guy who had a great sense of humor and who
enjoyed making up words that he could use in conversation as a kind of exclamation
point. His favorite was ‘Egatz!!!’ He enjoyed the sound it made, and he used it to
signify great emotion. As easy as he was on others, Walter was ruthless with himself.
He set very high goals, worked tirelessly, and was a great worrier. This was
unfortunate because he did extraordinarily well, gaining admission to the Yale School
of Architecture at the end of his junior year, and going on to be the managing partner of
a top New York architecture firm. The most important person in his life was his wife
Judy. Judy was younger and a lot shorter, but she took Walter on and never let go. She
was always there for him, his helpmate and his biggest fan.”
Rees Jones writes: “Walt Hunt was a great roommate, a loyal friend and a
wonderful person to be around. He was the real deal. I think this explains how he
thrived in his field of architecture and how dedicated he was to his family, who truly
loved and admired him. He had a good life. He will be missed by all who were
fortunate enough to know him.”
Stan Riveles recalls: “The intellectual highlight of our 2006 mini-reunion in
San Francisco was Walter Hunt’s architectural tour of the city. For an afternoon,
Walter entertained and stimulated us with his observations about local history and the
connections with building landmarks. Witty and self-assured, Walter seemed the
embodiment of the city’s outsized personality.”
The United States Embassy in Budapest, Hungary has dedicated its conference
room in memory of Mark Palmer. in recognition of Mark’s contributions to the
advancement of democracy when he served as our Ambassador to Hungary during the
7
crucial period of the 1980s, when popular protests were beginning to weaken the
Communist dictatorships that had ruled for so long in Hungary and other Warsaw Pact
countries. Mark’s widow, Dr. Sushma Palmer, took part in the dedication ceremony.
James H. Ware, the Frederick Mosteller Professor of Biostatistics and
Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Science at the Harvard Chan School,
passed away on April 26, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. Jim joined the faculty of
the Harvard Chan School in 1979, after receiving his Ph.D. in statistics from Stanford
University and spending eight years as mathematical statistician at the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute. He was Dean for Academic Affairs at the School from 1990
to 2009, and as such he had a deep and significant effect on shaping the School’s
academic and research vision. After concluding his service as Dean, he returned to
research and teaching. Jim was internationally recognized for his publications on the
design and analysis of longitudinal and multi-level physiologic, clinical, and biological
studies and on methodological issues in clinical trials research. He had a longstanding
interest in studies of pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, and it is no exaggeration to
say that his research efforts have helped save thousands, if not millions of lives. Since
2008, he served as Director of the Biostatistics Program at the Harvard Center for
Clinical and Translational Science. Jim had a great dedication to helping students, both
undergraduates and graduate students – literally taking his work home with him
between 1996-2003 when he and his wife Janice served as Masters of Cabot House at
Harvard College. In addition to his wife Janice, Ware is survived by his daughter
Cameron Ware and his son Jake Ware.
David Porter recalls: “Jim was our roommate for three years in Pierson. We
8
became the 1400 Club in junior and senior years as seven of us (Jim, Mike Fowler,
Koichi Itoh, Eric Souers, Eustace Theodore, Fong Wei, and myself) occupied that
tangled suite of rooms above the gate in the north corner of the Pierson Quad next to
Davenport. Jim unjustly considered himself an outsider as he did not share the prep
school tradition and came to Yale from a Midwest rural background. But he was full of
life and enthusiasm and in many ways the glue that held this diverse collection of
‘wombats’ together. After Yale, graduate school brought me to UW Seattle and Jim to
Stanford. Once, in 1967, while he was ‘finding himself’ between his master’s and
Ph.D. degrees, Jim showed up on the doorstep of the little house where Jean and I and
our new baby girl were living. Jean remembers looking out the front window and
seeing the baby carriage rolling down the street, followed at a short distance by Jim and
myself running to catch up and having a good laugh on our way to the neighborhood
park populated by an assorted miscellany of colorful occupants.”
Eustace Theodore remembers: “The Midwest was farther from New Haven in
our day, a reality that made four years at Yale a challenge from time to time. Jimbo
and I enjoyed a strong connection, for we shared a common background – public school
kids from nowhere near. In recent years, after a powerhouse career on the faculty at
Harvard, Jim reflected on the uncertainty felt during our time at Yale. Happily, he and
I found the support we needed in our room, in the members of the 1400 Club – our
name for the rabbit warren of rooms we occupied during our senior year. Over the
years, from time to time we honored the friendships formed at Yale with reunions.
Smoking our pipes, playing money hearts, delaying departure after supper for the
library, purple punch, and planning for the arrival of girls on the weekend – all of that
and more are woven into the tapestry of my memories of Jim. But at the center of it all
9
is the image of his supportive smile when things got rough more than 50 years ago.”
Fong Wei writes: “Jim was what I always thought of as a classical
Midwesterner, with an ingenuous naivete and sunny disposition which carried forward
to the end. During his illness there seemed to be no end of optimism mixed with sober
reality. Jim was clearly held in high regard as one can see in a symposium held in the
honor of his retirement. It can be seen live streaming at the Harvard School of Public
Health website and on YouTube. I and those who had the pleasure of knowing Jim and
being his friend will miss him deeply.”
James Harlow Wilmotte died on April 25, 2016 at Golden Living Center–
Brentwood in Evansville, IN. He was born on January 4, 1941 in Oak Park, IL. Jim
graduated from Yale University in 1963, and worked in IT from 1963 to 2006,
primarily for Montgomery Ward and Zurich. He is survived by sons Jeff and Brad,
brothers, Tom and Steve, sister Sue (Wilmotte) Trainor, grandchildren Vanessa and
Charlie Wilmotte, and many nieces and nephews.
Bill Zimmermann writes: “I met Jim in the line where we all signed in
on our first day on the Yale campus. We immediately began a friendship that lasted 57
years, and I counted him as the best and most intimate friend I have had. Jim was the
best man at my wedding to Fran in 2003, and we began our honeymoon taking the
flowers to Nancy who was in the hospital battling cancer that day. Nancy was perhaps
the best thing that ever came Jim’s way, and our friendship was active while they still
lived in Arlington Heights, IL. Nancy hung on until 2006, and they had built a house in
Newburgh, IN where they planned to move after Jim’s retirement. Later in 2006 Jim
moved to the house in Newburgh and we visited him there. Sadly, he began to decline,
10
living alone without Nancy. There came a day when he would no longer allow visitors,
so we talked almost daily on the phone. Then even that stopped, and he entered a care
facility. I will never forget his sense of humor, the depth of his understanding, and his
fundamental kindness.”
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
11
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2016 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes November-December, 2016
* * * * * *
For many years, Elissa and Dan Arons welcomed Yale ’63 classmates at a party
when the Harvard Game was played in Cambridge. This year, Elissa Arons will
continue this great tradition of hospitality with a cocktail party for the Yale Class of
1963 at her home at 1010 Memorial Drive, Apt. 11E in Cambridge after the Harvard
Game at 4:00 PM on Saturday, November 19, 2016. So that we can let Elissa know
how many of us to expect, please e-mail Guy Struve at the e-mail address above if you
will be able to join us. To reserve tickets to sit with the Class at the Harvard Game, call
the Yale ticket office at 203-432-1400. The tickets can be paid for by credit card. The
cost is $75 per ticket plus a service charge of $5 per order. The tickets are held under
the name “Class of ’63 Harvard Game—Kenney”. The tickets will be mailed out to
you to be received a week before the game; if you can’t receive them at home, they can
be held for you at the “will-call” window.
The 2016 Yale Football Association Golf Outing took place at the Yale Golf
Course on August 8, 2016. Thanks to the leadership of Michael Freeland, Jerry
Kenney, and Ian Robertson, the Undefeated Yale Bullpups of 1959 raised an amount
sufficient to sponsor flags for each of their deceased teammates, who were Roger
Ahlbrandt (30), Alphie Beane (77), Chuck Blair (33), Dan Byrd (78), Dillon Hoey
(82), Dick Jacunski (84), Bob Jacunski (88), Peter Truebner (64), Steve Wilberding
(66), and Craig Zimmerman (34). Hank Hallas represented our Class at the Outing,
and played with a younger group which posted a very respectable 5 under par effort.
1
Don Cooke reports: "The retired full-time RV life is great for getting around
the country and catching up with Yale alums. Thanks, Reve Carberry, for your
inspirational ‘Living on the Road’ seminar at our 50th. In June, I joined Mike Koenig
at the country's biggest World War II reenactment, and rode in his period weapons
carrier for the simulated liberation of Reading, PA. Next I checked in with my
daughter Abigail Cooke ’01, who is on the University at Buffalo Geography faculty.
After that I had a nice visit with Susan and Tex Hull at their Wisconsin lake house and
private RV Park.”
Warren Hoge reports: “The International Peace Institute, the think tank across
the street from the United Nations where I have been working since leaving The New
York Times in 2008, has been deeply engaged with the current selection process that
will produce the new Secretary- General who takes over from Ban Ki-moon in 2017.
My role has been to preside over a public meeting and question-and-answer session
with each candidate in our auditorium and then conduct a video interview with each
individual for our Global Observatory website, www.ipinst.org. Did I say process? Of
the method of choosing the best known international civil servant in the world, the UN
Charter says only, “The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly
upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” As a result, unscripted practices
have been adopted as defining, among them that the term of office is five years; the
term limit is two terms; the Security Council sends one name to the General Assembly
for approval; and the choice should come from a particular region. This year the region
is Eastern Europe, which has never had a Secretary-General. There is also an organized
push to name a woman; all eight Secretaries-General until now have been men. There
are currently 12 official candidates – eight of them from Eastern Europe, six of them
2
women, and three of them with the dual distinction of being women from Eastern
Europe. As an illustration of how easily these categories are ignored, the winner of the
first informal straw poll of the 15 members of the Security Council in July was Antonio
Guterres, who is a former Prime Minister of Portugal. As the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees over the past decade, he has stood out for his passion and outspokenness.
But while those traits gained him favor in the first round, they are hardly guaranteed to
please the five veto-bearing Permanent Members of the Security Council – China,
France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – who will make the final
decision this fall. Their interest is maintaining their disproportionate power at the UN,
and their habit consequently has been to choose not a general, but a secretary.”
Collin Middleton writes: “This month of August is my 49th year here in the
Last Frontier, Alaska. I simply cannot tell you how incredibly fortunate I have been to
be here, and what a wonderful practice I have had. For four years, I was in the public
defender agency, and I specialized in insanity defense homicide cases. After I went
onto private practice. I actually hung out my shingle and did litigation sent me by other
lawyers. Imagine being paid to prove that shooting a moose out of season was indeed a
part of an Athabascan Indian religion dating back to a time before there was time.
Wonderful stuff. I still practice and I still fly around Alaska. It is a magnificent place.
As the Alaska Native corporations that were the clients of our six-person firm took on
more complex investments, my litigation became more complex. In addition to cases in
Alaska, I have had cases in the ‘rocket docket’ in the U.S. District Court in Virginia,
the Court of Claims, the Courts of Appeals for three federal circuits, and the U.S.
Supreme Court. I must tell you that climate change is very real here. Whereas
Anchorage temperatures reached the minus 25 degrees with some frequency in the past,
3
it now is seldom that we have temperatures below zero; we have lost some 64 cubic
miles of ice from our glaciers each year for the past several years; and the Arctic Ocean
is traversed regularly by surface ships. So life in the Last Frontier is changing.”
Dick Sampliner writes: “The only event more important in my life than Yale
and medicine has been my marriage with Linda – perceptive, bright, energetic,
assertive, and loving – a great partnership. This richness of my life began 50 years
ago. My clinical research started with my first publication, Gallstones in the Pima
Indians, in the 1970 New England Journal of Medicine. 2016 will mark a number of
publications of a multi-center study I initiated that continues to result in manuscripts –
now more than 210 peer-reviewed articles. Many of these concern Barrett's esophagus,
a disease found mostly in older white male patients with chronic reflux leading to a
change in the lining of the esophagus and a small lifetime risk of cancer. This cancer is
preventable with endoscopic therapy which I began performing in the 1980's. Since
then the technique has been greatly improved and applied worldwide. The 4 P's of
clinical research remain Patients, Patience, Passion, and Poverty of funding. Yale was
a life-expanding experience for me – the brightest people with whom I have ever had
the privilege of interacting, and a time of continuous study, learning, friendship, and
broadening experiences, from American Studies to a year of weekly interaction with a
group of classmates. I am grateful for my wife, my clinical research experience, and
Yale for a rich and rewarding life.”
Ron Sampson relates: “Wendy and Dan Rowland and I participated in a
terrific AYA trip to Kyoto and Osaka in May, structured around the 11th-century
Japanese classic The Tale of Genji and led by Yale's Sumitomo Professor of Japanese
Studies Ed Kamens and his wife Mary Miller, Sterling Professor of the History of Art
4
and former Yale College Dean. Dan and Wendy continue to enjoy a very active
retirement (Dan is Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky), and split the year
between Lexington, KY, where Dan continues to hone his excellent baritone with
regular voice lessons, and their home in Maine. A reflective Dan and I sought to parse
the problems of the world while lounging buck naked in a thermal pool in Osaka, but to
no avail. As was the case last year, the Rowland family estate in Londonderry,
Vermont will again be the locus for a reunion of the ’63 Whiffenpoofs this October: it
seems that as we get older these get-togethers are becoming more frequent and full of
pleasure and nostalgia.”
Bill Wangensteen’s son Kjell Wangensteen (’01, M.B.A. ’07) was married on
June 11, 2016 to Daria Rose Foner at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. Both
Kjell and his wife are doctoral candidates in art history and archeology – Kjell at
Princeton, and Daria at Columbia.
Stephen Van Cortlandt Wilberding passed away on June 11, 2016 in Casey
Key, FL, surrounded with the love of family and friends. Wilberding was descended
from one of the oldest New York families, his first ancestor in the New World having
laid out Wall Street. At 19, he left Yale after two years in order to work for five years
with a nonprofit organization, mainly in Asia and Europe, and with others founded “Up
with People.” His father didn’t approve and arranged for Steve to be drafted into the
Army, where he served for five years, becoming a captain in the infantry, Airborne,
Ranger, and Pathfinder officer for the 101st Airborne Division in South Vietnam. He
earned 13 awards and decorations, of which several were for valor. He earned his
MBA from Columbia University and worked in international investment banking for
Merrill Lynch & Co. for 30 years. During this time, he started Merrill’s banking
5
business in Japan, managed its European investment banking from London, and
managed the Saudi Arabian governments $150 billion of reserves while living in
Riyadh for more than five years. In 1999, he retired to Casey Key and became active
on boards of nonprofit organizations. He also enjoyed playing tennis and golf, bird
watching (more than 2,000 species on all continents), travel, and collecting. He is
survived by his wife, Teri A. Hansen, sons Van and Beau, daughters Ashley Balavoine
and Crystal Hansen, and six grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Ann
“Stevie” Wilberding.
Jerry Kenney recalls: “I first remember Steve as a quiet, reserved classmate in
Saybrook. Later I learned that he had far more grit and determination than I was
previously aware of. Steve left Yale after his sophomore year and became a much
decorated Ranger and Captain in the 101st Airborne. After returning to complete his
Yale degree, Steve attended Columbia Business School, graduating first in his class. I
reengaged with Steve when I assumed responsibility for building Merrill Lynch’s
investment banking and capital markets business globally in the late 1970’s. We won
an unusual assignment at the time from Saudi Arabia to develop for them a sovereign
wealth fund. The stipulation was that the Merrill team would have to live year round in
Riyadh, and train local Saudis to eventually replace them. Steve was dispatched to
manage the operation. This operation, now known as SAMA, was enormously
successful and became the largest sovereign wealth fund. Several years later, we
pressured Japan to open its capital markets to foreigners to support Japan’s rapid
international expansion. Steve became one of the first managers of our Japan business.
In 1984, Merrill purchased a controlling stake in the largest Indian investment bank,
which became DSP Merrill Lynch. Steve was appointed President of DSP Merrll
6
Lynch and oversaw the rapid build-out of our local presence and global leadership in
Indian financings. In the 1990’s Merrill’s new frontier was in Eastern Europe
following the breakup of the USSR. These fledgling markets were new to capitalism
and developed slowly, but Steve, who was assigned to lead this effort, devoted
considerable time, as usual, understanding the local history and culture of the countries
he served. Despite his accomplishments, Steve was always self-effacing and generous
in crediting his colleagues for their collective successes. He was an incredible source
of cultural history and knowledge , a superb professional, a fine person, and a reliable
friend whom I will miss.”
Ian Robertson writes: “Steve Wilberding was our ‘Least’ (but not last) guard.
He was two inches taller than Peter Truebner, but at 5’ 10” 163 lb. Steve gave away
22 pounds to Truebs. According to our Brown game roster, only fullback Charles
Blair, 5’ 11” 160 lb., weighed less than Steve. At the memorial service for our friend
Peter Dominick, Steve told me: ‘I loved football, but I was outmanned. My
competition at guard consisted of Dietrich and Kay and Kiernan and Huffard and
Truebner and Hellar and Joe Wikler who at 6’ 190 lb. was all-world at Horace Mann.
So as soon as we got our Bowl tickets I voted for self-preservation – with my feet!”
But Steve was not faint of heart. He left Yale after two years, worked in Africa, then
became a Ranger, Pathfinder, and Captain in the 101st Airborne. He was awarded 13
medals, several for valor. After Vietnam he went to work for Jerry Kenney at Merrill
Lynch. Steve was a brilliant, brave, and exemplary man. I am proud to be able to call
him Teammate, Classmate, and Friend. Aloha, Steve.”
7
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
8
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2017 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes January-February, 2017
* * * * * *
Continuing a great tradition she started with her late husband Dan Arons, Elissa Arons will
welcome Yale ’63 classmates at a cocktail party following the Harvard Game in Cambridge.
The party will take place at 1010 Memorial Drive, Apt. 11E in Cambridge beginning at 4:00 PM
on Saturday, November 19, 2016. Already more than 40 classmates and guests have RSVP’ed
that they will attend. If you plan to attend and have not yet RSVP’ed, please e-mail Guy Struve
at the e-mail address above so that we will have as accurate a head count as possible. But, if
you only find at the last minute that you are able to come, please come anyway. This will be a
great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.
From September 11 to 29, 2016, the Yale Class of 1963 British Isles Tour afforded a
memorable combination of congenial companionship and far-ranging travels through England,
Scotland, Ireland, and Wales to its participants, who were Cynthia and Ron Allison, Alison and
Phil Arnold, Jean and Stephen Bucchieri, Shirley and Ed Carlson, Barbara Sheridan and Craig
Cooper, Laura and Bill Couchman, Janis and Bill Curlee, Martha and Ed Dennis, Lesia and
Doug Graybill, Suzanne and Chuck Hellar, Annick and John Impert, Pat and Jere Johnston,
Karen and Jon Larson, Louisa and Nelson Levy, Gwendolyn Hope and Geoff Martin, Guy
Struve, Janice and Brian Sweeney, Barbara and Fritz Thiel, Mayda Tsaknis and Jim Thompson,
Sandra Zieky and Michael Wilder, and Marilyn Sue and Richard Worley.
The 2016 British Isles Tour came about thanks to the creativity and extraordinary hard
work of Jon Larson, aided by Ed Carlson, Ed Dennis, Doug Graybill, Jere Johnston, and Jim
Thompson. Terrific photographs of the 2016 British Isles Tour, taken by Pat Johnston, can be
1
found on the Class Website, www.yale63.org.
On September 26, 2016, following an informative briefing at the U.S. Embassy in
London, the first-ever Class of 1963 dinner in the British Isles took place at the Savile Club in
London, where the Tour participants were joined by Dominique and Chuck Lubar, Boris
Troyan, and Dr. Karyne Wilner (the widow of our classmate Jack Irwin). At the dinner, we
heard from two very interesting speakers, Antony Miller, the architect of the renovated Savile
Club, and Brooks Newmark, a former Member of Parliament.
Charles Faulhaber has been elected as a Corresponding Member of the Real Academia
Española, founded in 1726 on the model of the Académie Française. The RAE is the arbiter of
correct usage of Spanish. It maintains the official dictionary of Spanish for both Spain and
Latin America, the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española; two large lexical databases, of
Spanish from its beginnings in the 12th century to 1975, and of contemporary Spanish; and
the official grammar of Spanish. The RAE has 44 full members who meet every Thursday to
carry out the work of the Academy. There are currently 102 Foreign Corresponding Members,
who are elected by secret ballot of the 44 full members. Charles writes: “Although there is no
citation, my election was undoubtedly due to the 45 years of work I've spent studying
medieval Spanish literature at Berkeley after receiving my Ph.D. from Yale in 1969 and,
especially, to PhiloBiblon (http://vm136.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/philobiblon/), a database of
the primary sources for the study of medieval Iberian culture, a project that I have directed
since 1981.”
Seattle-based critic Ronald Holden has published Forking Seattle (CreateSpace, 2016), a book
about the local "food eco-system" from farm to table to landfill. It covers dozens of restaurants but puts
them along a continuum that begins with salmon and oysters from local waters; produce, grain, dairy, and
meat from local farms; grapes from local vineyards; locally processed and sold in local markets; delivered
by local distributors, and so on. Then the table is cleared and the scraps head to local landfills. Ronald
2
says, “We don't eat in a vacuum.”
Wick Murray (with Wayne Wei-Siang Hsieh) has published A Savage War: A Military
History of the Civil War (Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2016). Guy Struve
writes: “This is a terrific book. If you only read one book about the American Civil War, make
it this book. For the neophyte, the book is a lucid and compelling account of the cruel
struggle. For the expert, every chapter contains new insights that will require the rethinking
of previously held views.”
Charles Nelson recounts: “I am a class orphan because I started with the Class of 1964. I don’t
know why I was in a hurry. My time at Yale was very stimulating and I recall certain courses, and even
individual lectures, vividly. I majored in Economics and among those who influenced me in a lasting way
were William Brainard, Arthur Okun, and Richard Tennant. Okun supervised my senior paper
investigating whether investment advisory letters were able to pick stocks – they weren’t. That was my
introduction to concepts of randomness and testing hypotheses by their predictive power or lack thereof,
and it engendered skepticism towards claims unsupported by empirical evidence. After graduation I
returned to Wisconsin and took a job in accounting which I hated. Rejecting the concept of working 9 to 5
altogether, I enrolled in the graduate program at Madison. Happy to be back in school, I stayed there the
rest of my life. A very lucky break came my way when I was offered a post-doctoral fellowship at the
University of Chicago where I stayed on as an Assistant and later Associate Professor in the Graduate
School of Business. This was a very exciting time at Chicago in economics, with Milton Friedman at the
top of his game. One of my favorite memories is of a heated debate in his famous Money Workshop (he
didn’t like the term ‘Macroeconomics’) over a paper I had written with John P. Gould presenting evidence
that the velocity of money is not as predictable as Friedman had said. It was great fun because it was
totally about the evidence, never ad hominem, and of course we were flattered that the great man took us
seriously. Among the notable economists I interacted with at Chicago were Merton Miller and Arnold
Zellner, who were great mentors, Eugene Fama, Stanley Fischer, Fisher Black and Myron Scholes of
options fame, and fellow Yalies Arthur Laffer and Robert Flanagan. In 1976 I accepted an offer to join the
Economics faculty at the University of Washington as a full professor – those were the good old days
when promotion was rapid and professors’ salaries grew!
“It is remarkable good fortune to be able to spend most of your life doing things you enjoy. I
3
enjoyed both teaching and research, avoiding administration like the plague after a very unhappy stint as
department chair. My greatest satisfaction is the group of doctoral students whose dissertation research I
supervised, some thirty-plus. Most have been very successful and they were great fun to work with. And
we published many papers together that are still cited.”
Richard Stromberg reports: “On October 1, 2016 members of the Yale track and field teams that
won five straight outdoor Heptagonal Meets from 1959 to 1963 were greeted in the lobby of Payne
Whitney Gymnasium by Athletics Director Tom Beckett and David Shoehalter (‘Shoe’), The Mark T.
Young ’68 Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. Shoe showed us the changes that have been
made to Payne Whitney, and then we bused (no more Chieppo) out to the Bowl, where Shoe showed us
the indoor and outdoor track facilities before we entered the stadium and were treated to lunch in The
Kenney Center atop the stands (thanks, Jerry). The game vs. Lehigh was not pleasing, but before dinner
at Mory’s we got to meet women’s cross country captain Frances Schmiede, just back from Lehigh, where
the team beat 44 other colleges and moved to 17th in the national rankings. We were also joined by Shoe
and the men’s cross country captain and the men’s and women’s track and field captains, including James
Randon, Yale’s first four-minute miler. Lots of reminiscing went on during and after dinner. Attending
from the Class of 1963 were Bill Flippin, Hank Hallas, Sam Streibert, and myself.”
Richard Teitz has finished an assignment for USAID and the Winrock Foundation in Faranah in
central Guinea (which those of us who took geography before attending Yale will remember as French
Equatorial Africa, a French colony until it gained independence in 1958). Richard explains: “I was asked
to oversee the creation of a new, enlarged, energized alumni association drawing on diploma holders from
all agricultural institutions in Guinea. Presently there are several small alumni organizations working in
rural areas of the country. We are focusing on opportunities for mentorship, internships, and career
employment, especially for young graduates and women. The overarching objective is to expand the
agricultural sector, to increase the percentage of GNP from agriculture, and move Guinea to a position of
positive food security, where it becomes a net exporter rather than importer of agricultural products.”
Robert E. Knight died in Loveland, CO on August 13, 2016. Born in Alliance, NE, he graduated
from Alliance High School in 1959 and from Yale College with high honors in Economics in 1963. Bob
received his M.A. in 1965 and his Ph.D. in 1968 from Harvard University. He spent 13 years as a
monetary economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he rose to be Secretary of the
Board. Bob moved from Kansas City to become the fourth generation to head the Alliance National Bank
4
and Trust Company. He authored numerous economic articles and spoke throughout the country on
banking issues. Bob was one of five Yale classmates featured in Halftime, a 1988 film aired on PBS
about men in midlife. He headed the Bondholders Protective Committee in the bankruptcy of Executive
Life Insurance Company in California. Bob was a proud eccentric who flew kites and enjoyed donning his
clan kilts, Gunn and McPhee, for Scottish activities. Ever devoted to dachshunds, he contributed to
cancer research at the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine,
and established Duffeeland Dog Park in Sun City, AZ. He succumbed to a one-in-a-million brain disease,
cortico-basal degeneration. In 1966 he married his beloved wife, Eva Youngstrom Knight, who survives to
cherish a lifetime of memories.
Geoff Noyes writes: “We all know Bob best as one of the five subjects of our 25th
Reunion PBS video, Halftime. From our experience there, he and I became best friends. I was
with him at the end, and let me report that his dry, often acerbic and sharp political wit never
left him. One of his last pronouncements to me was, ‘Geoff, I will make it to November 8th!’
He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Eva, by several Yale summer externs, and by
countless friends.”
Robert (Bob ) Rasche died in his Chesterfield, MO home surrounded by his family on June 2,
2016 . He suffered for 18 months with lung cancer. Following Yale graduation he completed his
Economics Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He was a research associate at MIT while working on the
Federal-Reserve Board -MIT Monetary Research project. He taught Economics at Michigan State
University for 27 years. retiring in 1998. Immediately following that retirement he moved to St. Louis. MO
where he served as Director of Research at St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank for 11 years. He envisioned
and nurtured St Louis Fed data services such as ALFRED and FRASER. He was an avid carpenter and
family genealogy organizer, and loved international and domestic travel. He is survived by his wife Dottie
of 52 years, a son and daughter , numerous family members, and friends.
David Culver recalls: “While I never met Bob during our four years at Yale, I had the good fortune
to meet him about eight years ago while taking a class on banking and the Federal Reserve at
Washington University’s Lifelong Learning institute. The President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St.
Louis was scheduled to speak to our class, but he was called away and sent Bob Rasche in his place.
Bob’s introduction to the class included his curriculum vitae, and that was the start of a wonderful but all
5
too brief relationship. Shortly after the class, I introduced Bob to several other Yale ’63 classmates
including Luke Fouke and Fred Hanser. Unfortunately Bob couldn’t attend our 50th reunion in 2013 due
to a very busy international travel schedule. Bob was a delightfully interesting, well informed, and
gracious individual whose joie de vivre radiated in everything he said and did. He will be missed!”
James O. Reinhardt passed away on August 16, 2016 after a valiant battle with cancer.
Jim was a resident of Epping, NH and Hobe Sound, FL. Born in Blue Island, IL, he graduated from Bloom
Township High School in Chicago Heights in 1959, and from Yale College in 1965. He was a U.S. Navy
veteran and served as Communications Officer on the USS Platte during the Vietnam War. He worked
primarily as an advertising representative for the Derry News and several other local newspapers. He
then moved on to partner in his wife’s art and architectural rendering business. His passions included his
family, reading, tennis, and supporting Democratic politics. He is survived by his loving wife of 26 years,
Kathryn Jean Broland, and three children, Brown, Connie, and John Reinhardt.
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
6
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2017 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes March-April 2017
* * * * * *
On November 19, 2016, following a dramatic and thoroughly enjoyable 21-14
Yale victory over a heavily favored Harvard team, the Class celebrated with an equally
enjoyable post-game cocktail party hosted by Elissa Arons in her Cambridge
apartment. Present were Faith Moore and David Barry, Rosemary and Norm Dawley,
Jane Harmon and Bob Dickie, Carter Findley, Anne and David Gergen, Erika and
Hank Higdon, Mary and Erik Jensen, Jerry Kenney, Pam and Mike LaFond,
Claudia Halstead and Even Ludlow, Emily and Bob Myers, Lucille Batal and Avi
Nelson, Linda Nighswander and Lea Pendleton, Carole and Fred Pritzker, Chris and
Stan Riveles, Jon Rose, Anne and Richard Rosenfeld, Nancy and Herb Rosenthal,
Seymour and Cameron Smith, Guy Struve, Gay and Walt Sturgeon, and Karyne
Wilner, Psy.D. (Jack Irwin’s widow). Also at The Game were Harry Brants, Barrett
Morgan Patrick O’Brien, Chris Reaske, and Ron Sampson.
At the same time that Yale was celebrating its defeat of Harvard on the football
field, it also was winning the annual Yale vs. Harvard Alumni Fund Participation
Challenge. Held during the ten days leading up to The Game, the purpose of the sixyear-old challenge is to encourage alumni to make gifts, new pledges, and pledge
payments. This year, the final tally was Yale 4,250 vs. Harvard 4,013. Most
significantly, the Class of 1963 brought in the most gifts of any Yale College class,
including the youngest classes with almost twice as many eligible participants.
1
Congratulations to our Class Agents, and all who participated!
Tony Elson reports: “In January 2017, a third book of mine entitled The
Global Financial Crisis in Retrospect: Evolution, Resolution and Lessons for
Prevention was published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book completes a trilogy on
global finance and development that I began in 2009 dealing with the evolution and
reform of the international financial architecture, the comparative development of East
Asia and Latin America, and the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. These issues and
themes each represent professional interests that I developed while working at the
International Monetary Fund and that I have been teaching about for more than a
decade at Duke and Johns Hopkins Universities. In particular, my fascination with the
global financial crisis can be traced to my close involvement in financial crises in the
1980s and 1990s in Latin America and East Asia while working at the IMF. Writing is
a craft that I only began around ten years ago and has been a source of great
professional and intellectual satisfaction. I do not know yet what my next book will be
about."
Paul Field writes: “I happily closed my full-time marketing career a few
months ago, and am now doing a few consulting projects and speaking engagements.”
Phil Johnson’s wife, Margaret McMillen, reports: “Unfortunately, Phil’s
health has declined because of a neurological disease to the point that he now resides in
an assisted living facility in Williamsburg, VA. Classmates wishing to send a message
to Phil can send an e-mail to pajmamcm@aol.com.”
Jim Kennedy writes: “I recently received some attention here at The Boeing
2
Company tor completing my 50th year of service as an engineer.”
Frank Nelson reports: “On September 30, 2016, in a burst of hope over logic, I
married Jeanne B. Driscoll of New York City in a small ceremony in a judge’s
chambers with our children in attendance.”
Chris and Stan Riveles have gotten to know Mike Koenig's son Davison in
their hometown of Taos, NM. Davison and his wife Susan Folwell recently relocated
there, and he reached out to Stan at Mike’s recommendation. Davison is a specialist in
Southwestern art; he has recently become Executive Director and Curator at the newly
created Couse-Sharp Museum. Susan Folwell is a talented and renowned Santa Claran
potter, following in a native American family of potters. Davison organized a
fascinating exhibit at the museum that paired vintage with contemporary native
American pottery that included pieces by his wife. Davison is also helping Stan with
his efforts to rehabilitate the D. H. Lawrence Ranch near Taos.
Gurney Williams writes: “Linda Payne Williams, my young-at-heart wife of
49 years, died peacefully under hospice care on November 16, 2016, after a long bout
with primary progressive aphasia. This rare form of dementia, diagnosed in 2005,
slowly eroded her ability to write and speak. She put those talents to use after college
(Hollins ’65) as a staff member at Yale University Press, a reporter for Newsday, and a
professional fundraiser. Where the Light Gets In, a 2016 memoir by our eldest daughter
Kimberly Williams-Paisley, is a tribute to Linda as best friend and partner for me and
cheerleading mom for her children, Kim, Jay, and Ashley. She was an exuberant
Whiffenpoof groupie at almost every reunion since graduation. And we Whiffs will
always recall her characteristic smile and laughter during funny songs, assuring us that
3
we could still be heard, evidence of a spirit that no one who knew her will forget.”
Christopher Wilson Bramley passed away on October 5, 2016 in
Westborough, MA, following a six-month battle with leukemia. He was surrounded by
his loving family. Chris was a long-time resident of Westborough, and a graduate of
Lawrence Academy, Yale University, and the University of Chicago Graduate School
of Business. He spent his long professional career in the banking industry. He rose to
the senior executive level, holding positions as Chief Executive Officer of Shawmut
Community Bank, Safety Fund National Bank, and TD Banknorth Massachusetts. A
director of numerous professional organizations, including the Massachusetts Bankers
Association, Chris served as President of the Massachusetts Housing Investment
Corporation. Over the course of three decades, Chris was a leader and supporter of the
Boy Scouts of America at both the local and council levels. He served on the boards of
many nonprofit organizations. Throughout his life, Chris loved his time on the golf
course, and was an exceptionally accomplished golfer. A devoted family man, Chris
also loved hiking, fishing, traveling, and spending time with his wife, children, and
grandchildren. He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Charlotte (Price)
Bramley, his children Christopher, Jr., Candice (Silverberg), Craig, and Curtis, and
several grandchildren.
Roger Malcolm Laub died on November 4, 2015 in Columbus, OH. He is
survived by his wife, Karen Wade Laub, and his son, Aaron Malcolm Laub. Roger
earned a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Kansas, and a master’s
degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He was a gifted college teacher and later a
pastor. Roger and Karen converted to Catholicism. Dick Moser writes: “Roger was a
4
gentle soul, bright, idiosyncratic, and supremely literate. I know of no one else who,
when angry with a roommate, would strike out with, ‘You have the physiognomy of a
worm!’” Rick Willis recalls Roger Laub as follows: “We roomed together sophomore
year, having met as freshmen in the scholarship-job stews of Timothy Dwight’s dining
hall. He returned to Nebraska at the midpoint of our sophomore year, completed his
degree at Omaha University, entered seminary in his mid-forties, and was ultimately
ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, which vocation he plied until his
death. He was a singular man (I know we all are, but he more than most), with an
unusually vivid and articulate personality. He did more good in our world than most.”
Robert Livingston passed away peacefully at home in Tucson, AZ surrounded
by loved ones on September 8, 2016. Dr. Livingston was a Professor of Medicine since
2008 at the University of Arizona, where his clinical and research specialty was breast
cancer. Prior to moving to Tucson, he was Professor of Medicine and Chief of Solid
Tumor Oncology at the University of Washington for 24 years. He also served as
Chairman of the Lung and Breast Committees for the Southwest Oncology Group, a
national cancer research organization, helping to design clinical trials that improved the
care and treatment of many cancer patients, while contributing to more than 400
clinical research papers. Bob will be warmly remembered as a caring clinician,
innovative researcher, and dedicated teacher. Literally thousands of Bob’s grateful
patients, former students, research colleagues, fellow faculty, and friends worldwide
will mourn his loss, but will continue to reap the rewards of his generosity and spirit.
Bob received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and his oncology
training from the National Cancer Research Institutes, Bethesda, MD, where he was
5
lucky enough to meet his beloved wife, Shirley. He is survived by his adoring wife of
42 years, devoted children and grandchildren.
Steve Steiner relates: “At the recent session of the United Nations General
Assembly, and with the participation of Dr. Sushma Palmer, a moving ceremony was
held by the global Community of Democracies honoring our late classmate
Ambassador Mark Palmer. The occasion was the presentation by the CD Governing
Council and Freedom House of the sixth annual Mark Palmer Prize for the
Advancement of Democracy to two outstanding diplomats: former Canadian
Ambassador to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons, for her courageous work in empowering
women and promoting gender equality in that conflict-torn society, and Organization of
American States Secretary General Luis Almagro, for his steadfast leadership across
the region in holding authoritarian governments to account and supporting beleaguered
civil society activists.”
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
6
Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2017 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes May-June 2017
* * * * * *
On Saturday, January 21, 2017, the Class mounted a combined 75th
birthday party and “Lafayette day”, a follow-on to the Mount Vernon
“Washington day” last May. We gathered at 4:00 PM at an exhibition at
the Grolier Club in New York City on Lafayette and Abolition. There we
were treated to an engaging and detailed presentation by Olga Anna Duhl
and Diane Windham Shaw, the curators of the exhibition, on Lafayette’s
lifelong engagement in the cause of Abolition. We then repaired to the
New York Yale Club for a reception and dinner that lasted from 6:30 PM
until well after its scheduled 10:30 PM finish. After dinner Yale Professor
Steven Pincus provided an illuminating talk on the intertwined nature of
abolition and the patriot cause in the 18th century. The evening continued
with an animated conversation in the Grill Room. In addition there were
docent-guided tours of the Frick Museum on Saturday and Sunday. The
attendees were Brenda and Jim Biles, Nelun de Silva Wijeyeratne and
Michler Bishop, Susan and Charles Cheney, Rosemary and Norm
Dawley, Gene and Charlie Dilks, Jo Anne and Paul Field, Richard
Foster, Constance and John Gillespie, Olivia and Warren Hoge,
Luciana Marulli and Mike Koenig, Frankie and Joe Lastowka, Karen
Kennerly and Nelson Luria, Pat and Troy Murray, Jane and Lou Pataki,
Susan Choate Petrey and Rod Petrey, Carole and Fred Pritzker, Susan
and Jon Rose, Mary and Peter Rousselot, Lynn Reiser and Fred
Schneider, Elisa and Victor Sheronas, Guy Struve, Lawrence Tierney,
Penny Neill and Mike Toomey, Liz and Tom Wehr, Brigid and Jim
Wetmur, and Joe Wood. The event was organized by Mike Koenig,
Nelson Luria, and Fred Schneider.
Jim Baird’s wife, Peggy Flanagan Baird, age 74, passed away on
January 13, 2017 at their home in Huntsville, AL. The two were married in
Oak Ridge, TN in 1967. Peggy earned a B. Mus. degree from Western
Kentucky University in 1963. While Jim was serving in the US Army at
Sandia Base in Albuquerque in 1970, she received a M. Mus. Ed. degree
from the University of New Mexico. Peggy was a private teacher of piano
and flute for nearly 50 years and a scholar of the historical development of
musical instruments. She lectured on the latter subject at the Yale
Collection of Musical Instruments and at many national conferences. She
was in attendance at seven of our ten reunions, giving a talk entitled
1
“Enduring the Boola Boola” for the Class Wives’ Colloquium at our 40th
Reunion. Jim writes, “In contrast to the wonderful companionship I have
known for the past 50 years, my own companionship, which I am now
forced to experience, fails to compare.”
Martha and Ed Dennis were featured and pictured in a January 14, 2017
New York Times article about the initial investors in the musical “Jersey
Boys”. Martha and Ed invested $10,000 in the show when it first opened
at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. Martha was quoted as saying:
“When we tell people we’ve made 22 times our investment, their eyes get
big, like they did with tech investing. They have to lose four or five small
investments before they realize it’s not so easy. ‘Jersey Boys’ is such a
unicorn.” When Jon Larson’s Class of 1963 British Isles tour group was
in London in September 2016, Martha and Ed arranged for the group to
see “Jersey Boys” and to go backstage after the show to meet with the
cast.
Steve Hall reports: “I have had a series of grand-nieces for years now.
And MSGT Samuel Rigoli Hall (Ret) and his wife, Anne, finally gave me a
granddaughter a year ago last July. But I finally woke up to the fact that
my oldest grand-niece having a child makes me a great-great-uncle! This
was a grand-niece by marriage (my late second wife). The newborn’s
name is Bret Aaron Josef-Poinier. He has been born for a few months
now. I guess I am getting slow off the blocks now!”
Effective January 1, 2017, Hank Higdon combined his executive search
firm, Higdon Partners, with RSR Partners. Hank is now Vice Chairman of
the Asset Management Recruitment and Advisory practice of RSR
Partners. Hank explains: “I was recruited by Russell Reynolds (Yale ’54)
into the search business in May 1971 and spent 15 years with Russell
Reynolds Associates (six in New York, then four years in Houston,
followed by five years in Los Angeles). I returned to New York and
founded a firm in 1986 that evolved into Higdon Partners. Higdon
Partners is a boutique executive search firm, which has focused on the
asset management industry, serving clients who manage money around
the world. Clients have consisted of leading sovereign wealth funds,
endowments and foundations, family offices, private equity firms, hedge
funds, corporate pension funds, and large mutual funds and traditional
money managers. We have also conducted searches for members of
boards of directors and independent mutual fund trustees. After 15 years
of working personally with Russell Reynolds, and then 30 years apart,
Russ and I have now reunited and combined our firms. RSR Partners
was founded by Russ Reynolds (Yale class of 1954) after he built Russell
Reynolds Associates into one of the largest four recruiting firms in the
2
world. I look forward to working on high level searches with important
clients of the firm, and contributing in any way possible to the continued
growth and success of the firm. It is an incredibly exciting and satisfying
profession as we help others, and I cannot imagine having more fun than
we do, nor can I think of a better group of people to work with.”
Jeff Johnson reports: “In September 2016, I had open heart surgery – a
new aortic valve and a triple bypass. The doctors and nurses at Hartford
Hospital did a splendid job, and, thanks to the unstinting support of Diane,
my wife of 50 years, I am now well on the mend. Our travels
recommenced in February 2017, with a trip to our house in Santa Fe, NM,
and a holiday in Belize.”
Tim O’Connell writes: “It is now over two years since my last intensive
radiological/chemotherapy combo treatment which according to all signs
was successful in battling jaw cancer into remission. Thanks to Smilows
and Yale Medicine’s Cancer Centers.”
Ron Sampson recounts: “A couple of weeks into my retreat to Australia
from the northern winter I had the now annual pleasure of getting caught
up with Norm Etherington and his wife Peggy Brock in retirement in
Adelaide. In addition to a biography of the British explorer and naturalist
Frederick Courteney Selous, Norm has recently had published by the
Manchester University Press, in its prestigious Studies in Imperialism
series, a book which will be on my reading list for the next sojourn Down
Under, majestically titled Imperium of the Soul: The Political and Aesthetic
Imagination of Edwardian Imperialists. Peggy will have the History of the
Aboriginal People of South Australia, which she edited and co-wrote,
published by the end of this year. Construction of the new Palazzo
Etherington, architected by one of their sons, has been held up by the
usual fraught permit process, but will commence soon and result in a
touch of modernity in a wonderful Adelaide precinct bracketed by the
Anglican St. Peter's Cathedral and the equally sacred Oval, one of the
holy sites of world cricket.” Norm’s book explores the work of writers
Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Rider Haggard, and John Buchan, along
with the composer Edward Elgar and the architect Herbert Baker, and
their mutual fascination with Lawrence of Arabia. The book will be
released in the US on February 28, 2017, and is available there through
amazon.com or Oxford University Press.
Fred Schneider donated a cloisonné-enamel triptych to the Yale Art
Gallery last fall in honor of his October 2016 Yale Law School 50th
Reunion, which Fred co-chaired. It was produced in 1964 by a
distinguished German-American enameler, Margaret Seeler, who titled
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it “Path of Destruction," with Biblical scenes relating to crime and
punishment. It is on display in the Modern and Contemporary Art and
Design gallery on YAG's Third Floor.
* * * * * *
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
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Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2017 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes July-August 2017
* * * * * *
SAVE THE DATES! The 55th Reunion of the Yale Class of 1963 will begin
at midday on Thursday, May 31, 2018 and will run through the morning on
Sunday, June 3, 2018. Please mark these dates in your calendar, and be sure to
save them for the 55th Reunion, which already promises to be our best Reunion
yet.
The 55th Reunion will be our first Free Reunion. All Reunion food and
drink, and lodging at the Reunion residential college, will be free of charge to
everyone who attends the Reunion. The Class has been saving up for the Free
Reunion for four years now, and the financial viability of the Free Reunion is now
fully assured. We are doing this because we want everyone to come to the 55th
Reunion – regardless of whether or not you have ever attended any of our
Reunions before. Those who attended the 50th Reunion and prior Reunions know
that they are a special and memorable experience – not only reuniting with old
friends, but making new friends with whom you already have much in common. We
want everyone to enjoy this experience, which is why we have demolished all
financial disincentives to attendance.
To complement the Free Reunion, we intend to amass a pool of airline miles
that can be used to obtain tickets for classmates who will be traveling long
distances to attend the Reunion. If you have unused airline miles that could be
used for this worthy purpose, please e-mail guy.struve@davispolk.com.
We have been lucky in recruiting an all-star leadership team for the 55th
Reunion. The Reunion Co-Chairmen are Ian Robertson and Eustace Theodore,
and the Chairman of the Reunion Committee is Jon Larson. Ian, Eustace, and Jon
are looking forward to hearing your thoughts for the 55th Reunion and about how to
reach out to as many classmates as possible.
Ron Allison relates: “Cynthia and I met Laura and Bill Couchman at their
new home in Tucson, AZ for a mini-reunion of our high school and Yale. We had
gone on several Yale Alumni Chorus trips with Jere Johnston since the 2001
Russian trek. Bill had other high school classmates there, and we enjoyed the
panorama and hikes. We look forward to the 2018 Reunion!”
Carter Findley writes: “Our new arrival is Vivian Beatrice Miller-Findley,
born to our son Benjamin and his wife Jennifer Miller on December 20, 2016. Ben
and Jenny are both lawyers in corporate practice in Atlanta, and they and Vivi are
enjoying a new house in suburban Decatur.”
Sue and Chuck Hellar spent February and March in Vero Beach, FL,
soaking up the sun and spending time with classmates Doug Graybill, Nelson
Levy, and Bill Seawright.
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Rick Holbrook reports: “My wife Shirley and I are now the very pleased
grandparents of grandson Noah Isaac, born in February, who joins his older sister
Sasha in the enlarged Nina Holbrook-Alexis DeMan household. We spent most of
February at their place in Yonkers where I learned I have two new roles in life:
being a grandfather and an in-law. I spent much of my time listening to how one
talks to an infant in French; I can converse in French, but I am forbidden to talk in
that language with my American accent when Alexis speaks the real thing. Nina
carries out the English side of the conversation. Sasha at 20 months has no
problem grasping meaning in both languages. Shirley and I are both retired.
Nowadays, we read a lot and it is great to have access to the Regenstein Library of
the University of Chicago down the block. A non-fiction book discussion group and
a course on Jews in Russia which I conduct help keep the mind from getting
musty. Still, visiting doctors to counter the effects of aging and looking at my own
library tell me I am growing older. Who will want those books, especially the ones
in Russian and German which Nina and Daniel, my son, do not know? It makes
one pensive.”
Jeff Peierls reports: “Early last winter, with apologies to the Yale
Educational Travel folks for eschewing their luxurious trips, my girlfriend, Millie, and
I threw extra clothes and a Lonely Planet guide book in our backpacks and headed
to Thailand to celebrate my 75th birthday (and to see how well I had recovered from
six hours of open heart surgery the previous year). We roamed around the country,
traveling by tuk-tuk, local buses, train, river taxis, and an amazing network of
collective pickup trucks. Stayed at simple guest houses and got to mingle with
much younger backpackers who put us on to some wonderful off-the-beaten-path
places that even many Thai people weren’t aware of. Very encouraged to find that
our bodies held up well for a full month of traveling like that. Don’t let anyone tell
you that the adventures many of us had in the ’60s can’t be relived!”
David Rudenstine has published a new book, The Age of Deference: The
Supreme Court, National Security and the Constitutional Order. David writes: “In
The Age of Deference, I argue that the Supreme Court has betrayed its
fundamental duty to preserve checks and balances, to protect important individual
rights, and to uphold the rule of law by excessively deferring to the executive
branch of government in legal cases that may implicate security cases. That
deference went hand-in-glove with the rise of the United States as the world’s
dominant power following the end of World War II, and in so doing it not only
reflected but enabled the emergence of the National Security State and the Imperial
Presidency. This judicial deference aimed at protecting the national security, but
there is no evidence that it advanced this goal. Indeed, the available evidence
suggests that deference may invite the executive to make erroneous judgments and
to act unlawfully on the assumption that its conduct will not be held judicially
accountable. During these last seven decades, the high court has occasionally put
deference aside in a celebrated case – e.g., the Pentagon Papers case, the Steel
Seizure Case – and ruled against the executive. But those are rare moments that
pale by comparison to the dominant trend.”
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David Schoenbrod has published a book, DC Confidential: Inside the Five Tricks
of Washington. David explains: “You think you know why our government is
broken, but you really don’t. The Five Tricks are why.” Senator Mike Lee writes:
“This book should be required reading for anyone who believes it’s still possible to
reform our failing public institutions and put the federal government back to work for
the American people.” Howard Dean writes, “This is an alarming book, and indeed
we should be alarmed.”
Joseph Harold Hyde died on February 6, 2017 in Worthington, OH. He
was born on April 21, 1933 in Ansonia, CT. A graduate of The Taft School and
Yale University, he was an electrical engineer with the Central Intelligence Agency,
Western Electric, and Lucent Technologies. He volunteered for many years with
the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Program. A proud member of the U.S. Marine
Corps, he is survived by his wife, Mary Jo Cotter Hyde; has daughter, Mary
Elizabeth; and two grandchildren. Hal Hyde entered Yale in 1952. After his
sophomore year, he was on leave from Yale during 1954-1961, serving in the U.S.
Marine Corps.
******************
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
3
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2017 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
September-October 2017
* * * * * *
On April 20, 2017, Bay Area classmates assembled at the Spinnaker Restaurant in
Sausalito, just north of San Francisco, to honor out-of-town visitor Michael Gates
Gill. In attendance were Jon Larson, Bud Conrad, Ken Porter, Bill Robbins,
Charles Faulhaber, Dick Moser, Phil Otto, and Guy Struve. We each contributed
a short extemporaneous iPhone clip for the class video Jon and Michael are
working on leading up to our 55th Reunion. They look forward to wide participation
in the video, which will run continuously at the 55th. Each of us will be invited to
contribute his own video clips to the production. On May 11, 2017, only a few days
later, classmates gathered again, this time at the Marines’ Memorial Club in San
Francisco. Lively conversation ensued among Steve Callender, Tom Chun,
George Clyde, Pennell Rock, Frank Wentholt, Bud Conrad, Michael Gates Gill,
Jon Larson, Dick Moser, Phil Otto, and Ken Porter, as the group talked about
reunions, why they mean as much as they do, and the “new” Yale’s contrast with
the “old” Yale.
Paul Field relates: “I found a great project to help me transition from fulltime work to full-time retirement. I researched, wrote, printed, and distributed a 50page story of my family from 1901 to the present. Marshall Field had a genealogy
of our family published in 1901 and I inherited an original set, so I was lucky enough
to have at my fingertips information on the family up to the 20th century. So I
began with the story of my grandfather, who started building his family and law
practice in New York at that time. I researched him and then his four adult children,
one of whom was my father, and what happened to them and their children down to
the present day. I am the youngest cousin of my generation, so I found myself
reaching out to some 14 first cousins once removed across the country to get their
information and help, as well as the Internet, libraries, and musty boxes. It was a
great experience, I learned a lot, and I got to know some wonderful relatives. I
found that Tom Wehr and I are distantly related! This wonderful project took me
exactly a year. And it completely cleared my head, and I’m ready for the next
adventure.”
Mike Lieberman has released The Nano-Thief, his first thriller, which is set
in Houston, TX. Mike writes: “Join Lenny, an ex-securities trader turned sleuth, his
son Barry, girlfriend Portia, and hacker Emma Meripol as they connect the dots that
lead them on a carnage-strewn chase that will set you on edge and keep you
guessing to the very end. It begins early one Christmas morning at a local
Starbucks as Lenny watches a curly-haired barista add a suspicious packet of white
powder to a woman’s coffee. And, well, I hate to spoil the fun . . . .” The NanoThief is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback versions.
1
Fran Morriss writes: “A brief note to those who still remember T. Wynne Morriss,
who died 40(!) years ago this October. He has nine divine grandchildren. The
oldest, who graduated from Colby last spring, is doing medical research in Boston,
and his lovely sister is a junior at Swarthmore. Their father is ‘young’ Wynne, a
lawyer in New York City. As to the others, from my side, two will be starting college
(University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis), and five more are
thriving in schools in Seattle, Cambridge, and Cincinnati. This little update is not
meant to crow about some kids Wynne never got to meet, but to thank those of you
who stayed in touch over the years and helped move our family forward. We are
grateful. (And, yes, a few of these darlings inherited the squinty eyes and a sense
of the absurd!)”
Wick Murray has published a book, America and the Future of War: The
Past as Prologue, which demonstrates that the character of war is changing at an
increasingly rapid pace, with scientific advances providing new and more complex
weapons, means of production, communications, sensors, and myriad other
inventions, all capable of altering the character of battle in unexpected fashions.
Wick explains why the past is crucial to understanding many of the possibilities that
lie in wait, as well as for examining the course of American strategy and military
performance in the future.
Pennell Rock writes: “I have recently had my first physical setback in life.
Serious problems with peripheral vision mean that I can no longer drive, a huge
blow to the unbridled autonomy I have enjoyed for 76 years. On the positive side, I
am still working three months a year in Europe, doing the archetypal psychodrama
projects I have been developing for years. They are now enjoying great success,
much benefit to those participating, and a group of trainees who will carry on the
work. Now I am mostly concentrated in Italy, both south and north. Best of all, over
the last years I have developed a new love of the high seas. I just finished a 50-day
cruise through the Caribbean, down to Rio for Samba and Carnaval and then the
Amazon. It was brilliant. Visits are unfortunately superficial, but I prepare
intensively so I know what I am seeing. Mostly I love standing high on the ship,
glimpsing the great curvature of the Earth, contemplating the sunset.”
Ian Robertson reports: “My wife Barbara died on May 2, 2017 after a twoyear struggle with pancreatic cancer. We had been together for almost 49 years.
She was valiant to the very end. She never ever gave up. Her family and a few
friends were with her. Had she not given me strict orders to limit visitors, the
hospital would have been overflowing with friends who wanted to see her. An artist,
she was extravagantly talented, particularly as painter and photographer. She
loved fashion and created Devereaux, a clothing line that got instant attention in all
the fashion magazines and high end retailers all over the country. She loved
interior design and was constantly working on her apartment buildings and our
homes in Kona, Santa Monica, and Palm Desert. She was an excellent athlete. A
passionate golfer, at age 60 she entered the Los Angeles City Senior (age 50 and
above) Women’s golf tournament and was runner-up low net in the A Flight
(handicap less than 10). At age 61 she was the runner-up low gross. At age 70
she entered again and was the winner low gross and low net for the B Flight
(handicap 10 and higher). When we lived in Lake Forest, IL, she played left field
2
and batted cleanup for the Mother Truckers, her undefeated softball team. Her
loves were her grandson Beaudry, her son Dylan, his wife Katie, and all of her
wonderful friends.”
Victor Sheronas writes: “I had back surgery on April 12, 2017 – a
laminectomy/decompression at L2-L3 with a spinal fusion chaser to stabilize the
loose parts. I was laid up in the hospital for five days, then another two weeks in
rehab. I've been home since May 2, 2017, and not laid up. I'm doing PT at home,
which helps a lot. I had the surgery because my quadriceps and hamstrings had
been getting progressively weaker during the past several months; which had
nothing to do with my CIDP peripheral neuropathy in my feet. The neurologists
kept telling me to get the surgery. The recovery is long – 12 weeks – and boring
because it's so long; plus I can't bend, lift, twist or drive during that span. Patience
is the word. Lest you all think me whiny, Guy Struve encouraged me to include this
report in the Class Notes, mostly to encourage others contemplating the same or
similar surgery to proceed with it. I'm now more than two months past surgery. The
recovery is now actually six to 12 months, but it's all been worthwhile!”
Richard Stuart Teitz died on June 19, 2017 in San Antonio, TX. Born in
Fall River, MA and raised in Newport, RI, Richard was a 1959 graduate of Rogers
High School in Newport. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Yale University in
1963, and did post-graduate work at Harvard University and the Fogg Art Museum.
Richard spent more than 30 years in museum administration, including 12 years as
Director of the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, MA. He later settled in San
Antonio, TX, where he was an educator, strategic consultant, restaurant reviewer,
running coach, gallery director, and recently had begun painting. He volunteered
with the Peace Corps in Panama, and helped many non-profits organize and obtain
grant funding. He loved working with USAID projects in Africa and Georgia
(formerly part of the USSR). He particularly enjoyed substitute teaching at
Keystone School and interviewing high school applicants to his alma mater, Yale.
Richard started running in his thirties to prepare for a climb to the base
camp of Mount Everest, and went on to run 173 marathons, including Boston, New
York, and Capetown, South Africa. He coached many Team In Training
participants and enjoyed continuing to win races in his age group. He came to New
York in 2010 to do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with “Team Teitz”, including his
two daughters, son-in-law Travis, sister Alexis, and friends. In 2011 he completed a
sail across the Atlantic with his sister Louise Ellen Teitz and friends. He loved to
travel and went so many places!
Richard is survived by his children Rebecca Ackerman, Jessica and son-inlaw Travis Becker, and Alexander Teitz, and four grandsons, as well as his sister
Louise Ellen Teitz, brother Andrew and sister-in-law Lois Teitz and two nieces. He
also leaves with love his partner Ellen Spangler, her daughter and son-in-law
Jessica and Bryan Taylor, and their son.
Tom Chun recalls: “As freshmen, Dick and I were assigned to the same
entryway in Lawrance Hall. We roomed together at Silliman and as next-door
neighbors on the next-to-top floor of Ezra Stiles (just below Paul Weiss’s
apartment). Both of us went on to Harvard for graduate studies, he in art history
3
and I in law. Nevertheless, we had starkly different backgrounds. I was from the
Far West (Honolulu, HI), he was from the Far East (Newport, RI). My father was a
civil servant, his was a Harvard lawyer. I leaned right politically, he leaned left. I
was inexperienced with girls, he had an uncanny attraction for passionate women.
Obviously, we became lifelong friends. Dick was relentlessly cheerful and
adventuresome. Although he was not an athlete at Yale (we spent much more time
over beers than in the gym), he became an accomplished and persistent marathon
runner (luckily, he was just out of range of the Tsarnaevs’ bomb at the 2013 Boston
Marathon). Late in life, he took on extended overseas assignments in Panama
(Peace Corps) and Georgia (USAID). He also became a food critic and painter,
and a prolific Facebook user. He took advantage of life’s opportunities, and he
faced its challenges with perspective and a sense of humor. Fortunately, his
daughter Jessie settled nearby in Palo Alto. Hence, his visits became more
frequent, and we typically got together over lunch to discuss, inter alia, his most
recent adventures. It was a shock to learn that he had entered hospice care and
that his most recent visit was his last. A Dios, faithful friend . . .”
******************
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
4
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2017 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
November-December 2017
* * * * * *
If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendar for our 55th
Reunion, which will be held in Branford College in New Haven from
midday on Thursday, May 31, 2018 through Sunday morning, June 3,
2018. This will be our first Free Reunion, with food, drink, and lodging
in Branford College free of charge for all classmates, widows, and
guests who attend. Be sure not to miss this Reunion! All indications
are that it will be our best Reunion ever.
Doug Allen is continuing his recovery from cancer, and feels
stronger each month. Doug gave an invited lecture in Portland, ME on
“Gandhi and Nonviolence in the Era of Trump”, during which he stood in
front of the auditorium for more than three hours. Doug has been
approved for a partial phased retirement over three years, which will
result in a 50% reduction in his teaching load and give him more time
for research, writing, lecturing, and enjoying time with his wife Ilze. In
August, Doug gave a keynote and a panel presentation at the
International Vedanta Congress at UMass-Dartmouth. Doug has been
invited by the Mission of India at the UN to give the keynote at the UN
on October 2, 2017, which is the International Day of Nonviolence (and
also Gandhi’s birthday). Doug looks forward to seeing as many
classmates as possible at the 55th Reunion.
Sutton Keany writes: “As I emerged from the fog of yet another
regularly scheduled colonoscopy in September 2016, my doctor strode
in with a distracted expression. I was expecting yet another zippy oneliner, but instead heard that I had ‘a serious issue: what looks like a
major cancerous lesion’. On October 26, 2016, after a very addling
month of tests and counseling, I entered Smilow Cancer Hospital in
New Haven for a partial colectomy. I received terrific care over a fiveday period, led by my surgeon Vikram Reddy, a member of Yale
Medicine. Several months later I was advised that I was clear of
lymphatic involvement; no chemo or radiation needed. An intensely
interesting experience, that I wish on no one. Consider Yale's Smilow
Cancer Hospital and Dr. Reddy if you face a similar circumstance.”
1
Jerry Kenney recently created the Jerome P. Kenney ’63
Football Endowment to support the ongoing operations and annual
expenses of the Yale football program. Other football alumni are
already stepping forward with additional contributions for the
endowment. Jerry’s vision extends beyond football to the rest of Yale’s
sports programs. “When you look at the best U.S. colleges, they share
a commitment to excellence in athletics as well as academics,” Jerry
said. “For example, Stanford, Harvard, and Williams place a higher
priority (with greater success) on winning championships in their
leagues. I believe that an alumni-led effort to fully endow all 35 sports
programs can benefit Yale’s reputation for excellence both on the
playing field and in the classroom. The football endowment is just the
beginning. An endowed program can help Yale to attract the most
talented students. We want Yale to be on the radar for every highachieving high school athlete, in every sport.”
Tom Lovejoy has been reappointed for a second year as
Science Envoy at the U.S. Department of State. Tom writes: “During
my first year as Science Envoy I traveled to Malaysia, Sarawak, and
Sabah to examine conservation science and sustainability issues,
engage with the scientific community, and give public lectures. I made
three trips to Peru, and in addition to similar outreach activities
concentrated on illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios, where 70,000
hectares of river and rain forest have been destroyed along with
massive mercury pollution. (Illegal gold mining is the greatest source of
mercury pollution in the world.) The Embassy used my last visit in May
2017 to catalyze coordinated action at the cabinet level after senior
Peruvian officials did overflights of the area. My second year as
Science Envoy will focus on Amazon issues in Peru, Colombia, and
Brazil.”
Bob Morris has been “yanked out of retirement” as an
Episcopal priest by his bishop to serve as the Interim Rector in St.
Peter’s Church in Essex Fells, NJ, a parish in which he served briefly in
1967-1968 as he completed some post-seminary education in New
York City. Bob reports that, while the work is stimulating and pleasant
and the people generous and cooperative, he will be glad to return to
his established retirement routine of seeing spiritual directees and
teaching an occasional course at Interweave, an interfaith education
center which he founded in 1980 and at which he retired from the
2
director’s position in 2012.
Fred Schneider writes: “This spring I returned to Yale in new
roles. Late March I was a guest lecturer teaching a class in a Yale
Japanese art history graduate seminar focusing on the 16th and 17th
centuries. In May, I marched in the Yale Commencement Parade
(wearing my academic robes for the first time since 1963), this time as
an Associate Fellow of Davenport College. (In addition to Yale faculty
Fellows, each College has Associate Fellows nominated by its Head of
College.) I then had a front row seat for the Old Campus and
Davenport Courtyard Commencement activities and luncheon. Among
other honorary degrees, Stevie Wonder received a doctorate in music
and delighted everyone with a rendition of ‘Signed, Sealed & Delivered’
as he exited the Commencement platform. Being part of the
Commencement proceedings proved to be an enjoyable, meaningful,
and surprisingly emotional day for me.”
Langston Snodgrass and Tony Brown were married in a
religious ceremony on December 1, 2012, at the High Street
Congregational Church in Auburn, ME. On June 1, 2017, two dozen
close friends gathered at Langston and Tony’s Lewiston, ME home for
an intimate civil wedding ceremony, which is thought to be the first or
second legal gay male, bi-racial civil marriage in Maine. Tony, an artist,
has had his art exhibited in several galleries and has established a
dedicated following. His art can be seen on his website,
www.theartoftonybrown.com. Langston is writing his second novel.
His work can be seen on www.langstonsnodgrass.com. Langston
adds: “Tony and I would like to have another ten or 15 wonderful years
together. When it finally happens, it can indeed be really, really good!”
Joan and Herb Turin celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
with an anniversary party on August 5, 2017 at Prairie Pedlar Gardens
in Odebolt, IA.
John C. Hoff died on June 3, 2017 in his home in Sunnyvale,
CA, after ten months of in-home hospice care for emphysema and heart
issues. John entered the world two months prematurely in Lincoln, NE
on July 21, 1941. Awarded an academic scholarship to Yale University,
he graduated in 1963 with a B.A. in Mathematics. He earned a
Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from Purdue University in
1965, and in 1968 at Purdue he was the 11th person in the world to
3
receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science. After two years at Service
Bureau Corp. of San Jose, he was a Professor for five years at the
University of San Francisco, followed by ten years as an entrepreneur
developing statistical business software. For several years he was a
senior software engineer for semiconductor inspection equipment,
finishing his career in the flat panel display industry. He is survived by
his loving wife of 44 years, Linda Hoffman Hoff, and sons Nick, Andrew,
and Chris of San Francisco. To all who knew him, John was kind and
gentle, with a dry humor and formidable intellect. He loved family and
friends, philosophy study sessions with his sons, singing barbershop,
playing trumpet, languages, word puzzles, practical jokes, limericks,
baseball, spirited discussions, reading, woodworking, mathematics, and
Dixieland jazz.
At an awards ceremony at the U.S. Department of State on
June 20, 2017, Dr. Sushma Palmer presented the Mark Palmer Award
for the Advancement of Democracy to two co-winners, Ms. Rene Gutel
of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for her courageous efforts to advance
democracy and human rights under the difficult conditions of a closed
society, and Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi, for his leadership efforts
to create conditions for the people of Burkina Faso to have a say in
their own future. This was the third annual presentation of the Award,
which was established by the American Foreign Service Association in
memory of our late classmate and friend Ambassador Mark Palmer and
is presented to members of the Foreign Service selected for the
dedicated promotion of American policy focused on democracy,
freedom and governance through bold, exemplary, imaginative, and
effective efforts.
Seymour S. “Sandy” Saltus of Chester, NJ passed away on
July 14, 2017 in Dover, NJ. Sandy was born on January 11, 1942 in
Morristown, NJ. He lived in Morristown before moving to Chester 45
years ago. Sandy graduated from St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH in
1959, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1963. He served in
the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1968. Sandy worked for Bankers Trust
Company in Manhattan for 30 years before his retirement in 1998. He
loved the opera, the sea, and sailing. He enjoyed electronics, making
models, and playing the piano, and was an excellent marksman in
target shooting. Sandy is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years,
Sarah Anne (McDougall) Saltus; two devoted sons, Nathan and Edward
Saltus; four grandchildren, and three sisters. Jim Paterson
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remembers: “Sandy was a wonderfully relaxed, easy-going suitemate.
I remember visiting him and his family at Thanksgiving during our years
at Yale. I enjoyed the visits, playing golf with our balls lost in the
leaves, and eating dinner in the living room with our plates on our
knees.” John Purdy writes: “The most vivid recollection I have about
Sandy is the time he returned from a weekend in New York with a large
seahorse tattoo on his right arm, which was quite a surprise to all of us,
given his quiet and conservative nature. I remember Sandy as a good
friend and roommate. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
Frederick Middleton Rotan Smith of Manhattan passed away
on August 11, 2017, at age 75, from complications related to heart
disease. Fred was born in New York City, where he attended St.
Bernard’s School. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1959 and
received a B.A. in History and Economics from Yale University in 1963.
After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Fred was hired by First Boston
in 1967 and remained at the firm, and its successor Credit Suisse, for
the duration of his career, retiring in 2002. He remained a senior
advisor and consultant to the firm for a number of years thereafter. At
First Boston, Fred established and then headed the firm’s media,
transportation, and telecommunications Investment Banking Coverage
Group. He later founded and co-headed the firm’s international private
equity investment business. Fred was a devoted father, world traveler,
and passionate golfer. A fierce competitor, he won three club
championships at the Fishers Island Club and two at the Deepdale Golf
Club, where he also won five senior championships. Fred is survived
by his three children (Frederick M. R. Smith, Jr., Margaret Smith
Warden, and Charles Lister Smith), three grandchildren, and his
beloved Alexa Gale Kroeger. Bob Hanson writes: “I did not know Fred
Smith when we were classmates at Yale, but our paths often
intersected during our respective investment banking careers. Fred was
a telecommunications banker at First Boston, while I had a similar role
at Merrill Lynch. On those occasions when First Boston and Merrill
Lynch shared a banking assignment, it was a pleasure to work with
Fred, although we were nominal competitors. He was the consummate
investment banker – knowledgeable about the industry he covered and
an all-around good guy. He will be missed.”
Howie Wolfe recalls: “Fred was always great company. He had
a finely tuned sense of humor, courtly manners, and a well-defined
personal code of conduct. He did not suffer fools and on subjects of
5
importance, you certainly knew where he stood . . . and it was always
on the high ground. Fred loved music and had eclectic tastes, ranging
from the early Delta blues players such as Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed
as well as the Allmon Brothers and Leonard Cohen. Fred loved video
games. His everyday ritual included a seven o’clock wakeup with two or
three cups of coffee and a half hour or so of Super Mario. Like
everything else, Fred was very good at this. Fred was a gifted athlete
with extraordinary hand eye coordination. He was a flexible as a rubber
snake and his golf swing was poetry in motion. I remember Fred hitting
balls on the practice range at my club with the other golfers transfixed
with Fred’s classic swing. When he hit approach shots, Fred was
absolutely deadly. If you were lucky enough to be his partner, Fred's
short game was money in the bank. Fred was extremely proud of his
three children and utterly devoted to the very lovely Gale Kroeger. On
reflection I think that during Fred’s life he was able to just about check
all the boxes. He had a distinguished business career, rising to the top
of his profession, raised a fine family, traveled extensively to exotic
places, and made many long-standing friends who remember him
fondly.”
******************
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 3032, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
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Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2018 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
January-February 2018
If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendar for our 55th Reunion, which
will be held in Branford College in New Haven from midday on Thursday, May 31, 2018
through Sunday morning, June 3, 2018. This will be our first Free Reunion, with food,
drink, and lodging in Branford College free of charge for all classmates, widows, and
guests who attend. Be sure not to miss this Reunion! All indications are that it will be
our best Reunion ever.
Jerry Bogert recounts: “This summer Margot and I rented a house in North
Berwick, Scotland, near a few of Scotland’s finer golf courses, North Berwick and
Gullane among them. One of our oldest friends, Joe Roby, spent four days with us. It
was great to reminisce; the last time Joe and I were together in Scotland was between
our sophomore and junior years at Yale. Our golf games may have weakened some,
but our friendship is as strong as ever.”
David Boren announced on September 20, 2017 that he will retire as President
of the University of Oklahoma, effective on June 30, 2018 or when a permanent
successor is named. Upon his retirement, David will have served as OU’s President for
over 23 years, and will have completed 51 years of public service in Oklahoma. He is
the first person in state history to have served as Governor of Oklahoma, United States
Senator, and President of the University of Oklahoma. Under David’s leadership, the
University of Oklahoma has become a pacesetter in public higher education. OU
became the only public university in U.S. history to rank first among all universities,
public or private, in National Merit Scholars enrolled. David is one of a handful of
university presidents across the nation who teach an undergraduate course every
semester. He will continue to teach a Political Science course following his retirement.
Among other honors, David was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences. On announcing his retirement, David thanked his wife, Molly Shi Boren, for
her partnership during his tenure.
Val Dusek reports: “I found out at age 75 that I am a Canadian citizen. Also, I
found out that my text Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction was pirated and
translated into Farsi by the Iranian Defense Industries. It is a survey of general
philosophies of technology and has no specific military applications (no nuclear
technology or virus debugging). This shows what broad interests their Education
Department has.”
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Carter Findley has been honored by the creation of the Carter V. Findley
Professorship in Ottoman and Turkish History and the Carter V. Findley Fellowship in
Ottoman and Turkish history at Ohio State University. Carter also has a new book in
press: Enlightening Europe on Islam and the Ottomans: Mouradgea d’Ohsson and His
Masterpiece. The masterpiece was d’Ohsson’s Tableau général de l’Empire othoman
(Paris, 1787-1820), 3 volumes in folio, the most knowledgeable book of its era on Islam
– also fabulously illustrated.
Carter observes: “The professorship and fellowship result from fund-raising
efforts over many years, and it was generous of the donors to ask to name them after
the person who supplied the elbow grease. Having degrees from Yale and Harvard, I
used to think I should give to those universities, Yale at least. By the time Lucia and I
paid for our daughter Madeleine’s education (Yale 1996), full freight, cash on the
barrelhead, I was also discovering that my own graduate students at the university
where I taught had limited, or in some cases no, options to fund their dissertation
research. Instead of giving money to widen the gap between the university where I
taught and the rich ones, I needed to do something different. And I was not going to be
able to do it by myself. That is how I got into fund-raising. I am not cut out for it any
more than most people. Ohio State was not going to have a permanent program in my
field – or any other necessarily – without endowments to support it. Elbow grease is not
all it took. But for those who don’t need to know more, let’s leave it at that.”
Hank Hallas has published a book, New Hampshire Tales. Hank writes:
“Working with my brother Herb, of Yale football fame, I have recently published a book.
Herb developed Rivulet Ferry Press in order to publish a few of his works, and kindly
offered to assist me. I agreed, and published a book which is a collection of short
stories, pre- and post-Yale. I was inspired by Noel Perrin, author of First Person Rural
and a well-known Dartmouth English professor.”
Ed Peters writes: “Because I first entered Yale with the Class of 1958 and then
dropped out for five years, returning in 1960 and graduating with the Class of 1963, I
have always had a reunion conflict, which I resolved by attending no reunions. Since
retiring in 2009, I've kept up academic research in a small bungalow in Guilford, CT,
thanks to Yale's Sterling Memorial Library, the Free Library of Guilford, and the Internet.
I’ve published two scholarly books (one on the sources of the 13th-century Crusades
and another edited volume of the scholarly essays of my late friend and collaborator Jim
Powell), a scholarly essay published in a volume of myths about the Crusades, and two
more essays about other subjects now in press. I’ve also edited two annotated
bibliographies online for the Oxford University Press Medieval Studies series, on
2
"Medieval Canon Law", and "Councils and Synods of the Medieval Church". My
ongoing research focuses on various aspects of uses of power in the late 12th and 13th
centuries. A burst appendix in April 2017 slowed me down for a few months, but I'm
back at research and writing again. I suppose that the threat ‘publish or perish’ applies
to more than just academic tenure.”
Eustace Theodore reports: “For the past twenty years Carol and I have had the
pleasure of following in a small way our growing interest in national hunt racing in the
UK and Ireland. We began in a huge syndicate racing five horses a year, purchased in
the fall, raced through the year and then sold on in the spring. That plus making it each
year to the Cheltenham festival as annual members kept our interest growing. Over the
last dozen years we have formed a small group that includes a good friend we met in
the seventies in Calhoun, plus an English woman with great horse knowledge who is
now a national hunt steward. Together the four of us have had a great journey that has
not yet led to anything close to black type. But the occasional win at small tracks keeps
our interest going – that and the beauty of those lovely animals when they try. We are
collectively known as the Someday’s Here Racing Partnership at Weatherbys, while in
Ireland we race under our own names.”
Howie Wolfe recounts: “Our main activity at Caves Farm is training, showing
and selling very high quality hunters and jumpers (warm bloods) which we import from
Europe. My racing activity is quite separate from the farms program. These horses of
course are all thoroughbreds and are in training in Pennsylvania. My game plan here is
to buy some reasonably well bred 3/4 year olds, run them on the flat turf, and then
converting to the hurdles when the timing seems right. We also buy older, more mature
horses and start them straight off on the timber courses with ambitions to run in the “big
three” races – My Ladies Manor, the Grand National, and of course, the Maryland Hunt
Cup, which is generally considered to be the most challenging timber race in the world.
In 2015 the farm was fortunate to have one of our boys named ‘timber horse of the year’
. . . quite a thrill.
“Steeplechase Racing in the States is very much a community affair. All the
owners, trainers and jockeys know one another and the race meet gatherings are
always very cordial affairs. In the paddock area before each race all will be wishing
each other “good luck and ride safe,” followed by warm congratulations to the winners.
Saratoga is hallowed ground for the racing community and winning there was a
memorable day as were the many pat-on-the-back phone calls and e-mails I received
from my racing friends. I’m not sure that anyone should be permitted to have this much
fun!”
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George Albert (“Jay”) Keyworth II died on August 23, 2017 in Monterey, CA. Jay
was born on November 30, 1939 in Boston, MA. He graduated from Yale College in
1963, and earned a Ph.D. in Physics from Duke University in 1968. He took a job at
Los Alamos National Laboratory upon graduation, and rose to head the Lab’s Physics
Division. From 1981 to 1986, Jay served as a senior White House official advising
President Reagan on matters of national security and science policy. Jay was a
champion of the Strategic Defense Initiative, which sought to develop defenses against
nuclear missiles. After leaving the White House, Jay was a director of General Atomic
and Hewlett-Packard, where he became the company’s longest-serving director. He
divided his time between Carmel, CA and the Lake Tahoe area. He is survived by his
wife, Marion (formerly Schwartz); a son, George; a daughter, Deirdre Hernandez; and
four grandchildren from his marriage to Polly Lauterbach Keyworth, who died in 2004.
Willis McCook (“Cookie”) Miller died peacefully on September 12, 2017. Cookie
was a graduate of Shady Side Academy, Yale, and Columbia Law School. He was a
decorated Navy veteran, having served as weapons officer on board the LSMR St.
Francis River, which operated along the coast of Vietnam. During his service on it, that
ship inflicted more casualties on the enemy than any other naval vessel. Cookie began
his legal career with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, and later started his own practice. For five
years, Cookie shared office space with Alan Finegold ’64, with whom he collaborated on
several legal matters. Cookie served on the Boards of Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh
History and Landmarks, and the Pittsburgh-Muskoka Foundation, and was a very active
supporter of and fund raiser for Epiphany Catholic Church. He was a Knight of Malta.
Cookie loved the game of golf. He was a member of the Fox Chapel Golf Club, the
Rolling Rock Club, the Duquesne Club, and the Pittsburgh Golf Club. He relished his
friendships at out-of-town clubs, including the Links Club in New York City, the York
Club in Toronto, and the Royal Yacht Club in Canada. He is survived by a brother, two
sisters, and seven nieces and nephews who affectionately called him “Uncle”.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2018 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
March-April 2018
If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendar for our 55th Reunion, which
will be held in Branford College in New Haven from midday on Thursday, May 31, 2018
through Sunday morning, June 3, 2018. This will be our first Free Reunion, with food,
drink, and lodging in Branford College free of charge for all classmates, widows, and
guests who attend. On-line registration for the Free Reunion (including registration for
rooms in Branford College) will open on the AYA website by the end of January 2018.
You will be notified by e-mail as soon as registration for the Reunion is open. Be sure
not to miss this Reunion! All indications are that it will be our best Reunion ever.
Clifford (“Kip”) Clark, Jr. writes: “I am retiring in August 2018, after 51 years of
teaching American history and American Studies at Harvard, Amherst, and Carleton
Colleges, and am looking forward to the Reunion.”
Pete Doolittle is suffering from a rare form of dementia called Lewy Body. He is
living in a secure care facility in Bedford, MA, where his wife, Lory Doolittle, and his
children and grandchildren visit often. Pete still talks fondly about his Yale education
and the friends he made while a student there. Pete had a varied and successful
business career. He was a founding partner of Clearview Capital, Stamford, CT.
Bob Jensen reports: “María and I are in Cumbayá, Ecuador, near Quito, the
capital. We will be here for two to three years. Our plan is to celebrate our 50th
wedding anniversary in the church where we married. Hopefully, our three children, 13
grandchildren, and one great grandchild will come next year to celebrate. For our
grandchildren, this will be the first time they have ever been to Ecuador. We also are
looking forward to visiting with my classmates next year in New Haven..
Langston Snodgrass, formerly a gay therapist for the gay community in the
Washington, DC area, notes with respect to the 2017 AYA Assembly regarding inclusive
community discussions: “The ‘Q’ in GLBTQ until recently has meant ‘Questioning’ as to
one’s own sexual orientation. Reading the ‘Q’ in GLBTQ as ‘Queer’ represents a recent
effort to redefine and reclaim the word from its original meaning. For our Class’s
generation and our children’s generation and generations past, ‘Queer’ has been a very
threatening, derogatory, offensive, and sexually abusive label. It has carried with it
significant risk of defamation, ostracism, ruined careers, a half-lived life, emotional
damage, physical harm, and death. ‘Queer’ is still very offensive and troubling to those
tens of thousands today and in decades past who have suffered from its use. It is very
important to remember that those who would redefine ‘Q’ can do so only because those
who suffered as ‘Queer’ continued to resist. That history should not be forgotten.”
1
Tom Wehr relates: “In 1973, at the beginning of a 30-year career in research at
the National Institutes of Health, I naively set out to discover the cause of a rapid cycling
type of bipolar disorder. This year, 44 years later, I published what I believe to be the
answer in the journal Molecular Psychiatry
Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2018 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May-June 2018
If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to register for our Free 55th
Reunion, which will be held from midday on Thursday, May 31, 2018 through
Sunday morning, June 3, 2018. This will be our first Free Reunion, with food,
drink, and lodging at the Reunion residential college free of charge for all
classmates, widows, and guests who attend. Be sure not to miss this Reunion! To
register for the Reunion, simply go to www.aya.yale.edu/reunions, click on the
55th Reunion, and then click on the first tab (“Register Now!”).
Jim Anderson relates: “The Board of Trustees of the University of
Cincinnati conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree on me, all to my
surprise. The act brought wry smiles to the many accomplished researchers at
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where I was CEO for 13 years, retiring at the end of
2009. For someone who was a mere lawyer for most of his career, this
constituted a giant leap of faith, all attributable to the productivity of those many
real scientists. It also brought with it much teasing from our kids and a bumper
sticker that says: ‘Back off – I am a scientist’, now proudly stuck to the back of my
lumbering SUV. Life post-Yale takes odd turns.”
Bill Bell and Pepper Stuessy spent eight days in October in South Carolina,
first canoeing in the Congaree National Park Wilderness, and then hiking/wildlife
1
watching in two wildlife refuges. Pepper reports: “We spent a good deal of time
being lost: first making a two-day paddle into a four-day ordeal, and then missing
a campground by at least 15 miles. We like to think that none of it was our fault,
as we got laughable misinformation from the Park Rangers (we have written
proof), and then the iPhone lady literally took us to a spot in the middle of
nowhere in the woods. Still, there were magical moments, like seeing the cypress
trees mirrored in the smooth black waters of the creek, and hearing barred and
eastern screech owls calling all night. Our record of not even getting wet feet is
still intact.”
Michler Bishop writes: “I recently had an article published in Health
Psychology Open that reviews what we know about how people change six risky
health-related behaviors: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, smoking, gambling, and
overeating. Research indicates that as people age, over 90% change five of those
behaviors, but not overeating! One of the well-known professionals in the field
sent the article out via social media, :accessed at
www.journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2055102917751576. My long-term
goal is to have someone build an app that would help people grappling with
opioids to cut down and eventually stop. There is not a single app available for
them, perhaps because many think anyone addicted to opioids is a ‘loser’ and is
2
never going to use an app. But it is becoming clearer that that is not always the
case.”
The Editor’s Page of the January 2018 National Geographic Magazine
highlighted a quotation from Tom Lovejoy: “If you take care of the birds, you
take care of most of the big problems in the world.” The National Geographic
commented: “He should know. The famed biologist and conservationist, a
National Geographic-funded scientist, helped introduce the term ‘biological
diversity’ to the world. And he long predicted that by early in the 21st century,
the Earth would start losing a dramatic number of species – a prediction,
unfortunately, that is turning out to be spot-on.”
Chris and Stan Riveles stay active in their Taos, NM community. Stan’s goto winter activity of downhill skiing lost its appeal this year because of the
absence of snow. Biking is the preferred aerobic alternative. Reverting to earlier
professional interests in nuclear issues, Stan has joined a volunteer watchdog
group overseeing Los Alamos National Laboratory environmental cleanup
activities. The Northern New Mexico Civilian Advisory Board operates under the
auspices of the Department of Energy. It receives official briefings on cleanup
programs and provides recommendations to Lab management. Stan also
participated in the preparations for recent Town of Taos Council elections. He
3
moderated a public forum between the two main candidates for Taos mayor.
Chris continues to pursue her love of southwest archaeology as a docent of
petroglyphs, Archaeology Society officer, and cataloguer of ceramic artifacts.
Chris and Stan are preparing for the July 2018 wedding of their daughter Maria to
James Finnegan of Little Compton, RI.
Peter Roman has published his first novel, The 2nd Lieutenant Spy, on
Amazon. The novel, which is set in Luxembourg, Bonn, Frankfurt, and
Washington, D.C. in the late 1960’s, draws upon Peter’s experiences with the CIA
during that period. The novel was edited by Tom Worrell.
Ron Sampson reports: “In what may have set a record for the Class of
1963 mini-reunion held the greatest distance from New Haven, Frissie and Bill
Reed, Marcia Hill and Guy Struve, and I gathered at the Adelaide home of Peggy
Brock and Norm Etherington on January 12, 2018 for a wonderful evening of
nostalgia, reminiscence, and, inevitably, some reflection on our current American
President. We ended with a group photograph taken beneath a Yale Class of
1963 banner acquired by Norm during our Freshman year. For Guy, Marcia, Bill,
and Frissie, it was their first visit to Australia, but it was my 29th (being an avid
collector of frequent flyer miles). Even though on holiday, Guy continued to work
4
assiduously on preparations for our upcoming Reunion, which may set a Yale
record for the largest attendance for a 55th reunion class.”
Ron was too modest to mention that he set another record while he was in
Australia. He was recognized by the Australian Open for his record of having
attended 336 consecutive days of play at the Australian Open over a period of 24
years. Ron says, “It’s amazing the statistics one accumulates if one lives long
enough!”
John Tuteur announced his campaign for reelection as Napa County, CA
Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk. John is currently the senior California assessor
in years of service. “I continue to enjoy every day of public service as I enter my
40th year with Napa County.” John regrets that he cannot make the 55th
Reunion, which conflicts with his commitment as Napa County Registrar of Voters
to conduct the June 5, 2018 California Primary Election.
Last autumn, Charlotte and Dan Waugh thoroughly enjoyed their first Yale
Educational Travel trip to Myanmar, with a brief optional tour to see Angkor Wat
in Cambodia. Dan writes: “It is unfortunate that a recognized travel guide
company has just put Myanmar on its ‘Don’t Go’ list for 2018, because of the
much-publicized, arguably genocidal policies of the regime against the Muslim
Rohingya minority. The focus of the Yale trip (whose lecturer was Yale’s
5
incomparable Mimi Yiengpruksawan, a specialist in Buddhist art) was on the
lasting cultural values of the region, with stops in Myanmar including Mandalay,
Bagan, and the Inle Lake region. Apart from visits to pagodas, etc., there were
fascinating opportunities to see local artisans at work (and of course, purchase
some of their products). The people we met were warmly welcoming. While one
legitimately may ask whether it is right to visit a country whose official actions are
ones no one should condone, I think one might equally argue that to stay away
has no impact on the politics, but merely undercuts support for ordinary people,
many of whom rely economically on our being there. To enjoy the company of
other Yalies on the trip was a real treat.”
David W. Budding passed away on January 5, 2018 at the Metrowest
Medical Center in Framingham, MA. He was the husband of Martha M. (Marti)
Budding. David was educated at the Cathedral Choir School of St. John the Divine
in Manhattan and at South Kent School in South Kent, CT. He graduated from
Yale University and earned his graduate degree at Columbia University. David
taught history at Hampton Institute in Virginia, and then worked on education
policy issues at the national level, first at the U.S. Office of Education, then at the
National Institute for Education. Following his time in Washington, he worked at
Abt Associates in Cambridge, MA on housing policy, and spent the latter part of
6
his career building and managing medical databases with Tufts Medical Center,
Lifespan, and Perot Systems. David was a passionate gardener and most of all
loved music, which gave him the greatest joy in his life and connected him with
his beloved wife Marti. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children,
Lauren Budding, Anthony Budding, Jeffrey Berndt, and Nathan Berndt, and ten
grandchildren.
Edward Smith Gilfillan III passed away in Harpswell, ME after a brief illness
on December 14, 2017. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Katherine (Kathie).
Ed was born on June 1, 1941, and grew up in Manchester, MA. He graduated in
1959 from Manchester High School. At Yale University, he majored in zoology
and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963, followed by M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at
the University of British Columbia, where he studied zooplankton ecology. From
1970 to 1974 Ed was at the University of Massachusetts Marine Station. He went
on to be a researcher at the Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences in Boothbay
Harbor, ME. Ed joined the Bowdoin faculty in 1977, becoming director of the
Bowdoin Marine Research Station at Bethel Point, ME the following year. Ed
joined with Professors David Page and the late Dana Mayo to engage in
collaborative research in response to a critical need for scientific research on the
complex interactions of petroleum and toxic metals in the marine environment.
7
This unique partnership involved Bowdoin students who studied the effects of
petroleum and other pollutants on marine life. Ed co-authored more than 70
papers on the environmental aspects of oil spills, including the 1978 Amoco Cadiz
grounding off the coast of Brittany and the 1989 Exxon Valdez accident in Prince
William Sound, AK. Ed was a natural teacher. There are many Bowdoin graduates
who are doing what they are doing now because of their experience with Ed.
After his retirement, Ed remained active professionally, and focused his energies
on travel, his passion for learning as a voracious reader, his love of the outdoors
as an avid hunter, and his large network of friends, family, and former students.
Andy Barclay remembers: “Ed and I were in Berkeley together and had
many uproarious times, much to the dismay of the Master. Ed had a fascination
with weapons and owned some interesting pieces including a .350 Nitro Express
which he used to test-fire in the second floor shower!! My favorite Ed story,
though, was when we were in a bar in Gloucester, a notoriously tough fishing
town, and we were approached by a seedy-looking character who pulled out a
straight razor and flicked it open at us. He said, ‘You guys got anything to beat
this?’ Ed said, ‘Yeah,’ and pulled out his .357 which he always carried. ‘Well,’ said
the dude, ‘beats me,’ and slunk away. Ed and I finished our beers. I always felt
safe with Ed.”
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Tom Wehr recalls: “I well remember when Ed Gilfillan generously treated
me to a Thanksgiving weekend visit with his family in Manchester, MA. During my
stay he fixed me up with Miss Manchester of 1959 on a double-date, during which
we drove around in Ed's 1950's Morris Mini, a type of car I had never seen
before. I was very impressed with a mercury still that he showed me in his
father's lab (not for the faint-of-heart chemist).
John Mitchell Lucas died early in the morning of January 21, 2018 in
Darien, CT. He had been ill with Parkinson’s Disease for a long time. He is
survived by his wife, Kathy Neilan Lucas (née Krieger), whom he married in June of
2002. John was born in 1940 in Kansas City, MO. He graduated from Yale
University in 1963 and from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture
in 1968. During graduate school and for several years after, he worked both
building houses at Prickly Mountain in Warren, VT and in the office of Louis I.
Kahn in Philadelphia. It was John who came up with the name of Prickly
Mountain. The founders and others were assembled on a large rock at the top of
the mountain – all but John, who was sitting on a spread of raspberry bushes.
After a while, John said, “Ouch, it’s so prickly up here,” and the name stuck. After
Louis Kahn died, John stayed on to catalogue his drawings, and then to
photograph his projects around the world. In subsequent years, John worked at a
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number of architecture firms, including Kohn Pederson Fox in New York City until
2005. At KPF, he was a sought-after mentor to younger architects. Recognized as
a special talent, he was a beloved anomaly in the firm. He took a particular
interest in the use of computers in design. He had become an Architect’s
Architect: ever curious, and ever anxious to refine his trade, the tools he brought
to it, and the community he worked with. Earlier in his life, he was known to his
peers as “Luke the Duke” – apt then, now, and forever.
Steve Parker’s son, Harrison Parker, who bagpiped at our 50th Reunion,
finished Harvard in May 2016 in Computer Science, minor in Classics. He is
enjoying working as a sales engineer for Anomali, an advanced cyber security
startup in Silicon Valley. Daughter Katy married Andrew Allen in May 2016, lives in
Far Hills, NJ, and has a son, Philip Dillon Allen II, born in May 2017. Steve’s widow,
Dr. Barbara Long, still lives in Atlanta and would welcome Yale classmates to visit.
She is looking forward to seeing everyone at the 55th Reunion.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
10
Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2018 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
July-August 2018
From May 31 through June 3, 2018, we held our 55th Reunion in Branford
College in New Haven. Our 55th Reunion was noteworthy for several reasons:
First, the 55th Reunion was our first Free Reunion. All food, drink, and
lodging in Branford College were entirely free of charge to all classmates and
guests. This was made possible through Class dues and contributions to the
Reunion Expense Reserve by hundreds of classmates. This is the first time that
any Yale class has self-funded a free reunion in this manner.
Second, our 55th Reunion broke all the records for a 55th reunion. Not
only did we break the records, we shattered them. Our attendance of 307
classmates was 123 more than the largest number of classmates that had ever
attended a 55th reunion. 39.9% of our Class attended the 55th Reunion,
demolishing the prior record of 28.6%. It seems safe to predict that the records
set by our 55th Reunion will stand for many years to come.
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Third, and most important, the 55th Reunion was our best Reunion ever.
The spirit of the Reunion was grounded in conversations both short and long that
formed new friendships and reinforced those that stretch back for almost 60
years. If you were there, you know how wonderful the Reunion was. If you were
not there, ask your friends who were there to share their experiences with you.
Memorable photographs of the Reunion, taken by Pat Johnston, are posted on
the Class Website, www.yale63.org.
The program for our 55th Reunion included many features pioneered in
our previous Reunions, including Class discussion groups and a Memorial Service
in Battell Chapel remembering our classmates who died since the last Reunion.
Our 55th Reunion also included several innovations, including informal tabletop
discussion groups after breakfast in Branford courtyard.
At the Class Dinner on Friday, June 1, 2018, Class of 1963 Achievement
Awards were presented to Jim Courtright, Fred Hanser, Peter Kiernan, Mike
Koenig, and Bill Kramer. Then all of those who had made important
contributions to the Reunion were successively asked to stand, including the Class
Officers, the Class Council, the Reunion Committee, and the Reunion Gift
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Committee. Without all of them, our record-breaking Reunion would not have
been possible.
The Reunion Gift Committee, headed by Fred Hanser and Bill Kramer,
raised a total of $12.73 million, exceeding the target. Our Alumni Fund effort,
headed by Troy Murray and Ken Porter, likewise reported good results. Thanks
are due to Fred, Bill, Troy, Ken, and their Committees for their hard work and
dedication.
The Reunion was preceded by a pre-reunion in New York City, culminating
in a Class Dinner at the Yale Club of New York City, and a golf outing organized by
Peter Kiernan at the Yale Golf Course, followed by dinner at Mory’s.
The Co-Chairmen of the 55th Reunion – Ian Robertson and Eustace
Theodore – did an absolutely outstanding job in planning and executing the
Reunion. They were assisted by many classmates, including Jon Larson, Chairman
of the Reunion Committee, and Jon Rose, Editor of the 55th Reunion Class Book.
All in all, our 55th Reunion was one we can be proud of, and it sets a very
high standard for our 60th Reunion and beyond. At the close of the Reunion, we
dedicated ourselves to the goal of bringing back to our 60th Reunion as many as
3
possible of the classmates who were not at this Reunion. We look forward to
seeing everyone in 2023.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
4
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2018 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
September-October 2018
We are still bathing in the warm afterglow of our remarkable (and recordbreaking) Free 55th Reunion, which was held from May 31 through June 3, 2018
in Branford College in New Haven. Thanks to our Class Webmaster, Jon Larson,
you can now relive the Reunion in numerous photos and videos posted on the
Class Website, www.yale63.org. Also posted on the Class Website is the report
and analysis of the Class Survey which was presented at the Reunion by Jere
Johnston. If you have other photos and videos of the Reunion, please send them
to Jon Larson at jon_larson@hotmail.com, so that he can include them in the
Class Website for the enjoyment of all.
Also posted on the Class Website is the most recently updated list of the
members of the Class of 1963 Support Network (Classmates on Call). (The Class
Support Network list on the Class Website is password-protected; the password is
simply yale63.) The Class Support Network includes more than 75 classmates,
spouses, and widows who have volunteered to share their experiences with
others in the Yale ’63 family who are experiencing problems such as illness, grief
and loss, restrictions on life activities, or straitened financial circumstances. It
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says something very good about our Class that so many of us have offered to help
others in this way. The Class Website contains not only an alphabetical list of the
members of the Class Support Network, but also an alphabetical list of the subject
matters listed by the members of the Class Support Network. If you don’t find the
topic you are looking for in this list, please e-mail Guy Struve at
guy.struve@davispolk.com, and he may well be able to suggest a classmate who
can be helpful.
Lowell Dodge and wife Diane completed a new home north of Boulder, CO,
close to their daughter Allison and son-in-law Oliver’s organic farm. Lowell makes
furniture in a woodworking shop in his barn and enjoys views of Longs Peak and a
10-acre lake. He has stopped mowing wide areas near trees and water to allow
habitats for bugs, birds, and wildlife generally to emerge, augmented by plantings
of critter-friendly native shrubs and trees. Great horned owls, osprey, blue
herons, and numerous other bird and animal species already in residence will
have added protection, and others will hopefully move in. Diane and Lowell
recently launched a family foundation making grants to nonprofits implementing
innovative approaches to improving early childhood education and developing
other potential pathways out of poverty.
2
John Gilleland is in China, where he is helping to start a joint venture with
the Chinese to work toward the goal of zero carbon. The joint venture combines
the efforts of CNNC, China’s largest nuclear power company, with those of
TerraPower, Bill Gates’ company focused on improving civilian nuclear power.
John writes: “Bill has a great way of inspiring you to work enormous hours
without asking you to do so. Thus I continue to work more than full time. For this
work, we have been privileged to have occasional use of Yale’s exceptional Beijing
facility, which serves as a kind of neutral ground for discussion of serious topics.”
Steve Gunther writes: “I have nothing wonderful to report other than
going through an eight-month golf season without once breaking 80 and a threemonth hockey season with only a couple of goals. At least I never got hurt at golf,
but I did take a nasty slap shot on the inside of my right knee right on my varicose
veins from a 30-year-old big guy that had me limping for three months. I do not
play with anyone else who has varicose veins! Still practicing, but mostly hand
surgery now.”
Gar Murtha reports: “I transitioned from Senior Status to ‘Inactive
Status’ last fall after 22 years as a federal judge in Vermont. I was on Senior
Status for several years with a reduced caseload. I no longer have a courtroom or
staff, but can take on cases in Vermont or other districts if I choose to do so, and
3
may sit on courts of appeals if asked. So far, I have been far from inactive, and
enjoy the freedom to fill my day with other mental and physical projects. I
recently spent a very enjoyable day with Dave Hilyard.”
Bruce Edmund Kiernat of St. Paul, MN passed peacefully on April 22,
2018. Born on June 20, 1941, he is survived by Elizabeth (“Sandy”) Moore
Kiernat, his wife of 50 years, and by his children R. B. Kiernat and Betsy
Zakrajsheck. Bruce was a graduate of Yale University and University of
Minnesota Law School. He loved and enjoyed his family, Franconia, reading,
trivia, travel, and flowers.
Thomas R. Welch died at his Chicago home on May 9, 2018. After
Fessenden School, Tom enrolled at the Taft School before matriculating at Yale.
As an undergraduate, Tom sang with The Alley Cats. His undergraduate major
was Architecture and he stayed in New Haven, earning his Masters in Architecture
from Yale in 1968. He joined the prominent and historic Holabird & Root firm in
Chicago, working on many significant projects in his native city. He also travelled
the world for the firm designing major hotels in Bogota, Colombia and Kuwait.
Tom was bright, articulate, and witty, a real raconteur. He was a superb host and
personally cooked everything ever served at his wonderful dinner parties. Tom
was a highly respected leader of the Yale community in Chicago. He served on the
Board of Directors of the Yale Club of Chicago for over 20 years. He chaired
4
several events on architecture and was always in demand to speak on the history of
Chicago architecture. He will be missed by generations of fellow Yalies in
Chicago. He was urbane, generous of spirit, and a loyal friend.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
5
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2018 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
November-December 2018
Our Free 55th Reunion in May and June of this year was a great success. It was a
success in financial terms as well: The full cost of the Free 55th Reunion was defrayed by
classmate contributions made prior to the Reunion to the Class Treasury and the Reunion
Expense Reserve.
In light of the success of the Free 55th Reunion, the Class Council has decided that our
60th Reunion in 2023, and all our subsequent Reunions, will likewise be Free Reunions.
In order to guarantee the financial viability of the Free 60th Reunion and subsequent Free
Reunions, we will continue to ask classmates, beginning this Fall, to consider contributing not
only the suggested Class dues of $100 per year (which we have not changed for many years), but
also a suggested contribution of $200 per year to the Reunion Expense Reserve. While these are
the suggested amounts, contributions in any amounts (higher or lower) will be gratefully
received. As before, all contributions to the Class Treasury and the Reunion Expense Reserve
are tax-deductible.
Dick Ahlborn reports that Queen Elizabeth has approved his induction into The Venerable Order of St.
John. The Order dates back to the time of the Crusades, concurrent with the Knights Templar. But
whereas the Knights Templar were warriors, St. John's members treated the wounded on both sides and
ministered to the sick and hungry within local populations. They still operate the largest eye hospital in
the Middle East, located in Jerusalem, and the St. John Ambulance Brigade numbers over 200,000
volunteers in some 40 countries worldwide.
Paul Field reports: “Thought you might be interested in how my August is shaping up so
far. About three weeks ago I rode my bike the whole 41.5-mile North Central Rail Trail from
York, PA to Cockeysville, MD, a few miles from my home. Then off to the Alaska wilderness
for two weeks. Then a heart cath a week ago, 95% blockage in one of my arteries, stent
inserted. Looking forward to an easier rest of the month!”
1
Steve Hall writes: “I am enjoying my tour here in Colorado. It confirms my decision to head
here immediately after graduation. I feel comfortable in Colorado in a way that I have never felt outside
of New Hampshire. I have learned several things: The annual precipitation for Pueblo, CO is only twice
that of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Hailstorms are more frequent and more destructive than
advertised. Fire danger is remarkably high. This year is particularly destructive, despite all efforts to
minimize it. I recently had the opportunity to ride the Cumbres & Toltec R.R. from Chama, NM to
Antonito CO. It was a rare chance to reach back into the late 1800’s to 1920’s. The direction of travel is
important, since the grade from Chama to Cumbres Pass is about the steepest still existing anywhere in
the US. The coal-burning steam locomotive in some cases drops down to a mere crawl or occasionally
loses its footing. You can ride as a common passenger in the coach or in the First Class Parlor car,
complete with adult beverages and snacks, the way the ‘swells’ from the East and Colorado Springs
travelled. An all-day immersion.”
Bob Hanson writes: “Arlene and I just welcomed grandchild number seven, a son, born to
Robert, Jr., Class of 2002, and his wife Sonia. Robert just joined the faculty at Blair Academy in
Blairstown, New Jersey, a school probably attended by some of our classmates. Despite our advancing
age, we are still pursuing big game hunting, and have upcoming trips planned to England, Greenland and
Alaska.”
John Impert reports: “My book, Painters of the Northwest: Impressionism to Modernism, 19001930, is now available from the University of Oklahoma Press. It is the 32nd book the Press has
published on the art and photography of the West, but their first on the Northwest. I don't know of
another university press than has made such a major commitment to regional American art. During the
summer of 2018, I cycled from Krakow to Budapest, crossing the Tatra and Carpathian mountains. It’s
the tenth year that I’ve done a two-week cycling trip in Europe, and the twelfth that I've made a similar
tour in the Western US.”
Mike Lieberman has published a new book of stories, The Life Within Us. Mike
explains: “The premise of the book is that the stories we tell reflect our inner lives – our best
selves and what Jung called our shadow, our worst fears and predilections. The unconscious is
unruly, and the stories it constructs are more unruly still. In writing The Life Within Us, I have
allowed it free rein. Hence these stories careen wildly. For starters, they veer from a
confrontation at the Stella Maris Hotel in Trieste to a surreal encounter with a seductive cyber2
waif. You'll meet a guy who thinks Beethoven's Choral Fantasy is the foothills of grandeur.
Dozens of other voices chime in.”
Bill Nordhaus has been honored by the creation of a Chair of Economics at Yale, endowed by Petr
Aven, the head of Russia’s Alfa-Bank, who first met Bill in 1990. The professorship will be named after
Bill following his retirement, and until that time it will be called the Elihu Professorship of Economics.
“So much of what I learned from Bill Nordhaus has influenced my views of economics and my life,” said
Aven. “Through the endowed chair, I hope to perpetuate an intellectual tradition, personified by Bill, that
demands methodologically sound, data-driven research.” Beginning in 1991, Aven helped advise Russian
President Boris Yeltsin concerning Russia’s transition to a new economic model. Aven credits the 1992
book, What Is to Be Done, by Nordhaus and several Yale colleagues, with supplying a blueprint for his
country’s economic reforms.
This year Norman Sinel published his first novel, No Random Moves. At the reunion his
roommates Denny Landa, Chuck Hellar, and David Weinstein claimed to have read it and liked it. He
is still waiting for comments from Dave Keller and Wolf Dietrich.
Dan Waugh reports: “One of our major projects these days involves the community music
center which my wife Charlotte's best friend founded three decades ago and which now is in a
capital campaign and a search for a new executive director. Charlotte is working hard on both;
we are investing in the campaign from our retirement savings. The goal of the organization is to
provide opportunities for participatory music for all ages and to ensure that lack of financial
resources will not be an obstacle for that participation, be it in private lessons, ensemble playing,
etc. By many standards, it is still a very small operation, but it has grown steadily and has
reached out to a great many who would not otherwise have had music in their lives.”
Walter George Alexander of Roanoke, VA passed away on May 30, 2018. He served his country in the
United States Army Reserves during the Vietnam conflict. Walter was an Eagle Scout and graduated
from Yale University in 1963. He worked for Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company for over 20 years as
Director of Information Systems. Walter was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Karen Swanson
3
Alexander. He is survived by five children, Walter Alexander, John Alexander, Richard Alexander,
Karen Barrie, and Anne Skrzycki, 18 grandchildren, and other extended family. Walter was active in the
Boy Scouts of America as a scoutmaster for many years. He enjoyed spending time with his family and
dogs. He shared a passion for building and flying model airplanes at the Roanoke Valley Radio Control
Club with his three sons and grandchildren.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
4
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
January-February 2019
Oxford University Press has published a book by Don Akenson on Exporting the
Rapture: John Nelson Darby and the Victorian Conquest of North-American Evangelicalism. In
the book, Don argues that the ideological core of North American Evangelicalism was imported
from Ireland and Great Britain during the 19th century, and that a key figure in this process was
John Nelson Darby, a crusty but ultimately very successful Evangelical missionary to the United
States and Canada.
Stallworth Larson, who lives in south Florida and spends time in southern Vermont as well as on
his family farm in south Alabama, recently enjoyed a big family trip to southern Africa to celebrate his
wife Juliette’s 75th birthday and their 50th wedding anniversary.
Yale University Press has published a book co-edited and co-authored by Tom Lovejoy and Lee
Hannah on Biodiversity and Climate Change: Transforming the Biosphere. A sequel to the 2005 volume
Climate Change and Biodiversity, the book captures the sweep of climate change transformation of the
biosphere, from extinction risk to ocean acidification, from the future of the Amazon to changes in
ecosystem services, and from geoengineering to the power of ecosystem restoration. In a related editorial
on “Avoiding the climate failsafe point” in the August 22, 2018 issue of Science Advances, Lovejoy and
Hannah write that “many researchers are concluding that ecological systems around the planet will not be
able to tolerate temperature rise much beyond 1.5°C. Although current trajectories in energy use and
ecosystem destruction seem to be leading us relentlessly forward, a few paths to capping temperature
increase at 1.5°C still exist, with the most important likely being ecosystem restoration.”
Bill Nordhaus has been honored with the Nobel Prize in Economics, along with Paul Romer of
NYU. The Royal Swedish Academy announced that “William Nordhaus and Paul Romer have
1
significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the
market economy interacts with nature and knowledge.” The Academy summarized the work for which
Bill was honored as follows: “Nordhaus’ findings deal with interactions between society and nature.
Nordhaus decided to work on this topic in the 1970s, as scientists had become increasingly worried about
the combustion of fossil fuel resulting in a warmer climate. In the mid-1990s, he became the first person
to create an integrated assessment model, i.e., a quantitative model that describes the global interplay
between the economy and the climate. His model integrates theories and empirical results from physics,
chemistry and economics. Nordhaus’ model is now widely spread and is used to simulate how the
economy and the climate co-evolve. It is used to examine the consequences of climate policy
interventions, for example carbon taxes.”
Those who were fortunate enough to be at our 55th Reunion last spring will recall that Bill
Nordhaus and Tom Lovejoy shared their insights on climate change with us at a well-attended Class
discussion group in the auditorium of the Yale Art Gallery.
Ken Porter’s beloved wife of 55 years, Sally, passed away peacefully from abdominal
cancer, surrounded by family, on September 15, 2018. Many of us got to know Sally as part of the
Yale ’63 family through the many alumni functions she attended with Ken over the decades,
including our 55th Class Reunion this past spring. Born and raised in Indianapolis, she was a
magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Miami University of Ohio and president of its Alpha
Chi Omega sorority chapter. Later she earned an M.S.W. from U.C. Berkeley and spent many years
as a school counselor. She was a devoted mother of her three children, Ted, Daniel, and Amy, and
loving grandmother to Claudia, Kenzie, and Madeline. Her formidable intelligence, curious nature,
hearty sense of humor, and quick, infectious laugh made her a joy to be around. She loved nature,
flowers, Hawaii, museums, history, cards and board games, traveling often and everywhere, making
art with her friends and sister, exploring new places, and learning new things. To the last, she was
grateful for her full life and happy family.
2
Steve Sohmer writes: “This year I’ve moved house from LA to Las Vegas (tax exile), published
my fourth book on Shakespeare, and begun renovating my country house in England. I’ve given myself a
year-long sabbatical to write my fifth novel. But I intend to spend most of my free time as roommate to
my son David, who is finishing his degree at the American University of Paris. Anyone wishing to share
a brioche in the 7er or 15er: steve.sohmer@gmail.com.”
William Bradford Bidwell passed away peacefully on August 23, 2018 at Connecticut Hospice,
with his daughter Laurel Bidwell and his son Birch Bidwell by his side. Dave Hilyard remembers Bill as
follows: “Bill was the Recording Secretary and Director of Stewardship at Yale, a position requiring
infinite care and sensitivity. I had the pleasure of working with him for more than 20 years. When Bill
retired, an officer of the University complimented him on his ‘kindness and gentleness and the empathetic
way he went about his duties.’ After graduating from Yale, Bill went to the University of Rochester,
where he earned a Ph.D. in History. He then taught for several years before returning to his alma mater.
Bill and his partner Nan Bartow worked for many years as volunteers with the Urban Resources Initiative
(URI). During their retirement, they spearheaded the restoration of Beaver Ponds Park in New Haven.
Bill had a large extended family, including four grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Those
of us who knew Bill well knew we were blessed.”
Frederic Hull Roth, Jr. passed away peacefully on July 2, 2018 at Community Hospital of
Monterey Peninsula, CA, surrounded by his three children and Kathy, the love of his life and wife of 55
years. Born on July 27, 1941 in Cleveland, OH, he left the Midwest to attend Yale University, where he
earned a bachelor’s degree in English. He then traveled across county with Kathy to begin a teaching
career at Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, CA. Although Fred stayed only two years in
California, he fell in love with the Monterey Peninsula and knew he would someday return. Fred
completed his education at Columbia University and then the University of Virginia, where he earned a
Ph.D. in English Literature. Teaching was a calling for Fred, who was a passionate, tireless, and
consummate educator, devoted to his students inside and outside of the classroom. At Hamilton College
in Clinton, NY, he taught the literary canon and at the same time helped to oversee the community’s “A
3
Better Chance” program, providing educational opportunities to hundreds of underserved high school
students. At Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, MI, Fred chaired the English Department and served
as faculty advisor of the school’s yearbook and literary magazine. In 1991 Fred and Kathy returned to the
Monterey Peninsula and to Stevenson School, where he served as head of the English Department until
retiring in 2007. In retirement, Fred pursued all the joys of his life – reading more books and seeing more
films; walking the forest trails and beaches he loved; traveling the world with Kathy; and, especially,
spending time with his friends and family.
Walter Collins writes: “Fred was a great guy. Other than a few short visits in California and
New York in the 1960s, we hadn’t gotten together in 50 years. We tried around the 55th Reunion, but his
health wouldn’t allow it to happen. I have great memories of Fred, who was the undisputed master of
“Club” 918, our room in the corner turret of Saybrook College. It was a great space, and tough to leave.
The fact that Fred, an English major, roomed with two Engineering majors, Larry Parker and myself,
was a testament to his sense of humor.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
4
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
march-april 2019
Leonard Chazen reports: “My work life has had a remarkable change recently. Thanks
to a chance encounter in a sandal shop in Saint-Tropez, I renewed contact with a former client,
the general counsel of a European financial group, which subsequently hired my firm to be their
lead corporate counsel. I’m supposed to be the legal advisor , while younger lawyers handle
transactions, but as the manager of this client relationship, I get involved in everything. This
means I’m working harder than I have in at least ten years: not exactly how I planned to spend
my late 70s. But I believe the great challenge for those of our vintage is to remain engaged by
life and to keep our brains active, and for that I’m prepared to put in some late nights at the
office.”
Leo Damrosch writes: “In March I’ll have a new book out from Yale University Press,
entitled The Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age. It was truly an
astounding constellation of talent – there are chapters on Edmund Burke, Edward Gibbon, Adam
Smith, Joshua Reynolds, David Garrick, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and others. Yale is planning
to feature it as their lead book for the season and will promote it strongly. I’ve had a wonderful
experience working with everyone there, on previous books on Jonathan Swift and William
Blake as well as on this one.”
Peter Kiernan’s son Ryan was married on October 6, 2018 to the lovely Marie
Wilkerson. Ryan and Marie live in San Francisco, where Ryan works for Cloudflare and Marie
for Eventbrite. Following the couple’s honeymoon in Italy, Peter, his wife Kathy, and daughter
Clare visited Ryan and Marie to spend Thanksgiving week with them in San Francisco and the
Napa Valley.
Steve Steiner brought his professional career to a close on July 31, 2018, thereby
completing over 51 years of service. Following a 36-year career in the U.S. diplomatic service,
the last several of which were focused on nuclear arms negotiations, Steve served an additional
eight years at the Department of State working on democracy, human rights and women's rights
1
issues. He spent the past seven years on the staff of the U.S. Institute of Peace, where he helped
to develop programs to empower women in countries that have gone through violent conflict and
worked with young men in those countries to persuade them to accept a peaceful narrative of
masculinity, respect the rights of women and girls, and act as peacebuilders in their families,
communities and countries.
John Tuteur reflects on his 40 years of public service: “When I was elected
Fifth District Supervisor in Napa County, CA in June 1972, the only county computer was a big
box in the basement of the administration building and phones were still plugged into the wall.
During my eight years on the Board we adopted a General Plan that protected agriculture and
open space; directed growth into urban areas; increased governmental efficiency and upgraded
our facilities. I also learned the value of listening; exploring the concerns of both sides and
arriving at a fair decision. I have applied those same principles since my election as County
Assessor in June 1986. At that time, staff in the three property tax departments were hand-typing
numbers on 6,000 tax bills. By December 1, 1987 we implemented a new, integrated computer
system that automated those functions - a system that Napa and 30 other counties who joined us
over the past 31 years are still using today. In 1998 the Board of Supervisors asked me to bring a
consolidated department into the 21st century. The consolidation added Recorder, County
Clerk, and Registrar of Voters to my Assessor job. Now the public can view our documents
back to 1850 on public computers, and we have the nation’s most advanced election system at
our vote centers. I have enjoyed every day of the past 40 years working with our dedicated staff
to help our property owners, residents, and voters. On January 7, 2019 I will begin my fifth
decade serving Napa County with a continuing commitment to fairness and integrity.”
Gerrit John “Gerry” Blauvelt, M.D. died peacefully at home, surrounded by his
family, on November 11, 2018. The cause was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung
disease. Gerry practiced medicine in San Francisco for nearly 50 years, beginning as an intern at
Pacific Presbyterian in 1967. Among the first psychiatrists to open an office in the San
Francisco Financial District, in the early 1980s, he practiced through June 2018. He served as an
Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF. Gerry was born in Shaker Heights, OH, and was educated
at University School, Yale College, and University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He
2
continued his education with a psychiatric residency at Langley Porter, UCSF, and spent time at
Littlemore Hospital in Oxford, England, learning Maxwell Jones’s approach to therapeutic
communities. This approach informed his years of public service working with psychiatric
outpatient groups, including 20 years as medical director of a geriatric program at the San
Francisco Family Service Agency, where “Dr. B” enjoyed tending the garden with his patients.
Gerry is remembered for his probing questions, not always gentle and sometimes sly, but always
with compassion and a genuine interest in what others truly thought and felt. Gerry enjoyed
sailing and being on the water, especially at family homes over the years in Centerport, Long
Island; Cotuit, Cape Cod; and Duck Cove, Tomales Bay. He loved clamming and taught his
grandchildren and anyone who was uninitiated how to dig in the mud with their toes. He felt
fortunate to share most of his life with his high school sweetheart, Sandra (Blair) Blauvelt. He is
survived by his wife Sandy; his daughter Molly, his son Andy, and four grandchildren, all of
whom he adored.
Lancelot Fletcher writes: “My beloved wife Carolyn Clark Campbell died suddenly on
July 26, 2018. She passed away without pain or suffering, in the midst of talking about how
happy she was and about all the things she wanted to do in the future. Carolyn had been writing
her autobiography. She had already compiled hundreds of pages of notes and references. It was
a project in which I was much involved because, due to her aphasia, she needed me to edit her
draft into regular prose. She spent hours every day on this project. Sometimes it was hard for
me to interrupt her to serve breakfast or dinner. On this occasion she was telling me what a
wonderful life she had led, how happy she was, and how excited she was about all the things she
was doing and would be doing in the future. We embraced, she said, ‘I love you!’ Then she
said, ‘I am feeling very tired,’ and suddenly Carolyn collapsed and I could feel that all the life
had left her body. Of course I am sad that this beautiful person with whom I had the privilege of
sharing so many years is no longer available to touch and kiss. But I know that Carolyn would
want us to remember her, not with sadness, but with joy. After suffering a devastating stroke in
2005, the first sentence she spoke to me after she began to regain the power of speech was, ‘I am
happier now than I have ever been!’ That is what Carolyn would want to be remembered for.
3
Carolyn's death was not a surprise. Her cardiologist had told us last November that she was in
the terminal stage of heart failure and that she was likely to die very soon. The way Carolyn died
– suddenly, without any pain or suffering, in the middle of expressing happiness, satisfaction
with her life and love for me – was a blessing.”
Dennis Noel Harshfield passed away on June 1, 2018 at the Warner Center for Caring in
Fernandina Beach, FL. After graduating from East High School in Sioux City, IA in 1959, he
attended Yale University from September 1959 to May 1962. He graduated with a B.A. in
General Science from the University of Iowa in 1965. Dennis served in the United States Air
Force from 1965 to 1970. He received an Associate Degree in Computer Science from Jones
College in Jacksonville, FL in 1974. He worked in computer programming for Atlantic Bank,
First Union National Bank, Wachovia Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank. From 1978 to 1988 he was
responsible for the application programming for the online network which covered the state of
Florida. Thereafter, he worked on programming for Automatic Teller Machines until his
retirement in 1999.
Geoff Martin and Doug Dick write: “We are sorry to report the death, on October 15,
2018, of Joel C. Magyar, our roommate in Davenport College and lifelong friend. Joel was
most recently living in Fort Myers, FL with Obie Bailey, his husband and partner of over 50
years, who passed away earlier this year. Joel arrived at Yale from Harrisburg, PA with an
extensive collection of LPs, a preview of his lifelong love of musical theater. Later on, Obie and
Joel were among the producers of “My One and Only” on the New York stage. After they
moved to Florida, the two of them made regular theater visits back to Broadway to keep current.
Joel was a serious stamp collector from boyhood; in recent years, his collection filled a small den
with many shelves of well-sorted albums. His skill with mathematics led him to a career as an
insurance actuary, first with New York Life, and later as a Vice President with Integrity Life in
its developing days. He was a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Joel was highly intelligent,
with a wonderful sense of humor. He was friendly, open, and trusting, and had a kind
consideration and acceptance of people, which never changed as he got older. We had just been
making plans to get together more often, so his passing is especially sad. He is greatly missed.”
4
James Cornelius McCormick died peacefully on May 28, 2018, surrounded by his
loving family, after a long and valiant struggle with multiple health problems. Jim grew up in
Manhattan. Due to his father’s untimely death when Jim was not yet two years of age, he was
raised by three adoring women, his mother, aunt, and grandmother. He attended The Collegiate
School in New York City and went on to Yale University, where he was a member of the Glee
Club and the Alley Cats. He received an M.B.A. from NYU Business School and was involved
in institutional equities sales for most of his professional life, notably at Arnhold and S.
Bleichroeder and Drexel Burnham Lambert. Kindness and humility defined Jim; he was a true
gentleman and a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He will be remembered for
his sharp wit, generosity, and understanding of history and its role in shaping global events past
and present. His gifts for creating endearing nicknames and silly song lyrics will always bring
smiles to his family. Jim resided in Madison, NJ for 45 years before moving to Harding
Township, NJ two and one-half years ago. Jim is survived by his devoted wife of almost 50
years, Kathleen Willis McCormick; his son Sean and daughters Marjorie and Ellen; and three
grandchildren.
Steve Steiner reports: “The American Foreign Service Association’s Mark Palmer
Award for the Advancement of Democracy, named to honor the legacy of our classmate Mark
Palmer, was presented this year to two young Foreign Service officers for their particularly
adroit and courageous work under intense pressure to advance the prospects for democracy in
Pakistan and China. In addition to the American Foreign Service award honoring Mark, Freedom
House in Washington, DC has established the Mark Palmer Forum for the Advancement of
Democracy, an annual combination of conferences, roundtables, and other events involving
policymakers, academics, subject matter experts and frontline activists. The Forum honors the
legacy of its namesake, a courageous diplomat, Presidential speechwriter, and tenacious advocate
for democratic freedoms worldwide. The most recent conference was hosted in Washington by
Freedom House and the Hudson Institute on October 24, 2018, and focused on China's
increasingly sophisticated efforts to subvert democratic freedoms through the application of
‘sharp power’.”
Gordon Grand “Gordy” Thorne died on June 27, 2018 at home, Bramble Hill Farm,
Amherst, MA. Gordy was an artist, a maker of things. He experimented, discovered, played,
5
lifted, worked wood and stone, defined and defended what it is to create. He was very aware that
his life had a freedom because he was born to abundance. He wanted to take as many people
along with this abundance as possible. At first he created open spaces in which people could
develop and show their art work. So the third floor of Thornes became Available Potential
Enterprises, A.P.E. It was used by dancers, artists, actors, writers, and children for discovery and
making things. He and his wife came to think of their part of the third floor of Thomes as an
open field. Their interest in preserving space expanded to land. They started a foundation called
The Open Field Foundation, which bought the Bramble Hill Farm in Amherst, MA. Its mission
was to support young organic farmers, and to encourage children and their families in the
exploration and experience of the natural world. After leaving Thornes, the next open space was
123 Main Street, Northampton, MA, a place right on the street, all windows. The space became
Window. His last and largest project was his involvement in the Arts Trust at Hawley Street.
Gordy never wanted to be the center of attention. He would leave a present in a special place so
that you would find it on your own. This was his gift to you – that he kept giving you back to
yourself. Gordy is survived by his wife Anne Love Woodhull, his son Ben and daughter Nell,
and six grandchildren.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
6
Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May - June 2019
Don Abbott reports: “On December 20, 2018, we made a very happy move to North
Andover, MA, barely six miles from our former home. We now live at Edgewood, a wonderful,
welcoming LifeCare Community entering its 23rd year. Our new address is 575 Osgood Street,
Apt. 1404, North Andover, MA 01845, 978-918-7109. We feel so fortunate to be able to make
this transition while we are still together, healthy, active, and independent. Our apartment has
already become our nest, well-lit by western light and with a terrific space for Betsy’s quilt art
studio. And because of Edgewood’s very familiar location, we continue to be connected to many
of the communities that sustain us – family, friends, artist networks and former colleagues,
Phillips Academy, Boston, Wareham, and Monhegan. In the words of the poet John Paul
Lederach, we remain ‘grounded, grateful, and grace-filled.’”
Paul Field writes: “I had a long, lovely career in advertising, including leading the team
that created Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk, which after some years morphed into
consulting with small and medium sized ad agencies all across North America. Great fun, but I
thought I’d retired in 2016. A month ago a local 50-person all digital ad agency reached out to
me, and I have been consulting with them several days a week. While I have been clear about
my limited knowledge of digital, I am having great fun helping them learn to manage an agency
and to understand marketing in a little more depth.”
John Impert held a book reading of his book Painters of the Northwest: Impressionism
to Modernism at the home of Ann Rea in La Jolla, CA. Ann was married to Roger Craig ’62,
whom she met in the Junior Year in France program. John recalls: “Roger became a good friend
of mine in 1959-1960, when we were members of the Conservative Party in the Yale Political
1
Union, and when we were instrumental in forming a new centrist party that we called the
Constitutional Union Party (after the eponymous 19th century American political party).”
Ron Sampson paid his annual January visit to Norm Etherington and spouse Peggy
Brock in Adelaide, Australia, as usual between spending a week in Perth and going on to the
Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne. Norm and Peggy now have a new and
sun-filled home, architected by their son and located across the lane from their previous
Victorian abode. While they are retired from academic positions at the University of Western
Australia, both have continued to publish in recent years, and Norm is planning a second volume
on South African history. After the Open, Ron – also as usual – proceeded up to the coastal
resort town of Noosa Heads, Queensland, for seven weeks with 22 books (in hard copy) as
company before a final few days in Sydney and a return to a snow-free Boston. Norm
Etherington adds: “Peggy and I always look forward to Ron’s return, as sure a harbinger of
Australian summer as the return of a migratory bird from Siberia. He always has news of mutual
friends, as well as his own particular take on global and US politics.”
Carlton R. Chickering passed away on December 5, 201 at Waterbury Hospital, CT.
He was the husband of Phyllis (Cowley) Chickering. Carlton graduated from Danbury High
School as a National Merit Scholar and went on to Yale, graduating in 1963. He joined
UniRoyal Chemical upon graduation from Yale and worked there until he retired. He also met
his wife of 50 years at UniRoyal. Carlton was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes at the
age of 13. He carefully watched his diet and followed his insulin regimen closely. Fortunately
for Carlton, his wife, Phyllis, carefully monitored their diets and eating habits so that he could
live a full life. Phyllis is a walking encyclopedia of carb counting.
Jim Courtright (with input from Val Dusek and Jack Plotkin) remembers Carlton as
follows: “In the nearly 60 years I knew Chick Chickering, I have always felt the warmth of his
2
friendship. This began with living in the same entryway in Durfee when I discovered that we
had similar interests ranging from science to high school track. Also, like many of us, he worked
a Bursary job. There was a lot to share. Chick was the mastermind behind the perhaps still
unequaled grand senior suite for five of ’63.
He met challenges with his own combination of
acceptance, humor, and criticism. He managed the difficult courses in Chemistry, and found
time to enjoy and to win recognition with his classic car. Above all he treasured the Yale
experience, from its outstanding professors, to its students, to its traditions, and importantly to
the Class of 1963, serving both as Chair of Agents for the YAF and as a member of the Class
Council. His chuckles were his hallmark and were appropriate for the moment and the occasion.
In later years, whenever I visited Yale, there was always a time for a fine dinner, for laughter,
and for friendship.
In the end, diabetes, in its insidious way, destroyed his memory and later
took our friend.. We managed a few saddening visits these last several years and we still hold
dear those earlier days with Chick at Yale that meant much to us and to him.”
Dick Heppner remembers: “Chick was my roommate for three years and my friend for
life. We shared both enjoyable times and serious discussions as we matured together at Yale.
He showed me how to be a good friend. He loved to sing, debate, and work on classic cars. I
particularly admired how stoically he coped with his juvenile diabetes. He didn’t allow that
deadly condition to restrict his social life or academic pursuits. That he survived for more than
60 years with juvenile diabetes may be attributed to his meticulous diet and insulin management.
I will be eternally grateful to Chick for assuring me that Carol, my wife of 52 years, was the right
match for me. Times spent with him are some of my most pleasant memories of Yale.”
Jennifer (“Jendy”) A. Dennis of La Jolla, CA, the daughter of Martha and Ed Dennis,
passed away peacefully at age 43 with her family by her side on February 1, 2019, after a long
3
and valiant battle with cancer. Jendy was a Psychology major at Yale University, where she
received her B.A. in 1998. She discovered how much she enjoyed combining logical thinking
with problem solving, and identified computer science as a field in which she could put this
combination into practice. She earned a second bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at UC
San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering in 2003. Jendy worked as a software engineer at
various San Diego companies including Nokia, Cubic, Verimatrix, and L3 Technologies. Eight
years ago, she moved to Information Technology Services at UC San Diego, where she designed
web and data systems for the university, including the web-based admissions and financial aid
systems for the expanding undergraduate population. An avid supporter of the arts, Jendy loved
theater, contemporary art, and music, both classical and rap. She frequented La Jolla Music
Society and UCSD ArtPower concerts, and was a devotee of the La Jolla Playhouse. She also
belonged to and supported the Spotlight Club of inewsource, an investigative journalism not-forprofit. In every activity in which Jendy participated, she combined persistence and integrity with
intelligence, common sense, humility, and a passion for team participation. However, she will
be remembered most for her thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity, which left a lasting
impression on everyone she met.
Terry Throop writes: “My wife, Kate Alling Throop, 75, passed away in January 2019
following a long illness. Those who lived in Davenport may remember Kate, who attended
Brown, as a frequent visitor in 1962 and 1963. She could often be found playing bridge in the
courtyard with Jack Irwin, Ed Smick, and my roommates, Dick Seamans, Joe Wikler, and
Rod Weekes. After graduation, Kate was a leader in several civic and environmental
organizations in Marin County (CA). We were reconnected in 1988 after our 25th reunion by
Maddy Wikler, Joe’s wife. We moved to Rochester NY and married in 1989. In our 30 years
together, Kate was a tireless volunteer and professional organizer, in her adopted faith,
4
Unitarianism Universalism. She’ll be lovingly remembered by those whose lives she touched in
the many places we lived before finally arriving in Cayucos, CA where we’ve lived on an
avocado ranch since 1998.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
5
Link to ClassNotes-May-June-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May - June 2019
Don Abbott reports: “On December 20, 2018, we made a very happy move to North
Andover, MA, barely six miles from our former home. We now live at Edgewood, a wonderful,
welcoming LifeCare Community entering its 23rd year. Our new address is 575 Osgood Street,
Apt. 1404, North Andover, MA 01845, 978-918-7109. We feel so fortunate to be able to make
this transition while we are still together, healthy, active, and independent. Our apartment has
already become our nest, well-lit by western light and with a terrific space for Betsy’s quilt art
studio. And because of Edgewood’s very familiar location, we continue to be connected to many
of the communities that sustain us – family, friends, artist networks and former colleagues,
Phillips Academy, Boston, Wareham, and Monhegan. In the words of the poet John Paul
Lederach, we remain ‘grounded, grateful, and grace-filled.’”
Paul Field writes: “I had a long, lovely career in advertising, including leading the team
that created Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk, which after some years morphed into
consulting with small and medium sized ad agencies all across North America. Great fun, but I
thought I’d retired in 2016. A month ago a local 50-person all digital ad agency reached out to
me, and I have been consulting with them several days a week. While I have been clear about
my limited knowledge of digital, I am having great fun helping them learn to manage an agency
and to understand marketing in a little more depth.”
John Impert held a book reading of his book Painters of the Northwest: Impressionism
to Modernism at the home of Ann Rea in La Jolla, CA. Ann was married to Roger Craig ’62,
whom she met in the Junior Year in France program. John recalls: “Roger became a good friend
of mine in 1959-1960, when we were members of the Conservative Party in the Yale Political
1
Union, and when we were instrumental in forming a new centrist party that we called the
Constitutional Union Party (after the eponymous 19th century American political party).”
Ron Sampson paid his annual January visit to Norm Etherington and spouse Peggy
Brock in Adelaide, Australia, as usual between spending a week in Perth and going on to the
Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne. Norm and Peggy now have a new and
sun-filled home, architected by their son and located across the lane from their previous
Victorian abode. While they are retired from academic positions at the University of Western
Australia, both have continued to publish in recent years, and Norm is planning a second volume
on South African history. After the Open, Ron – also as usual – proceeded up to the coastal
resort town of Noosa Heads, Queensland, for seven weeks with 22 books (in hard copy) as
company before a final few days in Sydney and a return to a snow-free Boston. Norm
Etherington adds: “Peggy and I always look forward to Ron’s return, as sure a harbinger of
Australian summer as the return of a migratory bird from Siberia. He always has news of mutual
friends, as well as his own particular take on global and US politics.”
Carlton R. Chickering passed away on December 5, 201 at Waterbury Hospital, CT.
He was the husband of Phyllis (Cowley) Chickering. Carlton graduated from Danbury High
School as a National Merit Scholar and went on to Yale, graduating in 1963. He joined
UniRoyal Chemical upon graduation from Yale and worked there until he retired. He also met
his wife of 50 years at UniRoyal. Carlton was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes at the
age of 13. He carefully watched his diet and followed his insulin regimen closely. Fortunately
for Carlton, his wife, Phyllis, carefully monitored their diets and eating habits so that he could
live a full life. Phyllis is a walking encyclopedia of carb counting.
Jim Courtright (with input from Val Dusek and Jack Plotkin) remembers Carlton as
follows: “In the nearly 60 years I knew Chick Chickering, I have always felt the warmth of his
2
friendship. This began with living in the same entryway in Durfee when I discovered that we
had similar interests ranging from science to high school track. Also, like many of us, he worked
a Bursary job. There was a lot to share. Chick was the mastermind behind the perhaps still
unequaled grand senior suite for five of ’63.
He met challenges with his own combination of
acceptance, humor, and criticism. He managed the difficult courses in Chemistry, and found
time to enjoy and to win recognition with his classic car. Above all he treasured the Yale
experience, from its outstanding professors, to its students, to its traditions, and importantly to
the Class of 1963, serving both as Chair of Agents for the YAF and as a member of the Class
Council. His chuckles were his hallmark and were appropriate for the moment and the occasion.
In later years, whenever I visited Yale, there was always a time for a fine dinner, for laughter,
and for friendship.
In the end, diabetes, in its insidious way, destroyed his memory and later
took our friend.. We managed a few saddening visits these last several years and we still hold
dear those earlier days with Chick at Yale that meant much to us and to him.”
Dick Heppner remembers: “Chick was my roommate for three years and my friend for
life. We shared both enjoyable times and serious discussions as we matured together at Yale.
He showed me how to be a good friend. He loved to sing, debate, and work on classic cars. I
particularly admired how stoically he coped with his juvenile diabetes. He didn’t allow that
deadly condition to restrict his social life or academic pursuits. That he survived for more than
60 years with juvenile diabetes may be attributed to his meticulous diet and insulin management.
I will be eternally grateful to Chick for assuring me that Carol, my wife of 52 years, was the right
match for me. Times spent with him are some of my most pleasant memories of Yale.”
Jennifer (“Jendy”) A. Dennis of La Jolla, CA, the daughter of Martha and Ed Dennis,
passed away peacefully at age 43 with her family by her side on February 1, 2019, after a long
3
and valiant battle with cancer. Jendy was a Psychology major at Yale University, where she
received her B.A. in 1998. She discovered how much she enjoyed combining logical thinking
with problem solving, and identified computer science as a field in which she could put this
combination into practice. She earned a second bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at UC
San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering in 2003. Jendy worked as a software engineer at
various San Diego companies including Nokia, Cubic, Verimatrix, and L3 Technologies. Eight
years ago, she moved to Information Technology Services at UC San Diego, where she designed
web and data systems for the university, including the web-based admissions and financial aid
systems for the expanding undergraduate population. An avid supporter of the arts, Jendy loved
theater, contemporary art, and music, both classical and rap. She frequented La Jolla Music
Society and UCSD ArtPower concerts, and was a devotee of the La Jolla Playhouse. She also
belonged to and supported the Spotlight Club of inewsource, an investigative journalism not-forprofit. In every activity in which Jendy participated, she combined persistence and integrity with
intelligence, common sense, humility, and a passion for team participation. However, she will
be remembered most for her thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity, which left a lasting
impression on everyone she met.
Terry Throop writes: “My wife, Kate Alling Throop, 75, passed away in January 2019
following a long illness. Those who lived in Davenport may remember Kate, who attended
Brown, as a frequent visitor in 1962 and 1963. She could often be found playing bridge in the
courtyard with Jack Irwin, Ed Smick, and my roommates, Dick Seamans, Joe Wikler, and
Rod Weekes. After graduation, Kate was a leader in several civic and environmental
organizations in Marin County (CA). We were reconnected in 1988 after our 25th reunion by
Maddy Wikler, Joe’s wife. We moved to Rochester NY and married in 1989. In our 30 years
together, Kate was a tireless volunteer and professional organizer, in her adopted faith,
4
Unitarianism Universalism. She’ll be lovingly remembered by those whose lives she touched in
the many places we lived before finally arriving in Cayucos, CA where we’ve lived on an
avocado ranch since 1998.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
5
Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
July-August 2019
Doug Allen has had his latest book, Gandhi after 9/11: Creative Nonviolence and
Sustainability, published by Oxford University Press in India in January and in the U.S. in
February. Doug's central claim is that Gandhi, when selectively appropriated and creatively
reformulated and applied, is essential for formulating new approaches that are more
nonviolent and more sustainable and that provide resources and hope for dealing with our
contemporary personal, national, and global crises. In April, Doug had the honor of being
invited to deliver the keynote/valedictory lecture at the International Conference on "The
Gandhian Way: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?" sponsored by the Shaheed Bhagat Singh
College of the University of Delhi and the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (Teen Murti).
Doug writes that the fact that he dared to make the strenuous trip (which took 40 hours each
way after cancellations because of the India-Pakistan air space crisis), and that he had a full
schedule of nonstop activities every day in India with lectures, meetings, and interviews, was a
great victory after his eight months of severe chemo and radiation treatments in 2016 (and he
remains cancer-free).
Jerry Bogert and the Milbank Foundation have given a total of $3 million since 2012 to
support the palliative care program at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven. Their
most recent contribution is funding a mobile team to travel to six of Smilow’s care center
locations across Connecticut. Jerry said: “Dr. Jennifer Kapo is doing innovative work with
1
palliative care at Smilow Cancer Hospital. We are very pleased to support the expansion of this
program to even more patients in the Yale network.”
Leo Damrosch’s book on Samuel Johnson’s circle received a rave review in the Sunday
New York Times, and received the following praise from the biographer Richard Holmes:
“Damrosch’s glorious study take us on a brilliantly animated Grand Tour of the whole
Johnsonian universe, with its ever-expanding galaxy of stellar personalities. He revisits not only
the old glittering Club Land familiars like James Boswell, David Garrick, Edmund Burke, and Sir
Joshua Reynolds, but also intriguing lesser known luminaries such as Johnson’s early portrait
painter Frances Reynolds (younger sister of Sir Joshua), his secret confidante and confessor
Hester Thrale, his black servant Francis Barber, his pornographic friend John Wilkes, and his
‘infidel’ opponent David Hume. Shrewd, good-natured, and endlessly informative, Damrosch
makes a spell-binding guide. He narrates with a compelling mixture of provoking gossip, shrewd
commentary and masterly scholarship. He is so intimate and engaging, that I could well believe
he once drank punch and compared notes with Boswell at the Mitre Tavern.” Ridge Hall adds:
“This dazzling review will come as no surprise to those of us lucky enough to spend two years
with Leo in the History, the Arts and Letters major program.”
Bill Greenwood reports: “Commander Hank Wood, former Navy pilot and Vietnam vet,
stopped by our place in Sequim, WA recently. He looks great but is suffering from his wife
Sandy’s passing on January 7, 2019. We had a great dinner with Sammy and conversation just
flowed.
2
“The experience made me recall the many good times that we have had with Yale
classmates here on the Olympic peninsula, not far from the Pacific but very far from New
Haven. We moved to Seattle in 1974. It was far from where we both grew up and we have fond
memories of family and friends. When we see anyone from the Class of ʼ63 it is always cause
for celebration.
“Most recently we have had visits from Bill MacArthur and Tony Knowles – both of
whom have had magnificent careers. Bill has a law degree but found himself successfully
involved in real estate long ago. For many years he has donated his expertise to developing
countries in the world – like rejuvenating Vietnam. He has a few fewer addresses today. The
places in rural Connecticut and Maine are gone, but he and his delightful wife, Luz, still have a
home in Orlando (near Bill’s business office) as well as a nice place in NYC and a beautiful Paris
apartment. To me, Bill has always been the smartest guy in the room and he is a generous soul.
His Paris retreat is available to old friends and children of old friends. Our son, Trevor, and his
wife thoroughly enjoyed his generosity.
“As most of you know, Tony Knowles started with us in ʼ63 but, with time as a helicopter
pilot in Vietnam, ended up graduating with the Class of ’68. In the dusty basement of Pierson he
used to produce an outstanding hamburger – and even today he can get quite poetic on the
right way to make one. In time, that particular skill took him to the Downtown Deli in
Anchorage which was located across from the State House. He ran for Mayor and served in
office for eight years. Then he became Governor of Alaska for yet another eight years. A few
years ago, he told me: ‘If I can just hold on a bit I think I can make it through life without having
a real job!’ Tony married the absolutely gorgeous Susan (a Vassar girl) who is a powerful and
3
effective person in Alaska, as well. Meanwhile, most of their kids have moved to Seattle and
daughter Sara and her husband have opened a new restaurant called HOMER. Our son, Trevor,
who owns and runs three Tuscan-style restaurants in the Seattle area, says it is terrific.
“Roe and Bill Sanford have been here twice in the last several years, each time on their
way to somewhere else. Roe is a gorgeous girl and is in great shape, as is Bill – a Yale oarsman
who worked his tail off to stay in the boat. Although Bill is retired, Roe and he are determined
to see as much of the world as they can. So, they are off and running; rarely home. We had
some wonderful evenings with them late last summer.
“Emily and Bob Myers stopped by for a memorable few days a few years ago. You may
remember Bob as a first-rate and dedicated skier. Bob spent most of his career at the Mayo
Clinic and, over time, became recognized as one of the country’s top urologists. He has truly
seen the world as a medical expert and has lectured in too many countries to count. Now, he
continues to volunteer that expertise from his and Emily’s new home in New Hampshire. A
sweeter guy than Bob does not exist.
“A little too long ago, the lovely Ginni and Ross Mackenzie came by for a sensational
three days. In our freshman year Ross did his level best to train me to be a Buckley
conservative. He did well. But while I have moderated considerably over time, Ross is still the
same stubborn Ross of our freshman year. You might remember that he was Vice-Chairman of
the News and then went on to become a syndicated columnist via two Richmond newspapers
and for years and years has been the “Conservative Voice of the South.” We share a love of
good spy stories and he can hit a golf ball a mile.
4
“Some years ago, Pete Maffitt joined us for a few days with his wife Holly and their kids.
We had a great time and Pete stays in solid touch with a broad range of friends on a broad
range of issues via email.
“Sammy and I have been lucky to spend solid time with Patsy and Cliff Swain and their
wonderful kids. Over the years – and beyond visits to Sequim – we have twice skied together in
Aspen for a week or so with our combined families. And Cliff and I have twice brought our sons
to Bandon Dunes in Oregon for 36 holes a day of some of the best golf in the country. I think of
Cliff as a so-so right fielder but at Yale he was a tough and aggressive rugby player. He is tough,
plays a beautiful game, and hits the ball hard. At Bandon Dunes we were regularly outdriven by
our twentyish sons by nearly 100 yards. He enjoyed a superb law career and his kids have
married and most have stayed near the family home in Chestnut Hill.
“Our little town of Sequim exists in farming, logging, and fishing country. Sammy, who
always looks to me like a gorgeous 24, is in great physical shape and is utterly devoted to the
older people in the area. She stays in constant touch with 20 to 25 folks who just need help in
their everyday lives. And she gives it. She also manages a series of popular concerts at our
church (MUSIC LIVE) and the proceeds go to a number of causes in the area. She takes great
care of me, our fabulous dog, Shorty, along with our son and daughter and six grandchildren.”
Steve Hall reports: “My posterior left hip replacement surgery on February 19, 2019
went fine. As of mid-April I am almost off the walker.. Docs and rehab say I am doing better
than average.”
Hank Higdon writes: “Erika and I enjoy attending our grandchildren’s sporting events,
including 17-year-old Casey O’Brien, a member of the U.S. National Under 18 Girls Team in Ice
5
Hockey. In January 2018 we traveled to Moscow, Russia to see the team win the Gold Medal in
the World Championships (9-3 over Sweden). In January 2019 we traveled to Japan to see the
team lose to Canada in overtime in the Finals, settling for the Silver. Casey last year committed
to the University of Wisconsin to play ice hockey, although she is still only a junior in high
school. Casey was recently named Player of the Year in high school hockey in the entire
country. Her two older brothers respectively play varsity soccer for Amherst College and varsity
ice hockey for The Berkshire School. Our other grandkids are also very active and showing
promise.
“I continue in executive search, having combined Higdon Partners (an independent
search firm for 31 years focusing on asset management) in January 2017 with RSR Partners, a
dynamic, growing midsized firm founded by Russell Reynolds. The firm has great young
leadership and wonderful future. Life is good!”
Wick Murray has been honored by the 2019 Samuel Eliot Morison Prize of The Society of
Military History. The Prize “recognizes not any one specific achievement, but a body of
contributions in the field of military history, extending over time and reflecting a spectrum of
scholarly activity contributing significantly to the field.”
Langston Snodgrass reports: “Since last summer I've finished ‘final’ editing of four novels
I've written in the past five years, well received by everyone who’s read them. Now I need to
find literary agents for them, a challenging task. The first novel features a woman who is
sexually abused from childhood into her early thirties but survives and triumphs. Two
other novels feature gay male characters working through various challenges that gay
adolescents and young adults have faced and still face. The fourth novel features a gay male
social worker trying to understand why he remained in a relationship with a man who was
6
basically likeable, kind, and good but also turned out over time to be more than a little
sociopathic as well as a paranoid schizophrenic who did just fine, if he took his meds. I'm also
working on a small book about everyday ethics and morals for those who want one in today's
America (if anyone does!). I still have a lot to do in life and I'm glad that I think of myself as only
57, not 77.”
Elissa Beron Arons, the widow of Daniel Arons, writes: “Daniel and I downsized to a
beautiful apartment on the Charles River in Cambridge in 2013, with a picturesque view of the
Boston skyline, backlit by sunrise. We knew he was ill when we moved, and he lived there for
ten months. Daniel worked with devotion, seeing patients and teaching Residents at the Mass
General Hospital until a month before his death, August 2014. I have continued practicing
Psychiatry/Psychoanalysis part time in Cambridge. Our three daughters, their husbands, and
five grandchildren (ages 6-14) in San Francisco and Cambridge, miss him, but carry on with their
rich full lives. All of them are well and give great joy. I am in a relationship with a retired
architect, a lovely man (despite having gotten his graduate degree from Harvard, not Yale!),
also widowed after a long marriage. We both feel fortunate in this wonderful, loving second
chapter, unexpected at our age.”
Robert Patrick (“Pat”) Murphy died on February 19, 2019 at the Winchester, VA Medical
Center. Pat was preceded in death by his beloved companion of almost 30 years, Diane Lowe
Ferguson. He is survived by Diane’s sons, James and Reed, and Diane’s grandchildren. Pat is,
most likely, survived by his adopted daughter Letitia, from whom he was estranged for many
years. He was preceded in death by his adopted son Torin.
7
Pat grew up in Fairfax County, VA, where he attended public school. He graduated with
a degree in English in 1963 from Yale University, which he attended on a Navy ROTC
scholarship, and was then commissioned as a regular officer in the U.S. Navy. The Navy, as he
was fond of saying, in its infinite wisdom, decided that "“Eng” was a fungible abbreviation, and
so he was assigned exclusively to engineering duties. His last assignment was as Engineering
Officer on USS. LaSalle (LPD-3). After completing his active duty service in 1967, Pat attended
graduate school at the University of Virginia, receiving an M.A. in 1968 and a Ph.D. in 1971, also
in English. After teaching English at the University of Idaho for six years, he decided on a
change of careers.
Pat graduated with a J.D. from Duke University Law School in 1980. He practiced law in
Houston, TX and Washington, DC for 25 years, mostly for large multinational firms. He attained
a national reputation in immigration and nationality law, and was the 1996 recipient of the
Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award presented by the American Immigration Lawyers Association
(“AILA”) “for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.” Pat wrote and spoke
frequently on immigration law, and for ten years was the editor-in-chief of the Immigration Law
Handbook, the course materials for AILA’s annual conference.
Pat retired with Diane to Shenandoah County, VA, where they both became immersed in
the county’s rich history. This interest manifested itself in the 2013 publication of The French
and Indian War in Shenandoah County: Life on the Inner Frontier, 1752-1766.
Pat Murphy was something of a Renaissance man: Navy officer, college teacher and
published scholar, lawyer and legal writer and editor, and local historian. In a kind of reverse if
not perverse humility, he never referred to himself as “Doctor Murphy”.
8
Paul Field remembers Pat Murphy as follows: “Pat, Ron Sampson, and I went to Falls
Church High School together and then on to New Haven. Pat was a brilliant and private person
who ultimately found great happiness with his partner Diane Ferguson for 25 years. After she
passed away recently, Pat moved to a smaller condo and continued alone with the help of two
daily helpers. I called him about a month before he died, and we had an hour-long chat. He
had found his happiness with his partner and was quite brave about dealing with life alone and
ailing.”
William Conrad (“Willy”) von Raab died in Charlottesville, VA on February 20, 2019.
Willy was born in New Rochelle, NY and raised in Roslyn, NY. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Yale University in 1963 and Bachelor of Law from the University of Virginia in
1966. During the Nixon Administration, Willy worked as a Director at the Cost of Living Council
from 1972-1973 and Executive Assistant to the Administrator of the Federal Energy
Administration 1973-1975. From 1977-1979 he served as Vice President of Administration and
Finance at New York University. In 1981 he returned to Washington, becoming the
Commissioner of the United States Customs Service during the Reagan Administration until
1989. Willy aggressively championed the “War on Drugs” and challenged the importation of
pornography and the exportation of military contraband. In his later years, living on his farm in
Madison, VA, Willy was active on numerous boards and with the Piedmont Environmental
Council advocating for land conservation. Willy is survived by his wife of 20 years, Lucy S.
Rhame; his daughter Alexandra Lambert von Raab and her daughters; and his son Nicholas
Christian von Raab.
Guy Struve recounts: “I remember Willy von Raab not only for his strong conservative
views, but also for his well-developed and wicked sense of humor. Willy discovered very early
9
that I was a perfect straight man, and I can still see the smile and glint in his eye which
announced that yet another zinger was about to come my way.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
10
Link to ClassNotes-July-August-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
July-August 2019
Doug Allen has had his latest book, Gandhi after 9/11: Creative Nonviolence and
Sustainability, published by Oxford University Press in India in January and in the U.S. in
February. Doug's central claim is that Gandhi, when selectively appropriated and creatively
reformulated and applied, is essential for formulating new approaches that are more
nonviolent and more sustainable and that provide resources and hope for dealing with our
contemporary personal, national, and global crises. In April, Doug had the honor of being
invited to deliver the keynote/valedictory lecture at the International Conference on "The
Gandhian Way: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?" sponsored by the Shaheed Bhagat Singh
College of the University of Delhi and the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (Teen Murti).
Doug writes that the fact that he dared to make the strenuous trip (which took 40 hours each
way after cancellations because of the India-Pakistan air space crisis), and that he had a full
schedule of nonstop activities every day in India with lectures, meetings, and interviews, was a
great victory after his eight months of severe chemo and radiation treatments in 2016 (and he
remains cancer-free).
Jerry Bogert and the Milbank Foundation have given a total of $3 million since 2012 to
support the palliative care program at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven. Their
most recent contribution is funding a mobile team to travel to six of Smilow’s care center
locations across Connecticut. Jerry said: “Dr. Jennifer Kapo is doing innovative work with
1
palliative care at Smilow Cancer Hospital. We are very pleased to support the expansion of this
program to even more patients in the Yale network.”
Leo Damrosch’s book on Samuel Johnson’s circle received a rave review in the Sunday
New York Times, and received the following praise from the biographer Richard Holmes:
“Damrosch’s glorious study take us on a brilliantly animated Grand Tour of the whole
Johnsonian universe, with its ever-expanding galaxy of stellar personalities. He revisits not only
the old glittering Club Land familiars like James Boswell, David Garrick, Edmund Burke, and Sir
Joshua Reynolds, but also intriguing lesser known luminaries such as Johnson’s early portrait
painter Frances Reynolds (younger sister of Sir Joshua), his secret confidante and confessor
Hester Thrale, his black servant Francis Barber, his pornographic friend John Wilkes, and his
‘infidel’ opponent David Hume. Shrewd, good-natured, and endlessly informative, Damrosch
makes a spell-binding guide. He narrates with a compelling mixture of provoking gossip, shrewd
commentary and masterly scholarship. He is so intimate and engaging, that I could well believe
he once drank punch and compared notes with Boswell at the Mitre Tavern.” Ridge Hall adds:
“This dazzling review will come as no surprise to those of us lucky enough to spend two years
with Leo in the History, the Arts and Letters major program.”
Bill Greenwood reports: “Commander Hank Wood, former Navy pilot and Vietnam vet,
stopped by our place in Sequim, WA recently. He looks great but is suffering from his wife
Sandy’s passing on January 7, 2019. We had a great dinner with Sammy and conversation just
flowed.
2
“The experience made me recall the many good times that we have had with Yale
classmates here on the Olympic peninsula, not far from the Pacific but very far from New
Haven. We moved to Seattle in 1974. It was far from where we both grew up and we have fond
memories of family and friends. When we see anyone from the Class of ʼ63 it is always cause
for celebration.
“Most recently we have had visits from Bill MacArthur and Tony Knowles – both of
whom have had magnificent careers. Bill has a law degree but found himself successfully
involved in real estate long ago. For many years he has donated his expertise to developing
countries in the world – like rejuvenating Vietnam. He has a few fewer addresses today. The
places in rural Connecticut and Maine are gone, but he and his delightful wife, Luz, still have a
home in Orlando (near Bill’s business office) as well as a nice place in NYC and a beautiful Paris
apartment. To me, Bill has always been the smartest guy in the room and he is a generous soul.
His Paris retreat is available to old friends and children of old friends. Our son, Trevor, and his
wife thoroughly enjoyed his generosity.
“As most of you know, Tony Knowles started with us in ʼ63 but, with time as a helicopter
pilot in Vietnam, ended up graduating with the Class of ’68. In the dusty basement of Pierson he
used to produce an outstanding hamburger – and even today he can get quite poetic on the
right way to make one. In time, that particular skill took him to the Downtown Deli in
Anchorage which was located across from the State House. He ran for Mayor and served in
office for eight years. Then he became Governor of Alaska for yet another eight years. A few
years ago, he told me: ‘If I can just hold on a bit I think I can make it through life without having
a real job!’ Tony married the absolutely gorgeous Susan (a Vassar girl) who is a powerful and
3
effective person in Alaska, as well. Meanwhile, most of their kids have moved to Seattle and
daughter Sara and her husband have opened a new restaurant called HOMER. Our son, Trevor,
who owns and runs three Tuscan-style restaurants in the Seattle area, says it is terrific.
“Roe and Bill Sanford have been here twice in the last several years, each time on their
way to somewhere else. Roe is a gorgeous girl and is in great shape, as is Bill – a Yale oarsman
who worked his tail off to stay in the boat. Although Bill is retired, Roe and he are determined
to see as much of the world as they can. So, they are off and running; rarely home. We had
some wonderful evenings with them late last summer.
“Emily and Bob Myers stopped by for a memorable few days a few years ago. You may
remember Bob as a first-rate and dedicated skier. Bob spent most of his career at the Mayo
Clinic and, over time, became recognized as one of the country’s top urologists. He has truly
seen the world as a medical expert and has lectured in too many countries to count. Now, he
continues to volunteer that expertise from his and Emily’s new home in New Hampshire. A
sweeter guy than Bob does not exist.
“A little too long ago, the lovely Ginni and Ross Mackenzie came by for a sensational
three days. In our freshman year Ross did his level best to train me to be a Buckley
conservative. He did well. But while I have moderated considerably over time, Ross is still the
same stubborn Ross of our freshman year. You might remember that he was Vice-Chairman of
the News and then went on to become a syndicated columnist via two Richmond newspapers
and for years and years has been the “Conservative Voice of the South.” We share a love of
good spy stories and he can hit a golf ball a mile.
4
“Some years ago, Pete Maffitt joined us for a few days with his wife Holly and their kids.
We had a great time and Pete stays in solid touch with a broad range of friends on a broad
range of issues via email.
“Sammy and I have been lucky to spend solid time with Patsy and Cliff Swain and their
wonderful kids. Over the years – and beyond visits to Sequim – we have twice skied together in
Aspen for a week or so with our combined families. And Cliff and I have twice brought our sons
to Bandon Dunes in Oregon for 36 holes a day of some of the best golf in the country. I think of
Cliff as a so-so right fielder but at Yale he was a tough and aggressive rugby player. He is tough,
plays a beautiful game, and hits the ball hard. At Bandon Dunes we were regularly outdriven by
our twentyish sons by nearly 100 yards. He enjoyed a superb law career and his kids have
married and most have stayed near the family home in Chestnut Hill.
“Our little town of Sequim exists in farming, logging, and fishing country. Sammy, who
always looks to me like a gorgeous 24, is in great physical shape and is utterly devoted to the
older people in the area. She stays in constant touch with 20 to 25 folks who just need help in
their everyday lives. And she gives it. She also manages a series of popular concerts at our
church (MUSIC LIVE) and the proceeds go to a number of causes in the area. She takes great
care of me, our fabulous dog, Shorty, along with our son and daughter and six grandchildren.”
Steve Hall reports: “My posterior left hip replacement surgery on February 19, 2019
went fine. As of mid-April I am almost off the walker.. Docs and rehab say I am doing better
than average.”
Hank Higdon writes: “Erika and I enjoy attending our grandchildren’s sporting events,
including 17-year-old Casey O’Brien, a member of the U.S. National Under 18 Girls Team in Ice
5
Hockey. In January 2018 we traveled to Moscow, Russia to see the team win the Gold Medal in
the World Championships (9-3 over Sweden). In January 2019 we traveled to Japan to see the
team lose to Canada in overtime in the Finals, settling for the Silver. Casey last year committed
to the University of Wisconsin to play ice hockey, although she is still only a junior in high
school. Casey was recently named Player of the Year in high school hockey in the entire
country. Her two older brothers respectively play varsity soccer for Amherst College and varsity
ice hockey for The Berkshire School. Our other grandkids are also very active and showing
promise.
“I continue in executive search, having combined Higdon Partners (an independent
search firm for 31 years focusing on asset management) in January 2017 with RSR Partners, a
dynamic, growing midsized firm founded by Russell Reynolds. The firm has great young
leadership and wonderful future. Life is good!”
Wick Murray has been honored by the 2019 Samuel Eliot Morison Prize of The Society of
Military History. The Prize “recognizes not any one specific achievement, but a body of
contributions in the field of military history, extending over time and reflecting a spectrum of
scholarly activity contributing significantly to the field.”
Langston Snodgrass reports: “Since last summer I've finished ‘final’ editing of four novels
I've written in the past five years, well received by everyone who’s read them. Now I need to
find literary agents for them, a challenging task. The first novel features a woman who is
sexually abused from childhood into her early thirties but survives and triumphs. Two
other novels feature gay male characters working through various challenges that gay
adolescents and young adults have faced and still face. The fourth novel features a gay male
social worker trying to understand why he remained in a relationship with a man who was
6
basically likeable, kind, and good but also turned out over time to be more than a little
sociopathic as well as a paranoid schizophrenic who did just fine, if he took his meds. I'm also
working on a small book about everyday ethics and morals for those who want one in today's
America (if anyone does!). I still have a lot to do in life and I'm glad that I think of myself as only
57, not 77.”
Elissa Beron Arons, the widow of Daniel Arons, writes: “Daniel and I downsized to a
beautiful apartment on the Charles River in Cambridge in 2013, with a picturesque view of the
Boston skyline, backlit by sunrise. We knew he was ill when we moved, and he lived there for
ten months. Daniel worked with devotion, seeing patients and teaching Residents at the Mass
General Hospital until a month before his death, August 2014. I have continued practicing
Psychiatry/Psychoanalysis part time in Cambridge. Our three daughters, their husbands, and
five grandchildren (ages 6-14) in San Francisco and Cambridge, miss him, but carry on with their
rich full lives. All of them are well and give great joy. I am in a relationship with a retired
architect, a lovely man (despite having gotten his graduate degree from Harvard, not Yale!),
also widowed after a long marriage. We both feel fortunate in this wonderful, loving second
chapter, unexpected at our age.”
Robert Patrick (“Pat”) Murphy died on February 19, 2019 at the Winchester, VA Medical
Center. Pat was preceded in death by his beloved companion of almost 30 years, Diane Lowe
Ferguson. He is survived by Diane’s sons, James and Reed, and Diane’s grandchildren. Pat is,
most likely, survived by his adopted daughter Letitia, from whom he was estranged for many
years. He was preceded in death by his adopted son Torin.
7
Pat grew up in Fairfax County, VA, where he attended public school. He graduated with
a degree in English in 1963 from Yale University, which he attended on a Navy ROTC
scholarship, and was then commissioned as a regular officer in the U.S. Navy. The Navy, as he
was fond of saying, in its infinite wisdom, decided that "“Eng” was a fungible abbreviation, and
so he was assigned exclusively to engineering duties. His last assignment was as Engineering
Officer on USS. LaSalle (LPD-3). After completing his active duty service in 1967, Pat attended
graduate school at the University of Virginia, receiving an M.A. in 1968 and a Ph.D. in 1971, also
in English. After teaching English at the University of Idaho for six years, he decided on a
change of careers.
Pat graduated with a J.D. from Duke University Law School in 1980. He practiced law in
Houston, TX and Washington, DC for 25 years, mostly for large multinational firms. He attained
a national reputation in immigration and nationality law, and was the 1996 recipient of the
Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award presented by the American Immigration Lawyers Association
(“AILA”) “for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.” Pat wrote and spoke
frequently on immigration law, and for ten years was the editor-in-chief of the Immigration Law
Handbook, the course materials for AILA’s annual conference.
Pat retired with Diane to Shenandoah County, VA, where they both became immersed in
the county’s rich history. This interest manifested itself in the 2013 publication of The French
and Indian War in Shenandoah County: Life on the Inner Frontier, 1752-1766.
Pat Murphy was something of a Renaissance man: Navy officer, college teacher and
published scholar, lawyer and legal writer and editor, and local historian. In a kind of reverse if
not perverse humility, he never referred to himself as “Doctor Murphy”.
8
Paul Field remembers Pat Murphy as follows: “Pat, Ron Sampson, and I went to Falls
Church High School together and then on to New Haven. Pat was a brilliant and private person
who ultimately found great happiness with his partner Diane Ferguson for 25 years. After she
passed away recently, Pat moved to a smaller condo and continued alone with the help of two
daily helpers. I called him about a month before he died, and we had an hour-long chat. He
had found his happiness with his partner and was quite brave about dealing with life alone and
ailing.”
William Conrad (“Willy”) von Raab died in Charlottesville, VA on February 20, 2019.
Willy was born in New Rochelle, NY and raised in Roslyn, NY. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Yale University in 1963 and Bachelor of Law from the University of Virginia in
1966. During the Nixon Administration, Willy worked as a Director at the Cost of Living Council
from 1972-1973 and Executive Assistant to the Administrator of the Federal Energy
Administration 1973-1975. From 1977-1979 he served as Vice President of Administration and
Finance at New York University. In 1981 he returned to Washington, becoming the
Commissioner of the United States Customs Service during the Reagan Administration until
1989. Willy aggressively championed the “War on Drugs” and challenged the importation of
pornography and the exportation of military contraband. In his later years, living on his farm in
Madison, VA, Willy was active on numerous boards and with the Piedmont Environmental
Council advocating for land conservation. Willy is survived by his wife of 20 years, Lucy S.
Rhame; his daughter Alexandra Lambert von Raab and her daughters; and his son Nicholas
Christian von Raab.
Guy Struve recounts: “I remember Willy von Raab not only for his strong conservative
views, but also for his well-developed and wicked sense of humor. Willy discovered very early
9
that I was a perfect straight man, and I can still see the smile and glint in his eye which
announced that yet another zinger was about to come my way.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
10
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
September-October 2019
Tony Elson reports: “A new book of mine, The United States in the World Economy: Making
Sense of Globalization, has been published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book concludes a
tetralogy of studies on different aspects of economic globalization that I began ten years ago.
When I initiated this effort, I didn't intend to write a sequence of four books, but over time
each book sowed the seeds of interest in doing another on a somewhat related topic. In sum,
they encompass my reflections on issues I have been interested in throughout my professional
career, which began with graduate studies in international affairs and economics at Columbia
and continued through a long tenure at the IMF, consultant work at the World Bank and other
organizations, and teaching at Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Yale. The latest book looks at the
ongoing controversy about the benefits and costs of globalization for the US economy through
the three dimensions of trade, finance, and immigration, and tries to assess their positive and
negative effects (including for income inequality) by drawing on the results of recent academic
studies, as well as my own work and reflections. While that assessment, on balance, is positive,
the book makes the case that the US government has not done enough to assist those who
have been adversely affected by globalization or structural change in the US economy more
generally. I also examine recent changes in the government's foreign economic policy that
have signaled a clear retreat from its long-standing commitment to a liberal international
economic order and conclude that they are likely to have negative economic consequences
over the medium to long-term.”
1
Carter Findley writes: “It gives me great happiness to share the news that my new book
has at last been published: Enlightening Europe on Islam and the Ottomans: Mouradgea
d’Ohsson and his Masterpiece (Brill 2019). Mouradgea d’Ohsson’s Tableau general de l’Empire
Othoman offered the Enlightenment Republic of Letters its most authoritative work on Islam
and the Ottomans, as well as a practical reference work for kings and statesmen. Profusely
illustrated and opening deep insights into 18th-century book production, it is also the century’s
richest collection of visual documentation on the Ottomans. Shaped by the author’s personal
struggles, the work yet commands recognition in its own totality as a monument to
intercultural understanding. In form one of the great taxonomic works of Enlightenment
thought, this is a work of advocacy in the cause of reform and amity among France, Sweden,
and the Ottoman Empire. More information and sample pages from different chapters can be
found on line at https://brill.com/view/title/36104?lang=en.”
Steve Gunther’s wife, Beverly Gunther, writes: “Chevy Chase Club was introduced to us
by Benno Schmidt, who said, ‘Gunth, you have to go to Chevy Chase Club. It has a hockey rink
as well as a great golf course.’ Steve became a five-time golf club champion and has continued
playing hockey for the gerihatricks NSFL (Not So Fast League). I enjoyed tennis at CCC as much
as Steve enjoyed the golf. What began for me as an introduction on the tennis courts to Justice
Sandra Day O’Connor developed into a cordial friendship of 34 years. John and Sandra Day
O’Connor were avid golfers, tennis players, and dancers. What makes FFJOTSC (First Female
Justice of the Supreme Court) extraordinary is not that she is first and not that she can read a
thousand pages per day, but that she was able at the same time to care for her ill husband
(2000-2006). Her favorite Justice is John Marshall, because he went home every night to feed
2
his sickly wife. During her years on the bench and into her retirement, Justice O’Connor
recognized that middle school children were not being taught ‘civics’. She countered with a I
Civics course, an on-line course for middle school students, which has reached 6 million
students in 50 states. As described in her recent biography, First by Evan Thomas, Justice
O’Connor loved Chevy Chase Club. Her last visit to Chevy Chase was celebrating her 84th
birthday. She was honored with a beautiful maple tree, which is located within eyeshot of her
favorite scene at CCC – the American flag, which stands next to the first tee overlooking the
majestic golf course.”
Because of ongoing health issues, Philip Johnson relocated from Williamsburg, VA to
Red Bank, NJ at the beginning of November 2018 in order to be closer to family members. Phil
and his wife, Margaret McMillen, now reside at a Continuous Care Retirement Community
called The Atrium at Navesink Harbor, 40 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
Jerry Kenney and John Lykouretzos ’95, the Co-Chairs of the Yale Football Endowment,
announced on June 6, 2019 that they have raised the gifts and pledges to bring the Yale
Football Endowment to $55 million. This amount will fund football’s annual operating budget,
while also supporting further growth in the football program and the endowment itself. The
last phase of the campaign raised a total of $23 million -- $17 million for the endowment and $5
million for special projects. Jerry and John wrote: “Yale Football is now in a unique position to
attract a higher percentage of the best and brightest players, which supports Yale’s core
mission and its reputation as a great university, while also providing facilities and innovative
equipment that proactively address the safety of the game.”
3
Arthur B. Laffer received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on June
19, 2019. In announcing the award, the White House stated: “Arthur B. Laffer, the ‘Father of
Supply-Side Economics,’ is one of the most influential economists in American history. He is
renowned for his economic theory, the ‘Laffer Curve,’ which establishes the strong incentive
effects of lower tax rates that spur investment, production, jobs, wages, economic growth, and
tax compliance. Dr. Laffer was the first chief economist of the Office of Management and
Budget and a top economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan. Among other
accomplishments during his distinguished career, he served as a consultant to the Department
of the Treasury and the Department of Defense. Dr. Laffer’s public service and contributions to
economic policy have helped spur prosperity for our Nation.”
Jon Larson completed a 125-page History of the Punahou Class of 1959 to
commemorate the 60th Punahou reunion in June 2019. Jon notes: “We sent nine Punahou
classmates and ‘Sons of Hawaii’ to Yale in 1959: Tom Chun, Paul Dahlquist, John Derby, Alan
Kidwell, Gerrit Osborne, Ian Robertson, Jared Sugihara, Kimo Tabor, and myself. One of the
heavier concentrations from any one school, rivaling the East Coast prep schools.”
Lanny Lutz reports: “I just recorded a piece, Calilipso, that I composed many years ago.
It’s on Spotify and other music distributor platforms. Classmates can listen to it for free, or own
it for 99 cents. I wrote and performed it on the piano. Forced to choose a ‘genre’, I listed it as
‘pop/jazz’. It’s not perhaps really either of those, but folks tell me they like it.”
Richard Rosenfeld writes: “In the two decades since the publication of my book,
American Aurora, I have given talks in various academic and non-academic venues, written a bit
for Harper’s Magazine (including a cover essay on why we should abolish the U.S. Senate),
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commentated on NPR’s Morning Edition, and generally led a quiet life with Anne, my wife of
more than half a century, in our beloved Gloucester, MA. For the last five years, Anne and I
have spent half of each year in a residence we own aboard a ship, MS The World,
circumnavigating the globe. Though I am an Associate Fellow of Timothy Dwight College, our
travels have prevented my return to the university for several years.”
John Sack has published three more books in the past two years: Views of the Moon,
tales for meditators, a novel titled Love on a Rusty Spur, and Lao-Tzu at the Border, which
describes the sage’s journey from the realm of words into the wordless zone. Now almost 81,
John intends to follow him into the silence and focus on his other job as caretaker of Casa
Chiara Hermitage in southern Oregon, which he shares with his wife, author Christin Lore
Weber.
Rich Samuels reports: “Davis Dassori joined my wife and me in late March 2019 in
Berlin, where we retraced steps Davis and I took in 1962, a year after the construction of the
Berlin Wall. We proceeded on to Leipzig and Eisenach to visit sites associated with J. S. Bach.
Though reunified Germany was practically unrecognizable, neither Davis nor I have changed a
bit since we were about to begin our senior year.”
Jerry Bremer reports: “On Easter Sunday 2019, my beloved wife of 53 years, Francie,
died peacefully and in comfort. She had been diagnosed with cancer in 2016, and had
undergone a grim 18 weeks of chemotherapy. The disease, in remission for three years,
suddenly reappeared this February. It had metastasized widely and was incurable. So we
agreed she should spend her last weeks in the comfort of her own bedroom in hospice care.
This gave her time to visit with our two children, their spouses, and our five wonderful
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grandchildren, and a legion of Francie’s friends in the United States and around the world. I
lost not just my wife but my best friend, my uncomplaining colleague from Afghanistan to
Europe, Washington, and Iraq. Francie bore the process with her characteristic good humor,
boundless courage, and deep faith. If she had been asked on which day she would like to die,
she surely would have said on Easter, the day when Christ Himself defeated death.”
Robert L. Kaye of Rocky Hill, CT died on April 5, 2019. Robert was born in Chicago, IL on
March 16, 1942. He lived his early years in Hammond, IN, where he attended the public
schools. He continued his education at Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude
with honors in Chemistry. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1963 and received a Ford
Fellowship for post-graduate study at Cambridge University, Cambridge, England. Returning to
Yale, he received NASA and National Science Foundation fellowships, and became a candidate
for a doctorate in organic chemistry. His objective of a career in chemistry was interrupted in
his late twenties by the onset of schizophrenia, a disease which plagued him on and off
throughout his life. Despite being unable to complete his research for a doctorate, he was
awarded a Master’s Degree. He taught at Yale, published three scholarly papers on organic
chemistry, and later completed requirements for an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute. Hospitalizations interrupted his work in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. But throughout
he was able to maintain contact with friends and family and continue his interest in
photography and chemistry. In 1976 he was hired by Pfizer Chemical. He married and adopted
a son John, who also graduated from Yale. The family lived in Groton, CT until 1989 when he
was divorced. Since 2010 he lived at The Atrium in Rocky Hill, CT. He is survived by his son John
Kaye, his sister Louise Stone, and his brother Richard Kaye.
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Robert’s sister writes: “Schizophrenia is a challenging disease. As Robert coped with it,
he saw his dreams of a future in science disappear. As his sister, I took an active part in his life,
especially during the last ten years when I became his conservator. Social activities were not a
part of his days. But during these years his wit, intelligence, and good manners made a lasting
impression on those who cared for him.”
George Victor Lenher of Church Hill, MD died on April 6, 2019. He was born on July 20,
1938 in Wilmington, DE. He was educated at Tower Hill High School, Lawrenceville School (’57),
and Yale University (’63). George served in the Delaware Air National Guard from 1963 to 1969.
His career began with First National City Bank in New York City. He moved on to Rhode Island
Hospital Trust Bank, before becoming a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and
retiring in 2007. George married Eleanor “Meg” Gummey on November 13, 1965. They made
their home in Chappaqua, NY and East Greenwich, RI before moving to Church Hill in 1999.
George was a member of many organizations and served on many boards over his lifetime. He
served as Presiding Clerk of the Board of Overseers at Lincoln School (Providence, RI). He was
past President of the Kent County Humane Society and past board member of Church Hill
Theatre. George loved hunting, fishing, playing golf, and traveling. In addition to his wife, he is
survived by his children, Eleanor Lenher, DVM, Caroline Lenher, Rebecca Gels, Robert Rutley,
Angela Wilcox, and Tanawat “Win” Roongtanapirom, and seven grandchildren.
Bob Hanson remembers George Lenher as follows: “I knew George only in passing
during our undergraduate years, but we were reunited years later due to our mutual love of big
game hunting – particularly African hunting. We shared membership in a number of
organizations which focused on hunting and outdoor activities, the most notable of which was
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the Camp Fire Club of America. That club owns a beautiful preserve in Westchester County, NY,
and has rifle, pistol, and shotgun ranges, as well as stocked ponds for fishing zealots. George
was a life member of the Club, having joined in 1968. I followed in 1980. It was there that we
renewed our friendship.
“As George reported in our 50th Reunion Class Book, he was diagnosed in 2006 with G 4
glial blastoma, an extremely aggressive cancer of the brain which is almost always fatal. It is a
variant of the brain cancer which took the lives of Beau Biden and John McCain, among others.
That George beat that cancer, against the odds, and lived to the ripe old age of 80, is a
testament to his tenacity and resilience. He will be missed.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
8
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2019 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes November-December 2019
Coley Burke has endowed a visiting professorship in climate change research and policy at the
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Coley has previously supported
scholarships at the School and the construction of Kroon Hall, where the third-floor auditorium
is named in his honor. “I think climate change is the biggest threat we face,” Coley said. “All
over the natural world, animals and humans are being affected. Weather patterns are changing,
and we are already seeing the impact on communities around the globe. I am happy to support
Yale in educating the scientists and leaders who will step up with new discoveries, policy ideas,
and innovative solutions to these challenges.”
Jud Calkins relates: “On Memorial Day I took the challenge once again in the Football
throw of the St. Louis Senior Olympics. Training went poorly but I mustered a game-day throw
of 98 feet 11 inches (33 yards) for my sixth gold medal out of seven appearances since 2000. (I
took second in 2014 by two feet but returned in 2015 to best my rival by the same distance.)
This year I beat the silver medalist by 18 feet and was pleased to be only a yard behind my
distance of 2015. In the 1500 meter power walk all age categories competed together. I finished
in the middle of the pack but learned at the end that I had taken gold -- albeit with only one other
senior in our 75-79 age category. I accepted nonetheless!”
Carter Findley reports: “At the convention of the World History Association held in
San Juan, PR on June 27-29, 2019, I was one of two people awarded the Pioneer in World
History Award for my services to the Association and the field. My services include holding all
of the WHA’s elected offices – member of the Executive Council, Vice President (1998-2000),
and President (2000-2002). My biggest job as President was moving the association beyond one
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totally dependent on volunteers to one with a permanently staffed executive directorate.
Financing that required a contentious struggle to double the dues, then single-handed
negotiations with the research foundation of the new host institution, the University of Hawai’i,
without any backup but what I was able to get gratis from Ohio State’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Another of my controversial initiatives was to launch a fund-raising drive to create an
endowment for the WHA. Ever since the first $2,500 was raised (2001 or so), I have been the
manager of the endowment, and its chief defender (not always successful) against efforts to treat
it like a piggy bank. After being raided – sawed about in half – during a crisis in 2014, the fund
is back up to $135,000 now. That is partly due to new contributions, including the cost of WHA
Life Memberships. It is also partly due to the funds’ performance. As a service at no cost to
WHA, this is perhaps not bad, if I do say so. They seem to think I am some kind of wizard.
Actually, all it comes down to is that the WHA’s money is invested in Vanguard funds, where
Lucia’s and my IRA money is invested. The same research I do to manage our accounts serves
the WHA account as well. Then, too, if I’d had three heads, one of them would have made a
career in investment. I was always interested. In fact, I bought my first shares of stock in
August 1959, three weeks before the start of Freshman year at Yale.”
Chuck Hellar reports: “During the weekend of June 7-10, 2019, the Sisyphus finally
surfaced from being an underground secret society to telling the world that we existed 56 years
ago. At a reunion in Seattle, eight of the original 15 members of the Class of 1963 had a glorious
time reacquainting along with six of the most beautiful wives in the world. After a magnificent
dinner Friday night, we met on Saturday morning and afternoon and each told our life story in 45
minutes or less. Meanwhile, the ladies went on a long sightseeing trip coordinated by Sue
Hellar. After a brief rest, we had dinner at an old Seattle club, the Rainier Club, and then
continued our personal stories. Sunday was free time with a wonderful cocktail party at my
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son’s condo overlooking Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, and Mount Rainier, followed by a
casual dinner that evening. It was a memorable weekend! The classmates attending were
DuPont Guerry, Chuck Hellar, Rees Jones, Bill MacArthur, Hoy McConnell, Norm Sinel,
Jerry Slack, and Hank Wood. Two others, Charlie Sawyer and John Tuteur, wanted to come
but had scheduling conflicts. Two have passed away, Frank Kawasaki and Stu Mozeleski,
while Wes Baldwin, Wolf Dietrich, and Richard Rosenfeld had made other plans for the
weekend before the date was set. You may hear from this group again; we plan to meet again
soon.”
Al Pakkala relates: “Collin Middleton, Barry Wendell, and I reconnected in New
York City on June 9, 2019 and then drove to New Haven, where we toured the Yale campus,
something I had not seen for more than a quarter century. I was surprised at how much I had
forgotten about the campus and how beautiful the architecture is. Vincent Scully’s Art and
Architecture class was my favorite during my four years there. Barry not only ordered near
perfect weather for our visit, but played the role of an outstanding host. Following an interesting
tour of Boston, including an enjoyable meal at the Union Oyster House, Barry successfully
navigated the serpentine streets of Marblehead, MA en route to the Barnacle Restaurant, where
we devoured delicious seafood dinners. Several days of enjoyable time spent in New Hampshire
represented the successful conclusion of our mini-reunion. This visit was a treat for the three of
us, who by some miracle have remained close friends since attending Yale.”
Phil Stevens reports: “I retired in January, after 48 years of classroom teaching,
advising students, research, and writing in cultural anthropology at the University at Buffalo,
SUNY. My mind said keep going; my aging arthritis-filled joints said quit. I’m ambivalent on
being congratulated for ending a very satisfying career! I have been easing out; I was given a
free semester in Fall 2018, my official retirement date was January 2 (to avoid RMD’s for
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2018!), and my last two doctoral students finished their programs in May. In June I chaired a
reunions panel session at Deerfield Academy on ‘Medicine and Spirituality at the End of Life.’ I
gave an overview of the ethnology of after-life beliefs. Two MD’s gave perspectives on
American medicine’s response to the spiritual needs of terminal patients. On that weekend I
drove south to Easthampton where one of my freshman year roommates, Chip Palmer was
celebrating his 60th Williston Academy class of 1959 reunion. We chatted about family, careers,
and bucket lists. I’m looking forward to the enjoyment of retirement that (nearly) everyone raves
about; but before that could happen, I had left knee-replacement surgery on June 18. Recovery
was, as folks had said, long and painful, and to me, frustratingly slow. Probably the right knee
will have to be done . . . later. And in late August I started a program of therapy for severe
stenosis in my lower spine, which sends frequent sciatic pain down my left leg (the surgical leg),
making walking and prolonged standing difficult. Soh retirement plans are still uncertain. I
have a lot of writing I want to finish, including two books and many shorter publications; my
emeritus status will give me access to all University facilities as long as I want. My wife Marie
retired from her elementary school teaching job two years ago. She and I will spend some
months in Florida; a few years ago we took over my mom’s condominium in Jensen Beach on
Hutchinson Island. We love the location, but we will not become official residents; we are not
Floridians! I do plan return visits to various research sites in Nigeria in 2020 or 2021, and in June
Marie and I will cruise the Danube, on a trip that includes the Oberammergau Passion Play
(through Yale Educational Travel). We hope for a lot more traveling.”
Charles A. Frank III passed away on June 16, 2019. He was born on July 30, 1940 in
Glen Cove, NY, the son of Dorothy and Charles A. Frank Jr. He grew up in Gladwyne, PA.
Charlie graduated from The Hill School, Yale University, and New York University Stern
Business School. His career focused on the financial sector, with positions at W. E. Hutton &
4
Co., United States Trust Company, and Mellon Bank. He was an outstanding athlete at Yale,
lettering in three varsity sports for three years, soccer, squash, and tennis. At Yale he was a
member of DKE and Skull and Bones. He ran in several marathons and then took up golf. He is
survived by his wife Betty, whom he met in his sophomore year in college and married in 1964;
two sons, Garrett and Reade; and five grandchildren. In addition to being a wonderful husband,
father, and grandfather, Charlie served the community in numerous philanthropic endeavors. He
was a Trustee of The Hill School, where he served as Board Chair for 15 years, during the
successful transition to coeducation; Trustee of the Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia, PA);
Trustee of the Greater Marco Family YMCA (Marco Island, FL); and Trustee of the Lorenzo
Walker Institute of Technology Foundation (Naples, FL).
Jerry Bremer writes: “Charlie was a remarkable man – an enormously successful
competitive athlete who had a human sweetness about him in all his dealings with people, high
and low. He will be missed here below, but will be welcomed with open arms and hearts
above.” Pat Clarke remembers: “Charlie was one of Yale’s major athletes, lettering nine times.
But most important were his kindness and humility. I never saw him treat anyone unkindly, and
despite his accomplishments, he never bragged. He was slow to anger and bore injustices
quietly.” Michael Freeland recalls: “Charlie was a standout three-sport athlete, and his
commitment to those sports and to his academic obligations required him to be extraordinarily
self-disciplined.. I remember Charlie studying in his bedroom with the door closed, then going to
bed early (and rising early), while many of the rest of us caroused around, shooting the bull,
drinking beer, and whatnot. Charlie definitely knew how to have a good time (he was, after all, a
DKE), but he also knew how to allocate his time and set his priorities. Charlie had another
wonderful virtue – he was kind, a gift that I deeply appreciated. I was not in Charlie’s league,
not by a long shot, but he never seemed to notice, and he always treated me as his friend.” Gates
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Gill recounts: “Charlie would always greet you with a smile, and handshake. A graceful and
successful athlete, Charlie was also a graceful spirit in all his interactions. He was a true
gentleman in every good sense of that word.” Jeff Johnson writes: “Charlie was one of the
nicest people I ever knew. His charitable activities testify to his basic goodness. The memories
of our four years together at Yale have flooded back to me. They were good years. I don’t think
I ever saw him angry.”
Ginneil Rae (Ginny) Horlings, wife and best friend of Mark Horlings for 40 years, died
on May 1, 2019 at their home in Phoenix, AZ. Ginny had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
only four and a half months earlier. They had enjoyed a blended family of Ginny’s two
daughters, Kelly and Julie, and Mark’s daughter, Amy. Ginny’s mother created Ginny’s unusual
first name as a tribute to Eugene O’Neill, a distance relative. Ginny grew up in Northern
California, earned her college degree at San Francisco State University, and was an outstanding
elementary school teacher. She began teaching school in Koror, Palau while Mark served as
Attorney General of Palau, and continued in Blythe, CA, Parker, AZ, the Dilkon School on the
Navajo Reservation, and the Encanto School in Phoenix. After retiring in 2007 she served as an
enthusiastic court-appointed Special Advocate for foster children, classroom volunteer, and tutor,
and enjoyed traveling, birding, and tennis with Mark and her many friends. Chuck Duncan
remembers Ginny as vibrant in her own right and the perfect companion for Mark, in addition to
being a reliable critic of his theories. After a 2017 visit, Chuck retains an image of Ginny and
Mark, heads together on an Oregon beach, enjoying the sweep of the Pacific Ocean.
Jerome Paul Kenney passed away peacefully at his Manhattan home on June 25, 2019
from pulmonary fibrosis. Robert Kapito, President of BlackRock, called Jerry “a true legend in
our business, known for his strategic brilliance, formidable competitiveness, impeccable
courtesy, deceptively alluring calm, relentless work ethic, and unassailable integrity.” Jerry was
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born July 26, 1941 in Newton, MA, the second son of Francis J. and Madeline Kenney. Jerry’s
father, the son of Irish immigrants, never went to college and worked as a traveling glove
salesman. Wanting a better life for his children, he encouraged his sons to apply to Harvard or
Yale. Jerry’s mother, a graduate of Boston’s Emmanuel College, had the education and
discipline to implement this vision. The four brothers, Brian (Yale ʼ61), Jerry (Yale ʼ63), Robert
(Yale ʼ67), and Richard (Yale ʼ71), all played football at Yale, and sister Maureen graduated
from Emmanuel College ʼ64. Throughout his life, Jerry was driven by a vision and passion to
make things better for his family, colleagues, and community. Holding a B.A. in Economics
from Yale and an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Business Management at
Northwestern, Jerry started his career as a research analyst at White Weld & Co., a boutique
investment bank, becoming the Director of Research. When, in 1978, Merrill Lynch, a major
retail firm, acquired White Weld, Jerry seized the opportunity, ultimately becoming President of
Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in 1984 and building Merrill investment banking throughout the
world. In 2006, he helped engineer the sale of ML Asset Management to BlackRock, which he
joined as a Senior Advisor in Corporate Strategy, helping advise the leadership of the firm
through a number of large acquisitions. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink credited Jerry with helping
to navigate the firm through a period of dramatic growth. “Jerry’s wisdom was indispensable in
guiding us through that period and setting us on a path to growth. His counsel and advice were
grounded in decades of experience that he combined with his unique style and grace. He was a
fierce competitor, but he had the ability to cloak the toughest message in his trademark politeness
and fairness that helped ensure it would be heard.” That approach – kindness and discipline
together – suffused everything Jerry did. He thought in terms of a “virtual circle” to describe his
philosophy of supporting institutions and individuals that helped him develop the knowledge,
skills, and habits to succeed. He believed in paying backward and forward. Jerry served as
7
Treasurer and head of the Finance Committee at Nightingale Bamford School, as well as a
member of the boards of the Stanford Business School, Northwestern University Kellogg School
of Business Management, and the Yale School of Management. Jerry met his wife, Carol Brock
Kenney, in 1973 when she worked as an economist at Loeb Rhodes & Co. They were married in
1975 and enjoyed a decade working on Wall Street at competing firms. By 1982, when Carol,
through mergers, was the Chief Economist of Shearson American Express, they took turns
playing spouse at corporate events. Carol and Jerry also enjoyed classical music, opera, and
collecting African art. Jerry’s passions also extended to renovating several historic homes on
Martha’s Vineyard, where his family vacationed year round. Recognizing the role that horses
played in their own daughters’ lives, Carol and Jerry purchased Misty Meadows Equine Learning
Center in Martha’s Vineyard, built it into a state-of-the-art equestrian facility, and then gifted it
to the community. Jerry is survived by his wife, two daughters, four siblings, 11 nieces and
nephews, and their families.
Hank Higdon sums up Jerry’s many contributions to football and athletics at Yale: “The
most high-profile example is the Kenney Center, above the Yale Bowl, and while the four
Kenney brothers have been credited overall, it is really Jerry who was the driving force and the
lead contributor to this magnificent structure. It is one thing to write a check for such an edifice,
but Jerry was really the lead architect and designer as well, and had to fight with the University,
and even with Robert Stern, the head of the Yale Architecture Department, to have it done the
right way. Jerry was a relentless influence on the Yale administration on the values and benefits
of a strong football and athletic program. His research on the subject covered the leading
educational institutions in the country and espoused the premise that any leading educational
institution necessarily has to have a strong athletic program. As in his business, he never
proposed a program where he had not researched all the facts. Jerry almost single-handedly
8
raised close to $60 million to fully endow the Yale football program, the only such
accomplishment in the entire country. Jerry’s contributions also included the recent purchase of
new helmets for the football team, with cutting edge customized technology which will minimize
the possible concussion impact on Yale players. He funded the purchase of the new helmets
entirely on his own.”
Hank Higdon adds: “Jerry was what I would call a quiet leader, but a strong, strong
leader. He never, ever raised his voice and always listened to an opposing point of view. Over
the years a large number of smart people on Wall Street described Jerry to me as ‘the smartest
guy on Wall Street.’ I have come to agree with them as over the years I’ve gotten to know many
of these ‘smart’ people. Jerry stood out!” Stan Riveles writes: “This is a great loss to us all who
loved and admired Jerry. From the first September day of early season football when we sat
together on the Freshman bus, I felt we were friends. His character, ready smile and giggle,
good heart – all these things made him memorable. Despite his many accomplishments, he
always remained the same modest, virtuous man from beginning to end.” Ian Robertson
remembers: “Jerry was always emblematic of the Thalian notion of ‘a sound mind in a sound
body’. An athlete at Yale, he believed that athletic excellence was central to a university’s
academic reputation and alumni support. He wrote a white paper to prove his theory, then set
out to prove his hypothesis by endowing Yale athletics. Despite his lofty position and
spectacular financial success, Jerry was always simply ‘Jerry’. Richly endowed with the
sagacity, patience, and discretion that are prerequisites to success, Jerry surmounted difficulties
that would have unhorsed lesser men. His adroitness, unerring sense of proportion, and ability to
assign to objectives their true priorities mark him as a model for us all.” Fred Schneider writes:
“Jerry was one of the intellectually and physically toughest and most accomplished people I have
known, a man capable of the most sustained and difficult work, with a dedication to perfection.
9
And yet he maintained a sweetness of disposition and an immense generosity not only to Yale
and other philanthropy, but to all who were privileged to know him.” Tex Younger recalls: “As
important as Jerry’s time was to him and others, he would always respond to my calls, my
harebrained schemes about matters important to me, but of small or no interest to him. But
because they were important to me, they were important to him. We all know that’s the kind of
man he was.”
Terrie LeHew, the wife of Doc LeHew, passed away on June 13, 2019. Doc writes:
“Terrie was the primary focus and delight of my life for the past 15 years. We met while she
was designing and decorating what was supposed to be an aging psychiatrist’s bachelor pad.
That didn’t last long, and a year later I convinced her to move in. After several years of
(mostly) wonderful cohabitation, we got married on the courthouse steps. This, too, was my
idea. About three years ago Terrie was diagnosed with large bowel cancer. She had the usual
surgery and chemotherapy, but about six months ago she took a turn for the worse. She was
referred to Avow Hospice, and they assumed her care. They were very caring and clinically
astute regarding the treatment of terminal cancer. She did not suffer much, in spite of extensive
metastatic disease. She fought dying to the end, as you would expect Terrie to do. I miss her
terribly.”
M. Weldon Rogers III passed away peacefully in his sleep early on the morning of July
20, 2019 at his home in Boca Grande, FL. Weldon grew up in St. Louis, MO. After graduating
from St. Louis Country Day School and Yale University, he began his career in banking at
Morgan Guaranty Trust Company before moving to G. L. Ohrstrom & Co., both in New York
City. His career advanced rapidly with a move to Missouri Portland Cement in St. Louis. He
later became the owner and president of EckAdams, an office seating manufacturing business.
Family was extremely important to Weldon. He loved spending time with his children,
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grandchildren, and friends in Boca Grande, St. Louis, and other places. He enjoyed golf, tennis,
travel, and people. He never met a stranger. Weldon is remembered for his faith in God, his
eternal optimism, humor, boundless energy, and the way he connected with and cared for so
many people. He is survived by his children Sandy Rogers, Didi Bowers, Caroline Rogers, and
Sarah Watt and five grandchildren.
Dave Culver remembers Weldon as follows: “Weldon was one of my oldest friends
starting at St. Louis Country Day School in the early ʼ50’s, then at Yale and continuing until our
last phone conversation in June of this year. Always dependable and upbeat, Weldon was
someone you could count on regardless of the circumstances – welcoming, encouraging,
frequently loquacious, and sometimes even effusive. When we got together at Yale, he always
lit up the room and our conversations were stimulating, enlightening and most importantly, fun!
I think he must have majored in conversation at Yale, because he was never at a loss for words,
and his flowing social manner always led the conversation. Weldon was always on the go,
making friends, enjoying all the social, sporting, and extracurricular activities, all of which
contributed to his big-hearted sense of friendship.” Bill DeWitt recalls: “I got to know Weldon
at St. Louis Country Day School from which we both graduated in 1959. We became close
friends at Country Day, which continued at Yale where we were in Pierson together. Weldon
had an engaging personality with an infectious smile that could light up a room. If you were
having a bad day, Weldon was your man to make you feel everything was great. While we
ended up living in different cities following graduation, we saw each other periodically, and
when we did it was as if we got together every day. Over the years, I met countless people who
learned I grew up in St. Louis and asked if I knew their good friend Weldon Rogers. He will be
greatly missed by all those who had the good fortune to know him.” Fred Hanser writes:
“Weldon was a very personable, friendly, and outgoing person, an excellent student who was
11
always involved in extracurricular activities, a talented athlete, and, yes, he loved the girls. At
Yale he became Secretary of Fence Club and a member of the Bakers Dozen. He provided a
great deal of energy and fun to his relationships. He was a wonderful friend and will be greatly
missed.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
12
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2020 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
January-February 2020
In what originally was scheduled as a 60th reunion for the undefeated 1959
Bullpup Team, 17 teammates and honorary members convened in New York City on September
6 and 7, 2019. Those in attendance included Christine and Fred Andreae, Brenda and Jim Biles,
Jud Calkins, Wally Grant, Erika and Hank Higdon, Tom Iezzi, Mary and Erik Jensen, Carol and
Bill Kay, Kathy and Peter Kiernan, Denny Landa, Dave Mawicke, Tim O’Connell and his son
Anthony, Chris and Stanley Riveles, Ian Robertson, Lisa and Vic Sheronas, Marcia Hill and Guy
Struve, Jim Thompson, and Dave Weinstein. Last-minute unavoidable cancellations included
Lynne and Mike Freeland, Larry Gwin, and Lee Marsh. The gathering was coordinated by Ian
Robertson and Hank Higdon, with valuable support from Erik Jensen.
On Friday night the group gathered at Café Centro, across the street from the Yale Club.
They renewed old friendships, and recounted oft-told tales (some apocryphal). The theme of
the evening echoed Bob Blanchard’s (’61) motto “the older we get, the better we were.”
On Saturday evening the assembled Bullpups celebrated the life of Jerry Kenney at a
dinner at the Yale Club. The entire Kenney family, including Jerry’s wife Carol, his daughter
Kristin, his brothers Brian and Robert, as well as Jerry’s longtime assistant Pat Nance, were in
attendance, as well as several representatives from Yale University, including the Director of
Athletics, Vicky Chun, the former Director of Athletics, Tom Beckett, the Head Football Coach,
Tony Reno, and the President of the Yale Football Association, Patrick Ruwe. Bob Blanchard of
the Class of 1961, the star fullback on the undefeated 1960 team, represented the 1960 team.
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The evening was highlighted by memorable and moving remarks offered by the
representatives from Yale, Jerry’s oldest brother Brian Kenney (’60), Bob Blanchard (’61), and
Ian Robertson, who served as toastmaster and MC for the evening.
Don Akenson writes: “I really enjoy reading about our classmates – and especially the
books they publish. I’m trying to keep up, reading everything new from the Class that I can get
my hands on. Recently my University appointed me “A.C. Hamilton Distinguished University
Professor.” It’s a nice wee merit badge, but I’m also keeping my endowed chair as Douglas
Professor of Canadian and Colonial History: my classmates who have dealt with academic
administrations will understand why! Work still is fun.”
Michler Bishop would like to share that his new book, Am I Addicted?: 64 Questions and
Answers to Help You Change an Addictive or Semi-Addictive Behavior, is available on Amazon.
Contrary to what the media suggests, 50 years of research indicate that most people resolve
their addictive problems on their own. Most people do not go for treatment. They might
benefit from long-term therapy, medication and/or rehab, but they do not necessarily need it.
Michler hopes the book will motivate people to take action to change one or more behaviors
before their problems become worse. Michler is also very pleased to note that his youngest
daughter, Anusha, has had three wonderful years studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at
Yale and is on track to graduate in May 2020. Supported by a Rosenfeld Science Scholars
Program fellowship, this past summer Anusha worked on developing spatial models to predict
the distribution and movement of tsetse flies in order to inform disease control efforts in
Kenya.
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Skip Eastman reports: “Midge and I have talked about downsizing/moving for a couple
of years. On June 28, 2019 an opportunity came up to secure an apartment in a retirement
community in Virginia, but we had to move fast. We had lived in the same house in Maryland
for 43 years and had never thrown anything away. That started a chaotic 60 days this summer
in which we: (a) cancelled a three-week ocean cruise up the coast of Norway to Russia which
was due to start on July 1, 2019 – we were packed and ready to go!; (b) found a real estate
agent and listed and sold our house in 22 days; (c) distributed many of our cherished
possessions to family, charity and friends as we were moving from 4,000+ square feet to about
1,800 square feet; and (d) packed things to go to our new home, to a storage facility, or to our
motorhome. Our furnishings arrived at our new home on August 23, 2019. We stayed there
two nights, unpacked a few things, and then left for a 10-day tour of New York City in our
motorhome, closing on the sale of our house while on the road. From there we went straight
to my high school reunion in Cincinnati, OH and, as I write this, we are heading to Naples, FL in
our motorhome. We’ll drive the tow car back to Virginia in early October to finish unpacking
and rest! My advice to fellow classmates is – if you are planning to downsize in the next 10
years, START NOW!”
Jon Larson reports: “Four of us had a small reunion at the summer home of Shirley and
Ed Carlson in Port Clinton, OH. The gathering included most of the ‘Barge Guys’ who organized
Class tours of France and Great Britain a few years ago: Pat and Jere Johnston, Karen and Jon
Larson, and Mayda Tsaknis and Jim Thompson. Ed and Shirley were wonderful hosts and we
greatly enjoyed their company, the food, and their lovely home right on Lake Erie. We dined
one day at Bistro 163, the award winning non-profit ‘pay it forward’ restaurant started by Ed
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and Shirley, which serves fresh locally sourced meals at a reasonable cost. Bistro’s mission is to
increase food security and offer all neighbors a place to eat and come together as one
community. We took in an art festival and several cultural events at nearby Lakeside (Ohio’s
Chautauqua). The guys played a competitive round of golf, and Captain Jere took everyone for
a cruise on Lake Erie, visiting Kelleys Island for an outdoor lunch and games. We tried to avoid
discussing politics in favor of catching up on our personal lives, but that was hard to do in
today’s climate. We took the time to do some initial planning for a Yale ‘63 mini-reunion in San
Francisco in late September of 2020 and a Yale ‘63 cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest in
2021. More information on both events will be released as plans are finalized."
Phil Otto relates: “We sold our house in Sonoma last year and have returned to our
roots in Philadelphia. We have rented an apartment in Old City, a re-emerging neighborhood
that’s a walkable area with numerous restaurants, historic sites, and easy transport. So, in our
new 'hood we just walk, having sold our two cars in California and then rent when we need to
from the available pool of rental cars located right in the basement of our building. Meantime,
we have purchased a house in Mexico in the small artists’ town of Todos Santos, located about
60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas in Baja California. It’s a marvelous warm-weather retreat
from the East Coast's arctic winters. Our two children make us bicoastal: son Ross is on the
faculty of McGill University in Montréal with his wife, Anja (who holds the same degree he has –
a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology – and who has segued to the corporate world). They produced
our first grandchild last year. Daughter Alexandra lives in LA with her husband Nathan and
another new granddaughter, with a second one on the way. Bottom line: we’re destined to
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remain bicoastal no matter which coast we live on – hence our ‘Grand Experiment’ in
Philadelphia.”
Dr. Robert C. Barker, Jr. died from a heart attack on August 9, 2019 at his home in Fort
Smith, AK. Bob was born in Fort Worth, TX on February 6, 1941. He graduated from high
school in Fort Worth, and then attended Yale University, earning a B.A. in English Literature in
1963. He obtained his medical degree from Tulane College of Medicine. After serving two
years in the Air Force as a general medical officer, he resumed his medical training at Baylor
College of Medicine in Houston, focusing on internal medicine and gastroenterology. While in
Houston, he met and married his beloved wife, Jere Jones Guin Barker. On completion of his
training there in 1975, they moved to Fort Smith, where he practiced with Holt Krock Clinic and
Sparks. After retiring, he volunteered for many years at Good Samaritan Clinic. He is survived
by his wife, Jere Barker; children Mara E. Barker, Heather B. Heitman, Bevin B. Raines, and
Brent C. Barker; a brother; and grandchildren, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was an active
member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, and enjoyed reading, music, cycling, running,
rugby, and race horses.
Ron Allison writes: “Bobby Barker, my roomie in 1959, impressed me immediately as a
true Southern gentleman. He was born in Fort Worth, TX, where he met Betty. They married
when Bobby went to medical school after three years at Yale pre-med. Betty died 12 years
later. Bobby found and married Jere, who adopted his two children, and they had two more
children together. Bobby's brother, Charlie, Yale '64, joined our other roomies, Dan Arons,
Bucky Buxton, and S. K. Wilson, at parties in Silliman. All six of us became doctors in four
states. Bobby joined his best buddy, S. K. Wilson, at Holt-Krock Clinic in Fort Smith, AK. Bob
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became the premier gastroenterologist in the Tulsa-Fort Smith area. He retired to race
thoroughbreds as well as serve his church and local history museum. Bobby and I talked or emailed almost every week. I do miss our friendship and dialogues. Well done, Dr. Barker!”
Hugh Rowland, Jr. passed away on September 5, 2019 at his home in New York City.
While Hugh was physically weakened in recent years, his spirit and intellect remained bright.
His passing was sudden and unexpected, and he will be greatly missed by many. Hugh was
born on October 7, 1941, and raised primarily in New Britain, CT. A lifelong booster of all things
Yale, Hugh graduated from Yale College in 1963 and Yale Law School in 1967. Hugh was a
much-loved husband, brother, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his beloved wife,
Irmela Florig-Rowland, who cared tirelessly for him after he became ill; two siblings; his son and
daughter-in-law, Gregory and Amy Rowland; and his grandchildren, Isabel, Margaret, and John
Rowland.
Hugh spent his entire legal career, spanning more than 40 years, at Debevoise &
Plimpton, an international law firm, working out of both the firm’s New York office and London
office. Hugh had a wide-ranging practice encompassing all aspects of international commercial
transactions. His longstanding clients included Chrysler and Phelps Dodge. Hugh was loved and
admired by colleagues and clients for his engaging manner, keen intelligence, creativity and
mentoring, as well as his ability to maintain a playful sense of humor at critical moments.
“There’s got to be a way to skin this cat,” was one of his signature comments. Hugh also
devoted significant time to charitable causes, such as Union Settlement in East Harlem, where
he served on the Board of Directors, including as Chair, from 1972–2002, and on the Advisory
Council, from 2003–2015.
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Nelson Luria remembers Hugh Rowland as follows: “Hugh and I have been close friends
since meeting as members of our senior society. We roomed together two of my three years in
law school, Hugh having taken a sabbatical to be a Rotary Fellow in Strasbourg near Irmela,
whom he married 25 years later. While I was in Vietnam, he provided regular companionship
for my new wife. Hugh’s life revolved around Irmela, his colleagues and work at Debevoise &
Plimpton, his son Gregory, and his grandchildren. His intelligence was formidable but
unassertive, and his sense of humor typically manifested itself in a hearty chuckle. Afflicted
with a severe stroke some seven years ago and with ongoing health problems since, he
continued to embrace life, traveling to Irmela’s apartment in Munich and retaining a keen
interest in the affairs of our times. I saw him regularly and never heard him complain or lose
the twinkle in his eye.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2020 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
March-April 2020
In early September 2019, Bill Bell, Eben Ludlow, and Pepper Stuessy did a 62-mile
paddle through the lower half of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in northcentral Montana. It is Lewis & Clark country, and they passed several campsites of the 1803
Corps of Discovery. They were occasionally bested by the mud and out of cell phone range on
the river, but due to their modern equipment, their trip was a breeze compared to that of the
Corps. The entire adventure took place over ten days and (days of yore) included a road trip
from Denver.
Basil Cox writes: “Just spent a lovely ten days on the Amalfi Coast of Italy with Tingle
and Richard Barnes, whom I never knew at Yale and who lived in Pittsburgh unknown to me for
40+ years until my wife Jayne and I met them 5+ years ago. We have been close friends ever
since. Mother Yale watches out for her flock.”
John Impert reports: “Leo Damrosch's The Club was chosen by the New York Times
Book Review as one of the ten best books of 2019. ‘Damrosch brings the Club's redoubtable
personalities – the brilliant minds, the jousting wits, the tender camaraderie – to vivid life,
delivering indelible portraits of Samuel Johnson and Joshua Reynolds, Edmund Burke, Adam
Smith, David Garrick, Edward Gibbon, and of course Johnson's loyal biographer James Boswell.’
Leo has been engaged for the last generation in examining the 18th century Enlightenment in
his books and on-line lectures. Leo manages to combine erudition with a light touch that makes
his books a joy to read. Since Dale Hershey suggested a few months ago that I consult Leo's
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account of Tocqueville's travel in America, I have also enjoyed his TV interviews and his Great
Course on Gibbon. Next up for me: his biography of Rousseau and The Club!”
Marc Lavietes reports: “I am almost retired as a pulmonary/critical care physician. I still
supervise a weekly fellows' pulmonary clinic at the University Hospital of Rutgers-Newark (New
Jersey). I have been a staff member at Rutgers-Newark for more than 40 years, participating in
patient care, teaching and – to a small degree – the research aspects of the program. I spend
much time now volunteering for two medical organizations, Physicians for a National Health
Program (PNHP) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). As you all know, the likelihood of
enacting any comprehensive health care program at the national level is essentially zero, at
least through 2021 if not beyond. In New York, however, PNHP has crafted a state-based plan
(‘NY Health’) that has made substantial progress through the Legislature. I have spent
countless hours participating in legislative hearings, visiting legislators, writing and doing public
relations work in behalf of PNHP and the bill. PHR functions mainly to provide medical support
to candidates seeking asylum from foreign countries. Over the years, I have interviewed people
from almost everywhere: Central America, Africa, the Middle East, China. My most memorable
interview was with an applicant who had been born into slavery in Mauritania. His story of his
escape facilitated by SOS-Slaves to Brooklyn, where he now is a truck driver, was fascinating.
For the past 30 years, my wife and I have had second homes; first in the Berkshires and now on
the Jersey Shore in a modest residential neighborhood a few blocks from Asbury Park and the
ocean. We live there half time in a comfortable old three-story, 14-bed wood frame house. We
have ten bicycles in the garage for the nine grandchildren (none in common) and their friends.
Rides along the boardwalk are delightful. We have done a little traveling. We spent two weeks
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touring Iran a few years ago. A week in Havana, Cuba. And more recently two weeks in
southern France. My favorite trip of all however was a 10-day drive more than 15 years ago
from Memphis, Tennessee, going south on route 61 to New Orleans, where we visited my now
deceased Yale roommate, Lee Weisberg. Highlights along the way were the annual Kling Biscuit
Blues festival in West Helena, Arkansas, followed by two days in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Exploring the battle sites in Vicksburg beats any lecture or book on the Civil War. Now, off to
my neighborhood gym with my wife.”
Avi Nelson recounts: “This fall I played in three senior men's baseball tournaments –
two in Florida in November and one in Arizona in October. This follows my playing baseball on
a few teams in the Boston area over the summer. Anyone interested in participating in future
tournaments is welcome to contact me. Now retired from a career on television and radio, I
spend a fair amount of time at the piano, composing and playing informally. Some
philanthropic and cultural involvements and a couple of business interests also command my
attention. I stay in frequent contact with our classmate Rob Lacy, now retired as a successful
ophthalmologist, celebrating a friendship that has continued since Yale.”
Joe Valenta, who is a retired Navy Captain with 28 years of service, was recently elected
to a national office in the Naval Order of the United States. The nationwide group has 1,500
members whose mission is to promote an understanding of our country's maritime history. Joe
will serve a two year term, 2020-2021, as the Vice Commander General-Project Director of the
Naval Order. In 2016, Joe founded the organization's Northwest Commandery, composed of
40 members in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and he is active in supporting national projects
to recognize our naval heritage.
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Robert DeWitt Singleton Jones, M.D. passed away on October 13, 2019 in Calhoun, GA.
Dr. Jones graduated from University City Senior High School in St. Louis, MO, where he was an
all-city football standout. He continued both his academic and athletic pursuits at Yale
University, where he was a formidable presence on the Bulldogs’ offensive line, as well as on
the lacrosse team. Dr. Jones earned his M.D. from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
in New York, NY before making two medical missionary trips to East Africa with Operation
Crossroads Africa. Dr. Jones did his Mixed Surgical internship at Queen’s Medical Center in
Honolulu, HI, and then served a tour with the U.S. Public Health Service, assigned to the U.S.
Coast Guard and trained by the U.S. Navy as a flight surgeon. During his tour, he was awarded
three Sikorsky Search and Rescue Awards for his heroics performed while operating from the
Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard helicopter platform. After that service, Dr. Jones did his General
Surgery Residency at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT and his Orthopaedic Residency at Yale
New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. In 1976 he entered solo general orthopaedic private
practice in Inverness, FL. Moving with his family to Georgia in 1988, Dr. Jones continued
practicing medicine in that state as well as others in the Southeastern United States, always
putting the best care of his patients first, until his health began to fail in 2016. Dr. Jones is
survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Stephanie Newman Jones of Calhoun, GA, his sons
Robert DeWitt Jones and Stephen Singleton Jones, three brothers; two grandchildren, and a
host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Jud Calkins remembers DeWitt Jones as follows: “His nickname, not widely known at
Yale, was ‘Dupe’. DeWitt became a fellow St. Louisan in his early teens when his ministerfather moved the family from Virginia. I sought him out and we roomed together from Farnam
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Hall through Timothy Dwight. DeWitt was a member of the undefeated 1959 Bullpups and a
three-year varsity player. He was tough and disciplined on the field and also the classroom,
where he pulled all-nighters in his pre-med and other classes. No doubt influenced by his
father, he was headed for missionary medicine, and he strictly eschewed alcohol and much of
the social scene in dedication to duty. He did two early medical missionary outings to East
Africa with Operation Crossroads Africa. Much of his later medical career was spent in Florida
and Georgia, but his health began to falter in 2016. DeWitt and Stephanie, his wife of 51 years,
had two strapping and talented sons. DeWitt was serious, low key, and loyal to his friends and
family, considerate and stable and the most pleasant of roommates to have. He will be long
remembered by me, his teammates and his many other friends and admirers.”
Hank Hallas recalls: “He was tough as nails and I would share a foxhole with him in a
heartbeat! He almost lost his life one day in August 1960 due to excessive heat and the rigors
of a tough sport. His heart rate went over the top but he made it through. The team adopted
salt tablets from then forward. I believe he held the record for weight lost in a practice,
evidence of his hard work ethic!”
Mike Haltzel writes: “Dupe was such a decent guy. He managed to combine a downhome folksiness with a quiet dignity. And he was modest to a fault. I remember
enthusiastically congratulating him when he broke into the football starting lineup in senior
year. He just shrugged it off, although I suspect that he was also excited about it. I wish he had
chosen to attend at least one reunion. He was a fine man, the kind of person I like to think Yale
helps mold.”
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Dave Hilyard remembers: “I met ‘Dupe’ and Jud Freshman Year when I was standing in
the line at the gym to get screened for sports. I started hearing a little snickering in back of me
and then I heard someone say. “If I had legs like his, I would sue for non-support.” Dupe was
talking about me, and he was so proud of his little joke. He just beamed. After that, we were
fast friends. Dupe was a tower of strength in the face of injustice. He came from a midwestern
town where his father was a minister. Dupe did not feel comfortable with the social behavior at
the Yale we knew in the 1960's. He was totally unaccustomed to it. We knew it bothered him,
but he never imposed his opinions on us. When Dupe was in New York at Columbia Med
School, he bought a motorcycle. It seemed so out of character and yet it enabled him to get
away from his studies. One day he was riding his bike and stopped to help a young woman
whose bike had broken down. This was his first introduction to Stephanie, who would later
become his wife. One day they were out riding their cycles on the West Side Highway when a
large group of Hell's Angels came up behind them. The Angels made it clear that Dupe and
Stephanie were welcome to ride with them. So they did. After Columbia, Dupe returned to Yale
where he was a senior resident in Yale New Haven Hospital. While he was there, I told him that
my godson who was a hemophiliac had contracted AIDS. Dupe had me bring him to Yale where
he cut through a lot of red tape to get him access to the doctors he needed. One night Dupe
returned home after a long tour of duty. He was called some time later and told he was needed
at the hospital. On the way back to the hospital, he was hit by a drunk driver and nearly killed.
His recovery was long and difficult and a very sad part of it was that he couldn't be a surgeon.
For a while he worked in the Yale Health Center where he ministered to the needs of Yale's
varsity athletes. In 2013, I was able to track Dupe down at Fort Bragg to urge him to attend our
50th. Over about two weeks, we had several long conversations, and I learned that Dupe had
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been struggling with demons his entire life. He never imposed himself on others, and I don't
think any of us ever suspected what he was feeling. With us, he was a man of great character
and principle whom we all loved.”
We have learned that David K. King, M.D. passed away on March 21, 2006. Dr. King
received his undergraduate degree from the University of Charleston and his medical degree
from the West Virginia University School of Medicine. After completing a fellowship at the
M.D. Anderson Hospital the Tumor Institute, Dr. King relocated to Phoenix, AZ and devoted
himself to the care of those with cancer. He served as President of the Association of
Community Cancer Centers and the Arizona Division of the American Cancer Society and was
Chief of Staff, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. Dr. King served as the Principal
Investigator of the Western Regional Clinical Community Oncology Program for 23 years, and
was instrumental in developing the City of Hope Samaritan Bone Marrow Transplant Program.
Dr. King was survived by Vicki, his wife of almost 40 years, as well as a daughter, son, mother,
and brother. He touched the lives of thousands of Arizonans through his 30+ years of medical
practice and through the many hours he devoted to developing educational, outreach,
research, and cancer care programs.
Donald James Parmenter died peacefully on February 4, 2019 due to liver failure
complications from an aggressive form of lung cancer diagnosed just three days before. Don
was awarded a four-year Naval Scholarship to Yale University, where he entered as an
engineering major. During his first year he fell in love with history and changed majors and all
his life was interested in history. After graduating from Yale in 1963, he served four years in the
U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant on the USS Adroit minesweeper. During his time in the Navy he met
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and married the love of his life, Sharon Odom, in Charleston, SC on January 30, 1965. Don had
a long career in telecommunications, working for 33 years for Western Electric, AT&T, and
Lucent Technologies. His career started in Guilford, CT, where they enjoyed a rental home in
Sachem’s Head by the ocean. A few years later they moved to Columbus, OH, where they made
great friends and fell in love with tennis. Another move took them to the northwest suburbs of
Chicago, where they experienced two of the four worst winters ever in the area. Don’s final
career location was in Madison, CT, where Don and Sharon made lifelong friends and learned to
golf. He retired in 2002 and relocated to Wilmington, NC, playing golf and making great
friends. Don is survived by his wife, Sharon Odom Parmenter, his daughter, Heather
Parmenter-Watkins, a grandson, and nieces and nephews.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2020 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May-June 2020
A committee of classmates headed by Jon Larson and supported by the Class Council has
made plans for a Yale Class of 1963 San Francisco Gathering from September 28 through
October 3, 2020. The headquarters of the Gathering will be at the Tiburon Lodge in Tiburon,
CA, just across the Bay by ferry and the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Jon and his
committee have planned a wide choice of activities in and around San Francisco, and have left
plenty of time for relaxation with classmates, discussion groups, cocktails, and fine dining. The
schedule is flexible and designed so that classmates can choose and pay only for preferred
activities. More than 60 classmates and partners are already signed up and another 25 at this
date have indicated that they also hope to come. This will be a great opportunity for us to be
with old friends and to make new ones. For more details about the San Francisco Gathering
and a signup form, simply go to the Class Website, www.yale63.org. We are especially
encouraging classmates who have missed Reunions in New Haven in recent years and also our
widows to join us and reconnect in this relaxed and informal “Gathering” of classmates sharing
our bonds of history, the present, and the future.
Tom Lovejoy reports: “Interesting and challenging times: In May 2020 I was appointed
Scientific Director of George Mason University’s newly established Institute for a Sustainable
Earth. In mid- October I received the Medal of the Rio Negro from Brazil’s National Institute of
Amazon Research (INPA is the Brazilian acronym). On October 28, 2020 I was invited to speak
at a meeting of Amazon Governors at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican.”
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Eric Steele exhibited one of his sculptures at The Art Institute of Chicago during January
and February 2020. Eric writes: “Since the mid-2000’s I have produced abstract
constructions of fabricated steel, often square tubing, shaped and perforated by torch.
These metal sculptures explore the relationships between the disintegration of
urban structures and rhythms of nature – man-made climate change versus the ordinary
decay of physical things and cycles of growth and death. The specific piece in this exhibition,
Chancel Shadows, alludes to the powerful, though deteriorating, religious structures of the past
and our search to orient ourselves within the moral universe. It is part of a series called Urban
Stele."
Al Sturtevant reports that his son Charles, Yale ’01, is a Visiting Assistant Professor of
Latin American Studies at Davidson College in North Carolina, where he specializes in Political
Anthropology, Bolivia and Indigenous Politics, and Race and Ethnicity.
John Calvin Goldthwaite died on January 2, 2020 at Valley View, Goshen, NY following a
protracted illness. John graduated from Phillips Andover Academy in 1958, going on to Yale
University where he was a Scholar of the House his senior year. He graduated in 1963 and
served in the US Coast Guard reserves. John then went to New York to work at McGraw-Hill
Publishers doing editorial work. But his real love was writing, so he started free lancing. He
married Leila Davis in May of 1971 and in 1973, Jessica was born. He wrote several children’s
books for the publisher Harlin Quist. One, The Kidnapping of the Coffee Pot (under the
pseudonym, Kaye Saari), was mentioned as one of the notable kids’ books of 1975 by the New
York Times. The Natural History of Make Believe, published in 1996, won the Harvey Darton
Award 1996-1997 for the best book on an aspect of the history of British Children’s Books. In
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1999, John suffered a heart attack which left him disabled for the next 20 years, unable to
write. He is survived by his daughter, Jessica Goldthwaite, his former wife and friend, Leila
Goldthwaite, family, and many old friends.
From David Willis, ’62: “I met John freshman year in McClellan Hall and we later shared
an apartment in New York City. His curiosity about animals and the natural world, (particularly
the oddities – both in the wild and in New York City) was relentless and always most
stimulating. The following recollection from Dick Turner, ’62, illustrates this.” Dick: “In July of
'1978, my children and I had driven East to see my folks, and my son Marc and I drove up to
Cornwall-on-Hudson to see John and climb Storm King Mountain. Marc was only 7, it was a hot
day, and the mountain proved a formidable climb for someone so young (and for his out-ofshape father). Marc became fatigued and whiny. It was Goldth who turned the tide. He was
kind and empathetic in a way I'd seen when we were in college. Marc calmed right down and
listened wide-eyed as Goldth promised that if he persevered to the summit we’d see the large
airborne hawks who frequented Storm King and they would be 'something you'll have in your
memory forever, whenever you want it.' Although there were wisps of cloud beneath us when
we reached the top, there was a particularly impressive raptor swooping the thermals. Marc is
now 49 and has frequently brought the scene up over the years.” Jim Courtright adds: “I
remember John Goldthwaite from the year we were Scholars of the House, and always admired
his ability to write so very well and to comment about the possibility of writing children’s
books.”
William C. Petty, III died on January 13, 2020 of complications from pneumonia at the
University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, VT. Born in Port Chester, NY, Bill
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graduated from the Kent School in 1959 with honors and from Yale University in 1963 with a
B.A. in History. Bill was a member of the Scroll and Key Society and rowed crew at Yale all four
years. In his senior year he was Captain of the Yale Heavyweight Crew Team and his passion for
Yale crew continued throughout his life. In 2010 Bill was responsible for identifying and
recruiting Steve Gladstone, one of the premier rowing coaches in the United States, to become
Yale’s Head Crew Coach. After Yale, Bill went to the Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport,
RI. He was commissioned on November 22, 1963 and served for three years in the Navy as LTJG
on the USS Tanner and USS Shasta. After the Navy, he joined the Wall Street investment firm of
Dominick & Dominick. He then worked at Estabrook Capital Management, followed by
Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company for 12 years, then returned as a Director to Estabrook
in 1985. He retired in 2018. Bill took great pride in his family and was a loyal and caring friend
to many. He was a Trustee of Kent School, always a loyal supporter of his alma maters, and a
member of the Yale Club of New York City and the Lawrence Beach Club. Bill had a sharp
intellect and a keen sense of humor, and was a devotee of his many interests, including rowing,
music, reading, and any time spent on the water. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Nancy
(Dowling) Petty, his two sons, Jonathan C. Petty and Timothy D. Petty, and four grandchildren.
David Culver, Luke Fouke, Paul Neill, and Jon Truslow and their spouses attended a
memorial service celebrating Bill Petty’s life on February 1, 2020 at The Kent School Chapel in
Kent, Connecticut. Luke Fouke and David Culver spoke at the service reminiscing about their
60+ year friendship with Bill starting at The Kent School in 1955. A cavalcade of other speakers
told numerous stories highlighting Bill’s unique personality. Most recalled his dry, witty, and
frequently irreverent commentary about people, institutions, and topical events. And they all
4
noted his lifelong passion for Yale Crew, and observed that he didn’t mince words about people
and situations he thought were out of line, but that he was level-headed, controlled, and slow
to anger. Bill was someone you could always count on for wise counsel and advice, frequently
delivered with quaint aphorisms like C. S. Lewis’s maxim: “Integrity is doing the right thing
when no one is looking” or Mark Twain’s: “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember
anything.”
Mike Griffel writes: “Bill Petty had a way of making you feel appreciated, of listening to
your remarks and stories with the greatest of interest, of proving his kindness with deeds as
well as words. He was upbeat and hard-working, a loving family man, and a devoted friend. Bill
was strong and courageous, dealing with misfortune nobly, even with a smile on his face.” Bob
Hetherington recalls: “Rowing crew was at the center of Bill’s life at Yale. He was one of the
heavy lifters. He generated power for the boat. He was also a good teammate. His optimistic
spirit kept everyone moving forward. After Yale he kept in touch. He had a gift for friendship.”
Paul Neill writes: “I met Bill freshman year at crew tryouts, and we remained friends ever
since. In recent years we've talked regularly, and gone to some Carnegie Cup regattas in
Derby. Bill's clever wit never left him despite injuries, and if I didn't reach him by phone, there
was always a cheerful and witty message prompt.” Stan Riveles remembers: “Bill was a big
man with a big personality and an abundance of personal warmth. His blunt speech, sense of
humor, and friendship made for memorable encounters. Bill and Nancy, his wife and friend of
almost 50 years, were a great team. If they did not finish each other's sentences, they
agreeably disagreed. As stroke and Captain of the Crew our senior year, Bill was a physically
imposing figure. Yet his physical limitations in later years never seemed to diminish him or
inhibit his personality and positive outlook.”
5
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
6
Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2020 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
July-August 2020
As previously reported, a committee of classmates headed by Jon Larson had made plans for a
Yale Class of 1963 San Francisco Gathering from September 28 through October 3, 2020. More
than 50 classmates and partners had already signed up and more had indicated that they also
hoped to come. Unfortunately, the covid-19 pandemic has forced us to defer the San Francisco
Gathering until next year. We hope that 2021 will bring a San Francisco Gathering even larger
and more enjoyable than the one we had planned for this year. We will keep everyone informed
as the plans for the 2021 San Francisco Gathering develop.
Ron Crawford, Mike Koenig, Bob Kusterer, and their spouses enjoyed a mini
“Gathering” at Bob’s home in Bradenton, FL, highlighted by a Manatee river cruise on Bob’s
party boat and the consumption of local delicacies – frog and alligator.
Bob Dickie writes: “Last summer I went with Jane Harman to visit World War I
battlefields of the Somme. From one of the trench lines first breached by the British we could
see the village of Pozières, the high point in the area, and, about half a mile away, High Wood, a
large patch of forest surrounded by fields. Australia’s Eighth Infantry Battalion was tasked with
taking Pozières to save the Gordon Highlanders locked in battle at High Wood. The mission was
accomplished but not before Pozières changed hands several times. Several million tons of
ordnance landed on it, and after the battle there was no evidence other than brick dust that there
had been a village there. Ian Robertson‘s father, who was with the Gordon Highlanders, was
very severely injured at High Wood, and my grandfather’s Aussie cousin, who bore my name,
was killed at Pozières when he tried to pull a wounded mate to relative safety. The retired
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British Marine I hired to guide us said there were no bloodier battles in the War than Pozières
and High Wood. It should make us all pray for peace.”
Mike Skol reports: “I have reached a kind of milestone in my post-Foreign Service
career. Earlier this year in Bogotá, Skol & Serna and the Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
announced the formation of ‘iComplianza’ (Asociación Iberoamericana de Expertos en
Complianza y Gestión de Riesgos Legales – the ‘Ibero-American Association of Experts in
Compliance and Risk Management’), which will, inter alia, be offering courses, conferences,
and certifications for financial compliance professionals in Spain and Latin America. Skol &
Serna (a U.S.-Colombian counter-money laundering/anti-corruption services consortium) also
celebrated its 20th anniversary (the University of Salamanca is a bit older – founded in 1218).
The ‘S&S’ combine arose from a unique situation in Colombian-US relations just after my
retirement in 1996: the revelation that President Ernesto Samper had accepted campaign funding
from narco-traffickers sparked fears within the country’s banking community that Washington
could well sanction Colombian private banks as a whole. Their association (‘Asobancaria’)
hired me – both to help devise a system to insulate the banks from drug money laundering and to
convince U.S. agencies and Congressional committees that such a program was in place and
effective. My lead contact in the Association was Carlos Serna, a respected expert in bank
regulation. Once the task was successfully completed, we decided to create our own bi-national
group, which has since served clients in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America: banks and
governments as well as major corporations. To counter-money laundering, we added the anticorruption services portfolio (a special concern of mine in my last years in the State
Department). S&S also illustrates my secret formula for a second career: Find a business
partner who is 15 years younger and a workaholic. I still find time to focus some energy more
generally on two countries: Colombia, of course – rising spectacularly from the narco-guerrilla
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debacle of the last century, and Venezuela (my last overseas Foreign Service post) – today the
world’s outstanding example of how to turn a rich, democratic country into a poor, dictatorial,
criminal enterprise. Today’s politicians and voters in a number of places might well take note of
both experiences.”
Andre Fouilhoux Houston died peacefully at home on March 5, 2020 after a heroic
battle with cancer. Grandson of the renowned architect J. Andre Fouilhoux, Andre was admired
and loved by family, friends, and colleagues for his brilliant mind, his soulful understanding of
life, and his ever-present nutty and eccentric humor. Andre attended Yale University, where he
received a B.A. and M.A. summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Shortly after graduating from
architectural school, Andre joined the Peace Corps, where he designed several buildings in Iran.
Andre designed over 50 residential projects and more than a dozen religious buildings, among
them the seven-sided Wallace Presbyterian Church in College Park, MD. Before founding his
firm in 1987, Andre was an Associate at Metcalf and Associates, where he designed the
competition- and award-winning residences at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA and the
U.S. Embassy and U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Cairo. Andre also worked at Perkins and
Will in Chicago and Teheran, where he designed, among other projects, the Iranzamin School in
Teheran. Andre is survived by his wife, Annie Houston; his daughter Marianna Werth and his
son Maxwell Houston; and five grandchildren.
Doug Crowley writes: “Andy was a very private person and I am sure he would hate the
idea that his friends were writing about him. He could be outrageously loud and boisterous ,
especially after a few drinks, or withdrawn and contemplative, depending upon the situation. He
had a lively imagination, was very creative, and worked hard at Yale. Andy never abandoned his
faith, even at Yale or during a brief flirtation with Buddhism in the 1970s, and I remember him
quietly getting up and heading off to Mass at Saint Thomas More on Sunday mornings while the
3
rest of us slept off the effects of the night before. Throughout his life he devoted a good part of
his time to various good works in Washington. He had redesigned Saint Peter’s, the church
where his funeral was held on March 14, 2020. It was a truly surreal moment for us who
mourned Andy’s death, dutifully scattered around his church, as the coronavirus began its
descent on our lives.” Ridge Hall remembers: “Andy was a gifted artist, noted for his
meticulous pen-and-ink drawings of cathedrals, and a highly successful architect, focusing
mainly on residential work. After Yale he hopped on a motorcycle and traveled through Europe,
staying at the cheapest places he could find. He later served in the Peace Corps in Iran, which
produced a life-long interest in Persian art, carpets, and culture. His architecture notably brought
light and excitement into rooms – which he did in remodeling two rooms in a house Jill and I
owned in Washington for many years. His son Maxwell describes Andy’s taking him as a child
to parks to pick up trash, telling him, ‘You should always try to leave a place better than you
found it.’ In a sometimes raucous but often quiet way, that was what Andy was about.”
Crispin Wayne Thiessen passed away on January 24, 2020 at the age of 78 surrounded
by his family at his home in Sun Valley, ID. Cris is survived by his wife, Mary, three children,
and five grandchildren who adored him. Cris was born in Ohio in 1941 and his family
eventually settled in Scarsdale, New York, where he lived through high school, excelling
academically and becoming a state champion wrestler. After graduating from Yale University
with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering, he joined the U.S. Navy as a nuclear submarine
officer and was on the crew that commissioned the USS Greenling (SSN-614) in 1967. While
serving in the Navy he met his wife, Mary, and welcomed their daughter. After leaving the
Navy, Cris embarked on a successful career at Westinghouse Electric Corporation based in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and had several international postings in Brussels, Belgium, where his
twin sons were born. While proud of his many business accomplishments, what gave Cris the
4
most joy during his life was his strong marriage and watching his children and grandchildren
grow up, thrive personally and professionally, and enjoy life. When Cris was only 14, he wrote a
surprisingly introspective autobiography for his school which began with a quote from The Life
We Prize by Elton Trueblood: “A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of
human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” Cris
ended his essay by stating that he only hoped that he could become a man who would plant a
shade tree someday. For those who knew Cris, it was clear that he planted enough shade trees
during his lifetime to fill a forest.
Jim Green remembers Cris Thiessen as follows: “I met Cris in our Freshman year
during the orientation week before classes started since he lived directly above me in Durfee.
We immediately became friends, but never would have expected that friendship to last 60 years.
He was always a serious student but he loved having a good time and I do not think there was a
movie that came through New Haven during our four years there that he did not see. He was
also very serious about Naval ROTC and worked very hard to maintain his scholarship so that he
could become a Nuclear Submariner, a goal he achieved after Yale. Unfortunately, his
commitment to the Navy kept him from being my Best Man since he could not get leave soon
enough to make the wedding. Once we left Yale we went our separate ways but always stayed in
touch. After we both retired, we were able to see one another by getting together with our wives
or with our other roommates, Pete Doolittle and Gary Wilkinson and their wives for minireunions as well as all being together for our 50th. Last Summer my wife and I stopped to see
Cris and Mary in Sun Valley and spent a very enjoyable day with them at their beautiful home.
Even though Cris was still doing chemo for his pancreatic cancer, he was in great spirits and as
affable as ever and had me convinced that with that spirit and fight he would beat it.
5
Unfortunately, that was not to be, but I will always remember that last visit and the many
wonderful times we had together at Yale and through the years since.” Joe Valenta writes: “I’ll
remember Cris as my best friend at Yale at a time when we didn’t realize how influential a friend
could be to our decision-making process. We were both engineering students in the Regular
NROTC program with Naval careers ahead. The only key question for us then was, after
graduation where could one best serve? After endless fast-friend discussions, and numerous
double dates in his VW, we both decided to ‘Go Nuc’! So we flew with a dozen other
classmates to DC to interview with Admiral Rickover, and then we were duly selected! Cris’s
cool, logical, persuasive, and warm yet stalwart manner were invaluable to me during this
period. I’m honored to have been his friend, and will miss him greatly.”
Richard Eugene Willis died peacefully in his home in Brunswick, ME on January 29,
2020, in the quiet hours of the morning, having valiantly made it through the holidays for his
family. His last word was, “Love,” a word that defines him more than any other. Richard was
born on October 23, 1941 in Springfield, MA, and graduated from Springfield Classical High
School as one of the kids we called “eggheads” back in that century. Richard completed his B.A.
in History at Yale, where he was named to Phi Beta Kappa, then surged toward the great Pacific,
where his graduate advisor, in front of a class crammed with striving academicians, asked why
someone from back East would choose Stanford for his doctorate, to which Richard quipped
imperiously, “I find the weather to be quite salubrious.” Decades later, when asked by his wife
of over 30 years, who married him because of his ice-dry wit, not in spite of it, what he liked
most about his doctoral stint, he knitted his Gandalf-wild brows and said, “Might of been the pub
across from the British Museum where I ate bangers and mash every single day because my
fellowship grant housed me reasonably well but allowed few luxuries.”
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Dr. Willis, a title few were allowed to use, continuously aligned his life’s work with his
personal belief that education is a lifelong pursuit and should endow the learner with ever-greater
skills for being useful to others. His lifetime work included: Instructor, University of California
at Berkeley, 1967-1970; Assistant Professor, Tufts University, 1970-1974; History Department
Chair, Oak Grove-Coburn School, 1974-1978; Director, Division of Humanities and Sciences,
Thomas College, 1978-1985; Dean, Division of Graduate and Professional Education, Thomas
College, 1985-1991; Dean, Division of Continuing Education, Central Maine Technical College,
1991-2001; President, Mid-State College, 2001-2002; Program Director, Master of Science in
Education, St. Joseph’s College of Maine, 2002-2008; Distance/Online Faculty Member, St.
Joseph’s College of Maine, 1990-2018. He was published in various journals as well as a
bibliography of books on American and European military history. Richard was singularly
devoid of hubris, and that he vigorously eschewed both pretense and “self-puffing”. He was a
man of towering empathy and he “got” the humanity thing with a laser-sharp ability both to
recognize all that is good and honorable in people and to spot deceit and cruelty and call it out.
Richard is survived by his beloved wife and best friend, Shirley; his sons Nicholas and Jeremy;
his daughter Maria Amoroso; his stepson Mark Hunter; and his grandchildren and friends.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
7
Link to ClassNotes-Sept-Oct-2020 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
September-October 2020
Bob Dickie reports: “The American Bar Association has just published the third edition
of my book Financial Statement Analysis and Business Valuation for the Practical Lawyer, this
time with a co-author, Peter Russo. At least one previous edition was the ABA’s best seller.
Despite the title, it is not intended for insomniacs looking for a cure – indeed the ABA asked for
the movie rights, and we are told by number-haters that it is quite user-friendly. A former Chief
Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court says, ‘Best to immerse yourself deeply and without
delay’, and a former Chair of the Executive Committee of Sidley Austin calls it ‘a marvel . . .
stunningly comprehensive and sophisticated, and yet accessible and practical’.”
Tony Gaenslen’s autobiography, A Hard Road to Justice: My Life as a Renegade Lawyer,
has been published and is available on Amazon. Tony writes: “It seems ironic, to say the least,
that at the very moment that I was making my final editorial adjustments to A Hard Road to
Justice, George Floyd’s life was being squeezed out of him by a Minneapolis policeman. A Hard
Road is both a memoir of my life of social activism and a call to action to a new generation
facing challenges as great or greater than those we of the Sixties faced in the Civil Rights
movement. I was encouraged, if not pushed and shoved, into writing A Hard Road by my dear
friend Dorothy Cotton, for 17 years Director of Education for Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern
Christian Leadership Conference. ‘You’ve got to tell your story,’ Dorothy kept telling me. ‘It will
inspire others to realize that they too can take actions for positive change.’ Dorothy had never
been quite able to get over the fact that I, a Texas-born and self-identified Southerner, should
have jumped into the Civil Rights movement on graduating from Yale. I found myself in a
1
Mississippi jail for my part in a Mississippi Freedom Summer voter registration drive. In my dual
identity as a privileged white southerner and a ‘nigger lover’ ripe for killing, I am in a unique
position to speak compellingly to a new generation of young activists on the subjects of white
supremacy, lynch law (from which I escaped by the narrowest of margins), the crime of slavery,
and the sacredness of all human life. As my friend Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, philosopher and
daughter of Nigerian Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka, puts it: ‘There is a cost and you know
that cost and so it matters that people hear your voice.’ I am eager to bear the message. My
priority audiences as I get out of the starting blocks are my fellow Quakers, and students at my
alma maters, Yale University and Cornell University.”
Wally Grant writes: “I recently informed everyone in my law firm that I was retiring from
my law practice after 53 years. Following Yale, I spent a year wandering through Europe and
then attended Stanford Law School. After graduating from Stanford, I returned to my
hometown, Longmont, CO to open my law practice. The following 53 years passed quickly, and
I enjoyed each of those years. I met interesting people, undertook challenging projects, had
bright and engaging colleagues, and learned something new every day. While practicing law, I
married twice and divorced twice. My first wife, Johna, still lives near-by and we see each other
often at grandchildren’s events and holidays. We have four wonderful and bright children,
three daughters and one son, and nine grandchildren. I had a brief second marriage to a
woman with two children, a daughter and a son, whom I helped raise before, during, and after
our marriage. In addition to practicing law, I was involved in businesses ranging from a winery
to manufacturing ski bindings to farming, cattle feeding, and land development, the last three
activities with my two brothers. All of that has rewarded me with a wonderful, fulfilling, and
exciting life in a beautiful venue filled with jogging, skiing, biking, and just sitting in the sun. I
2
am now entering the next chapter of my life, retirement. I am healthy and strong, hopefully as
strong as I think I am; I think I have enough money to take care of me comfortably and leave
some for the next generation; and I intend to make the most of retirement. I love to read and
travel; I have lengthy lists of books to read or listen to, and places to visit.”
William J. Hone died peacefully on May 1, 2020 from complications of lung disease. In
8th grade, Bill moved to Salem, OH, where he met the love of his life and wife of 56 years,
Marjorie Vaughan Hone. He graduated from Yale University in 1963 with a degree in Chemical
Engineering. After two years at du Pont, he and his wife moved to New York so that he could
attend Columbia Law School. Bill found that he had a talent for and love of patent law, which
gave him the mental challenge of mixing law, technology, and good horse sense. He started his
legal career in patent litigation at Fish and Neave, was a partner at Davis Hoxie, and was a
founding Principal of Fish and Richardson. Following retirement in 2006, he continued to
pursue his passion, working as a consultant and licensing guru for several biotech firms. Among
his proudest professional achievements were obtaining the patents for PCR machines and many
of the techniques now used in Covid-19 testing. One of Bill’s favorite traditions was a Memorial
Day camping trip in the Adirondacks that he attended with friends and family for 50 years. He
loved to work on his massive Lionel train layout. He would play trains with any kid under 90
who wanted to play with him. Bill and Marge lived in Irvington, NY since 1973. Bill served as
President and Board member of Echo Hills Mental Health Clinic and as a trustee and elder of
the Irvington Presbyterian Church. Bill is survived by his wife, two sons, James Curtis (JE ’90)
and Brian Thomas, and three granddaughters.
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Avi Nelson writes: “After Bill’s passing, four of us got together via Zoom to reminisce.
Burke Jackson, Rob Lacy, Art Rettig, and I were close friends of Bill’s at Yale and remained in
contact with him and Marge through the decades. Alan Huckleberry, another one of our
group, was not on the Zoom call but remembers Bill as a gentle man with a lot of common
sense. Among the memories, we recalled how active Bill was in Jonathan Edwards College. He
worked in the Master’s office, and senior year he was the college Social Chairman, organizing
two of JE’s signature events, the Spring Sing, a convocation of Yale singing groups, and the Toga
Party (which lived up or down to its name with behavior which would not have been confused
with adulthood). Bill was a great athlete and played several intramural sports, especially touch
and tackle football. He helped JE win the touch football championship and finish in second
place for the Tyng Cup senior year. Bill courted his childhood sweetheart long-distance through
the college years; Marge went to Michigan State. In the spring of senior year, we pooled our
resources and, unbeknownst to Bill, flew Marge from Michigan to Yale. It was a complete and
successful surprise, but then the drama took an unexpected turn. Bill had borrowed Burke’s
car, and he was driving with Marge on York Street when, right below our third-floor window,
they got into an accident. Fortunately, only the car was damaged, but the accident attracted a
constabulary visit. At that time, the rules of propriety for young ladies were somewhat more
Victorian, and Marge says that she and Bill have always been grateful for the kindness of one of
New Haven’s finest in leaving her name off the accident report. So the adventure remained
unsullied and was always remembered by Bill and Marge as an incredible weekend. Marge said
that many years later she finally revealed to her mother the full details of the visit. Marge said
that her mother was not amused. (But after 57 years we still are.) Bill was a good and stalwart
friend. We are grateful for our long association with him.”
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Elton W. (“Doc”) LeHew, Jr. died on May 25, 2020. Doc came to Yale from Guthrie, OK.
He was married after freshman year to Jan Fife, from whom he was divorced in 1989. They had
one child, Lisa. Doc practiced as a psychiatrist in Pensacola, FL, New Canaan, CT, and Naples,
FL. He wrote, “I have been privileged to work in a very exciting profession and help a lot of sick
folks.” In 2014 Doc married Terrie Van Lengen, who tragically predeceased him.
Jud Calkins writes: “I met Oklahoma’s own Doc LeHew at the close of eighth grade at
Camp Lincoln, a summer sports offering in Minnesota. He was there for basketball, I for
football, lured in part by Doc’s fellow Oklahoman, Bud Wilkinson, then making Sooner history in
the sport. Doc was lean, slow-talking, always with a smile, same as at Yale. Curiously, I noted,
he walked on his toes, explaining that it was for calf development to help his lift on the
basketball court. Our jaws mutually dropped when we met on the Old Campus in 1959. I can’t
recall now whether he was still walking on his toes, but he remained the same gentle,
thoughtful, intelligent classmate that we all came to know.” Joe Lastowka remembers: “Doc
was one of those who truly enjoyed those ‘Bright College Years’. As Phi Gamma Delta brothers
and residents of Saybrook College we enjoyed great parties and savored our participation in
intercollege sports, including the basketball team’s part in Saybrook’s Tyng Cup championship.
Doc could shoot. I could rebound. There was never any question that Doc, the son of a
Oklahoma doctor, would be anything other than a Doc himself, even if it took a summer session
at the University of Colorado to nail down the science premed prerequisites – and to perfect
the techniques there of home brew long before today's microbrewery craze, with the help of
our classmates Bob Bradshaw and George Hillman. In ‘after years’ my wife Frankie and I had
the pleasure of spending time with Doc and the three women in his life, his first wife Jan, then
5
his special friend Diane, and most recently his very recently departed second wife Terrie on
many occasions at our home or at Yale reunions that Doc never missed. Always a great time!
Classmate Dick Malone and his wife Pat were always a part of these get-togethers. In those
after years, stuff often was happening. I valued Doc’s help and guidance on family medical
issues. I was pleased to offer my help with some of his legal issues. For certain, time and
change could naught avail to break our friendship formed at Yale.” Dick Malone remembers:
“Doc, Jon Nusbaum, Bob Kaye, and I met the summer before Yale at the National High School
Institute at Northwestern, became good friends, and agreed to room together if we were all
accepted to Yale. That sure made it easier walking onto the Old Campus our freshman year.
While not as often as we wanted, whenever we got together, especially at our Reunions, it was
as though we were back at Saybrook or the Phi Gam house.” Dick Moser recalls: “I met Doc
when he and I were lab partners in Physics our sophomore year. Almost nothing we did in the
lab made any sense to me and Doc happily carried me through the experience. On the other
hand, he had trouble with the exams, and I was able to help him there. Between the two of us
we managed to pass. Doc was ‘Doc’ even back then and knew exactly where he was headed
after Yale. A solid friend, a good guy to his core. In our later years I looked forward to seeing
Doc at Class Reunions and at our San Francisco mini-reunions, both of which he attended.
There was something about Doc’s joy in being with classmates, his insouciance, and his general
openness that made him fun just to be around. I can't fail to mention that, thanks to rigorous
lifelong use of Retin-A, he was the youngest-looking guy in the Class. I was envious.” Jon
Nusbaum writes: “Two remembrances of Doc will always be with me: his ability to laugh at
himself and his caring for others. In spite of his own health issues and personal tragedies, his
observations of life in assisted living were more than a little amusing. He never failed to ask
6
about my own health issues. Probably why he was such a good psychiatrist.” Chris Reaske
recalls: “Doc LeHew was a great guy with what seemed an ever-present smile for all of us in
Saybrook. I loved his Southern accent; the cadences of his speech were just so welcoming.
When I learned of his passing, his smile was right there as if we were back in the dining hall.”
Dave Winebrenner writes: “Several years ago Doc was extremely helpful to my son Andy, who
had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Doc reached out to Andy and gave him an uplifting
second opinion, which made a great difference to him. I know Doc was devastated by the
recent death of his bride Terrie, with whom he had a wonderful relationship.”
Barrett (“Barry”) Morgan passed away peacefully from complications related to Covid19 on April 17, 2020. Born in Worcester, MA in 1939, Barry was a lifetime resident of that city.
He attended the Bancroft School and Milton Academy before attending Yale University.
Following his graduation from Yale, he returned to Worcester to pursue a Master’s degree in
geography at Clark University. It was at Clark that Barry met his wife, Mahroo. Upon
completion of her degree, Mahroo returned to her home in Iran, and Barry happily followed.
They were soon married, and Barry delighted in the years that they spent living in Iran,
embracing the people, language, culture, and history of the region. In Iran, Barry worked for an
American engineering company conducting geological prospecting in the southeastern desert
of the country, where his team discovered a significant water source that subsequently
irrigated large new farmlands in the region. He forged lifelong friendships there as well as in
England, where he had also lived for a period. In the late 1960’s, Barry and Mahroo moved
back to Worcester with their young daughter Anna Mitra, and soon thereafter their son Ralph
Tavakolian was born. Barry joined the David Clark Company, a maker of high-altitude aviation
7
and industrial protection equipment, and later purchased the company with several
colleagues. He spent 30 years working at David Clark, contributing to its recognition as one of
the international leaders in its field. Throughout his life Barry was an ardent supporter of
Worcester’s civic and cultural institutions, including the Worcester Arts Museum, Arts
Worcester, the Russian Museum of Icons, and Music Worcester. An avid collector of ceramics,
Barry even tried his hand at the potting wheel in classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts,
where he was President of the Board. A consummate extrovert, Barry relished vigorous and
wry conversation, and was never happier than when out and about visiting with family and
friends. He took great interest in foreign lands and cultures, and traveled with purpose as an
ethnographer rather than a mere tourist. Barry is survived by his wife, Mahroo (Tavakolian), his
daughter Anna Mitra, his son Ralph Tavakolian, five grandchildren, and a generation of young
relatives who will miss their beloved and fun-loving “Baba”, as he was affectionately known.
Ridge Hall recalls: “the overriding image that comes up when I think of Barry is his
exuberance. He took a palpable joy in people and friendships. One of his children has
described Barry as ‘the consummate extrovert’, and that captures Barry exactly. He was such a
source of positive energy that I later wished that I could have bottled some of it for needed
uplifts in the years that followed our times together at Yale.” Stallworth Larson writes: “Barry
was up for travel and adventure. As graduation approached, Barry suggested a drive to the
Panama Canal and I said sure. At one point we rushed to get to the bull ring in Mexico City and
just made it before the first corrida. I turned around to hail a beer man, and down the steps
came Charlie Cheney, who joined our expedition. Barry was our guide and driver and took us
to interesting places like Tikal in Guatemala. This was an adventure, and I have always been
8
grateful to Barry for putting it together and including me.” Bobby Power recalls: “The summer
before our senior year Barry and I drove throughout Northern Europe. He was, as usual,
excellent company, very level-headed, knew a ton about the places we were visiting, and
definitely was ready for some wild times! After Yale, he had an amazing knack for engaging in
unusual projects which turned out fortuitously to be home runs for him. A mark I think of his
excellent judgment.” Fred Schneider writes: “I first met Barry at our 35th Reunion, but we
became good friends quite quickly. He had a great sense of humor and carried the weighty
responsibilities he had from his family's long-established position in Worcester, MA with grace
and dedication, supporting its many important eleemosynary institutions with wisdom, energy,
and benefactions. His philanthropy was legion, matched only by his devotion to family, friends,
and two beloved dogs, one named Eli.” John Tuteur adds: “Vee and I were fortunate to be part
of Barry's California connection while he was at the Monterey Language Institute many moons
ago. Barry’s energy and humor helped to make his roommates' time at Yale exciting.”
R. Bruce Sampsell died on May 22, 2020. He was in good health and was mowing his
lawn, hurrying to beat an oncoming rainstorm, when he fell, tumbled down a slope, and landed
very hard on the back of his head. He was rushed to the UNC Hospital’s ER, where CT scans
revealed severe injuries to his skull and brain. He survived under Home Hospice care for four
days before dying peacefully. After graduating from Yale, Bruce went on to the Harvard
Business School. It was a great fit, and the case study method prepared him for the challenges
he faced throughout his career. Beginning in 1969, he held a variety of management and staff
positions with Quaker Oats in Chicago, finally serving as President of their Fisher-Price Toy
Division in Buffalo. Before retiring in 1990, he was Vice Chairman and COO at First Empire State
9
Corporation in Buffalo. Bruce had many interests and brought much to life, but the greatest joy
of his life was his marriage of over 50 years to his beloved Bonnie, who survives him at the
home they built in Chapel Hill, NC. All who knew him will miss his intelligence, his wit, his
knowledge, his ability to cut through massive information, organize it, analyze it, formulate a
sound action plan based on it, and to say in one sentence what would take many people five
sentences to say.”
Doug Dyckes remembers: “Bruce, Cameron Smith, and I roomed together for three
years in Silliman College. He was the catalyst who brought us together. Cameron and I had not
previously met, but Bruce somehow recognized that we would all get along well. The fact that
we stayed together for all three years was a tribute to his ability to assess the aspects of
character that made us compatible. Although we were different in our interests and
experiences, we all got on well and readily supported one another. Bruce’s sharp sense of
humor, and his ability to suggest logical and reasonable compromises when we did have
differences of opinion, were certainly major factors too. This is not to say that Bruce was not
competitive. One only had to play squash with him to see just how keenly engaged he could
become in a ‘friendly’ game. But in the end it always was friendly, and win or lose, regardless
of any trash talk that may have preceded or followed the match, it remained only a game. The
same spirit, plus his relatively slender build, served Bruce and our crew well during his years as
coxswain of the Silliman intramural eight. Cameron and I, as oarsmen, had lots of opportunities
to observe his competitiveness as he would exhort us all to ‘pick it up’ nearing the finish of a
grueling race. It worked; he steered and cheered us to many more victories than defeats.”
Cameron Smith writes: “For many years Bonnie and Bruce sent Seymour and me Christmas
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letters detailing their activities. The main focus was trips and studies, following their shared
interest, Egyptology. They didn’t just take tours. Their work resulted in papers, culminating in
one, I think, on the identity of a mummy in an Indiana museum. This ‘deep dive’ opened
memories of late nights at Yale, often after the heat had been turned off, during which Bruce,
Doug Dyckes, and I labored over assignments that often appeared to be impossible to finish
before the upcoming morning’s classes. Bruce was usually the one who kept us going – ‘Why
are you getting ready to go to bed so early, weenie? You’ve got to get it right!’ My Yale
experience includes some more pleasant memories, but ‘getting it right under pressure’ is a
value that I credit Bruce and Yale with giving me.”
James H. (“Shamus”) Weber died of Covid-19 on April 1, 2020. A teacher for over 50
years, he believed that the years he spent at Yale were a true and solid springboard for his life’s
work. Shamus realized even as a freshman that the 1960’s marked a golden age at Yale
because it harbored an abundance of glittering minds whose work was so important that it
continues to influence their respective fields today. He felt lucky to have had several of them as
his teachers: Robert Fagles for freshman English, Larry Richardson for classical languages,
William Wimsatt for English and literary theory, Vince Scully for art history, and Robert Engman
for art and sculpture. Although Shamus took a leave of absence his junior year, he courted and
married his childhood sweetheart Cynthia during that break and returned to Yale to graduate in
1965. He began teaching that fall at Millbrook School for Boys in Millbrook, New York, and later
taught at Westover School for Girls in Middlebury, Connecticut. His influence as a teacher was
no less profound than that of the great teachers he had been privileged to have at Yale. Many
of his students maintained contact and became good friends. His wit and wisdom evidently
11
influenced students even beyond his knowing. One such student e-mailed his family a week
after his death to say that Shamus’s advice from 25 years ago was now helping her cope with
the Covid-19 crisis. She had gone to Shamus in tears and was so overwhelmed with her life that
she was planning to leave school. He had quietly handed her his handkerchief and said: ‘When
one is overwhelmed, you simply handle one whelm at a time. Eventually, you will be
underwhelmed.’”
Gus Foster writes: “Shamus, my sophomore roommate at Jonathan Edwards, and
Cynthia were my dear friends for decades and because we lived a continent apart, we did not
see each other very often. They were both great cooks and great diners and whole weekends
were spent at their table talking art, literature and words in the English language. He was one
of a kind and will be sorely missed.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
12
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2020 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
November-December 2020
Susan Bauchner, the widow of our classmate Burt Bauchner, wrote poems each
week during the early months of the pandemic. She also wrote a haiku which was published in a
small book called Haiku of Sheltering. It reads as follows:
green grass calls to me
‘don your mask, come out and play,
spring is here at last’”
Allan Chapin relates: “Since retirement is illegal in my family but was becoming
imminent at Sullivan & Cromwell, I accepted an offer to become a partner of Lazard in 2000. I
left there to work at a boutique, thinking life was too short to work with the new management. I
continued to traverse the Atlantic and sat on the Boards of what is now ABI-Inbev, Kering (the
parent company of Gucci), and SCOR (a French reinsurance company). Now, while I continue
to do deals, I devote a lot of time to the French-American Foundations here and in France,
Aperture Foundation and the Pompidou Foundation in France, which specializes in Alzheimer’s.
The latter is my anchor to windward. But so far I remain sane (I think – although the world has
gone mad) and pretty healthy. I have a wonderful and beautiful Swedish partner who will tell
me when I’m not. We have been together quite a few years and she’s the love of my life. Never
too late. I have three sons and two daughters and three grandsons so far. The grandsons are all
nearby. We had two of them for a backyard camping trip last weekend. Covid has us upstate in
Claverack, NY pretty much full time. My forays to NYC have convinced me that the City does
not exist at the moment. Not sure when it will again. And transatlantic travel is impossible. The
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U.S. passport prevents you from going almost everywhere. I haven’t been away from Europe so
long since Yale.”
Michael Gates Gill shares: “Several years ago, I was happily surprised to meet Claire,
the greatest love of my life. Her children and grandchildren were living out in San Francisco by
the sea. It seemed like the place where we should be. Last October we got an apartment we call
Seagill perched on a hill in Sausalito above San Francisco Bay. When the pandemic arrived, and
the command to shelter in place was given – it felt to us like we were in a little bit of Heaven.
We can see the sun rise over the Bay in the morning and the moon shine over the hills at night.
Such shared sights when you are in love at this strange time become a rare delight.”
Becky Griffith, the widow of our classmate Walker Griffith, writes: “My bridge
groups have continued to play during the pandemic. We sterilized the cards and of course we
use hand sanitizer. It has kept us engaged and that is so important to us as most live alone. This
has kept us able to chat and laugh. Many of our friends think we are crazy!”
Bob Hanson reports: “Having been forced to stay home since the beginning of the
pandemic, I started and finished writing a book. I had long considered doing this, but never had
the time or inclination to sit down and commit myself to the effort. The book is entitled Wind in
My Face, Sun at My Back: Recollections on 50 Years of International Big Game Hunting. The
book, once photos are added, will run to about 250 pages. While it will never be included in the
pantheon of the many scholarly tomes written by our classmates, it was fun to write, and to
vicariously relive the many hunting experiences of the last half-century – most of them shared
with my wife.”
John Impert relates: “My pandemic experience was coming down with the
coronavirus. In the two weeks prior to the onset of symptoms on June 27, 2020, I had made a
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trip to Long Island from Seattle on Delta Airlines. The terminals in Seattle and JFK were largely
deserted, and the aircraft was less than 50% occupied. Everyone wore masks. Once on Long
Island, there were few people at the Atlantic or bay beaches. No one else in my family has
evidenced any symptoms of Covid-19, before or since. Not only do I not know how I was
infected, but I do not seem to have been much of a “spreader”. My symptoms, lasting six days,
included fatigue, occasional low grade fever, a dry cough, and the loss of my sense of smell
(which has slowly returned over the past month). I feel fine. I was lucky to have had a mild
case, and I should enjoy some degree of immunity going forward.”
Dick Moser writes: “Pre-pandemic, Donna and I were making tentative plans to move to
Portland, OR, where our housing dollar could go a lot farther. After the pandemic arrived, we
realized that we weren't all that comfortable with going through with a move under pandemic
conditions. In May I decided to apply to become a contractor with Amazon for delivery
services. Got accepted, started my company, and started the complex process of getting trained
to do the work, getting licenses, getting insurance, finding vendors, etc. I'm well into that now,
expecting to launch the business in the September/October time frame. The biggest challenge, I
think, will be finding, hiring, training, managing, and retaining a workforce of (eventually) 70 to
100 delivery drivers. That will draw more on leadership skills developed in the Marine Corps
than on skills learned in business school. Despite the prospect of 12-15 hour days and seven-day
weeks for a few months until I'm up and running smoothly (and profitably, one hopes), I'm
excited about starting a new business. Keeps the old synapses active. Now if the old body can
just keep up!”
Lea Pendleton recounts: “My partner Linda and I decided to extend our winter stay in
Naples, FL until mid-June after watching the news stations report that Massachusetts was turning
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red with daily increases in Covid-19 numbers. Then we made a reservation on JetBlue. A
couple of weeks later, JetBlue canceled. This was not good. How should we get home? We had
good friends who were considering taking a charter jet flight with two other couples. We started
talking about how elegant it might be: a brand new Cessna Citation Latitude. Lots of ‘you only
live once’ (and we wanted to continue living once), so we joined our friends. On the appointed
day, the gates of the small airport in Naples opened automatically and we drove out on the
tarmac to our plane. The pilot and co-pilot greeted us, took our luggage, no security, only
pleasantness and ease. When we were aloft, one of our group, a former flight attendant, served
up some very good wine and elegant snacks. In three hours we were at the small Beverly, MA,
airport, having been whisked home on smooth, non-Covid air.”
Fred Schneider recounts: “During late March and early April 2020 I biked around
Manhattan between 30th and 96th Streets and between the Hudson and the East Rivers to take
photographs of the relatively deserted streets and almost empty well-known places, at the time so
very different from the usual vibrancy of New York City. This was a change from using my
bicycle for the last 40 years as my primary means of transportation in the City, but in March and
April there was little reason to be going anywhere by bike or otherwise with almost everything
closed down. I e-mailed images of my weekly masked rides to folks both here and abroad under
‘Subject’ headings like ‘The Bike Bandit Rides Again’ and ‘The Bike Bandit Hits Midtown.’”
Joe Valenta reports: “When life began to change with the virus, I did some of the usual
home projects like cleaning the garage and weeding and re-barking the yard, both long overdue.
Then I settled on books. I’m active in a group that is like a book-of-the-month club, but due to
the pandemic we canceled our meetings. Then we started holding them on Zoom, and we’ve had
4
several enjoyable sessions. We’re feeling very good about ourselves now, and our attendance
has shot up in the process. We are not sure we'll ever return to our regular meetings.”
Ed Whitcraft reports: “I wake up with nothing to do, and by the time I go to bed, it is
only half done.”
Harold F. (“Pete”) Doolittle, Jr. died on May 6, 2020 from Lewy Body dementia with
complications from Covid-19. Pete was born on November 25, 1941. Five weeks later, his
family moved to Bennington, VT, where Pete’s father managed the EverReady Battery Plant. As
a fourth grader at Lincoln School in Lakewood, OH, Pete met Lory (Lorena) Chaney, who would
become his wife in 1963. Pete graduated from Yale University with a degree in Industrial
Engineering, and received a Master’s in Business from the University of Chicago Business
School in 1965. Upon Pete’s graduation, Lory and Pete headed for the Island of Mauritius,
where Pete worked for two years for the Development Bank of Mauritius, helping to diversify
the economy of Mauritius. In 1967 the couple went north to study and travel in Europe for
several months. On their return to the US, Pete held a series of corporate jobs before the couple
moved to Greenville, ME, where Pete helped the J. M. Huber Corporation develop land holdings
around Moosehead Lake. Pete’s corporate career included consulting positions and corporate
administration with several large companies, consulting firms, and private equity firms. In 1999,
Pete was approached by two co-workers to form Clearview Capital, a private equity firm
currently located in Stamford, CT. Pete retired from the firm in 2011. Pete spent an active life
hiking, biking, skiing, playing tennis, learning languages, rehabbing houses, and traveling. He
loved riding his Kubota tractor over his Vermont fields, herding sheep, and chopping wood.
Pete’s keen financial abilities provided him and Lory with opportunities to support cultural and
educational institutions, housing and land preservation projects. Thanks to the care of his loving
family and the fine staff at Carleton Willard in Bedford, MA, Pete was able to live a secure and
5
comfortable end of life. Pete is survived by his wife of 57 years, his sons Andrew M. and Peter
C., and six grandchildren.
Jim Green recalls: “Pete was one of the first people I met at Yale since he lived right
upstairs in Durfee with Cris Thiessen and we became friends during our orientation week. I
remember Pete as someone who was easy to get to know and could always be counted on as a
true and loyal friend. We spent a lot of time together during our four years since we roomed
together in Sophomore and Junior years. We also shared the same major, Industrial
Administration, and were fraternity brothers in Phi Gamma Delta. After Yale we went our
separate ways but through the years we got together with our wives for mini-reunions with Cris
Thiessen and Gary Wilkinson and had a great time sharing a house for our 50th. Being together
for our 50th will always be a special memory since it was the last time we were together.”
Troy Murray writes: “In Saybrook College, I admired Pete’s energy, enthusiasm, and
occasionally impish sense of humor. We reconnected at our Class’s 50th Reunion, and not too
long ago Pete, Lory, and I had lunch together at Carleton Willard, where he still showed a great
deal of that familiar spark.”
Gary Wilkinson recalls: “Pete's intellect, curiosity, kindness, and keen sense of humor formed
an immediate bond that evolved into a lifelong friendship. Along with our two suitemates, Jim
Green and Cris Thiessen, post-graduation get-togethers included his marriage to Lory Chaney in
August 1963, a mini-reunion at Cris’s house in Sun Valley, ID, a fall visit to Pete and Lory’s
house in Addison, VT on Lake Champlain, and of course our 50th at a rental house in East
Branford, as well as biking wine country in California.”
Harvey Gardère Gleason died at home surrounded by loving family on June 24, 2020.
Harvey graduated from Metairie Park Country Day School in 1959, Yale University in 1963, and
Tulane University School of Law in 1966. During the Vietnam War he served our country as a
6
Captain in the United States Marine Corps stationed in Da Nang. After his service he began a
maritime law career at Chaffe McCall Phillips Toler and Sarpy, and retired from Eustis O’Keefe
& Gleason. He was a member of the London Maritime Club, Boston Club, and several Mardi
Gras organizations. A lifelong Episcopalian, he was a parishioner of Trinity Episcopal Church,
New Orleans, where over the years he engaged in worship, Bible study, and prayer groups. His
love of prayer translated into a ministry in his retirement and during his cancer treatments and
decline. Harvey loved working in his workshop and created a multitude of beautiful prayer
boxes which he freely gave to his many friends, relatives, doctors, and nurses. Harvey loved
trees and walks in the woods. He played the Marine Corps Hymn on his bagpipes. Even as
cancer grew and severe fatigue and weakness set in, his barrel-chested voice echoed the poetic
verse, “Let us then be up and doing.” Harvey leaves his wife of 53 years, Mary Frances Mears
Gleason; children John Harvey Gleason, Mary Elaine Leverich Gleason, Edward Campbell
Gleason, and Laura Gardère Crawford; five grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and
friends to whom he was deeply attached.
Tom Bailey writes: “As Yale classmates, fellow Marine officers, and Vietnam veterans,
Harvey and I shared many a ‘sea story’ over the years. What I remember most in recent years is
that the essence of almost every conversation we had focused on his concern for the wellbeing
and comfort of others. Oh, but to hear him play just one more time the Marine Corps Hymn on
bagpipes! Semper Fi!”
David Boren remembers: “Harvey Gleason was a true gentleman. What I most remember about
Harvey is his kindness. He never said an unkind word to anyone or about anyone. He was a
caring friend who always had the time to listen to the concerns of others and to offer an
encouraging word. While he had a quiet manner, he had a keen sense of humor. He often
chuckled. He saw the funny side of life and helped others see it too.” Jim Courtright recalls:
7
“Harvey readily shared his views and his love of his family. When in Wisconsin some years
ago, he warmly invited me to a family gathering at the nearby Episcopal seminary where his son
had started preparation for a successful ministry. Harvey and I were in regular phone contact
over the last 20 years, often with conversations sprinkled with humor. Among the wide range of
topics we discussed, some covered his cancer treatment and the possible prognosis. More
recently, when new chemotherapies at VA hospitals for Agent Orange related cancers became
available to veterans, he wanted me to make sure this information would be shared with the
Class. I have honored this promise.”
Tom Hartch remembers Harvey as “cheerful, intelligent, a Southern gentleman, who often
shared an amusing story. At the 50th Reunion, we had a long talk over dinner in the Commons.
As usual, he was insightful and voiced a strong moral compass.”
William Howard Holme died on May 29, 2020 at Newtown Rehabilitation and Health
Care Center in Newtown, CT. Bill was an Eagle Scout and a 1963 magna cum laude graduate of
Yale. He was proud to be a Mason at the former Bethel, CT Eureka Lodge, a member of the
Bethel United Methodist Church, a member of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Western
Connecticut Chapter, and a volunteer with the Bethel Public Library. An electrical engineer, Bill
worked for various companies, usually in the defense or space industry, including working on the
Hubble Space Telescope with Perkin Elmer. Bill is survived by two daughters, Kristin Borsch
and Suzanne McCloskey, and five grandchildren.
Tim Holme writes: “Known to classmates as ‘Willy’, Bill was my first cousin. His dad
was my dad’s brother. He taught at the Naval Academy and hoped that I would matriculate
there. My dad taught at Yale and hoped that Bill would join me there. We won and Bill became
a Yalie. A group of us joined together in the Spring of 1960 and went to Calhoun. Joining Bill
and me were Roger Emrich, Todd Tucker, Don Parmenter, and Hugh Hunt. Sadly, our six
8
are now only Todd and me. That was ancient history, of course, but a photo of Bill with Todd
and me in the Calhoun section of the Class Book is a reminder of good times and friendship.”
Douglas George Kalesh, M.D. passed away on January 23, 2020. After graduating from
Yale College in 1963, Doug received his M.D. from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in
1968. Following service as a Major in the Army, he developed a practice in obstetrics and
gynecology in Washington, DC. In our 25th Reunion Class Book in 1988, Doug reported that
“there has been the privilege to witness life, death, reproduction, marriage, divorce and gender
roles. Embroiled in all this, I somehow forgot to marry and have children.” In our 50th Reunion
Class Book in 2013, Doug related that he was retiring from the practice of medicine after 37
years in private practice, and that he had “spent 12 years trying to learn the intricacies of
ballroom and swing dancing, as well as the joys and passions while in the arms of Terpsichore.”
Andy Barclay remembers Doug Kalesh as follows: “I met Doug Sophomore year in
Berkeley. We would eat lunch frequently over the years, mainly because he was one of the
funniest people I ever met, and his conversation often broke up the entire table. On Sundays, we
were part of a group that met to watch the Giant games. He was an avid fan of the Giants and
had a lot to say about the play-by-play. Often, we would turn down the sound and allow Doug to
narrate the game because he was better than the network color announcer. At other times he was
thoughtful and serious and had some profound insights into world affairs and affairs of the heart
which we all appreciated. We maintained a correspondence over the years, and when I didn't
hear back from him, I knew he had to be experiencing serious health issues. My biggest regret is
that I never got to see him dance, because the concept of Doug Kalesh ballroom dancing, I mean,
seriously Doug?”
Michael Freeland relates: “Doug and I were good friends during our Freshman year. Both of
us were Bursary boys at Commons, we both came from backgrounds that seemed out of place to
9
us, and we both enjoyed good personal relationships with the staff that ran Commons, especially
our immediate supervisor, Janet. We were not the easiest guys to manage, but Janet put up with
us and over time we became her friends.”
Mike Skol remembers: “Doug Kalesh was one of my two Freshman roommates in Bingham
(1127). That he was from Brooklyn and of Lebanese Christian heritage, and the third (Bob
Vollero) was New Haven Italian, was my grand introduction to what we now call ‘diversity’.
We actually had great fun riffing on our clashing cultures (and, frankly, in language which
would not be tolerated these days.) Good times, good friends, but other interests (in my case,
WYBC, and the move, with different roommates, to Trumbull) led us apart. I saw very little of
Doug since 1959-60. One Reunion, as I recall. But I do think of him whenever I see Lebanon in
the news and wonder how he was affected by that tragedy (he was rightly proud of his heritage).”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
10
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2021 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
January-February 2021
Basil Cox writes: “We have been seeing a lot of Tingle and Richard Barnes,
virtually and at their wonderfully bucolic farm just outside of Pittsburgh, the pandemic
notwithstanding. Since none of us are hanging out in bars, we figure we can safely gather with
nodding acknowledgment to appropriate Covid social behavior. Often the conversation turns to
Italy, with memories of our last trip there. We’re still ordering wine shipments from tiny
vineyards in the hills, savoring memories of both classic and surprising southern Italian cooking.
Best example of the latter would be an amazing meal in Naples cooked as the Romans would
have, including wine which had been aged in amphoras. Of course the scenery on the Amalfi
Coast was stunning. Tiny roads can make for slow travel, so best in Spring or Fall. The trip was
put together for 15 Pittsburghers by Marco Scapagnini of Niche Italy, who has never failed to
create a uniquely wonderful itinerary.”
Lowell Dodge reports the dedication of a small grove of old-growth redwoods to his
grandchildren under a Save the Redwoods League program raising funds to help preserve what
remains of California’s unprotected stands of redwoods and sequoia. A containment line near
Portola Redwood State Park halted the Big Basin wildfire a mile short of the grove, but the
ongoing fires pose a long-term threat to the ecosystems that sustain these giants. At home in
Colorado, Lowell and his wife Diane recently won a Boulder County award for implementing a
wildlife habitat restoration project on their acreage near Longmont. The project includes
extensive plantings of native trees and understory shrubs to support local populations of fox,
bear, raccoon, river otter, bobcat, rabbit, and coyote as well as the more common and mixed
blessings of squirrel, deer, and elk. Lowell says it’s been an adjustment to shift from mowing
1
everything in sight so it looks like the groomed eastern lawns he grew up with to returning it to
the wild as home to insects, mice, voles, and other critters that a variety of species, notably owls
and hawks, feed on. When he is not on his tractor or tinkering with his low-tech irrigation
system, Lowell retreats to woodworking, recently taking on the build-out of the interior of a
newly completed boathouse, a project that consumed the entirety of a large dead walnut tree he
had milled, or makes bread with wild yeast and flour from ancient grains. He and Diane
continue to make grants from their family fund to support early learning and related initiatives
addressing inequities in opportunity facing children in low-income communities.
Jonathan Nusbaum relates: “For the past year I have served on the board of advisors
for the local Salvation Army unit. As a retired surgeon, I recognized the need for respite care,
and the local unit has one of the few in centers for such care in the northeastern United States. I
have found that the bulk of the clients receive care so that family members can stay employed.
The current Covid crisis has curtailed the number of clients who can be served, as only home
visits are allowed. Once the facility reopens, the center can serve 30 clients a day. Our current
location is on the south side of Lancaster, OH, and we are seeking a new facility on the west side
closer to the majority of our client base, which will double capacity, decrease transportation
needs, and provide increased services. The monthly cost is currently $1,480 per person per
month as opposed to $4,850 for assisted living, not to mention the benefits of increased
socialization and continuing to live in familiar surroundings with the support of family
members. At present, transfer to an assisted living facility can be postponed for an average of
two years – a yearly saving of almost $20,000. Hopefully the increased services can further
increase this interval.”
2
Jerry Sugihara reports: “After 40 years, I was planning on retiring from my nephrology
practice, but was contacted by the local Blue Cross about helping to develop a chronic kidney
disease education program for them. Hawaii has a very high rate of kidney disease, especially
among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. There are also a very limited number of
nephrologists in the State so we are providing much needed infrastructure. We now have a nurse
practitioner, nurse, social worker, dietician, and psychologist on our team to help guide patients
along a very complicated pathway. I feel we are really making a difference in their outcomes.
Long term I would like to expand the program across the State by utilizing telemedicine.”
Gurney Williams writes: “Like at least several of us, I’m writing my own obituary
during these Covid months, with nostalgia and graveyard humor. Some of us will remember the
soft-spoken, gentlemanly philosopher, Brand Blanshard. We were lucky to attend his lectures,
because they were among his last. He retired during our Sophomore year. His final large class
ended with just the right quotation, from Socrates: ‘The life unexamined is not worth living.’
Now, after more than half a century as a journalist, I have examined and written about many
lives. My turn. One robust source for inspiration is the poet Walt Whitman, who was a close
friend of my great grandfather, Francis Churchill Williams. ‘Do I contradict myself?’ Whitman
asked. ‘Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.’ I am lean, and my
brain lately has probably lost a multitude of neurons and glial cells, but my thoughts and writing
contain millions of contradictions. In contrast with Whitman’s grandiosity, humorist James
Thurber taught me how to laugh in death’s dark face with just a few simple words. Early in his
life, as a newspaper reporter, he wrote perhaps the best-ever first sentence for an obituary.
‘Dead.’ Next paragraph, ‘That’s what the man was when they found him with a knife in his back
in front of Riley’s saloon at the corner of 52nd and 12th streets. . . .” Here’s my tentative
beginning: ‘Alive.’ Next paragraph, “That’s what Gurney Williams wasn’t on [date tk] after
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living [tk] years of abundant love, laughter, mistakes, and adventures.”’ When the time comes,
my family will send the final iteration to The Rye Record, my hometown paper. It will be in the
third person, but under my byline. I hope a beautiful and smart woman will edit me.”
Paul Neill died on September 7, 2020. Paul was born in East Orange, NJ in 1941, and
raised in Short Hills. Following his graduation from Yale University, Paul proudly served in the
U.S. Marine Corps during the years preceding and including the Vietnam War. He earned his
MBA from NYU and Rutgers University, and had a lengthy career in corporate management
before running his own consulting firm until his retirement. Beyond his degrees, his service, and
his professional accomplishments, Paul’s crowning achievement is his half-century marriage to
his soulmate, Lillian, who survives him. Their love and devotion serves as both foundation and
model to his beloved children Kimberly and Brian. It was in his retirement that Paul’s varied
talents and interests flourished – as historian to Christopher, jokester to Sean, shark hunter to
William, homework helper to Aiden, storyteller to Jaxson, and the primary subject of Nora’s
most-admired artwork. Paul was a voracious reader, often juggling multiple novels while not
missing a page of the New York Times. He loved classical music, rugby, sailing, and the
beaches of Cape Cod. He often returned to Yale with his children and grandchildren for football
games each Fall, and enjoyed attending crew races with his long-time friend and classmate Bill
Petty. He was smart, yet humble. He was dignified, yet quiet. He was a confident speaker, yet
even better listener. He was generous with his time and attention. He was patient and he was
kind. He will be missed by many, and remembered fondly by many, many more.
Paul Field remembers Paul Neill as follows: “It was dreary winter of our junior year. In
a moment that perhaps changed the course of Paul’s life, I was hurrying out of Silliman, past
Paul. He asked where I was going in such a hurry. ‘Free beer and John Wayne movies! At the
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Navy ROTC building!’ ‘Oh, boy! I’m in!’ He immediately joined me, Pete Roman, and others
for a terrific string of boozy Wednesday nights with the Marine unit. And although I don’t think
we had thought much about our military service, in 1964 we found ourselves USMC officers
cruising the coast of Viet Nam.” Peter Roman writes: “My favorite memory of Paul Neill is
from my wedding in 1966. It was a military wedding in dress white uniforms and Paul was
circulating among the guests at the reception being his usual pleasant and amiable self. Then the
thought struck him (as he told me later) that it might be fun to declare it an old Marine Corps
tradition to drink wedding toasts from a helmet. His field gear was in his car, so he went and got
his helmet and filled it up with a few bottles of champagne. I still have a 6x8 color picture of
Sally, my wife as of an hour before, giving him a quizzical look as a smiling Paul handed her the
helmet.”
Timothy James O’Connell passed away peacefully on September 10, 2020 at the West
Haven VA Medical Center in Connecticut. Born in Rockville Centre, NY, on June 28, 1941, and
raised in Glen Cove, Tim graduated in 1959 from Friends Academy of Locust Valley, where he
excelled and loved sports. A natural athlete, he was invited to try out for the New York Yankees
while still a teenager, a thrilling moment of his early life. Tim was recruited to play football for
multiple Ivy League colleges. He proudly chose Yale, keenly aware that New Haven was where
his father’s Irish forebears had settled. At Yale, he lived at Jonathan Edwards College and was a
member of Skull and Bones. He polished his Latin translating skills and developed a love of
history. Known for his calmness under pressure, Tim was quarterback of the 1959 undefeated
freshman team, and played on the 1960 varsity team. That team also won every game – and to
this day, is Yale’s only undefeated and untied varsity football team since 1923. Tim also played
basketball and baseball for Yale. He graduated in 1963. A proud member of the Air National
Guard, Tim was among the thousands of reservists mobilized in 1968 by President Johnson to
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back up U.S. demands for the return of the USS Pueblo. During his service, Tim relocated to
Myrtle Beach, SC with his then-new wife Nancy (Freitas) O’Connell, formerly of Brooklyn,
New York. Upon his honorable release from active duty, Tim considered following in the
footsteps of his father, a trial lawyer on Long Island. He attended Chase College of Law in
Northern Kentucky, just across the border from Cincinnati, Ohio, while Nancy attended the
University of Cincinnati for her master’s degree in education. Tim then worked at the O’Connell
law firm in Mineola, NY. But Tim ultimately decided that law was not his calling and moved
into insurance and financial services, working at Transamerica. By 2008, Tim relocated to New
Haven and he lived a retired and active lifestyle, enjoying many Yale football games and
reunions with his football teammates. Living just blocks from campus, Tim often visited local
restaurants, including Mory’s. He was jolly and positive, and grateful to share happy memories
with his son, Anthony, his daughter Vanessa and his grandchildren. Tim suffered several bouts
of cancer, starting in his early thirties and until his death. He appreciated the doctors and other
medical professionals who treated him over the years, especially at Smilow Cancer Hospital at
Yale-New Haven and at the VA hospital in West Haven. Survivors include three children,
Patricia Gottesman, Vanessa O’Connell, and Anthony O’Connell, as well as six grandchildren.
He is also missed dearly by his first wife, Nancy, who enjoyed spending time with him in his
final years. He was truly an inspiration to his family.
Jud Calkins writes: “When a host of lads, mostly strangers to one another, assembled in
late, hot August 1959 in the shadow of the Yale Bowl to prove themselves in Freshmen football,
one among them had already been anointed: Timothy James O’Connell, of Glen Cove, Long
Island, a lonely Catholic at Quaker-affiliated Friends Academy of Locust Valley, where he was a
four-year starter in football, three at quarterback, plus Long Island’s prestigious Mister
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Basketball and, in baseball, good enough to warrant a tryout with the Yankees at age 15 (arrived
by public transport). At quarterback Tim helped lead the Bullpups to an undefeated, untied
season against six Ivy opponents, playing against Harvard in the finale with a cast protecting
bone chips in his left wrist and leading the final, game-winning drive. Tim moved on with his
teammates to varsity football where the unbeaten string was extended to 15 games by the heroics
of Yale’s 1960 team, winner of the Lambert Trophy as best team in the East. Tim also became a
multi-year starter in varsity baseball. He was a reserved but affable classmate whose adult life
was hampered by illness and absence from his children and his Yale brotherhood, but through
initiatives of his teammates and children Anthony and Vanessa he was reunited with the Class of
1963 at recent reunions. The season of ’59 has become shrouded in lore and bound the Bullpups
tightly together. Just before Tim’s death Anthony arranged a moving gathering by Zoom in
Tim’s hospital room with many fellow Bullpups in attendance. Hank Higdon noted,
perceptively, that apart from Tim’s athletic prowess ‘there was always a twinkle in his eye.’ And
there was more: in conversation, Tim would hold himself at a slight angle, his gaze slightly
away, as if reserving a bit of himself only unto himself, perhaps prompting his high school
yearbook to cite as his main occupation, ‘Thinking.’ Tim will remain a Bullpup in spirit, and
through his son Anthony who now, by acclamation, has become an Honorary ’59 Bullpup.”
Michael Gates Gill writes: “Tim O’Connell was voted Irishman of the Year by the
Knights of Columbus our Senior year. I went with him to watch him receive the award. He was
treated like a young Jack Kennedy. Tim had that same kind of Irish charisma – a light and
cheerful charm that drew everyone to him. That night Tim just had to approach the podium and
the whole room was on their feet clapping and applauding. Tim said: ‘I don’t deserve this.’
Then he paused, ‘But I sure do enjoy getting it!’ The whole room erupted with laughter and
more applause. Tim was a natural. A natural athlete. Most of all, Tim was a natural in the
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friendly and cheerful way he treated everyone from a famous professor to a local priest at Jocko
Sullivan’s bar. After Yale, a brain disease hurt Tim, and knocked him off balance. But he never
lost his love for life. Tim’s family were an adoring and important part of his life throughout –
just as were his loyal Yale friends who always loved him and showed their love and loyalty.”
Wally Grant remembers: “I met Tim on the first day of Freshman football and had the
pleasure of being a teammate of his for the four years of our Yale football careers. I also had the
pleasure of rooming with Tim in Jonathan Edwards College our Senior year. Tim was a terrific
athlete and a rascal with a wry sense of humor. He was fun to have as a roommate and often
left me guessing as to what excitement was to come next. There was seldom a dull moment
with Tim around. I’m proud to have been Tim’s friend.”
Hank Hallas writes: “Tim was referred to as a ‘rascal’ during the memorable Zoom
call. He was indeed. I found myself one Saturday night Freshman year with the two biggest
rascals in our class . . . Pete Truebner and Tim! It was post football season and we were in the
corner entryway on the third floor of Wright Hall overlooking the corner of High and Elm. The
Campus Police used to hang out there under the street lamp, perfect targets. Tim got his
nickname that night. I had watched Tim weave his football magic Freshman year. He was our
leader but he crossed swords with Coach Ollie Sophomore year. Tim was relegated to JV
games. I don’t recall him ever losing. We were trailing Princeton and Tim called a deep fly
pattern, my favorite. When he threw the ball he led me into the defenders. Of course I was upset
with this but we got a pass interference call. We got better field position, scored, and won the
game. Tim knew what it took to win. He will be missed greatly as a leader and friend.”
Ian Robertson remembers: “Tim O’Connell was known to us as Tackah or Timmy. He
arrived at Yale after a spectacular three-sport career at Friends Academy. At quarterback he was
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the ‘Anointed One.’ Hank Higdon, who had won state in Ohio as a sophomore quarterback,
assessed the situation and moved to halfback. Jud Calkins whose John Burroughs team had
gone undefeated (kinda – talk to Hanser, Captain of St. Louis Country Day) and won state in
Missouri, chose to stay at QB. So did “Rusty” Reaves, the all world prep athlete, Tom Fake,
the Natrona, WY standout, Weldon Rogers and, of course, our incomparable Wally Grant.
Timmy started. He shared time with Jud, Wally, and early on Rusty as well as Tom. Tim was a
big athlete and a skilled passer, making critical game savings completions to the likes of Hoey,
R. Jacunski, R. Jacunski, Higdon, and others. Most memorable was his effort in the Harvard
Game, played at home in mud. Timmy, despite bone chips in his wrist, started the game and
shared time with Jud. Timmy led us on our game-winning drive, wisely handing off to
Schmaltz, “The Speedster” (as per the Yalie Daily), who fled 65 yards in the mud then ran it for
the go-ahead TD. This inspired “Ball Gate”. For 59 years Timmy treasured the Game Ball he
received after the Harvard Game. Jud Calkins was given a Game Ball as well. David
“Schmaltz” Weinstein recently said, ‘As I was walking off the field, Gib handed me the Game
Ball!’ Fact is they all deserved one and treasure their trophies still.
Coach Jordan Olivar did not like to play Sophomores. He expected to lose a game for every
Soph that started. Timmy was our guy but he played behind Tom Singleton and Bill Leconby.
Unfortunately, Tim did not endear himself to Ollie. Ollie sent him in the Brown game with
orders to run out the clock. Instead Timmy chucked the ball, First Down!! Ollie was livid. Late
in the season Princeton week, the scout team (read O’Connell, Hallas et al.) went up against the
first team defensive backs: Wolfe, Muller, and Singleton. They were best DBs in the league.
Timmy shredded them. He threw three TDs to Hallas. Ollie was beside himself. Timmy had an
unbelievable arm. Friday before the 60 Princeton game the QBs were having fun in the Bowl,
airing it out as far they could. Singie made a truly impressive throw. Timmy got a ball and easily
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and casually chucked ten yards further than Tom. Clearly, Timmy had the kind of arm that could
have allowed him to play on Sunday. Senior year Timmy began as our starting quarterback. The
offense had a hard time scoring. Ollie stubbornly stuck to his belly series offense. That offense
had been incredibly successful in ’60. After three games Timmy sat. The Varsity went 2-5-2.
29 well placed points over nine games would have resulted in our third undefeated season. One
wonders if Timmy and Horse Hallas could score three TDs in a single scrimmage against the
best DBs in the league, how many could they have scored in nine games? We will never know.”
Timmy would have thrived in another offense. Sadly, he never got to play on Sunday. But that
was not because he lacked the talent.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2021 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
March - April 2021
Joe Alpert reports: “I have been up to my ears in alligators for the last seven months
because of the pandemic. I usually do one-third of my time on inpatient rotations on the teaching
services here at the University Medical Center in Tucson. However, when the Covid war began
we moved many of our regular attending physicians over to the Covid wards. This left big holes
in the non-Covid teaching services, and I volunteered to increase my inpatient efforts to help fill
in the holes. So, for the last seven months I have been almost continuously on the inpatient
services of the coronary care unit, the cardiology consult service, and the general internal
medicine wards. I always have help from residents, fellows, and superb nurse clinicians which
helps to ease the burden a bit, but I am still up very early every morning to get in my daily
exercise and go over the clinical records and the regular e-mails with journal submissions and
notes from friends. Qin and I have been Zooming with my daughter and granddaughter in
Cambridge and with medical school colleagues on a regular basis. Qin and I took a couple of
short breaks from this hectic lifestyle to spend a few days in our La Jolla condo and a few days in
a high-end and very safe hotel in Cabo, Mexico. Both of these were much-needed respites from
the daily heavy clinical workload. Now we are ready here in Arizona for the next onslaught
from the Covid forces, and I will be back here in the hospital doing a lot of time with the various
inpatient services listed above. We have been super careful with preventive measures here and
so far no staff members have acquired the Covid infection. My spouse and I look forward with
hope to the end of the Covid war!”
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Gus Foster’s book, American Panoramas, has been published by the Museum of New
Mexico Press, Santa Fe. Gus explains: “The book is an overview of about 30 years of my
panoramic photographs around the United States. I spent nearly 20 years in various wilderness
areas and climbing high peaks in the American Rockies, taking 360-degree photographs from the
summits. Following that I focused on the landscapes of food growing in the US, nearly a billion
acres under cultivation – all the crops having a distinctive visual appearance. The third section
covers my ‘time photographs’ using a special camera that makes a 360-degree revolution in less
than a second. These images, most with multiple 360 turns in each photo, essentially tell a
‘story’ about the passage of time. The publication includes essays by James Enyeart, Evan
Maurer, and the late Edward Hall. The only writing I did was anecdotal pieces about a dozen of
the photographs included in the book.” New Mexico PBS recently published a five-minute video
clip focusing on Gus’s experiences in the mountains, which can be viewed at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQkm4nYEezs&t=74s
Bob Hanson reports: "After eight weeks in two hospitals and one rehab facility I was
sent home on Saturday, November 14. Covid-19? No. In October I received a cancer
diagnosis. In my case, Plasmacytoma, a cancer which attacks the bones. Now at home,
experiencing the rigors of chemotherapy, I am consigned to this regime for many years to come
to deal with Multiple Myeloma. That said, I just got some good news. My wonderful concierge
physician, himself a recipient of the Pfizer vaccine, has contracted to receive an initial batch of
the Moderna vaccine, and because of my age and compromised immune system (a result of
chemo) has told me that I will be his first patent to be vaccinated. It is likely that I may be the
first member of the Class (not a health care professional) to be vaccinated. By the times these
notes appear in print, I hope that many more classmates will have received the vaccine."
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In September, despite a drought in the country's Northeast, Eben Ludlow, Bill Bell, and
Pepper Stuessy paddled down the St. Croix River on the easternmost Maine-Canadian border.
They report: "Because water levels were low, a lot of effort was expended avoiding and
extricating our vessels from submerged rocks. However, no animals or humans were injured in
this process. After a week canoeing, hiking, and driving in Maine, the trip’s highlight was an alltoo-quick lunch with Gardner Mundy in New Hampshire. Everyone agreed that Gardner’s treat
of a whole box of Klondike Bars far surpassed anything on Chef Pepper’s menu of the previous
days."
Victor Laruccia recounts: “About 15 years ago I started a little film festival here in San
Diego, the SD Italian Film Festival, based on my culture and education and interests. It is small,
flexible, and always on the point of running out of its budget. But we serve an important, if
niche, market. I was the Executive Director up to December of last year. We offered the then
Associate ED, Diana Agostini, a promotion to ED. She accepted. I was elected President. Our
Artistic Director, Antonio Iannotta, remained in place, and the three of us set the course for the
coming year – without any idea of the tsunami of disease and panic that would hit us in three
months. This year, mid-March, our board was trying to decide if we should fold up shop. Diana
and Antonio said we should continue and adapt to virtual events. We made two other decisions
which proved to be – so far – a kind of salvation: cut the budget by two-thirds, and increased the
number of monthly events from two to eight. The decisions had surprising consequences. The
first was that the young crew of professionals all felt not only that they had a stake in the game
(they always did) but that salvation depended on their joyful engagement. Our routines became
less process and more game; chasing art offset fleeing disease. They all became wizards in their
own areas, most of which were novel for them at the outset. Switching from live events to
virtual presentations, discussions, and panels is not simply a linear progression; it is an evolution,
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one which we could foresee even a couple of years ago but which we thought would not be
necessary for another five to 10 years. Another outcome depended on the capacity of the
Internet to reach across vast distances, and the enforced stay-at-home conditions for not only us
in the US but also the people of Italy. Our Artistic Director found many Italian artists – writers,
directors, producers, camera operators, critics – not merely happy to join us in discussions but
honored by the request.
Talk about lemons and lemonade. But I think Sicilian lemons help. And in fact our theory of
branding worked. By the time we reached our fall festival, our reputation here in San Diego had
doubled in spread. More surprising our brand reached an audience in several other states. It is
strange for a very small, very local arts group to field compliments and complaints from
hundreds of miles away. By the time our festival was over, even though we had to reduce the
number of events in that series, we doubled our projected income, hosted over 15 guests from
Italy, and had panel participation for half our films. Of course, it’s not clear that our festival will
survive, but I suspect that could be said by almost all arts organizations in our country. It’s clear,
however, that there is no longer a box to think outside of. The near future will look a lot more
diverse and quite foreign to most of us. We are outside the box.”
Bill MacArthur writes: “Sadly – or perhaps not! – I have nothing exciting to report on
our Covid-19 experience. After returning from Paris in a rush on March 13, 2020 on the orders
of our doctor daughter (who spent the spring and summer taking care of Covid patients at New
York University Hospital), we have vegetated first for three months at our home in Florida, then
three months at our home in Maine, and now we are back in Florida. I am told by good
authority, however, that boring is good, and I will take it. Nonetheless, we sorely miss our four
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kids and seven grandkids, all in New York City, and our tramping around Africa and Asia doing
the NGO work that fills up our retirement years.”
Chris Reaske reports: “My wife Mary K and I have been busy for the last 16 years
‘reparenting.’ We became the full guardians and really thus parents as well as grandparents of
our younger daughter’s only child, Isadore Leginsky, when he was three years old. It has been a
wonderful joy to live as a threesome through all the years of preschool, elementary, middle, and
high school here in Lexington, MA. With the Covid period, Izzy was sent home from Tufts
University this past March, completed the semester on line, and is still here and will be for the
spring semester. Tufts gave students the choice and Izzy chose to stay safe. A few of our Class
may remember meeting Izzy when I brought him to an earlier Reunion. After my years of
teaching and administration in colleges and universities, and notably for 13 years at Yale and 12
after that at Boston University, I became an officer of The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem,
MA, a place the three of us have enjoyed together greatly and where, after retiring at about age
71, I continue as a member of The Board of Advisors. We are all healthy so far and being
conservative and waiting for the vaccines to come. Hopefully Izzy will be able to return to
campus in the fall for his final two years. I look forward to our 60th!”
Chris and Stan Riveles welcomed their first grandchild into the world, baby Jude
Alexander Finnegan, on October 21. The welcome was literal, as they spent the first week of his
life together with their daughter Maria and son-in-law James. With careful planning,
quarantining, and testing along the way, Stan and Chris traveled from their home in Taos, NM to
stay with their children in Dublin, NH. Back in Taos, where social distancing is facilitated by
low population density and physical separation, they carry on volunteer activities via Zoom.
Walking and biking are easy physical releases. Otherwise, from their couch, they have savored
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the six seasons of Longmire, the updated cowboy and Indian soap opera whodunit on Netflix,
where it’s tough to tell the difference between the white hats and the black hats. Set in a
fictitious Wyoming county but filmed in New Mexico, Longmire is highly recommended as a
diversion from present realities.
Charlie Tucker reports: “The worst effects of the pandemic have largely missed us,
being in a sparsely populated part of California (known as the Eastern Sierra), although I think
both my wife and I had Covid-19 in February, contracted in the local hospital where she spent
four days after a ski accident, and I spent much of the four days visiting, followed by me being
as sick as I have ever been, and my wife so sick I took her to the ER at 8 AM a week after her
discharge, in mid-February, where, Covid still not being a known factor, they put her through
many tests, discovered a bronchial issue, and sent her home with an inhaler. So, from then on,
lots of alone time, grocery store, drug store, hardware store, and, after suitable isolation and
testing, daughter, son-in-law and kids here for four weeks in June after school shut down, and
then for six weeks in August-September where I did First Grade again, with granddaughter, on
Zoom. The Fifth Grade grandson did OK on Zoom, most of the time. I am not sure First Grade
did much good for anyone. Daughter and son-in-law worked remotely from here (it may be the
sticks but California subsidized fiber optic cable installation, so the Internet is incredibly good
here – at times there were six people on line at the same time and it worked). I am very glad that
we live in a house with repair and maintenance needs, and not a condo or retirement
community, or I would have been more stressed by doing nothing than I am. The high point of
the day is sometimes going to the grocery store and sometimes the UPS truck. I am a volunteer
fireman, so there is some social contact there between trainings and fires – I have only gone to
little fires, staying back to defend the home front while the younger folks went on the big fires,
one being six miles away, and another which went on for two months 12 miles away on the other
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side of the mountain close to us, but with bare granite between us, and on two boards, an elected
position on the local water district (unopposed), and the homeowners’ association (unopposed).
I painted our house and did some landscaping. We ate indoors at a restaurant once, and outdoors
at a restaurant once. And, most importantly, read a lot of books. An average of one book every
two days. Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, it has not broken the bank. And some concern for
Veterans’ mental health, having lost two good friends to suicide after their Viet Nam experience,
one way back then, one just a few years ago. If you have a concern, and a dark sense of humor, I
recommend VetTV on the net. Google it. It is directed at veterans of the Middle Eastern Wars
(as history will probably recall them), but is just as appropriate for any survivors of a modern
war.”
John Tuteur reports: “I was fortunate to have been on the front lines of conducting the
November 3, 2020 Presidential Election in my role as Napa County, CA Registrar of Voters.
The election went off smoothly in spite of the pandemic. Thanks to over 100 volunteers who
staffed pandemic screening tables at our nine vote centers, the dedicated efforts of our fivemember staff and the eager participation of our citizens, Napa County saw the highest turnout in
modern history. Voters heeded the messages to Vote Safe and Vote Early so that 60% of the
final turnout of 86% was ready to report at 8:01 p.m. on Election Night. 73,183 voters exercised
their precious right to vote; 96% used their vote-by-mail ballot.”
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In Memoriam:
Coleman Poston Burke, respected and revered by many, died peacefully at his
home in Bedford, NY on November 8, 2020. Loved for his jokes and songs, he was a hail fellow
well met. He was a graduate of Pingry School, St. Paul’s School, Yale University, and the Case
Western Reserve University School of Law. He loved all sports, especially hockey, and many a
teammate commented on his agility and sportsmanship. A standout on rinks and ponds for
decades, he chased after victories and team unity with great heart. From 1966 to 1969, he served
in the Mekong Delta in the Vietnam War as a Communications Officer for the U.S. Navy. Coley
was a kid at heart and lived every minute of life to the fullest. He followed one of his favorite
mottos every day: “Work hard, play hard.” An avid fly fisherman, he fished the Snake River in
Jackson Hole with his best friends annually for 50 years. Ever fascinated with science, he
devoured non-fiction books, and in the 1990s conducted his own dinosaur-hunting forays in
Patagonia. He was responsible for the exploration of a new dinosaur field in Argentina, and
eventually he discovered a new species, named Orkoraptor burkei in his honor. He loved all
forms of music, performing banjo and piano at the Bohemian Club and with his family around
the dinner table. He was a self-proclaimed foodie and delighted his kids and grandkids when
announcing that his car was incapable of driving past an ice cream shop. He and his wife Susan
traveled the world and entertained New Yorkers on many an occasion, including their 35th
anniversary party, which included 15-foot faux-dinosaurs. In his early career, Coley practiced
law with his family firm, Burke & Burke. In 1983, he left the firm to found Waterfront, NY, a
commercial real estate enterprise located in the Chelsea District, before that neighborhood
became fashionable. The firm, now called North River Company, has grown to nine states
across the country. Coley was extremely proud of the team he built over 40 years. A man of
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great faith, he loved the outdoor chapel behind his Bedford home, walking or cross-country
skiing the stream-side trail through the woods. His strong belief in freedom, education, and the
environment led him to serve on many boards such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, The Yale School of the Environment, The Yale Peabody Museum, The National
Forest Foundation, and the National Audubon Society. In 2019 his alma mater Case Western
Reserve founded the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law in his honor. He loved
mischief, loved people, and always spoke of the spirit of fellowship. Every year he mailed
hundreds of birthday cards to friends and employees. He was uncommonly humble, curious, and
generous. He always made himself available to lend an ear, lend a hand, or hand you a
punchline to one of his 1,000 jokes. He is survived by his beloved wife of 39 wonderful years,
Susan, son Erik and daughters Lisa, Sarah, and Ashley, and eight grandchildren. He lived his
life as he sang his songs: in full harmony.
Ridge Hall writes: “Coley and I were classmates at St. Paul's as well as at Yale. He was
a superstar hockey player there, for which he was revered. When he came to Yale, he teamed up
on the Yale hockey team with two other former St. Paul’s hockey stars, Frank Bishop and Patrick
Rulon-Miller, both a year ahead of us, to form what Sam Chauncey called ‘The last of the great
St. Paul’s School lines.’ They played together at Yale for two years. The reason for Dean
Chauncey’s comment is that for decades, before artificial ice rinks were popular, St. Paul’s, in
Concord, NH, had beautiful black ice from late October through April, and produced some of the
best high school hockey teams in the country, routinely beating the freshman teams of Harvard,
Yale, and Princeton. The annual game against Princeton was played during the Christmas
holidays in Madison Square Garden, with the winner being awarded the ‘Hobey Baker’ stick –
owned by that hockey legend who played for both SPS and Princeton, and died in WWI. When
Coley and I were at SPS they had five or six natural ice rinks with hard, black ice on a large
9
pond. The ice was kept smooth by a sled with a shaving blade pulled by a pair of white horses.
After the ice was shaved, a tractor with a large rotating brush swept off the ice chops, and play
resumed for four or five days until it was time for the next shave. Skating in the open air, with
pine trees along the edge of the pond, was an experience we all treasured. It is now largely a
thing of the past – the school has several artificial rinks, and hockey is no longer the religion it
once was, when we had 24 club teams playing at all levels, as well as the varsity and JV. One
Coley story: One day at St. Paul's, just before our midwinter dance weekend with a big hockey
game coming up, our English teacher assigned us to write a poem that captured the spirit of the
weekend. One of my classmates at once burst out with, ‘Go, Coley, go!’"
Bill Hildebrand recalls: “All who knew Coley identified him by his smile. It was a
smile that said, ‘I am glad to get to know you.’ It was a smile that said, ‘If there is anything I can
do to make your life better, I will try.’ And, for all his worldly success, he never stopped
reaching out to others and enjoying everyone he met. There were times when that warm and
welcoming smile did disappear. They came in 60-minute intervals and occurred 26 times a year.
That was when he proudly wore his Yale Hockey jersey and represented all that was best in Yale
athletics. Seeing #5 take the ice produced frowns on the faces of his opponents and smiles on the
faces of his teammates. Those who knew him as a teammate and a friend are much richer for the
experience. Those who did not know him can be certain he would have enjoyed knowing you
and would have wanted the best for you. Coley was a rare combination of extraordinary talent
and humility. He possessed a zest for life and a love of others.”
Peter Kiernan writes: “I don’t recall ever meeting Coley before late in junior year at
Yale, when we both joined Desmos, our senior society. The senior society experience and the
bond between the 15 classmates in the same society can be and often is strong. And my
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memories of Coley reflect how perfect a friend and companion and confidant he was. He always
was in search of a ‘caper,’ as he called his endeavors and amusements. I can even now hear him
saying that word in my mind. Yale today receives many of what they view as ideal candidates,
far more than they can accept. What they don’t do today nearly as well as they did in our day, I
believe, is look for the ideal friend, the leader we search for, the truly good model for what we
would all want to be if we could – the Coley Burkes of this world.”
Geoff Noyes remembers: “Coley and I met when he invited me to join him to play guitar
and sing for the vagabonds and down-n-outers sheltering in the waiting room of the New Haven
railroad station. We did it often; he was on a first-name basis with most of the denizens. Coley
came from Hamilton College (his maternal family were founders of the college, I think), a
hockey star there and at Yale and in (unsuccessful) tryouts for the USA Hockey team. A favorite
memory: After Yale, Coley would organize and bring upstate to the Hamilton College hockey
arena a coterie of hockey friends, male and female, for a weekend of jungle hockey and splendid
dinners. He and I both had a deep sense of attachment and love for the hills, valleys, and tiny
villages and hamlets of Central New York. The Burke family summer home was in Oxford,
Chenango County; we would round up there of a weekend and go back-roading, with a sense that
here was a genuinely natural world. He was a naturalist. I felt that he and I were special friends,
but I always knew that he made everyone in his wide circle of acquaintances a special friend . . .
many, many. He radiated outward.”
Bobby Power writes: “When my mother died a while ago in Ireland I went through our
family guest book and found Coley’s name and time of visit dated 1962! Following that we
remained in close contact ever since. I can recall many hunting, fishing, and shooting trips in
England, Ireland, Canada, Alaska, and so on. He was terrific company, an engaging raconteur,
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an accomplished pianist (which few people knew), and enormously generous. He was an
extremely successful businessman; while he didn’t invent ‘self storage’, he built his fortune
around that concept with a number of strategically situated acquisitions around the country, not
least his purchase of the entire block in NYC bounded by 11th/12th Avenues and 28th/29th
Streets. Where amongst other clients he stored treasures from the Metropolitan Museum! He
was a warm and outgoing personality and I amongst many, many others will miss him dearly”.
Albert Dillon Sturtevant passed away peacefully at his home in Washington, DC
on November 29, 2020, of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. Al was born and raised in
the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, attending St. Albans School before going on
to Yale University and Yale Law School, from which he graduated in 1967. Al joined the Army
in 1967, and later served in the Navy Reserves until 1978. Al began his legal career at the
Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as Assistant Chief Counsel in the Division of
Trading and Markets, before going into private practice in 1973. He later became a mediator and
arbitrator for securities disputes, and was registered as an arbitrator with the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., the New York Stock Exchange, and the American
Arbitration Association. He was active in the community, volunteering at St. Albans School and
serving on the first Community Board of Directors for the District of Columbia National Guard
Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, a challenge academy for high school dropouts in
DC, from 1992 to 1995. Al’s gentle spirit and soft-spoken warmth earned him the regard of all
who knew him. He enjoyed tennis, camping, and hiking during his summers in Maine and later
in Blue Ridge Summit, PA. He also enjoyed traveling to visit his sons as they moved across the
US and around the world. Al is survived by Lee Sturtevant, his beloved wife of 51 years; three
sons, Albert, David, and Charles (Yale 2001); five grandchildren (to whom he was Grand-dude);
and several granddogs, including his buddy Otis.
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Bill Bell shares: “As a fellow Washingtonian at the time, I enjoyed summertime outings
with Al, in addition to rides to New Haven and back in his wonderful semi-antique convertible,
the ‘Pretevantmobile’. Al had a quiet charm, and was rewarded by his enduring marriage to Lee,
who deserves our gratitude for her care and for serving as Al’s social secretary during these last
few years.” Sam Deloria ’64 remembers: “Albert Sturtevant, the Senior Prefect of the Class of
’59 at Saint Albans, was given the tag of ‘Albert Pretevant, Senior Sturfect’ by a class wag (not
me), which he held in some circles all his life. Among the many memories was the
Pretevantmobile, a heaterless 1941 Ford convertible which made our road trips colder than the
reception we were likely to get from the privileged young ladies we were about to try to court. I
remember him laughing, but it took some work to get one out of him. Otherwise, he was the
most serene and collected, not controlled, person I have ever known. Not remote, not holding in
an alter ego he didn't want to share, just not wasting words. With me, at least, he knew I would
chatter away and save him the trouble. He had a good life, a successful career, a wonderful,
loving wife and family, and kept the love and esteem of everybody who knew him. The guy was
a rock. His death brings into focus what is for me the worst part of aging, and that is losing the
dear ones you thought would be there forever, and, had it been up to them, they would have.
Goodbye, Pre!” Willie Dow writes: “Al Sturtevant falls easily into and defines the category of
people we know as a ‘nice guy’. Al’s father was a patent lawyer in DC and Al had attended St
Albans, at that time to me an unknown feeder school for spiffy venues like Yale. Al was
deliberate and kind and was gifted with a good sense of humor and, even more, an ability to
enjoy watching life's passing parade with a nonjudgmental sense of bemusement.” Geordie du
Pont recalls: “Al’s generosity glows across the decades just clearly now as it did across the hall
when we lived in Trumbull. Returning a book or class notes to Al’s room always included a
friendly conversation and a few comments about his roommate, a spiny, ugly, solitary rockfish.
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The only time I ever saw Al explode was when a prankster dropped an Alka-Seltzer tablet into
his aquarium. Both Al and the rockfish hit the ceiling. When the rockfish recovered from the
initial shock, Al was quick to forgive.” Lea Pendleton writes: “For many years, Al and his wife
Lee lived next door to my brother, Miles (‘Kim’) Pendleton, ’61 (now deceased) and his wife
‘E’ in Washington, and they were friends. I saw Al and Lee while visiting Kim and E.
Although we were not close, Al was always friendly, and very much a gentleman.
Coincidentally, like me, Al had a favorite dog named Otis. Mine was an English Bulldog.”
George Steers remembers: “Al and I roomed together for four years, the last three with John
Schafer. Al introduced me to Sam Deloria, who always called Al ‘Pretevant’. Don’t ask.
Something about St. Albans school where Al may have been a prefect. Al was quiet and modest
with a wonderful dry and understated sense of humor. After graduation, Al and I drove around
the country ‘sleeping rough’. Jim Hinkle joined us. We did it backward – out in the north
(when it was still freezing at night) and back home through the South (when the heat and
humidity were at their peak). On the way from the Black Hills to visit a classmate in Harlowton,
Montana, we traversed a 90-mile stretch of uninhabited prairie land along Highway 212 from
Belle Fourche to Hammond. We had pretty much talked ourselves out at that point and for 60
miles or so said nothing and saw no one. Not a car, not a bus, not a soul. Finally Al observed,
‘Not a lot of folks going up to Hammond today.’ That was Al. Comfortable with a
companionable silence but a keen observer and a sly wit. We reunited with John Schafer in Los
Angeles where he was at a Peace Corps training program and Bill Moore at his family’s home in
Dallas before he returned to New Haven. It was a wonderful trip and we saw a world now gone
in many places.” John Schafer recalls: “Al Sturtevant lived across the hall from me on the top
floor of Lawrance Hall Freshman year and then he, George Steers, and I roomed together in
Trumbull College for three years. He was such a good friend. He was kind, soft-spoken, and
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very modest about his accomplishments, which were many. I attended a small high school in
Vermont and knew no one at Yale. I wondered whether I could survive academically and
socially. Al’s friendship (and George’s) helped me first to survive and then to enjoy being at
Yale. Al was a good tennis and squash player and we used to play both. Trumbull College had a
squash court in the basement and we used to battle it out down there. I always lost. I saw Al last
at our 50th Reunion when signs of his illness were apparent.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2021 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May – June 2021
Paul Dahlquist shares: “Living on the Island of Hawaii has been a real blessing in 2020.
We are relatively isolated, have a salubrious climate, and have one of our two children living
nearby. The other we weren’t able to see since February, but he was able to fly up from
Honolulu for two weeks over Christmas and New Year’s. While the local economy has greatly
suffered, daily life has been reasonably normal except for masks and social distancing. I have
even been able to play golf with regularity since about April, and at age 79 (until 12/24/20 when
I turned 80) have been able to shoot my age several times. Now, at age 80, it should be easier.
One of the things I did with so much time on my hands was to delve into family history via
genealogy, photographs, letters (including every letter I wrote home during my Yale years!), and
more. It was great fun, and resulted in a ‘book’ I had printed in a very limited edition called This
is My Story, and I’m Sticking to It. I learned a lot writing it, and perhaps the friends and family
who have read it did as well. I have been asked by a number of others for copies so I will
probably print some more. Or, if someone wants it badly enough, a pdf file can be sent though
the download will probably be lengthy. Among the things I have found is one ancestor, Thomas
Judd, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1633 and became a founding father of not one, but two,
cities in Connecticut – Hartford in 1636 and Farmington in 1644. Pretty cool to find such a
connection to the state where I went to college. May 2021 be so much better than the past year!”
Mike LaFond reports: “Pam and I and all of our kids and grandkids are healthy. We
live in the boonies of New Hampshire, but we do hope that by the Summer of 2021 we will be
able to move about more easily and frequently.”
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Victor Sheronas writes: “Here’s a novel development for us retirees with available
time. I’ve been asked to stand for election as the Democratic candidate for auditor of our
township, East Nantmeal, PA. Not bad for having just turned 80! If elected, I’d join the other
two auditors, who are both women and Republicans. A new auditor is elected every two years
and serves a six-year term; this way, the auditors have overlapping terms. I’m also in the midst
of planning this summer’s veggie garden and ordering the necessary stuff. Otherwise, we’re still
successfully hunkering down and sooo looking forward to when we can resume hugging and
eating out.”
Mike Skol relates: “Big news on the client front was the award to Skol & Serna of an
interesting contract in Colombia: Over the years, the Colombian government has confiscated
billions of dollars’ worth of ‘properties’ (nearly 6,000 in all: land, buildings, companies, zoos,
stores) from drug traffickers, terrorists, guerrilla groups, money launderers, et al. Now, in what
is called a ‘megasubasta’ (big auction), these assets will be sold to international bidders. Two
basic contracts were awarded: one for the conduct of the sale itself (to Cherokee Nation
Aerospace & Defense), the other (to us) to create and administer a comprehensive compliance
program (including investigative due diligence) to assure that the process is conducted free of
corruption and that bidders and their money are legitimate (i.e., not narco-traffickers trying to
buy back their old holdings, Venezuelan generals, etc.).”
A. Peter Foote passed away on February 1, 2021. Bill Bell recalls: “Even those of us
who knew Peter only casually loved his quick wit, ready laugh, and readiness to grab his guitar.
He was an incredibly fun guy to be around.” Michael O’Brien writes: “Peter became my
roommate in my second year at Yale. We joined Deke with Artie Rogers. Peter became a great
friend of mine and I spent many weekends at his parents’ house in Bedford. Peter was one of the
happiest and funniest persons I ever knew growing up. He was a tremendous amount of fun and
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he had a wonderful twinkle in his eyes. He was always game for any adventure and we managed
to get into a lot of trouble together. He loved playing the guitar and entertained us all. He had
the ability to make everyone around him feel extremely comfortable. All of us who knew him
well loved Peter as a tremendous person and will miss his smiling face, wit, and friendship
terribly.” Art Rogers remembers: “Peter Foote and I were close friends for 64 years, having
first met at Andover sophomore year in 1957. At school we played on the same football and
lacrosse teams, where even football practice was fun with Peter around! After school we roomed
together for four years at Yale and figured out how to graduate and get a great job. Peter and I
were best man in each other’s wedding and godfather to our sons. Along the way we shared
many “firsts”: first round of golf at Augusta National and Pine Valley in 1962, first occasion in
over-imbibing at Vassar College and first time we found a mate and got married. Peter had a
knack for uplifting whatever we were doing. An accomplished guitar player and Everly Brothers
fan, he entertained us on many social evenings at Yale and beyond. In more recent years Peter
had an investment company and wrote a periodic one-page market forecast letter which I always
found succinct and accurate – a testament to his sound judgment. He leaves behind his
wonderful wife Cathy and three terrific kids.”
Stephen Flack Gunther, M.D. passed away in a Covid ICU on December 26, 2020 in
Washington, DC. Born in Troy, NY on October 31, 1941, he graduated from the Albany
Academy in 1959 and Yale College in 1963. He married his high school sweetheart and true
love, Beverly Elizabeth Burke, in 1962. Dr. Gunther graduated from Albany Medical College
with AOA Honors and then completed the Yale Orthopedic Residency Program under the
direction of the renowned orthopedic chairman, Dr. Wayne Southwick. He then joined the US
Navy Medical Corps and moved to Washington, DC, where he was stationed at the former
Bethesda Naval Hospital and attained the rank of Commander during the Vietnam War. He left
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active duty in 1975 in order to begin a new position as Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at
MedStar Washington Hospital Center (WHC), where he continued to practice through 2019. He
was a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Uniformed Services Medical School, George
Washington University School of Medicine, and Georgetown University School of Medicine.
Under his leadership and Beverly’s gracious mentorship, the WHC Orthopedic Department
flourished, and many appreciative students and residents progressed to illustrious academic
careers. He also treated patients at Children’s National Hospital and the MedStar National
Rehabilitation Hospital. Dr. Gunther had a great passion for teaching, collaborating, and patientcentered care. He won many teaching awards from residents and peers, including the prestigious
Gold-Headed Cane award at WHC in 2006 for his lifetime achievements in medicine. He was an
accomplished orthopedic scholar including national award-winning research on median nerve
microanatomy. Dr. Gunther was President of the Eastern Orthopedic Association, Sierra
Cascade Trauma Society, and the DC Hand Society. He served as Chairman-Secretary of the
Twentieth Century Orthopedic Association, and he was an elected member of the Cosmos Club.
Dr. Gunther loved the outdoors, and he particularly relished skiing, hiking, biking, rollerblading,
golf, and ice skating with his family and friends. He particularly enjoyed serving as camp doctor
over a 50-year period at Camp Pasquaney in rural New Hampshire. He was one of the leaders of
the GW Ortho Plaster Blasters softball team for 25 years. Dr. Gunther, also known as “Red,”
“Big Red,” and “Gunny,” will also be remembered for his many athletic feats and awards. These
include his illustrious collegiate hockey career at Yale and semi-pro career for the Washington
Chiefs, coaching hockey, winning US Speedskating National Championships, completing over 2
million pushups, and winning five club championships in golf at Chevy Chase Club. He was a
loving family man, a loyal and generous friend, and a most talented, highly skilled, and
compassionate doctor. He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Beverly Burke Gunther;
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five children, Gwen Gunther, Dr. Stephen B. Gunther, Elizabeth Gunther Muller, Matthew
Gunther, and Cristin Gunther Head; and ten grandchildren.
Dick Foster writes: “Steve Gunther was in the next room to mine in Welch Hall when
we arrived at Yale in September 1959. He remained a great friend throughout his life and mine.
Steve was a great hockey player (I was a rank intramural wannabe) and formed a quick
friendship with Benno Schmidt, another hockey-playing classmate and lifelong friend. At the
end of Freshman Year, we three took a suite in Trumbull and lived a great Sophomore Year
there, joining DKE in the process. Those stories will have to wait for another day. The love of
Steve’s life was Beverly Burke. They married while Steve was at the Yale Medical School. Not
surprisingly Steve and Bev produced a wonderful cluster of children who are all doing well in
life and producing their own children. After graduation – Steve from Yale Medical School,
Benno from Yale Law School, and me from the new Yale School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences – we went our separate ways but never lost touch. No matter how long it had been
between the times we saw each other, we were able to pick up where we left off. To Steve we
were ball ‘dillybags’ and that is as true today as it was then. It was a great honor in life to know
Steve.”
Bill Hildebrand shares: “Big Red, as he will always be known to me, and I played on
the same line for every game of our three varsity years. We roomed together on the road and
even sat next to each other in the dressing room. Steve was a true Renaissance man –
accomplished scholar, doctor, hockey player, and golfer. He was warm, friendly, and
approachable. He was also a fierce competitor – exactly the man you want at your side in battle.
His beautiful and talented wife, Beverly, was the wind beneath his wings. Together they
produced and raised five outstanding children, of whom Steve was inordinately and justly proud.
He deeply loved his family. Raising our families and pursuing our careers meant that we were
5
not in close contact for many years, but when senior hockey brought us back together, it was as if
we had never been apart. Steve’s passing means we will again be separated, but I know where
he is and I know when I get there we will ‘lace ‘em up’ and hit the ice.”
Peter Kiernan recalls: “I knew Steve Gunther but not well at Yale. We were both
Dekes, and I saw him there on a regular basis, but we were not close friends. I have been
fortunate enough to see Steve and Beverly much more often in recent years. Steve and I both
played golf at the same club in the Washington area – Steve a multi-time club champion and me
a duffer – with many opportunities to chat about Yale and otherwise. Even better, at least in one
sense, was my recent bout with arthritis in my hands – a challenge to any golfer. I asked Steve to
take care of this, and he did. As a doctor, he was informal, reassuring, had a skilled and soft
touch, and was just perfect. He treated me with cortisone shots for a time – once suggesting that,
if I chose, he would be glad to give me my shot in the parking lot by our golf course, and
ultimately immobilizing a joint in my right forefinger with a steel pin and instantly and
permanently solving my pains there. Someone who had been a friendly acquaintance before
became a good and true friend in the process. I will miss him in the days ahead.”
Benno Schmidt remembers: “I first met Steve when we tried out for the freshman
hockey team. Steve was by far the best and fastest skater in our Class and it was clear from the
beginning that he was headed for three years on the varsity. We had a great group on the team,
including Billy Hildebrand who would become Steve’s and my close friend and who would
captain the varsity. Steve and I became best friends and we wound up rooming together for the
next three years, one year with my good friend Dick Foster. Steve and I spent many hours in the
basement of Trumbull playing on a battered pool table. I visited with Steve at his home in Troy,
NY several times. It was during one of those visits that I met his lovely girlfriend Beverly whom
Steve married and with whom he had a long and devoted marriage. I’ll never forget Steve’s
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description of his first freshman English class: he said a janitor dressed in dirty clothes came in
to clean the blackboard, turned to the class and said, ‘my name is Harold Bloom and I am
teaching this class.’ I find it hard to believe that Steve has died. I thought he would be the
longest-lived classmate. He was surely the fittest member of our Class, a world-class speed
skater and hockey player throughout his life. But he was on the front lines of the pandemic and
we have lost a great classmate and dear, lifelong friend. I often think that the greatest feature of
our Yale experience was the people we met there, and for me Steve was the best of the best. I
will miss him deeply. Steve, you enriched my life.:
Harold B. Hawkins, M.D. passed away on December 31, 2020 in Hamden, CT.
Although Connecticut was his home for most of his life, Harold was born in Oklahoma, and
considered himself to be an Okie. Shreveport, LA, where he lived for five years, held his best
memories. There he learned to play golf, caught turtles in a bayou to sell to a local 5&10 store,
and played chess incessantly, in person and over the phone, with a friend with whom he was in
contact for life. Both of his parents graduated from the University of Oklahoma, an amazing
accomplishment in the 1930s. They intended that their sons go to college and, at considerable
sacrifice, supported his undergraduate studies at Yale University. He attended Dartmouth
Medical School and graduated from Harvard Medical School. Following a stint in the Public
Health Service assigned to the Peace Corps in Fortaleza, Brazil, internship, and residency,
Harold was a radiologist at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT for 28 years. Harold and his
wife of 54 years, Lynne Berneike Hawkins, raised their family in West Hartford. With his
undergraduate degree in art history, Harold loved to travel. The family took wonderful trips,
always with all three children. When the dollar was strong and the franc weak, they had beach
vacations from Normandy to the Riviera. His family had a cabin in Taos, NM, where the family
also spent many summer weeks. When he gained a few middle-age pounds, Harold began
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running, and ran the Boston Marathon in 1978. With the example of their parents, all three
children run and love to travel. In addition to his wife, Harold is survived by his children,
Carolyn H. Lee, Harold B. Hawkins, and Robert H. Hawkins, and seven grandchildren.
Carter Findley writes: “Harold Hawkins was originally from Oklahoma, but he was
living in Atlanta when he graduated from high school. I met him at a Yale Club picnic in Atlanta
shortly before we headed north for Freshman Year, and he was one person with whom I
managed to stay in contact as long as we were both at Yale and again in later years. During the
summer after Freshman Year, Harold and I were both working in Atlanta. Late in the summer, I
heard from Harold that Mike Henderson, who had roomed right across the hall from me in
Vanderbilt and whom Harold also knew, was coming down in one of his father’s old cars. How
would I like to take a trip to Florida with them? After being cooped up in an office job all
summer trying to make a little money, the answer was: a lot. Mike arrived in Atlanta, probably
in mid-September of 1960, in a ’53 black Jaguar. He stayed a day or so in Atlanta, and then the
three of us headed off to Florida, intending to drive from there back to Yale for the start of
Sophomore Year. One of the most popular activities for summer evenings in Atlanta in those
days was to go to an outdoor amphitheater, the Chastain Theater at North Fulton Park, to see
stage productions of musicals. My great contribution to the Atlanta festivities was to fix the
three of us up with dates to go see South Pacific or something like that. Because Michael was
the guest of honor, I racked my brain to find an especially interesting date for him. I decided on
Dana Ivey, a high-school classmate of mine whose ambition was to become an actress. And she
did: among her credits is creating the role of Miss Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy on stage in New
York. Then there we were in that awe-inspiring automobile, heading south into the heat. Harold
remembered that we rotated drivers – not a chance I would have taken, if it had been my father’s
car. Michael gave strict instructions not to exceed the speed limit. I seem to remember that the
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state troopers stopped us at least once, probably just for the novelty of seeing three kids in a car
like that. Our destination was Daytona. Harold remembered driving out onto the beach in that
car, ‘cruising for chicks,’ not that any of them paid us any attention. Harold and I both
remembered the deep-sea fishing expedition that was an obligatory bad-trip for visitors to
Daytona. You know: nobody catches anything; the boat bounces up and down all day;
everybody gets sunburned; usually there is a drunk on board; loud-mouthed profanity; people
getting sick over the side of the boat; the captain muttering under his breath about what kind of
way is this to make a living. The deep-sea fishing aside, we had a few days of sun and fun in and
around Daytona, then started for New Haven. Somewhere in Florida, the car broke down.
Astonishingly, we found a garage that could work on it. We headed back northward, more or less
along the coast. I can remember stopping at some place in the coastal part of Georgia for a really
good lunch of shrimp creole at a place with the grandiose name of the Lafayette Grill. Then we
headed for Freehold, NJ, where we spent a night at the Henderson house. The next day we drove
on to New Haven. The closer we got to New Haven, the grayer, colder, and rainier it got -- an
apocalyptic welcome. Good-bye summer. Hello Sophomore Year. At this stage, I cannot
exactly reconstruct how Harold and I stayed in contact after that. There were times when we
stayed with Harold and Lynne en route to summer vacations. We also met up at reunions, as
recently as 2008 – truly one of the friendships formed at Yale.”
Tony Gaenslen remembers: “Harold Hawkins and I met as two frightened Freshmen
unable to understand a word Professor Scoville said as he laid out elaborate calculus formulae on
the blackboard. Out of that initial shared terror grew our life-long friendship. Harold had a
genius and a passion for it, tracking down and keeping up with classmates who otherwise would
have been lost from sight. Every Yale reunion, on calling Harold, he delightedly dropped
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whatever he had going on, rushed right over, and we picked up our friendship as if we had parted
the week before. He was one of the special gifts Yale, and life, brought me.”
Bob Haight remembers: “Harold was my friend for 60 years. I can remember meeting
him in the Yale Freshman Dining Hall in 1960. We were roommates, with others, for our
Sophomore and Junior years before he went to Dartmouth Medical School. One evening Harold
and I and our two roommates, Tony Gaenslen and Mohamed Sbeih, met Lynne and two of her
high school classmates at the home of Hy and Cornelia Tindall in Milford, CT. Hy Tindall was
the English teacher for Lynne and her friends. The Tindalls, relatives of my godmother, looked
after me while I was at Yale, and they took it upon themselves to have this evening get-together
to try to improve my social life. The evening was very enjoyable for all, and it led to the
marriage of Harold and Lynne. Harold’s course at Yale was different from most, as he left Yale
after his junior year to go to Dartmouth and then Harvard Medical Schools and then to Stanford
for a medical internship. After serving as a doctor to Peace Corps volunteers in Brazil, he
returned to Yale to complete his undergraduate degree in 1970 by taking a full menu of Art
History offerings. His interest in art history continued to expand throughout his life, it guided his
travels, especially in France, and it brought great pleasure to him and his family.” Harold will be
remembered for his generous laugh, the wide range of his interests, and his steadfast
friendships.”
Lanny Lutz (also known as Charles Allan Lutz) passed away on January 5, 2021 in Los
Angeles of severe kidney disease. Lanny grew up in Birmingham, MI and Darien, CT. In high
school, Lanny excelled in competitive sports. He was captain of the hockey team and played
football. He loved sailing and often won races during the summers on Long Island Sound, racing
out of the Noroton Yacht Club. His love of sailing pushed him to work as an adolescent on Lindt
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Foster’s 83-foot yacht and dream of travelling the world, which he later did. Like his father,
Lanny went to Yale. At Yale Lanny majored in English but also studied French and participated
in Yale Drama performances. In his second year at Yale he decided to take a year off to explore
France. In Paris he met and fell in love with Katia. Lanny and Katia married in Paris and then
moved back to the US so that he could finish his B.A. at Yale. After Yale, Lanny taught English
at Milford Academy while Katia taught French at several prestigious schools. In 1967, they
moved to New York City where Lanny decide to devote his time fully to acting. In order to
develop his craft, in 1969 Lanny went to London where he attended the Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art (RADA). Here he won The Bancroft Award (Gold Medal), for his interpretation of
Tartuffe, while his wife worked for the BBC and their daughter, Natalie, learned English with a
thick cockney accent with her nanny since at home only French was spoken. After RADA, the
family moved to NY, where Lanny continued to pursue acting. He then moved to LA and finally
to the Chicago area. He lived in Oak Park for more than 20 years, where he did many acting jobs
and was a prominent community organizer. At 69 he played a small role in the film Batman, the
Dark Knight and in the same summer the role of Cordelius in Romeo and Juliet. At that time,
struggling to make ends meet and find a “survival job” that would allow him the freedom he
needed to audition and find roles, he decided to get a truck driving license. Lanny followed a
six-month program which weeded out the original 500 students to 50 in the end. He was very
proud that he had succeeded and knew how to parallel park an 18-wheeler by the end of the
ordeal. Five years later he decided to try one last time to “make it in LA”. He left the full life he
had lived in Oak Park to move across the country. He left behind him his baby grand piano,
many friends, and people who admired the work he had done raising awareness against racism.
For five years he lived in LA, going from one agent to another, going for walks on the beach,
going to the library, and compulsively following the news. He played piano in the lobby of his
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residence, a low-income housing residence for the elderly. Most of his neighbors were African
American and called him Beethoven. Lanny is survived by his daughter Natalie, who lives in
France; his sister, Carolyn L. Gibson; his ex-wife Katia Lutz; his dear friend Janet Bohler; and
two grandchildren.
Lanny had a full and adventuresome life which he dedicated to his passion, acting. He
dreamed of becoming a great actor and continued to pursue it until the end. He was happy to be
free and chose the life he wanted. Lanny said of himself that he was a gipsy and lived as one.
He never would have been happy in an ordinary well-kept life. At the end of his life he was not
the publicly recognized great actor many said he was and this lack of stardom saddened him but
he was never prone to self-pity. He was happy with the life he had lived. He was successful in
that he never compromised his dream and lived according to his values. He fervently fought
racism and loved a good debate. He loved fine wine and good meals with friends. He had a
booming laugh. He was for some a Zorba the Greek.
Jory (George) Squibb remembers Lanny Lutz as follows: “Lanny and I were best
friends growing up in Birmingham, MI and we found ourselves on the Old Campus in 1959. We
became roommates in Silliman College our sophomore year. Lanny was a lover of debating, and
I remember that year as one long debate! He dropped out the summer following, moved to Paris,
married Katia, and returned to finish in the Class of 1964. Being involved in theater at Yale was
formative, and he went on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, where he
won their major prize. He and Katia – eventually joined by their daughter Natalie – settled in
NYC, where Lanny pursued a career in acting, against very stiff competition. Alas, that career
never took off and he developed a useful sideline as a wine merchant. Eventually he moved, a
bachelor now, to Chicago where repertory theater was his passion. Throughout his life, Lanny
was at work fighting racism, calling out himself and others concerning racial bias. He was
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passionate about music, played the piano beautifully, and had Chagall and Rembrandt prints on
his walls. On a level deeper than the mundane, his life ‘succeeded’ because of his freedom to
live his dream. In his 70s he moved to Los Angeles where he struggled – as you can imagine –
to establish a supportive community at extreme old age. He died there with kidney failure in a
hospital. His family, Covid-constrained, connected as best they could by telephone. Many of us
friends always hoped Lanny might mellow his insistence on a career in acting, but that was not
his path. Win or lose, theater remained the centerpiece of his life. Some of you have, by now,
actually watched a person die – that dramatic moment – and been filled with the strong emotions
that follow it. One emotion I felt at a recent death was a ‘relief-acceptance-happiness’ feeling, as
struggles were now over, and the dying person’s life became a complete, and somehow even a
perfect entity. In death it became a valid expression of the mystery and diversity of human
existence. That’s how I remember Lanny. Hooray! What an amazing life!”
Douglas Frazier Wax passed away peacefully on January 3, 2021 at his home in
Newbury Park, CA, surrounded by his loving family. Doug grew up in Ohio, later moving to
Boston, MA. Doug demonstrated a strong work ethic early with his own paper route. As a Boy
Scout he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Doug was an exceptional student, graduating from
Wellesley High School at age 17 and enrolling at Yale University. While at Yale, on a blind
date, Doug met a foreign exchange student from Finland named Arja Lahti. After a brief
courtship, Doug and Arja were engaged. They married in 1963, the same year that Doug
graduated from Yale with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Economics. Doug and Arja
moved to California, where they would spend the next 57 years together. Doug began his
professional career in banking with United California Bank. He went on to found American
West Bank in Encino, CA in the mid-1980s. Doug’s business acumen drew him away from
banking and into real estate. In 1972 he obtained his real estate license and joined the McDonald
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Company in Woodland Hills, CA, performing industrial real estate transactions. Doug excelled
and after four years he and his fellow agent, Robert Lipson, formed their own company,
Industrial Park Associates (IPA). After ten years of rapid growth IPA was sold to Daum
Johnston America. Doug remained with Daum for three years, achieving the mark of top agent
in the Valley office in 1987, 1988, and 1989. In 1990 he went back on his own, reviving the IPA
name and assembling top agents to work with him at the new firm. Doug’s son Mike joined him
in the business in 1997. In 2002 the company moved to Oxnard, CA, where it remains active to
this day. Doug retired in 2018, but still visited the office regularly until the late fall of 2020. He
loved putting deals together and was an encyclopedia of industrial real estate knowledge. Doug
was well known for his integrity and ethical treatment of his clients and fellow brokers. At the
time Doug cofounded IPA he also began developing industrial buildings for his own account and
for clients. He went on to develop over 50 industrial buildings in the cities of Canoga Park,
Chatsworth, San Fernando, Sylmar, Valencia, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura.
Doug was an active member and two-term President (1981-1982) of AIR CRE (formerly the
American Industrial Real Estate Association). Doug mentored a number of his clients and their
family members, shaping them into successful real estate developers with significant real estate
holdings. Doug and Arja loved traveling, visiting Arja’s homeland of Finland numerous times,
as well as China, France, and Argentina, to name a few. They most recently visited Northern
France in the summer of 2018. Doug had a great sense of humor and enjoyed planning parties.
Doug is survived by his wife of 57 years, Arja L. Wax; his son Mike Wax; his daughters Nora
Plechner and Alexa Smith; and 11 grandchildren.
Andy Barclay remembers: “I met Doug after Freshman year when I relocated from
Vanderbilt to Berkeley College. A bunch of us started eating lunch together and hanging out.
Doug was a soft-spoken person and very intelligent, but he didn’t wave it around, if you know
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what I mean. He, Art Gilliam, and Doug Kalesh went up to Conn College one weekend, and he
came back saying he thought he had met his future wife. We all kind of laughed at that until we
met Arja. From then on, it was Doug and Arja. They got married in 1963 and were never
separated. Doug was a couple of years older than I. He had something nice to say about
everyone and everything. He always saw the good side. He was part of a group, including Steve
Jones, Dick Barnes, and Doug Kalesh, who would watch the New York Giants play football on
TV. We also played bridge with him (and Arja, who would count the points in her hand out loud
in Finnish). Can you believe it? I learned how to count from one to fourteen in Finnish, but I
can only remember one or two now, maybe because you don’t get many hands above six or
eight. Arja says that Doug was in failing health this last fall, walked with a cane, and then was
confined to a wheelchair. He may have had a stroke but the hospitals in California were tied up
with Covid-19 treatment and had little time to treat anything else, so they brought him home to
care for him. Toward the end, one of his kids said to him: ‘Dad, we're going to miss you.’
Doug responded, ‘I'm going to miss me too.’ We’re all going to miss him. He was a great
success story and an outstanding member of our Class.”
Art Gilliam writes: “I met Doug in our senior year. He was a couple of years older than
the rest of us and had more life experiences. My recollection is that he was returning to Yale.
He seemed wiser, and we tended to listen to him, because his words had the ring of experience
and authority. But most importantly, Doug was the one who had the car! I convinced him that it
would be great if he would drive several of us to New London, where we could get together with
some of the girls at Connecticut College. My ulterior motive was that I had met a wonderful girl
that summer before senior year. She was in college in Atlanta but was an exchange student that
year at Connecticut College. So Doug, good guy that he was, agreed to drive to New London.
Several of us piled into his car, and off we went. The good news is that it was during one of our
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visits to Connecticut College that my friend introduced Doug to his wife-to-be, Arja, who had
come to Connecticut College from her home in Finland. Doug and Arja soon married and had a
happy life together. I was glad to see them at our 50th Reunion and am deeply saddened that
Doug has passed away. I am happy to have been a small part of his life and especially to have
been instrumental in his finding his lifelong companion.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2021 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
July - August 2021
You are invited. The planning team of Jon Larson, Ed Carlson, Ed Dennis, John
Derby, John Hagedorn, Jere Johnston, Dick Moser, John Tuteur, and Jim Thompson has
finished making all arrangements for the Y63 Gathering in San Francisco for the week of
September 20-25,, 2021. 56 Classmates and our partners are already confirmed to participate in
a full week of shared relaxed conversation, fine dining, and planned activities. September is an
excellent month to visit San Francisco due to the excellent all around weather and fewer visitors.
We have chosen to stay in the small Town of Tiburon just north of San Francisco and a short 20
minute drive or ferry boat ride to the city. It is near to the Napa and Sonoma wine country, Muir
Woods, sailing, fine dining, and the other planned events are close by. We plan to provide
convenient door to door coach transportation to and from all of our planned events for the week.
Fine dining will include a Class Dinner and an evening at the Larson’s in Tiburon. Detailed
information is available on our Y63 Class Website www.yale63.org, including the Signup Sheet
and a Brochure describing in detail all of the plans and events for the week. Advance deposits
are refundable to accommodate changes in plans, and all activities are personally selectable.
Any questions can be sent to our committee coordinator Jon Larson (jon_larson@hotmail.com),
who is using skills learned leading our Tour de France and British Isles class tours to hopefully
assure us another enjoyable experience together before we gather in New Haven in two years for
our Free 60th Reunion.
Dick Moser reports: “Last April, while contemplating without much pleasure the
prospect of retirement, free time, and reduced income, I had a brainstorm. I had seen ads by
Amazon looking for people to become independent contractors for delivery services. Their
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estimate of start-up costs was low and they even offered a $10,000 bonus for veterans. The
business sounded interesting, so I applied, got accepted, and, after talking to a couple of
successful contractors, signed up and started LastMile LLC. I’ve probably worked with 40 or
more early stage companies as investor, director, or CEO over my career, but I’ve never started
one from scratch, so this was going to be a new, new experience. After completing Amazon’s
training program, I launched my delivery business in mid-October with two employees, three
Amazon vans, and two delivery routes. Workdays ran from 3 AM until 10 PM seven days a
week for the first three months as we grew to 60 employees and 35 vehicles. It’s still a sevenday-a-week job with a new problem literally every day, but we’ve reached a size where I can
afford the overhead of people to take some of the load off my back so that I can focus on making
it run better. Given the nature of the delivery job and of the work force it’s a management
intensive business with high turnover, so two days every week have to be devoted to
recruiting/hiring. One of these days it might even make some money! The next time you see
your Amazon delivery driver, tell her or him thank you. These folks work their butts off at a
ridiculous pace for long hours just to be sure you get your packages; if their delivery company is
any good, they love their jobs. Especially over the last year, they’ve been essential cogs in the
machinery of our economy. No matter where LastMile goes, I’ll never take them for granted
again; I count myself lucky to have gotten to know a few of them and to have them call me ‘Boss
man’, ‘Patron’, ‘Uncle Dick’, or just ‘Hey’. I’m exhausted, exhilarated, and never for a minute
bored.”
Dan Rowland has two recent pieces of good news. A collection of his essays written
over a 50-year period, God, Tsar & People: the Political Culture of Early Modern
Russia (Cornell University Press), was published in November 2020, and is garnering some
excellent early comments. (Further information can be found in the Yale Authors section of the
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May-June, 2021 edition of YAM.) And CivicLex, a civic organization that he founded with
some friends in 2009, and for which served as president until 2018, is becoming a national model
of local journalism and civic engagement. It was recently featured on the PBS News Hour by
Judy Woodruff, on On Point (WBUR, Boston), and in a discussion on reviving American
democracy hosted by the Library of Congress. Dan and his wife Wendy celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in May, then sold the farm in Montville, Maine where they were married,
and moved their “summer” home to an old house along the Passagassawakeag River in Belfast,
Maine. They spent the winter in Belfast, sheltering from Covid, and working on their woodlot
and pond. Dan continues to work with CivicLex, on the restoration of the Pope Villa, an 1812
masterwork by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, and on a civic education plan for the state of Vermont.
He and his wife are grateful to be alive and relatively healthy!
Mohamed Sbeih writes: “In September 1959, I came to Yale as a foreign student from
Jordan. I am actually a Palestinian, having been born and raised in what is now called East
Jerusalem. Two days after graduation I was on a flight heading home since I had not returned
home all four years. With a BSEE degree, I was apprehensive about my job prospects in Jordan
– a country with little or no industry. Soon my fears turned true and I moved to Beirut, Lebanon,
where I worked as a sales engineer traveling throughout the region. I was about to immigrate to
Canada when, in 1966, I met my future wife. With wars and conflicts on the horizon, my wife
and I decided to come to the US and in 1971 I became a US citizen. For the next 32 years, I
worked in the electronics and computer industry, first as a marketing engineer and gradually
shifting to other business functions including finance, information technology, and quality. I
retired in 2000 and have enjoyed my retirement. We have lived for 38 years in Granite Bay, CA,
a suburb of Sacramento. We have two grown children, both successful and productive citizens.
Our daughter is a US Foreign Service Officer, and our son owns and runs a REIT in
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Sacramento. After I retired, I developed a hobby of reading history focusing on the Ottoman
Empire. I also studied taxes, something I longed to do since my MBA student days in the mid1970s. We have four acres and a few fruit trees that keep us busy most of the year. For the last
15 years, I volunteered as a tax preparer in the AARP tax aid program for the elderly and other
moderate income taxpayers. This job was rewarding for me in that I was able to help people,
explain their financial situation, and plan action for next tax year. The sad fact is that in this
country financial illiteracy is probably as great as computer illiteracy.”
Richard Stromberg writes: “After looking around the country for a Continuous Care
Retirement Community, we moved 30 miles from Front Royal to Winchester, VA. As we
learned when my parents did it (Edgar '31S), it’s a gift to our children. It is taking some getting
used to, not helped by the pandemic, and we miss our house, but we don’t miss keeping it up. I
love looking out the window to see someone else shoveling snow, including shoveling out our
cars. Condensing from 3,500 square feet to 750 wasn’t easy. I strongly recommend getting a
‘downsizer’ like the ClutterTroops we used. Moving this close allows us to continue our
activities. We continue to hike two or three times a week. (Though Shenandoah National Park
is a half hour farther away, we have discovered other trails closer to our new home.) My
problem is keeping up with my wife, who is a year older than I am, going uphill, though getting a
stent last year has helped.”
Recently I observed to Martin Wand that, based on Yale’s estimates, about 700
members of our Class are still alive, which represents 66% of the 1,060 classmates who started
with us at Yale in the Fall of 1959. Martin’s response was: “Very interesting and impressive.
You might mention that in your next Class Notes to soften the sad news of our classmates
passing.” Michael Freeland points out that the 2017 Social Security period life tables (the most
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recent that have been made public) show that 50.8% of men born 80 years earlier are still alive at
age 80 in the U.S. population as a whole.
Michael P. Coughlin died on February 25, 2021 in Mountain View, CA as the result of
an automobile accident. Mike was born in Pittsfield, MA on October 29, 1941. Mike was really
smart and very funny. His boyhood was spent with his many friends playing sandlot baseball
and basketball at the Boys Club (where he won the dubious honor of “Most Improved” two years
in a row). He maintained lifelong friendships with many of his friends from Pittsfield High
School, Class of 1959. Mike graduated in 1963 from Yale University and then earned his MBA
from Rutgers University. He worked for Price Waterhouse and Baldwin United Corporation in
New York City before moving to Mountain View, CA. He spent the remainder of his career in
the hospitality industry. Mike was an avid golfer and enjoyed many trips to California and
Nevada golf venues with his friends. He will be missed by his dear wife, Carmen Hughes
Coughlin, whom he married on August 30, 1997. He is survived by his stepdaughters, Yvette
Olguin and Yvonne Heyl, and two grandsons.
Reve Carberry remembers: “Michael and I became friends Freshman Year as bursary
students working in Timothy Dwight. At the end of the year he invited me to join Jack O’Gara,
Steve Weltman, and himself as roommates in Berkeley. I was delighted to accept and we had a
wonderful year together, largely fooling around as Sophomores are wont to do – a lot of pranks
on each other and with upperclassmen on the floor. Although I took a single for Junior Year, we
still spent time together, primarily over meals in the dining hall. After that I left Yale for a year
and we grew apart. Michael was a gentle man and a fun-loving gentleman.” Craig Cooper
writes: “Mike Coughlin and I grew up together in Pittsfield, MA. He, Jack O”Gara, Steve
Weltman, and I were Class of ’59 at Pittsfield High School. Mike was quiet, introspective, but
with a smile and a good word for all. Mike listened. You could talk with him and get help and
5
be secure that confidences would stay confidential. He had a deformed foot about which he
never complained. What I most remember were the hot August days when we would bicycle
about four miles through woods posted against trespassing, across the railroad tracks to the lake.
There was a big oak from which someone had hung a rope. You went back up the railroad
embankment with the rope, about 40 feet, and swung out over the lake to a point about 20 feet
from shore and let go of the rope about 10 feet above the lake. Mike loved this, probably
because he truly excelled.” Tom Iezzi recalls: “Mike Coughlin, Burke Jackson, Gene
Kennedy, Dick Nicholson, and I started an intensive 14-month graduate program at Rutgers
University in June 1963, a month after we graduated from Yale. The program included courses
we needed to sit for the CPA exam. We were a class of 40 students, all anxious to finish the
program and get hired by a Big Eight accounting firm. We attended class daily, did our
assignments, and found time to have some fun. Mike was our Class Secretary and our organizer
and an active participant in our softball games and social events. He was the best story teller in
our class. We completed our program in 1964 and began our careers in Public Accounting.”
Dick Nicholson adds: “I can still hear Mike’s distinctive voice telling a joke or instigating some
extracurricular activity like a trip to tour the Budweiser brewery.”
Stephen Howard Goulding died on January 18, 2021 of Covid-19 at Banner University
Medical Center in Tucson, AZ. He was born on February 8, 1941 in Kansas City, MO. Steve
graduated from Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale, IL in 1959. He played NCAA
basketball at Yale University, where he graduated in 1963. He received a Master’s in Business
from the University of Chicago. He successfully managed and expanded Oak State Products, a
cookie manufacturing company in Wenona, IL. He spent over 50 years at Oak State, beginning
in the mixing room when he was in college, eventually becoming President and retiring as
Chairman of the Board. Steve was a pilot and an outdoorsman. He loved to hunt, fish, and
6
scuba dive. As a world traveler, he always remembered the best restaurants, from local fare to
exotic cuisine. He was a connector, facilitator, story teller, and avid reader. He was a
trustworthy, caring, warm, and gentle family man. Steve was a philanthropist. He supported and
served many organizations and causes, including Social Venture Partners of Tucson, the Boys
and Girls Club of America, Ducks Unlimited, The Wetlands Initiative, and numerous Early
Childhood Education initiatives. Steve is survived by Peggy, his wife of 36 years, son Byron,
daughter Susan Hawkins, and three grandchildren. Steve is a hard act to follow.
Mike Griffel remembers: “Steve was the captain of the basketball team, and I was the
classical pianist. We had not that much in common, but we immediately took a shine to each
other, and our friendship lasted through the years. Steve was such a gentle soul, soft-spoken but
immensely articulate, an attentive listener with, more often than not, a kindly smile on his face.
We and our wives met a number of years ago for dinner in Manhattan and then attended a
Carnegie Hall concert together. That was a wonderful evening, as each of us recalled our times
together at Yale and expressed gratitude for the happy lives we had lived. Steve was as sweet as
ever, and I cherish my times with him. To know him was to love him.” Bob Hetherington
reflects: “Steve had a positive, upbeat spirit. He was curious to know what you were doing. He
loved all aspects of his life, especially being CEO of his company. Because his company was so
successful, he could pursue his many interests with passion – family time, playing golf, traveling,
and flying his plane. At Yale playing basketball was at the center of his life. He was a good
team player. To be successful you had to be part of a good team. May Steve go ‘from strength
to strength in the life of perfect light and joy.’” Ralph Howe writes: “Fond memories of
our Basketball Captain who stood nearly a foot taller than I. He would always ask me how my
squash was going and I would watch almost all of his home games at Payne Whitney
Gymnasium. I remember one time in Yale’s losing effort against Princeton, he guarded and held
7
their star Bill Bradley to less than his average point output. We enjoyed many of his stories at
Scroll & Key. He made many a cookie in his business day; I wish I'd had more of them.” Louis
Livingston remembers: “Two memories of Steve stand out: his imposing physicality at 6’8”
and his sweet personality encompassing a very dry wit. He knew how to combine both attributes
in an engaging way. I remember Steve's describing his basketball matchup with Princeton great
Bill Bradley. Steve expressed pride that he had held Bradley – and he paused – to ‘under’ 20
points. (Despite his modest self-satire, Steve underestimated his accomplishment; Bradley’s Ivy
League career average was nearly 30 points per game.) It was a delight to spend time with
Steve.” Bill Reed recalls: “I enjoyed Steve’s fellowship two evenings a week during senior
year. Steve was an impressive figure at 6’8”, yet he was a thoughtful, quiet, and gentle man. A
Midwesterner, he offered a steadying point of view. He returned to his family’s cookie business
after graduation and thrived as a successful businessman and family man.” Stan Riveles writes:
“Steve’s 7-foot height, varsity basketball career, and team captaincy were all features of, and
distractions from, his deeper, more enduring nature. Steve had a dedication and perseverance to
task, as well as humanity and good humor that he exhibited in all aspects of his life, at Yale and
beyond. Looking back at our ’63 Class Book, I realized that Steve was not the highest point
scorer, or even the best rebounder, on that team. But Steve was assigned the task of guarding
Bill Bradley, probably the best player the Ivy League has ever produced. Yale fell just short of
beating Princeton. Throughout, Steve could be counted on to give his best, inspire and support
others, provide the right direction. These were the finest features of a trusted leader, who stuck
up above the crowd.”
Dale Hershey writes: “My wife, Susanne Hershey, died on February 18, 2021, after
fighting ovarian cancer for over two years. She was 74 years old. We had been married for 54
years. I find it hard to capture the essence of this person, so essential to my parallel existence in
8
this long time. Sue and I first met when she was a Radcliffe sophomore and I was a second year
law student at Harvard. She had grown up in Rochester, NY. She graduated from the Harley
School there, excelling both academically and athletically. She was a strong, long-legged, lithe
girl, born to be an equestrienne. Her early years were spent in the Genesee Valley south of
Rochester. There she developed a lifelong passion for riding and the equestrian sport of
eventing. We met on Columbus day in 1964 on a day trip to Mount Monadnock. I was
immediately fascinated by the ease, friendliness, and scope of her conversation. I noticed the
verve and excitement in her discussion of ideas and events. These traits continued throughout
her life. It was always fun to spend time in her company, and one would learn something too.
She had a wide-ranging curiosity about science, art, intellectual development, protection of the
environment, and public affairs. She enjoyed playing the piano, especially the works of Bach,
Handel, and Chopin. After our marriage we began working in Pittsburgh, my home town and
her adopted city. She spent 18 years working at The Winchester Thurston School, first as an
English teacher, then as a teacher of psychology, and then guidance counselor and college
counselor. The school leaders praised her creative contributions to the school’s transition to a
coed institution. For each student she wrote a detailed account of the person’s educational
achievement and aptitude. The school’s head said that ‘she guided the student college
application journey and wrote recommendations that captured the essence and potential of each
child, leading to lifelong bonds with her students.’ One student said, ‘She was interested in
environmental issues. She was just a refined, kind, humanistic, and lovely person.’ Sue was
interested in the training of young riders in the sport of eventing (show jumping, cross country,
and dressage). She was largely responsible for the establishment of the Instructors’ Certification
Program of the United States Eventing Association. She helped to organize certification testing
programs around the country. Hundreds of riding instructors have been certified in this
9
program. In 1980 we moved from a comfortable home in a Pittsburgh suburb to a 24-acre tract
only seven miles from the center of the city. She transformed the land into a farm where she and
our two children could keep horses, and I had space and all the manure I needed for gardening.
She sought to use the land responsibly, so she arranged for the construction of solar panels in a
corner of our yard. Sue was absolutely unique. I loved her dearly. I would never have sought to
spend my life with anyone else.”
Henry Ripley Schwab of Mystic, CT passed away from Covid-19 on January 14, 2021.
Henry was born on August 17, 1941 in New York City. Henry graduated from St. Paul’s School
in 1959, at which point he had already discovered a lifelong love for ancient Greek language and
literature. He went on to study History, the Arts and Letters at Yale University, graduating with
a B.A. in 1963. After a year at Oxford, he returned to Yale to receive an M.A. in 1965 and M.
Phil. in 1972 in the Classics Department. In 1978 Henry co-founded Book Haven, an
independent bookstore in the midst of the Yale campus, to focus on the needs of an academic
community. Henry managed the store for 27 years with his then wife, a fellow Yale graduate.
Over that time they navigated major changes in the book industry, including the beginnings of
Amazon.com and proliferation of bookstore chains. Book Haven came to supply nearly half the
textbooks for Yale students, and to stock its own wide selection of contemporary academic
books. In 1988 Henry founded a small publishing company to publish primarily literary
criticism by Yale faculty and friends. The company, Doberman Books, was named after his dog,
who spent many happy days gently greeting bookstore customers. Henry found great pleasure in
travel, especially to Greece and the Peloponnesus, although his fondest memories were from his
nearly 60 years in New Haven. Henry devoted his life to reading and research, and he donated
his extensive personal book collection to the Yale Classics Library in Phelps Hall. He is
survived by his three children, Matthew, Lesley, and Ruthie, and three grandchildren.
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Michael Freeland writes: “Henry was a great friend to me through all four years at
Yale, and he was my roommate for three of those years. We first met in Lawrance Hall
Freshman Year. Henry and I could not have been more different, but we ended up enjoying each
other a lot. Henry came from an old established family, and he was financially comfortable. He
came to Yale from St. Paul’s, with intellectual training and an education that I could not match.
Henry spoke several languages and could read and write ancient Greek and Latin. I had never
met anyone like Henry, and I stood in awe of him. When it came time to move on from
Lawrance Hall to Berkeley College, Henry and I joined my Freshman Year roommate, George
Knapp, and five others – Jerry Bremer, Pat Clarke, Charlie Frank, Jeff Johnson, and Dave
Lodge – to occupy a second-floor suite overlooking the Berkeley courtyard, where we spent two
wonderful years. Henry’s classical education brought a special perspective to the spontaneous
bull sessions in which our suitemates were constantly engaged. Henry also was an enthusiastic
participant in many long, leisurely meals in the Berkeley Dining Hall, where the conversation
was seemingly endless and always rewarding. After two years of communal living in Berkeley,
the opening of Morse College offered an opportunity for single rooms and exciting new
architecture. Henry and I had adjacent rooms, and Bill Seawright and Doug Wright had the
next rooms down. Henry spent most of his time senior year intensely pursuing academics, so we
saw a bit less of each other that year. Shortly after graduation, Henry married a strikingly
beautiful girl, Debbie Johnson, and in 1966 they had a son, Matthew. Henry and Debbie honored
me with a request to become Matthew’s godfather, which I gladly did, even though at the time I
was on a Navy destroyer returning from Vietnam. Meanwhile, Henry continued to pursue
(forever) a doctorate in Classics at Yale. He opened a rare book store in New Haven near
Mory’s. Over the years, Henry and I grew less close. I saw him only when I returned to Yale for
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Class Reunions. Even so, I always felt a great continuing fondness for Henry, and I miss him
deeply. Requiescat in Pace, dear friend.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
12
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2021 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
September-October 2021
Tom Lovejoy has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. The
National Academy of Sciences was created during the Lincoln Administration to provide
scientific advice to the government and the public. Membership is determined by a rigorous
internal peer review selection process. There are currently 2,461 members in all fields
combined.
Avi Nelson reports: “Despite Covid, last October, November and January I played in
three baseball tournaments. The first was in Arizona, the second two in Florida. These were
age-limited divisions, 70+ and 75+. That meant flying to and from, staying in hotels, and eating
daily in different restaurants – as well as associating with ballplayers on the field and in
dugouts. I’ve been offered a range of reactions to my having played. Suffice it to say, everyone
has different risk aversion profiles to challenges. So far, it has worked out. I’m playing baseball
again this season in a couple of leagues in the Boston area, although not as a full-time player.
I’ve gone back to doing some political writing and have published several op-eds recently in the
Boston Herald (and one in the Washington Times). For the first time, I’ve tried my hand at
writing a short story. Whether anyone will publish it is another matter. I spend considerable
time at the piano, playing and composing informally, and have finally posted on YouTube a
Ballade I wrote that was played on the radio years ago. Add in a few webinars, and that makes
up the complement of my intellectual involvement – watching old movies on TV not counting.”
Bill Nordhaus has published a new book, The Spirit of Green. Bill explains: “In an earlier
era, green referred to the color of grass and trees and jealous eyes. But over the last halfcentury, ‘green’ has taken on a life of its own, reflecting a new approach to individual actions,
companies, political activities, and laws – an interconnected set of ideas about the dangerous
side effects of modern industrial societies and how we can cure or at least curb these
dangers. The Spirit of Green covers a wide array of social, economic, and political questions
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that are examined from a green vantage point. These questions include established areas such
as pollution, congestion, and global warming. But they also involve new frontiers such as taxes,
corporate governance, and finance. The book discusses how the power of markets can be
effectively buttressed with new approaches to collective action.”
George Stewart “Stovy” Brown died at home in St. Leonard, MD on April 19, 2021 in his
tenth year of ALS, the 80th year of his age, and the 51st year of marriage to Anne Virginia
Wright. Born in Baltimore, he attended Calvert and Gilman and graduated from Yale. His entire
working career was spent with IBM while living in Annapolis, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Stamford,
CT. He retired to Southern Maryland in 1991 and devoted the rest of his time to the Southern
Maryland Sailing Foundation, the Prince Frederick Rotary Club, and the Calvert County
Democrats. He is survived by his wife and by his brother and nephews.
Norm Dawley recalls: “I met Stovy in 1959 when we were both sent to Boston to
compete in a freshman regatta on the Charles River at MIT. Sailing was a club sport at Yale with
zero financial support from the University. To compete at regattas we would pile into
someone’s car (often Stovy’s 49 Ford Convertible, ‘Gypsy’, since he was one of the few who had
a car), all chipping in for gas and tolls; go to the regatta, sleep on anyone’s floor that would
have us; try to cadge meals at the host’s dining hall or failing that binge on 15-cent
hamburgers. Stovy was a wizard in the shifty winds of the rivers and lakes where we usually
competed. As I remember, we won the Sloop Championships at Coast Guard one year in
Ravens. The biggest win of our college careers was the McMillan Cup at Navy in 1963, on our
third and final try. Again, Stovy’s tactical calls and skill in shifty air were critical to our success.
At that time the McMillan Cup was emblematic of collegiate national big boat championship, as
the Kennedy Cup is today. We visited Anne and Stovy when they had recently finished their
beautiful house on St Leonard’s Creek as I was retiring. We decided that Solomons was a great
place to retire and moved there also. Since then Stovy and I have sailed many, many more
miles together on the Chesapeake, as well as more Vineyard, Block Island, and around Long
Island races, at least three races to Bermuda and the race from Victoria, BC to Maui. I admire
Stovy endlessly for his amazing good spirits, energy, and ability to stay productively involved in
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sailing, Rotary, family and friends through his long battle with ALS. I am equally awed by Anne’s
skill and dedication at giving and managing his care with constant good cheer.”
John Hilgenberg writes: “Stovy and I were classmates for 15 years in three different
schools. A physics major, he was probably the smartest guy I knew, and very decent and kind in
every way. After a career with IBM he retired to southern Maryland, where he enjoyed his lifelong competitive passion, sailing. He often saw his good friend and neighbor, Norm Dawley,
another avid sailor dating back to their days with the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club. Stovy is
survived by his wife, Anne Wright Brown, along with a wide circle of friends gained from his
active leadership pursuits, sailing and county Democratic politics.”
Michael Whitfield Jecko passed away on May 20, 2021 after a long struggle with
Alzheimer’s Disease. Mike was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Bethesda, MD. He
graduated in 1959 from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, went on to study at Yale University,
and graduated in 1963 with degrees in electrical engineering and business administration. He
met his greatest love, Susan, in 1983 and spent 38 years with her as his constant companion.
Together, they raised six children. Mike had a long and successful career working at GE, PEPCO,
the Rouse Company, and Accenture. But his greatest loves in life were his family, his friends,
and Susan. Those who spent time with Mike knew of his love for tennis and the Washington
Redskins; his affection for a 5:00 PM happy hour; the peace he felt at the beach; his uncanny
ability to solve any problem with a chart and a spreadsheet; his masterful social organizing
skills; that he could turn any event into something that involved betting brackets; and that he
loved a good joke. Mike laughed a lot, whistled constantly, was well known for his trademark
“Jecko Shuffle” dance, and was always planning for the next time he could spend time with
those he loved. Mike is survived by his wife; his four children, M. Scott Jecko, Audrey
Coulbourn, Mike Jecko, Jr., and Brittany Jecko; his stepchildren Holly Steiner and Scott Severn;
four grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
Peter Kiernan writes: “I first met Mike Jecko at his BCC high school senior prom. I didn’t
go to BCC but had a date with one of his classmates. She pointed to him and said, ‘he’s going to
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Yale next year also.’ And there he was in a red tux jacket with a mustache – and blonded hair
and a cigar if I remember accurately. Not your typical Yale entrant back then – or now. Once at
Yale we became friends. When it came time to pick roommates for the next three years, he
was a natural choice for me, and so I came to room with three members of the freshman
basketball team: Mike, Rich Giegengack, and Chip Oldt, all sadly gone now. Mike was a
wonderful friend, a welcome confidant, and always there when needed. I had quite a number
of friends at Yale who were super studious and quite a few others who really enjoyed a party.
Mike was the rarer find. He worked assiduously all week and then easily changed speeds and
enjoyed Deke and smaller party scenes to the absolute fullest on the weekend. The two never
seemed to clash. He was a brilliant student, especially in what we now call the STEM subjects
but also quite strong in the liberal arts courses we took together. Most of my friends did their
homework – when and if they did – to get it done. Mike’s approach was to do it and do it and
do it again until he was satisfied it was 100% perfect. In Sophomore year, he was in a very
demanding math class, and he and one other student tied for first place in the class with 99
averages. He didn’t make a show of it, but he was definitely one of our brightest classmates.
Back in Washington after graduation and a post graduate year in engineering at Yale, Mike
went on to business success, rising to be the chief of computer operations at local companies, a
consultant, and – in his spare time – the President of Manor Country Club for several terms,
long enough to lead them through a very substantial rebuilding effort. I miss him – and have
missed him for a number of years now as he was sidelined with Alzheimer’s – a doubly difficult
way to end life for one so smart.”
Avi Nelson recalls: “Mike and I were electrical engineering majors, so we were course
classmates Sophomore through Senior years and frequently lab partners. He was a really
good guy and very bright, often making the sometimes arcane subject of electrical engineering
seem easy. Going against the stereotypical, slide-rule-in-pocket engineer-type, Mike’s outgoing
and engaging personality made him universally popular; and his good looks always impressed
the women, one of whom, I recall, referred to him as ‘snake eyes.’ (Funny what stays in
memory after over half a century.) I always looked forward to seeing Mike at our Class
reunions, where we enjoyed enthusiastic reconnections and relived reminiscences. But at the
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50th he wasn’t himself; the Alzheimer’s had already set in, and the 55th he was too sick to
attend. Some classmates’ deaths hit particularly hard. This one did for me. RIP, Mike.”
Pierre Marcel Schlumberger passed away peacefully on October 1, 2020 in New
Braunfels, TX, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. “Pete”, as he was known to
family and friends, was born in Houston, TX on June 29, 1942, the first member of his family to
be born in the United States. He graduated from The Kinkaid School in 1959, Yale University in
1963, and The Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1966. Pete began his law
practice at Pritchard, Platter and Allen in Houston, TX in 1966. Later he decided to work as a
sole practitioner in order to spend more time with family and to focus on estate and non-profit
work. He had a strong desire to serve the community where he lived. In Houston, Pete gladly
served on numerous boards, including Schlumberger, Ltd., the Anchorage Foundation, Inc.
(President), The Rothko Chapel (Corporate Secretary), and the Fondation de Musée
Schlumberger. After his retirement Pete and Lesley moved to New Braunfels, TX, where Pete
continued to serve the community. There he served on numerous boards, including
Sophienburg Museum and Archives (President), New Braunfels Historic Museums Association,
Inc. (President), and Comal County Historical Commission (Treasurer). Pete was extremely
instrumental in the preservation and revitalization of the historic Courtlandt Place
neighborhood in Houston, TX, which was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979. Pete considered this achievement one of his greatest legacies to the city where he was
born. For many years Pete was an avid tennis player. While living in New Braunfels, he was a
devoted fan of the San Antonio Spurs. As a hobby, he maintained an extensive collection of
vintage black and white movies from the 1930s to the 1950s. He is remembered for his latenight showings of classic movies that define modern cinema. Pete especially enjoyed studying
Texas history, Texas maps, and the works of early Texas artists. Pete was known as an
intelligent, quiet person with a sharp wit and an unfailingly gracious manner. He was rarely
seen without his camera in hand, especially at family gatherings and events. Pete is survived by
his college sweetheart, best friend, and wife Lesley McCary Schlumberger, to whom he was
married for 58 years; his daughters Leslie Anne Schlumberger Garcia and Claire Schlumberger
Henry; and five grandchildren.
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Doug Graybill writes: “One memory of Pete resonates strongly in my recollection. I had
mentioned to a few friends that I was looking for a place to stay during the summer before
senior year because I would be there for 4-6 weeks before school started. One day Pete
approached me saying, ‘I understand you’ll be in New Haven for a good portion of the summer.
Would you be willing to look after my condo while you’re here?’ I asked how much? And he
replied, ‘You’re doing me the favor. Free, of course.’ I was ecstatic. Pete was just that kind of
a guy. Quiet, generous, friendly, trusting, mostly kept to himself, and never let on that his
family was as wealthy as they were. He was a close friend to few, but welcoming to many who
encountered him around Yale. I must say he was a wonderful friend to me.”
Bill Heron remembers: “Pete was quiet and incredibly thoughtful. He was a very giving
person as well although somewhat self-contained. After Yale and law school he was a very
generous philanthropist in Texas.”
Chris Little writes: ““Pete and I were classmates and good friends for six years at The
Kinkaid School in Houston. We then roomed together in Vanderbilt during Freshman year and
in Timothy Dwight during Sophomore and Junior years. Between Junior and Senior years, he
married the love of his life, the lovely Lesley McCary, and moved off campus. He sported a
black eye at his wedding, caused by a squash ball off my racquet. Typical of Pete, he took the
untimely injury with good humor. He was a true gentleman and a philanthropist, devoted to his
family and to an extraordinarily wide range of civic, cultural, and historical organizations in
Texas.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
6
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2021 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes November - December 2021
Due to the Covid-19 Delta Variant spike and the mandatory indoor masking required in
the San Francisco Bay Area, the Yale ’63 Gathering in San Francisco for September has been
moved to May 9-15, 2022. All planned activities and venues will remain the same. We expect
that most of the 75 classmates and partners who were confirmed to participate in September
will join us in May, and there is room for additional participants. Please see the Brochure and
Sig-Up Form on our Yale ’63 Class Website at www.yale63.org for details. Or contact Jon
Larson directly at jonlarson99.jl@gmail.com to get any questions answered.
Jim Baird reports: “I am continuing to pursue my teaching and research, primarily
because I didn't develop enough hobbies when I was young. I have three graduate students
and two undergraduates working in the lab. I do the theory, and they do the experiments, and
when they catch on, they do a bit of the theory themselves. I coach them until the day comes
when they decide to do their own experiment to check some question that had not even
occurred to me. At that point, I regard them as being ready to graduate!”
Bill DeWitt writes: “President Peter Salovey is doing a series of podcasts with individuals
who have Yale connections, and whose professions or areas of expertise might be of interest to
the Yale community. He reached out to me, as CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals, to see if I and my
son, Bill, lll ’90, Cardinals President, would be interested in joining him to talk about baseball.
We were more than pleased to participate. For those interested in listening, the link
is https://president.yale.edu/president/yale-talk/cardinals-and-bulldogs. President Salovey is a
passionate and knowledgeable baseball fan, as well as a sports enthusiast in general, and we
enjoyed very much doing the podcast with him.”
Tony Elson writes: “I am pleased to announce the publication of a new book (The Global
Currency Power of the US Dollar – Problems and Prospects). This book continues a series I have
written about different aspects of economic and financial globalization. In this one, I examine
1
the basis for, and the extent of, the dominant position of the US dollar in the global economy
and the benefits and costs the global currency status of the dollar has created for the
international financial system. I also consider the growing risks this arrangement will create for
global financial stability in the future. In this light, I review the prospects for three alternative
currency arrangements that could deal with some or all of the defects of the current dollarcentered reserve currency system: one is a shift to a multipolar reserve currency system
involving the dollar, euro, and renminbi; another is an enhancement of the IMF’s role as an
international lender of last resort and provider of global ‘safe’ assets; and a third is the
introduction of central bank digital currencies.”
George Nilson writes: “Greetings from our ‘new’ home in the historic district of
Chestertown, a charming and politically complex town on the Chester River in the upper
Eastern Shore of Maryland. After living and working in Baltimore, I retired from the practice of
law per the policy of my 4,200-lawyer firm (DLA Piper) on my 65th birthday and promptly
unretired the next day to begin serving as City Solicitor for the next nearly ten years under two
mayors. With a few glitches along the way, it was the best job I ever had (unless fair pay is the
criterion). Having owned a series of second homes on the Eastern Shore for 25 years, my
second wife Sarah and I and our growing pack of dogs settled in Chestertown after sampling St.
Michael’s and Tilghman Island. Since the end of my gainful retirement I have been the Board
President of the Chesapeake Film Festival (50 or so films each year for the last 13 years) and a
board member of Disability Rights Maryland. I am blessed with two wonderful sons and five
grandchildren who live in Boston and Yarmouth, ME and a lovely stepdaughter who lives and
works across the Bay Bridge.”
Dave Ragaini reports: “Recently my wife Nicole and I completed a CD designed to (hopefully)
bring a smile to those who might be, because of these times, a little down. We called it ‘Nothin’
But Happy’, with Dave and Nicole (no last name) and we’re pretty proud of it. It’s a collection
of standards, pop, and a couple of rock favorites of mine. It also has a song I wrote for Nicole in
1975, about six months after we met at a recording session in Montreal. It's called ‘I Found a
Girl’, and, luckily for me, I’ve kept her, or rather, she's kept me, these last 46 years. We know
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no one buys CDs these days; we did it for ourselves, and our family and friends, but the songs
are available for streaming on most sites, and they're now up on YouTube. All the best to you
’63ers, and your loved ones, from a guy who did enough to graduate, but probably spent more
time on the golf course and the poker table than at the books.”
Christopher Hawley Corbett passed away peacefully in South Portland, ME on June 22,
2021, his 80th birthday, surrounded by loving family, a year and a half after a diagnosis of ALS.
Chris was raised in Montclair, NJ, the third of four children, a proud Eagle Scout, avid sailor, and
lifetime lover of the outdoors. As a young man, he discovered music, playing trombone in a 17piece jazz big band and guitar and vocals in a classic 1950s rock band, and thereafter managing
to join every sing-along or porch jamboree he could find – making music and encouraging
merriment around campfires, at jazz bars, and in the living rooms of a wide network of friends.
As he saw it, music was a wellspring of joy and togetherness, something meant to be shared.
After graduating from Yale University in 1963, Chris served as a weapons officer in the U.S.
Navy, spending four years on a destroyer escort based out of Newport, RI. He married
Margaret “Peggy” Anne Fulton in 1967 and together they embarked on a life marked by
community, family, and a shared love of nature. They raised three children in Andover, MA,
instilling in them their passion for hiking, camping, skiing, travel, and reading good books. Chris
earned an MBA from Northeastern University and became a plant manager at the Polaroid
Corporation, directing manufacturing at three film factories during the heyday of the SX-70
instant camera. He then served for 16 years as Vice President of Operations at New England
Business Services and went on to work as a consultant to manufacturing companies while also
volunteering as an advisor to numerous nonprofits through the Executive Service Corps of New
England. After losing Peggy unexpectedly in 1998, Chris began spending more time in Maine,
where he ended up settling permanently. He dedicated himself to community service, helping
youth build boats through the Maine Compass Project, becoming a founding member of the
committee of Southern Maine Conservation Coalition, serving on the board of the
Environmental Funders Network, and working to protect green spaces through several land
trust organizations. For 22 years he also administered a mini-grant program for public-school
teachers in honor of Peggy, who had been a chemistry teacher, raising and distributing more
than $200,000 to encourage creativity and hands-on learning in science classrooms. On a
3
hiking trip to Yosemite in 2001, Chris met and was instantly smitten by Manny Morgan, herself
an avid outdoorswoman who happened to live in Maine. They married in 2007 and enjoyed an
exuberant life together. They traveled the world, sailed, climbed mountains, and spent
summers among many friends on Chebeague Island. Given a terminal diagnosis of ALS in the
summer of 2020, Chris did what he’d always done, setting a determined example of how to live
gracefully and joyously. His last months were spent in the constant company of friends and
family, infused with music, laughter, and conversation. As his body grew weak, he opted to
make use of Maine’s Death with Dignity process, which afforded him the ability to die at home
and without suffering. He will be remembered as hard-working, generous and gentle, evenkeeled, deeply curious, open-minded, and always bent on having fun. Chris is survived by his
wife, Manny Morgan; his children Stephen, Matthew, and Sara Corbett; his stepchildren Hoyt
and Kim Morgan; and 11 treasured grandchildren.
Rees Jones writes: “Chris Corbett and I both grew up in Montclair, NJ, where we went
through school together and were in a great troop of Boy Scouts which was an important
activity since our scoutmaster inspired us to achieve and succeed. When we both were
accepted to Yale it was natural that we would be roommates. Within our group of Dave
Hilyard, Walt Hunt, and myself, he was the entertainer and calming influence. We couldn’t
have had a better fourth. His guitar skills were ever-present during our social activities. PostYale, Chris was a Navy officer, a successful businessman, an active outdoorsman and a great
family man.”
John Miller remembers: “Chris was a roommate, fraternity brother, co-manager of the
TD snack bar, and Navy mate but, most of all, he was a close friend of 60 years.
During the summer following our Junior year, Chris, Joe Schwartz (Class of ’62, fraternity
brother and manager of the track team with Chris) and I traveled the country in a vintage
station wagon from coast to coast and north to south. Wherever we stopped to camp, Chris
entertained us and other campers around us with his guitar and large vocal repertoire,
garnering new friends with his music and infectious personality. When it became apparent to
4
us during our Senior year that additional education wasn’t in our immediate future but the
draft was, we decided to enlist in Navy Officer Candidate School. Chris’s poor eyesight was a
definite roadblock to military service, but he memorized the standard eye chart and bluffed his
way through the induction physical and subsequent OCS physicals! We ended up as bunk
mates at OCS in Newport, RI. We were together on the parade ground when we were ordered
to return to our barracks where we were informed of President Kennedy’s assassination and
told to prepare for what might be immediate activation. Luckily for Chris, his job as a
weapons/gunnery officer was supported by a fire-control system that didn’t require him
sighting down the long barrel of a deck gun! We remained in touch after the Navy through
annual gatherings at The Game, and our children became friends as we shared summer
vacations at the Corbett Cape Cod “compound” and ski trips in Vermont, New Hampshire, and
Maine. After losing his wife Peggy in a tragic diving accident, Chris married Manny, with whom
we shared adventures in our natural wonders throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah,
including hiking, and mountain biking in Moab. Chris’s body gave up on him due to the ravages
of ALS, but his engagement and upbeat personality never wavered. Just a couple of days before
the end, Chris was joined on the Anchorage dock in Portland, ME by friends and family to
celebrate his life with music, dancing, laughter, and tears.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
5
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2022 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes January-February 2022
John Impert reports: “At the end of July, I fell down our cellar stairs, seven steps to a wall and
a 90-degree turn, then seven more steps to another wall and another 90-degree turn. I was
unconscious at the bottom for some seconds, awaking to find blood spurting across my skull, as
well as a crumpled right wrist. My fall occurred during a heat wave. Annick and I had gone up
to bed and turned off the lights. Deciding it was too hot to sleep, I had descended to the ground
floor in the dark with a pillow in one hand and a book in the other. Spurning a few further steps
to a hallway light, I groped for the switch for the cellar stairs light, planning to sleep in our much
cooler basement bedroom. Stepping unexpectedly into the dark staircase, I bounced to the
bottom. Two physician friends in Seattle suggested likely outcomes. If I had been taking a
blood thinner, like many our age, I would have quickly bled to death. If I had remained
unconscious for a few minutes, even without a blood thinner, I could also have ‘bled out.’ As it
was, regaining consciousness quickly, I called out to Annick and removed my T-shirt to try to
staunch the blood flow. Then I remounted the two flights of stairs and, covered by then in blood,
I surprised Annick, brushing her teeth, crying out to her to call 911. The responding firemen
created a turban of bandages over my head and asked our son, who lives nearby and had been
summoned by his mother, to drive me to an Emergency Room, saying they had a wait list for
ambulances and I seemed to be ambulatory. It was also a busy night at the University of
Washington's ER. After negative CT scans of my head and neck, the attending residents did not
complete their ministrations of my wounds until morning. I was released (to a second son) at
8:30 AM with 23 sutures in my skull and a heavy cast extending nearly to my right shoulder
(following a painful ‘reduction’ of the broken wrist bones by the orthopedic resident).
Unfortunately, in mid-August, when the initial cast was removed, my broken radius proved to be
‘unstable,’ so wrist surgery was needed to insert a metal plate and screws. After six weeks, the
surgeon said I could discard my wrist brace. As reminders of the accident, I retain a six-inch
1
scar across my skull as well as a 2.5-inch scar on my wrist. Needless to say, I'm determined
never again to walk around in the dark.”
Nancy Petty relates: “On Saturday, October 9, 2021, the Yale Rowing community,
family, and friends gathered at Yale’s Gilder Boat House in Derby, CT to christen The William
‘Bull’ Petty Captain ’63 Boat (Shell). Yale Rowing Coach Steve Gladstone was Master of
Ceremonies for this momentous occasion. Ed Trippe and Harry Howell were Crew mates who
rowed with Bill and orchestrated the ‘Petty Project’. Will Elting was in attendance, as
was Nancy Godfrey Lundy, whose deceased husband, Peter Godfrey, rowed with Bill. Bill’s
and my two sons Jonathan and Timothy and their wives and children were all present.”
Alan Schwartzman writes: “Mary and I are moving East after 54 years in Boise, Idaho,
where I served for my entire career in the Idaho Judiciary. Our new address will be 1150 Eleni
Lane, West Chester, PA 19382. Reunion trips to New Haven will now be a lot shorter and more
plentiful than before. Looking forward to this new phase of our lives. We will eventually move
into a Quaker Senior community for active (i.e., non-senile/demented) adults called Kendall
Crosslands, about ten minutes away from Eleni, the home of our nurse-practitioner daughter and
her family. So, ready or not, here we come!”
Robert Hixon Hanson, Sr. passed away peacefully at home from complications of
multiple myeloma on August 22, 2021. Bob spent his life in the diligent pursuit and
achievement of excellence. He graduated from both The Hotchkiss School (’59) and Yale
University (’63) with honors. At Yale he was an esteemed member and captain of the rifle team,
joined the Army ROTC, and competed in Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship, becoming an Olympic
contender in 1964 and 1968. During this time, Bob also developed a love of flying, earning
private, seaplane, and jet pilot licenses. His wife and children were often his favorite passengers
in his twin-engine Piper Aztec. Another lifelong passion was golf. He got started as a caddy at
the Round Hill Country Club in Greenwich, CT., and continued to test his skills at courses
around the country and the world.
2
Unceasingly ambitious, Bob spent 25 years as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch,
Pierce, Fenner & Smith in New York City. Seven years into his tenure with Merrill Lynch, Bob
met Arlene Peters, his wife and the love of his life. Three children soon followed, along with an
adventurous cross-country move to Wyoming in 1990. Bob became Vice President of D.A.
Davidson in Cody, was a partner with Greenstar Telecommunications, and co-owner of The
Trophy Collection – a travel and taxidermy business with clientele from around the world. He
enjoyed the Wild West and gleaned much pleasure from living on a high-country ranch
surrounded by wildlife and a pristine, rugged landscape.
It was a love of travel and conservation that took Bob and his hunting partner, Arlene,
around the world fishing, hunting, and mountaineering. Counted among their favorite places
were Africa, Antarctica, Alaska, and Nepal. Bob’s exuberant face shines through in photos at
the Base Camp of Mt. Everest in 1990 and in snapshots of numerous trips he took with Arlene
and their children around the world. Throughout his years, Bob contributed to and volunteered
for numerous institutions, clubs, and committees. He was a loyal supporter of his alma maters.
Bob served on the Board of Greenwich Academy in Connecticut and on the Class Council of the
Yale Class of 1963. Bob was Secretary of the Boone and Crockett Club for 25 years of his 30year membership, the longest of any secretary in the club. For his final chapter, Bob wrote a
memoir chronicling the tales of his life in hunting and the outdoors.
Bob is survived by his wife of 49 years, Arlene Peters Hanson; his daughters Diane
Hanson-Haynes and Karen Percy; his son Robert Hixon Hanson, Jr.; and seven grandchildren.
John Davison remembers: “Bob was an integral part of WYBC. On-air he conducted
numerous interviews and Yale sports play-by-play like a pro. Off-air, as part of the management
team, he was the ‘voice of reason’, always seeking to steer us in the right direction. The last time
I saw Bob he was emceeing the WYBC Trivia Tournament at Mory’s during our 50th Reunion.
Bob had all of us participating and even laughing out loud as we reminisced about the good
times we had at WYBC. Now we also remember with fondness the friendship we had with Bob
along the way.” Jon Rose recalls: “I first met Bob as a classmate at Hotchkiss. His passions are
manifested by the breadth of his pursuits from conservation to being a fully licensed pilot.
Though a staunch conservative, Bob readily engaged with opposing points of view. His
enthusiasm was infectious. We shall all miss him.” Bill Seawright relates: “My association
3
with Bob was primarily as a member of the Rifle team, along with a quite skilled group of
marksmen. Road trips to West Point were the highlight of the season, with Yale usually the
winner. The team was together for most of four years, well led by team captain Bob
Hanson.” Mike Skol recalls: “I knew Bob at Yale via WYBC. He became Vice Chairman and
I became Program Director. Great fun to work with him. Inklings of his future investment
prowess. Always looked forward to re-engaging at reunions or his occasional visits to New
York. Over the years our political views merged (toward the conservative end) and we enjoyed
exchanging e-mail diatribes on real or imagined assaults on ancient truths.” Guy Struve adds:
“Bob was one of the longest-serving members of the Yale Class of 1963 Council. He was not
one of our more vocal Council members, but he could always be counted on for seasoned
judgment and steadfast support.”
Nathan Milikowsky passed away after a long illness on July 27, 2021. Born in Tel
Aviv, Israel, Nathan graduated from Yale University, studied at NYU Law School, and served in
the U.S. Marine Corps. Nathan was a dynamic entrepreneur in the steel business for more than
50 years, in partnership with his brother, and he built and nurtured many successful businesses.
He was most proud of restarting a bankrupt factory in western Pennsylvania in 2003. In a matter
of months, Nathan and his team turned C/G Electrodes into the most productive and profitable
competitor in the global graphite electrode industry. He implemented an innovative employee
profit-sharing program, and when he reluctantly sold the business seven years later in a large
acquisition, he was thrilled that a third of his employees became millionaires. In recent years, he
chaired the boards of two cutting-edge medical device startups based in Israel. Nathan was
married for nearly 45 years to his beloved wife Rebecca Gold. After raising their daughters
Shira (Yale ’03) and Brina in the Boston area, they relocated to New York City and continued to
spend time at their home in the Berkshires. Nathan enjoyed soaking up the arts and culture of
both communities, and few things made him happier than attending a performance produced by
Rebecca or directed by Shira. The patriarch of his large extended family, Nathan was a surrogate
father and brother to many who knew him, and he was widely loved for his kind heart, sharp
mind, and fighting spirit.
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Alan Schwartzman recounts: “Nate and I go back a long way, to Hopkins Grammar on
the Hill in New Haven, where we spent six years together as classmates. I remember Nate –
called 'Mili' then – as one smart cookie who liked to play tricks and get me in trouble. Mili also
loved to play chess – a skill he developed from his father – and Card games – mostly in the break
room for Third Formers and the Senior Recess Room, where we spent countless hours gaming
and also pretending to study. Nate and I were buddies on intramural pickup sports, sorely
lacking in the skill level needed for any varsity sport. Along with Mike Wilder, we became the
three amigos in touch football, tennis, and soft ball, leading up to our joint acceptances at Yale
where, alas, we went our separate paths. Got to see him at several reunions, where he always
looked 'GOOD.' He will be etched in my memory that way.” Mike Wilder writes: “We will
remember him for his parties at his parents’ home and his ‘larger than life’ attitude. I didn’t see
much of Nathan recently but he did join us at our Reunions. A fun-loving guy all his life.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
5
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2022 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
March-April 2022
In celebration of the onset of the ninth decade of life, the undefeated Ivy Champs (6-0)
football Bullpups of 1959 held a rousing mini-reunion on Harvard weekend at the New Haven
Courtyard Marriott, centering at “Bullpup House” off the hotel lobby and lacking only a victory
over Harvard for perfection. Twelve original players attended, plus three honorary members,
many wives and partners, and distinguished guests Bob Blanchard of the 1960 team (still the last
undefeated-untied Yale football team) and Nadine Logan, retired staff assistant to Yale football.
The steering committee of Jud Calkins, Vic Sheronas, and Anthony O’Connell, son of Tim
O’Connell, unveiled a labor of love, a Google website titled A Football Family, 1959-1962, that
preserves Bullpupology in many forms, including season memorabilia (with two grainy game
films) and later Bullpup doings, and which is subject to supplementation over time. Others in
attendance were Wally Grant, Toddie and Chris Getman, Larry Gwin, Erica and Hank
Higdon, Marilyn and Tom Iezzi, Mary and Erik Jensen, Carol Stevens and Bill Kay, Kathy
and Peter Kiernan, Vanessa O’Connell and Savannah Neibart, Christiane and Stan Riveles,
Bonnie Englund and Ian Robertson, Lisa and David Sheronas, Guy Struve, Jim Thompson,
Jan Truebner, and Paula and Dave Weinstein.
Andy Barclay writes: “I’ve published a new book, The Memoirs of Dr. Sex, available on
my website, docbarclay.com. The book is an updated radical empiricist’s view of love and
attachment. As Bishop Berkeley said: ‘In vain do we extend our view into the heavens, and pry
into the entrails of the earth, in vain do we consult the writings of learned men and trace the dark
footsteps of antiquity; we need only draw the curtain of words, to behold the fairest tree of
knowledge, whose fruit is excellent, and within the reach of our hand.’ Thus, the book is not
‘about’ anything, the reader experiences multi-dimensional thought as applied to bonding and the
growth of love from sex (magnetic opposites) to mature (chemical; shared electrons). Along the
way, we see how life-energy flows from the spirit, splits into the dimensions of mind (fast) and
1
body (slower) and exits into the world (slowest); the behavioral energy reaches the limit of the
‘behavioral pool’ 3½ years away and is reflected back to the Source. We experience these slow
waves on the way, seven years later, transmitting them from body to mind to spirit, completing
the circuit. This suggests that life is a form of SONAR where behavior comes from God and the
information obtained from our decision-matrix is transmitted back to God with the energydifference between the two representing God’s ‘learning-curve,’ as it were..”
Koichi Itoh reports: “Being a Yalie in Tokyo can be somewhat of a lonely existence,
especially for native Japanese such as myself. Not belonging to the local foreign expatriate
community here in Japan, I find not a single Yale College alumnus among my circles of friends
and associates since my graduation 58 years ago. I married my wife Naoko 56 years ago, but she
had not spent much time abroad, and it was impossible to integrate her into my Yale circle of
friends, which did not exist here. The very first exposure for Naoko to my Yale connection was
when Karen and Martin Wand came to Tokyo on their cruise tour of Japan in the fall of 2002,
and the Wands hosted us in 2013 when we visited them in Farmington immediately after our
50th Reunion. Then came our private 1400 Club (the so-called corner suite in Pierson College
where seven of us roomed together in our Senior Year) reunion in Japan in the height of cherry
blossom season in 2016, when Naoko and I spent two weeks with Mary Ann and Mike Fowler,
Jean and David Porter, Carol and Eustace Theodore, and Teddi and Fong Wei. This not only
broke the ice completely for Naoko with my closest Yale friends, but the two weeks turned out to
be like old times at Pierson – bonding us together and reestablishing old individual ties a half
century after graduation. Our 55th in 2018 brought the entire 1400 Club together with Eric
Souers and Janice Ware (Jim Ware’s widow) joining us for the first time. The Yale Reunion
was followed by several days in Brooklin, Maine, where David Porter and Jennifer MitchellNevin hosted us with their laid back New England style hospitality. I am grateful to all my Yale
friends, but especially to Eustace Theodore for looking after our 1400 Club group and to Guy
Struve for keeping me connected to our Class since graduation. I very much look forward to our
60th, by which time I hope we will no longer be hindered by Covid-19.”
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This year’s Yale-Harvard Game on November 20, 2021 commenced with a ceremonial
coin toss in honor of Jerry Kenney by his widow, Carol Kenney. The announcement preceding
the coin toss captured in a few words what Jerry meant to his family, his friends, and Yale:
“Honoring a Yale legend, Jerry Kenney, Class of ’63, are his widow Carol Kenney, his brothers
Brian Kenney, Class of ’61, and Robert Kenney, Class of ’67, his nephew Jeff Kenney, Class of
’93, and his grand-niece Kate Donovan, Class of ’21. Jerry left a lasting mark on his beloved
University and the Athletic Department. He was strategically brilliant, doggedly competitive,
and absolutely honorable. Yale Athletics is forever grateful to the Kenney family for their
friendship, passion, and support.”
Wick Murray received the 2021 Founder’s Award of the Pritzker Military Museum and
Library. The award is presented in recognition of an extraordinary contribution to the mission of
the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the preservation of the heritage of the Citizen
Soldier. In presenting the award, Colonel Jennifer N. Pritzker, the Chair of the Museum and
Library, said, “To our delight, Wick is still turning out scholarship as he enters his ninth decade.”
Tony Rogers writes: “Other than my family, my two passions in life have been music
and writing. In my teens I played in various rock and jazz bands, joining the musicians’ union at
19 so I could play with a jazz trio at the Crosstown Lounge in NW Washington, DC (the bass
player was a young man named Butch Warren, who later went on tour with Thelonious Monk,
and recorded with Herbie Hancock and Dexter Gordon, among others). When I graduated from
college and law school, I earned a living driving a Red Top Cab in Arlington, Virginia, driving a
John Deere tractor on a 700-acre farm in central Missouri, and working at a boys’ school in
Paris. My goal during those early years was to learn as much as I could about people who
weren’t like me. For the rest of my working life, I was a hospital administrator, running the
Quigley Hospital at the Chelsea Soldiers Home outside of Boston, and for 15 years, running the
day-to-day operations of the MIT Medical Department. In my every spare moment, I wrote,
publishing stories in 20 literary magazines, winning the Writer’s Voice Capricorn Award for a
collection of short stories (Bewildered, Harold Faced The Day), and the Nilsen Award for Best
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First Novel (The Execution of Richard Sturgis, As Told By His Son, Colin – published by
Southeast Missouri University Press in 2013). My memoir about growing up in a political
family during the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations – Fake Smiles – was published by
Tidepool Press in 2017. Since then I have been writing a series of psychological mysteries (ten
so far) featuring a retired judge who accidently becomes an amateur detective. The first three are
now available on Amazon: Judge Randall And The Tenured Professor; and the newest, Judge
Randall And The Murder To Be Solved Later. They are not hard-boiled detective stories, nor are
they Agatha Christie’s. My model has been the Inspector Maigret mysteries by George
Simenon, all 84 of which were recently reissued in paperback by Penguin Books, and are well
worth reading. My wife, Tamara, and I are about to celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary.
We have three grown children (a journalist, a clinical social worker, and a fund-raiser for nonprofits), and six grandchildren. Both of my sons have played in Boston and NYC punk rock
clubs, including the legendary CBGB’s.”
Pepper Stuessy (Colorado) and Bill Bell (Maine) met up in September 2021 for their
sixth annual and longest wilderness canoe trip yet, 65 miles down the Lower Wisconsin River to
where it joins the Mississippi. Bill reports: “Lots of bald eagles. When camping shared
sandbars with sandhill cranes. Pepper got photos of several pairs of whooping cranes, a very
endangered species making a slow comeback after near extinction.”
Charles MacKay (“Mack”) Ganson, Jr. died in the Newton Wellesley Hospital on
November 10, 2021, three days before his 82nd birthday. Until a few days before his sudden
death he was able to do what he loved: play golf and tennis, care for his wife and home, walk his
Corgis, and work full-time. Mack was founder and president of Ganson & Company, and served
as an investment advisor, private trustee, and fiduciary to a wide span of family, friends, clients,
and colleagues, to whom he offered management, problem solving, and advice. He was a
sometimes gruff, gentle giant who devoted his life to guiding others. As a manager and
counselor, he was direct and clear. He held himself to high standards, and expected the same of
everyone around him. As one client said, “Mack was the man who made things happen, the
4
person you turned to with problems.” A fellow investor said that “Mack’s opinions were always
filled with witty, clever, and amusing retorts that masked a deeply thoughtful, considerate, loyal,
and principled man.” Mack lived his whole life in Weston, MA. He attended Phillips Academy
Andover, Yale University, and Harvard Business School, after which he worked at Price
Waterhouse and the Bank of Boston before starting his own firm. Mack was involved for some
years managing public funds for the Town of Weston and was also the long-time Treasurer of
The Country Club in Brookline, MA. Mack leaves behind his wife Julia and her two sons, Alex
and Matthew; his brother and sister and their families; and nine nephews, nieces, and grands who
delighted him. And a few golf courses in Brookline, South Carolina, Scotland, and Weston will
miss the glory of his swing, and repeated victories on the 17th hole at Yeamans Hall will live in
the hearts of his friends.
Ted Murray writes: “I will always remember Mack's wonderfully welcoming smile and
outgoing friendliness. He and his three roommates (Jay Rixse, Don Abbott, and Gordon
Pruett) lived across the courtyard of Pierson College from me and my three roommates
(Gordon Kuster, Bill Sanford, and Jack Smart). We didn't cross paths a lot because Mack
played golf and several of us were involved in crew. But at mealtimes and around the college, I
was always impressed by Mack's sunny, upbeat attitude. Even during the grim prelude of
studying and cramming for exams, Mack exuded good cheer; he was a good influence for us
all.” Tony Rhinelander recalls: “Mack and I spent a lot of time together growing up, rooming
together at prep school, travelling out West on a camping trip once and another time to Scotland
to visit his father’s ancestral home. (His father, Charles Ganson, was my godfather and as an old
Yalie the main reason I attended Yale.) Mack was an enthusiastic traveler and tennis player and
a good friend. “ Jay Rixse remembers: “In the beginning, when we joined up in Pierson (along
with Don Abbott and Gordon Pruett), one would have considered this an unlikely grouping. But
my friendship with Mack was one of my most meaningful and enduring. From the outset Mack
took me into his home (literally and figuratively), driving me to Weston on weekends in his red
Austin Healey. There, he immediately immersed me into Ganson life, usually involving an
5
assemblage of 10-20 immediate and extended family and friends. The weekend’s activities
included, inter alia: dinners, tennis, touch football games, crazy nighttime ‘hide and seek’ in the
barn amongst the horses, and learning to fly-fish. Our time together in Weston formed the basis
of a lifelong friendship which only grew over the years. In 1968, after our wedding, Mack
invited Terry and me to join him and others for a year in a family property in Weston. Over the
passing years, we visited when in the Boston area, traveled with Mack and Julia in Scotland, and
spent time with them at Yeamans Hall Club outside Charleston, SC. Given the pandemic, we
were fortunate to visit them at home in Weston this past September. Now the gentle giant has
departed.” Bill Sanford writes: “Although I never knew Mack well at Yale, one time I
particularly remember is when he included me and my date at a family get-together with
roommates and friends the evening before the Yale-Harvard game at Cambridge my senior year.
I remember him being a wonderful host, introducing us to his family and ensuring that all present
were fully participating in the festivities. We all had a great time thanks largely to his efforts,
and it was one of the events at college that still stick in my mind after all these years. His
successes later in life do not surprise me.”
William (“Billy”) Selden Hamilton died on October 9, 2021, after living with
leukemia. He was a Professor of Slavic Languages and Linguistics and spent nearly three
decades as Assistant Dean of the College at Wake Forest University. A consummate teacher,
Billy always provided a listening ear and a warm chair on the lower quad. Billy earned each of
his three degrees from Yale University. From 1970 to 1982, he taught at the State University of
New York at Buffalo, where he became a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan. Even in his last days, he
sported a Buffalo Bills hoodie and hat, testimony to his willingness to believe everyone is
capable of redemption. Billy’s graduate work took longer than usual because he dropped out to
play bluegrass music, spending most of a year playing with Walter Hensley and the Dukes of
Bluegrass. Billy had a natural ease with languages and almost any musical instrument. His
family attributes this to his curiosity and humility – he wasn’t afraid to mess up or to be wrong.
He spoke Russian, Czech, Polish, Ukrainian, Serbo-Croatian, German, Dutch, French, some
6
Italian, some Old English, and a touch of Gaelic. He played (in descending order of competence,
but ascending order of hilarity) banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, piano, bass, zither, trumpet,
saxophone, and bugle. Billy took several forays behind the Iron Curtain, from his dissertation
research in Czechoslovakia, where he witnessed the Soviet invasion firsthand, to Wake Forestsponsored trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg until 2000. He won the 2021 Jon Reinhardt
Award for Distinguished Teaching at Wake Forest University, a fitting capstone to his long
career in education. His 1980 textbook, Introduction to Russian Phonology and Word Structure,
is still in print and used in Russian courses around the country. Billy not only taught language
and linguistics, but he also taught many aspiring old-time and bluegrass musicians of varying
abilities over the years. Billy is survived by his wife of 52 years, Cynthia (“Cindy”) Escher
Hamilton; his daughter, Sage Hamilton Rountree; his son, John Hamilton; and three
granddaughters.
John Hardwig recalls: “Bill (he was ‘Bill’, not ‘Billy’, back then) suffered more than
most of us from the cafeteria food. The ‘mystery meat’ – his expression – appalled him. But the
most unpalatable item in our daily fare was the selection of jams and jellies for toast at
breakfast. They were completely unacceptable. Bill found a remedy, though – he bought a jar of
Dundee Marmalade. Each morning he would carry it across campus from Vanderbilt Hall to the
Commons and back again before going to his classes. To preserve it, the precious marmalade
was kept on the window sill outside of his bedroom. Bill was a Russian major which was, to me,
exotic enough in itself. What drew his interest to Russian was the language. To my untutored
mind, totally ignorant of either the fascination or the power of linguistics, that was nearly
incomprehensible. But Bill went on to prove the aptness of his choices. I wish I could report that
I (and our other roommates) were early fans of Bill’s bluegrass music. We were not. Bill used
to scream into his pillow in an effort to elevate the pitch of his voice. We scoffed. And we
refused to allow him to play his mandolin in our rooms. Bill was banished to the common
bathroom down the hall and it was at the sinks there that he honed his skills. All I can say in my
defense is that I did go to a couple of performances of the Grey Sky Boys while we were
7
undergraduates and I still have an LP of their music. It sounds much better now than it did back
in the ’60s when I could have learned first-hand from Bill about that rich genre.” John
Hitz remembers: “Once you got through the laconic reserve and southern Ohio accent, you
found that Bill Hamilton was a sophisticated person with a keen intellect. In a milieu of gogetters and world-beaters, his calm sense of humor and musical talent stood out. I am not
surprised that his students loved him.” Geoff Noyes recalls: “Billy and I were not roommates
until graduate school, but our primary connection was music. First, as undergraduates, the Grey
Sky Boys. After I got out of the Army, we formed the OHio River Boys and held forth at the
Enormous Room on College Street. Billy came over to West Berlin (and East Berlin) to see and
play with our BG band there in 1965. I was enriched many times over by Billy's wise
suggestions, wise examples, and deep understanding of human nature and relationships. Best of
all was our great fun with ‘humor structures’ . . . linguistic puns and mangled rubrics.” David
Schoenbrod writes: “Billy and I first met as members of Manuscript, a senior society at Yale
College, and, through the regular meetings of this small group of seniors, became fast friends.
We parted at graduation, Billy to start graduate work in linguistics at Yale, I to study at Oxford
and travel abroad. Two years later, Billy had taken a break from study to play bluegrass and I
was returning to Yale to study law. We were both on the cusp of getting serious about launching
our lives as adults, but I did not know that when I called Billy’s parents’ home in Ohio to see if
he wanted to share an apartment in New Haven during the coming year. Instead of reaching
Billy, however, I found myself talking with his father who interviewed me about this roommate
idea. With his thorough approval, Billy and I did room together. Being roommates was,
according to Billy’s father, helpful to Billy and, according to me, helpful to me. We indeed did
help each other cross the threshold from students to adults. At the end of that year, I left the
apartment to get married. The marriage did not last but the feeling of connection between Billy
and me did. We got in touch only infrequently over the decades but when we did get in touch
the connection was palpable. I am helped in describing that connection and an essential quality
of Billy by William Arrowsmith’s introduction to Euripides’ play, The Bacchae. Arrowsmith
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writes that the play focuses on Sophia – wisdom – which he writes is ‘a moral rather than an
intellectual skill’ – ‘a firm awareness of one’s own nature and therefore of one’s place in the
scheme of things.’ According to Arrowsmith, with that wisdom comes ‘skill, craft, cleverness,
know-how, cunning, smartness, and the specific craft of experience . . . .’ Billy had that wisdom.
It was apparent in his reflections on life and, at the end, on dying. One can hear it in those of his
songs available on YouTube. Especially apt is song number 14, ‘In Death I Sweetly
Sing.’” Lew Turano shares: “I roomed with Billy and John Hardwig in a triple in Silliman,
Sophomore through Senior Years. Although our paths didn’t cross academically, with majors in
Russian (Billy), Philosophy (John), and Chemistry (me), our three years were a great time
together. It’s hard to remember Billy without thinking about bluegrass. The Grey Sky Boys,
Billy’s group of string players (banjo, fiddle, guitar, even a washboard bass) would gather in our
suite and play afternoons or evenings. They strove for and achieved a very authentic bluegrass
sound. On those (rare) occasions where studying to bluegrass was not going well, John or I
would ask the group to leave our suite. They often ended up in the bathroom down the hall and
now their music reverberated off the tile floors and walls, louder than before. I had a classical
piano background, and a rudimentary electric keyboard in our suite. I would play along, learning
songs and names of the bluegrass legends who were Billy’s heroes. I was never invited to join
Billy’s group – who ever heard of a piano in a bluegrass group? Our paths diverged after Yale,
but I was fortunate to room with and know Billy for three years.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
9
Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2022 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May-June 2022
After reviewing an earlier draft of the following Class Notes, Jay Rixse wrote: “This is
the first time I can recall when the Class Notes were all devoted in memoriam to classmates who
have passed. It makes for wonderful reading and remembering (even of those who were not
known to all). It brings a sense of unity of our Class, beyond the casual and superficial. Each
individual, remembered by classmates, shows the depth of character, career, personality, and
humanity that each demonstrated from their time at Yale. A truly poignant set of notes, but one
that makes me proud to be a member of the our Class.”
Charles Mark Furcolo passed away on December 16, 2021. Mark was the eldest child
of Kathryn (Foran) Furcolo and former Massachusetts Governor Foster Furcolo. Mark was a
graduate of Yale University (1964) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1967).
Early in his career he served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, arguing appellate cases in the state and federal courts. Mark also served as
Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk courts. Most of his legal career was spent as a civil
trial lawyer and partner at the Boston law firm of Burns & Levinson. His greatest joy in life was
raising and caring for his six children. He was a loving and devoted father and grandfather who
will be remembered for his kindness and love. Mark is survived by his children Tara (Furcolo)
Bresnahan, Nicole (Furcolo) Reimers, Christopher Furcolo, Charles C. Furcolo, Katherine
Furcolo, and Zachary Furcolo, as well as by seven grandchildren.
Jim Little writes: “We met while playing on the Undefeated 1959 Bullpups football
team. Mark was a very gregarious guy. He loved to party and always (and I mean always) had
the best-looking date at every event. I visited Mark’s family in Boston and spent one wonderful
weekend at their summer home in Centerville, Cape Cod. Mark was one of our intrepid 12
roommates who migrated from the Old Campus to Berkeley College (nine of whom met at
Freshman football). Mark hosted all 12 of us at the Governor’s Mansion for The Game in 1960.
The Governor’s photographer took a photo of all of us Friday night. We all got large blowups of
that photo and many years later presented one to Vice President Dick Cheney with all of the
cigarettes and beer cans air-brushed out. Mark had a lot of fun our first two years and then
decided he should get more serious about the academic side of Yale. He left for a year at the end
of Sophomore Year and returned to a single in Stiles as a member of the Class of 1964. I only
saw him once after Yale at a mini-reunion of the Berkeley 12 at the Vice President’s residence in
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DC around 2005 or 2006. He was doing well and had proudly brought two of his sons (out of his
total of six children).” Lee Marsh remembers: “Mark and I met on the Freshman Football
Team. One long weekend he invited me to drive to Massachusetts with him. I wondered where
he was going to get a car, because we weren’t allowed to have cars Freshman Year. Mark said to
meet him at Phelps Gate. Parked right in front of Phelps Gate was a Massachusetts State Police
car. Mark said, ‘This is our ride. We’re going to ride with him up to Massachusetts.’ This was
a new and unusual experience for a kid from the South Side of Chicago. Once we were in
Massachusetts, the police officer turned on the siren and took us to the Governor’s House. Mark
was a great guy and we had a lot of fun. The problem was we had too much fun.”
Roy Douglas (“Doug”) Hall III passed away on January 4, 2022 at Beverly, MA
Hospital, surrounded by his family. Doug grew up in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, where he honed
his swimming skills at the Ponte Vedra Beach Club, which carried into his college years at Yale
University (Class of 1963) as a member of the swimming team. After graduation, he moved to
Boston, where he worked for the real estate department of John Hancock and served as President
of the Young Republicans Club of Boston. Doug and family moved to Bloomfield Hills, MI in
the early 1970s, where he was manager of real estate financing for Ford Motor Credit in
Dearborn, MI. Later returning to Massachusetts and residing in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Doug
was very active in the community and served as Chairman of the Town Finance Committee. He
grew his career with Bay Colony Properties of Boston, as Senior Vice President (1975) and
President and Chief Operating Officer (1979), eventually leaving with a partner to create their
own firm, Coastal Ventures, Inc. Most recently, Doug was Chief Financial Officer of Proteus
Industries of Gloucester, MA, a producer of clean label protein ingredients and applications.
Proteus Industries was acquired by Kemin Industries, Inc. (2021), giving him an opportunity to
semi-retire. Doug was a long-time member of Essex Country Club (Treasurer 1988-1996; The
Essex Jacket, 1999) and avid golfer (admittedly not the best). He enjoyed traveling and was a
supporter of the arts. Doug is survived by his wife, Susan (Dodge) Hall; his daughters Lisa S.
Hall and Sarah E. Hall; and two grandchildren.
Steve Bender, Bob Kirkwood, and Chip Palmer remember: “We (roommates of
Doug’s, along with John Finch, for our Sophomore through Senior Years) met Doug first as
teammates on the Freshman swimming team, coached by the inimitable Harry Burke, and later
on the varsity swimming team where we generally occupied the far end of the bench together.
The lottery placed us, as well as Doug, in Saybrook, where we shared an entryway junior year
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and a floorway senior year. That proximity led to many walks with Doug to or from the House
of Payne, meals together in the Saybrook dining hall (or, in response thereto, hamburgers at the
Yankee Doodle), and many good times in our respective rooms. Doug consistently brought
smiles, equanimity and good cheer each day. For spring vacation our Junior Year, Doug and his
wonderful parents, hosted us at their home in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Those days were filled with
sun and sand at the Ponte Vedra Beach Club, home cooked meals and an abundance of pitchers
of rum punch and six-packs of beer leading to nightly drinking games at Doug’s parents’ home,
enlivened by southern college coeds who were also vacationing in Ponte Vedra – as well as more
isolated late night beach activities. It was during that vacation when we really learned how truly
daring Doug was! Previously, from time to time he would tell stories about diving for golf balls
in the lagoons which threaded through the Ponte Vedra Club golf course on which his parents’
home bordered. One morning, as we walked, still groggy from the prior evening’s partying, over
the bridge from their home to the pathway through the golf course to the Beach Club, we saw a
gigantic alligator sunning itself on the green at the other end of the bridge. We all were hugely
startled to say the least, but not Doug, who was totally nonchalant. Other memories include
Doug’s once again marvelously hosting us at their Ponte Vedra home for the many activities and
festivities related to John Finch’s wedding to Jill Lewis in early June 1964 after we had finished
our respective first years of business, law, or medical school. Unfortunately, we each lost touch
with Doug as we all pursued our separate journeys. Happily, one of us had the good fortune to
reconnect with Doug over lunch and at a former swimmers reception at the Kiphuth Exhibition
Pool during our 55th Reunion. While our appearances belied it, Doug’s positivity and good
cheer made it seem just as if we were walking to swimming team practice together those many
years ago.”
Thomas Eugene Lovejoy III died of pancreatic cancer on December 25, 2021 at his
home in McLean, VA. Dr. Lovejoy was considered one of the most consequential conservation
biologists of his generation for his ability to meld field research – on how fragmented forests
deplete diversity and how they can store carbon if protected – with environmental and policy
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work to draw attention to the plight of the Amazon, the world’s largest and most diverse
rainforest. Among his many innovations, he introduced the term “biological diversity” in 1980;
he made the first projection of global extinction rates in a report to President Jimmy Carter; and
he devised the concept of “debt-for-nature swaps,” in which part of a country’s foreign debt is
forgiven in exchange for investments in conservation. Throughout the course of Dr. Lovejoy’s
career, much of it based in the Washington area for organizations such as the Smithsonian
Institution, the World Wildlife Fund, and George Mason University, he became increasingly
alarmed about climate change and the global extinction crisis. In spreading this message, he
allied with lawmakers and Hollywood celebrities, often leading them on tours of his research
station north of Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, known at Camp 41.
With his pince-nez glasses and vast bow tie collection, Dr. Lovejoy was also a fixture in
Washington, testifying on Capitol Hill, meeting with journalists, and hosting senators and
scientists for dinners at Drover’s Rest, his historic log cabin in McLean, filled with books and
curiosities from the natural world. Despite the severity of the forest destruction in the Amazon
and elsewhere, and the grave projections of the warming world, he maintained a sense of
optimism that humans could find ways to change course and avoid the worse outcomes. Dr.
Lovejoy was born in New York City. He was an only child and grew up in a privileged setting
on the Upper East Side. Dr. Lovejoy said that he chose his boarding school, the Millbrook
School in Dutchess County, NY, because it had a zoo. He said that the school’s first biology
teacher and zoo founder, Frank Trevor, inspired him to study biology, particularly birds. He
received a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1964 from Yale University, and stayed at Yale to
complete his Ph.D., also in biology, in 1971. In the summer of 1965, while in graduate school,
Dr. Lovejoy got a chance to visit the Brazilian Amazon, a trip that persuaded him to do his
doctoral dissertation there on the ecology of birds. The Biological Dynamics of Forest
Fragments Project, which Dr. Lovejoy launched in 1979 with the support of Brazil’s National
Institute of Amazon Research and the Smithsonian, is one of the world’s biggest – and longest-
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running – biological ecosystem experiments. Dr. Lovejoy is survived by three daughters,
Katherine L. Petty, Elizabeth P. Lovejoy, and Anne L. Jenkins, and six grandchildren.
Don Abbott remembers: “Our two paths came together as ninth graders at Millbrook
School, where in the first three weeks two transformative teachers, Frank and Janet Trevor,
‘flipped his switch on life and biology.’ ‘That was it,’ he declared. ‘I’m going to be a
biologist.’ Tom and I could not get enough of Millbrook’s natural science curriculum. In the
first months of Freshman Year, Tom finagled a way for me to shift my scholarship ‘bursary job’
from being a Pierson busboy to becoming a four-year ornithology assistant under Phil Humphrey
at the Peabody Museum. Then, when I served as Headmaster of Millbrook from 1976 to 1990,
Tom was a valued trustee, an expert advocate for the school’s deepening commitment to
environmental education. Still later in 2010, he invited a group of fellow Millbrook classmates
to immerse ourselves in Camp 41, his pioneering research station in the Amazon rainforest north
of Manaus, Brazil. While there, my wife Betsy and I were privileged to witness firsthand the
profound reach and impact of his life’s work. To me, there simply never was a finer friend and
public servant or a more extraordinary teacher.” Ralf Carriuolo writes: “What do you say on
the death of a college roommate? ‘Gawd, we had fun’? What do you say about someone
passing with whom you matured from being a boy into an adult, with all the intermediate stages
of stupidity and joyousness along the way to share? Tom was the absolute antithesis of anyone I
had known as a boy (and I to him as well), yet we shared our disappointments, our successes, our
rites of passage, our friends, and our booze, year after year, until we parted at graduation time,
never to be connected again in the same way for the rest of our lives. And now he is gone.
There is a hole in my history.” Jim Courtright recalls: “My first contact with Tom Lovejoy
was as his lab partner in Invertebrate Zoology in the Fall of 1959. From the beginning, he
shared his enthusiasm for organisms and the environment and gave credit to his teacher at the
Millbrook School for sparking that interest. He and I had occasional contact over the years and
he gladly accepted my invitation for him to give a seminar at Marquette covering his exciting
work on Brazilian rainforest species preservation. His passion for ‘endless forms most beautiful’
may not be easily equaled.” Ridge Hall remembers: “At Yale I didn’t know Tom very well, but
because we shared an interest in environmental conservation I came to know him well in the
years since. Tom and Bill Nordhaus (who won a Nobel Prize for his work on economics and
climate change) and I teamed up at our 40th and 50th Reunions to lead a discussion group on
“The Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability: The Search for Solutions.” The first
time we were joined by Ann Yonkers, who launched the farmers’ markets in Washington, DC,
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and the second time by Ian Robertson, our Santa Monica ecologist. To chat with Tom over
lunch you would feel not so much in the presence of a pioneer, but a friend and classmate, who
occasionally offered suggestions or contacts to make upcoming travel more interesting. He
loved good food and wine. In mid-December I told him about a forthcoming family trip to the
Galapagos Islands. When I returned on January 4 I planned to call him to talk about it, but
instead found his obituary. This magnificent, vibrant friend was suddenly gone.” Ian
Robertson writes: “I met Tom after Yale through the good offices of Jerry Fuchs and Guy
Struve. Prior to the 45th Reunion, Jerry Fuchs hosted a wonderful evening at the Explorers’
Club in New York. Tom, the featured speaker, gave a fascinating talk. Thereafter Jerry
and Peter Cressy, who co-chaired the 45th Reunion, agreed to include a discussion group on the
environment. We had a lively debate about climate change featuring Tom, Bill Nordhaus,
and Wick Murray. By the 50th Reunion, Tom and Bill’s talk attracted large audiences. I
suggested that the issues that they were addressing seemed so enormous that the ordinary
individual might feel overwhelmed and powerless. Perhaps if I reviewed the 20 or so projects
that I had undertaken over the last 30 years, classmates might recognize a role Everyman might
be able to play. Both men generously agreed, immediately reaffirming the generosity of spirit
that is the hallmark of the most distinguished members of our Class.” Bruce Umminger writes:
“Tom and I both worked in the greater Washington, D.C. area for over twenty years. I spent one
year of my tenure at the National Science Foundation on sabbatical to work with Tom planning a
National Biodiversity Information Center. During that time, I was amazed at his list of contacts
contained in two Rolodex wheels, each about a foot in diameter, that we referred to as his twin
Ferris wheels. On one occasion I was visited by an FBI agent doing a background check on Tom
for a high-level Federal position. The agents said I was one of three references Tom provided. I
asked who were the other two and was told Robert Redford and Prince Charles!”
Herbert B. Roth, Jr. died on September 18, 2021. Richard Friedlander writes: “Herb
lived in Leggett, CA, on a beautiful site overlooking the Eel River and had made his living as a
potter for over 40 years. About 50 years ago, he and five others purchased 160 acres of land on
the Eel River in Northern California. The other four proved to be absentee owners, leaving Herb
as the sole custodian of this magnificent wilderness, a strenuous, year-round duty he performed
for the next 50 years with unrelenting conscientiousness born out of love for the land he was
tending. And not just his own property: he headed the Leggett Volunteer Fire Department, no
easy task given the state's predilection for wildfires. While he was doing all this, he did find the
time to become a true artist of clay, with many devoted customers for his Wild River creations.
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Herb was naturally gregarious and loquacious and had many visitors locally and from all around
the country, people in his present and from his past, a circle of acquaintances expanded by his
participation in craft fairs up and down the state. Blessed with limitless curiosity, he also loved
to travel, regaling me with many colorful stories of his experiences abroad, some of which I even
believed. Herb attended at least two Class Reunions and from all he told me with great fondness
was someone who got the most out of what Yale had to offer: among which were his classmates,
his teachers, his job at the Art Gallery, and the wee hours music program he hosted on WYBC.”
Joe Alpert shares: “I remember Herb Roth with great fondness. My strongest memory
of him is when, bleary-eyed, he would return to Pierson after a long night of disc jockeying just
when the rest of us were leaving for class. Herb was absolutely unique in his attitudes, his
lifestyle, and his personality. I so enjoyed seeing him again at one of our Reunions and hearing
about his unique life.” Martin Gerstel writes: “Herb truly marched to a different drummer and
was a unique and totally authentic human being, in addition to being a multi-talented artist and
writer. I was originally in the Class of ’63 but left on a medical leave of absence near the end of
the first term of my Sophomore Year. Being on full scholarship I feared that was the end of
Yale for me, but fortunately I was able to return the following September to the Cass of '64,
again on full scholarship. I had not known Herb Freshman Year – he and I only shared the fact
that we were both from public high schools and on a full scholarship – but fortunately for me, we
were assigned to room together when I returned to Pierson. During the first term we largely
went our own separate – and very different - ways, but I grew to admire his calm and warm
personality. Among other things I was introduced by him to Picasso's blue period, Ayn Rand
and wood printing, which Herb excelled at. However I had lingering doubts as to the
authenticity of his devotion to the arts and thought that it was just a passing phase for effect, and
at some point, he would change his ways. But then, over winter break a family tragedy happened
to me and I was devastated. During the following very difficult months, Herb was always there
for me – without ever intruding and I came to more fully understand and appreciate the unique
and loving person that he was. About 20 years later we accidentally met – he was easy to
recognize – at a street fair in Menlo Park CA where he was selling his exceptional ceramic
pottery. After that we stayed in touch – my wife and I visited him at his rustic acreage and
home/workshop overlooking the Eel River in northern California and he would occasionally stay
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at our home when participating in SF bay area art fairs. Of course my college questioning of his
authenticity were long gone, as he and his different drummer remained happily together for
decades as he earned his living - and expressed himself - as a potter. The words warm, caring,
honest, and authentic do not do justice to Herb – he was truly one of a kind and will be missed.
Lastly, I am grateful that Herb made a large ceramic dining set for us which my wife and I
cherish – so a part of him remains with us.” Mike Skol recalls: “Herb Roth was indeed an
original. At Yale, and for all time to follow (presumably also before New Haven, but I have no
direct knowledge). We knew each other best at WYBC, where he did his laid-back jazz show
(‘Improv’). Late at night, often in the dark. Or in one of the midnight ‘Tomb’ playlets. Had
occasional contact with Herb since, including at a couple of Reunions, and any number of emails. At our 50th, he capped the evening (at Mory’s) wearing a Green Cup upside down on his
head. I remember Herb as consistently friendly, cheerful, understanding, forgiving, and
invariably funny. I have one of his pottery pieces and will guard it always (before the next
Reunion, I will put it on my head for a minute or two).”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2022 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
Jul-Aug 2022
Hank Hallas reflects: “My grandfather came from Galicia, which was part of Ukraine in
1906. I had the privilege of thanking him for doing so on his deathbed in 1974. I asked him why
he had come to America. He told me, ‘To avoid being cannon fodder in the Russian army.’ The
Nazis murdered over 8,000 people from his home town in World War II. Three of his sons were
in the South Pacific in World War II: Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima. I am
the beneficiary of his decision at age 19.”
Pepper Stuessy drove with kayak atop his van from Colorado and Eben Ludlow flew
down from New York City to join snowbird Bill Bell in Florida for five days of paddling through
nearby Okefenokee Swamp. The search for Pogo became by far the most demanding of the eight
canoe adventures which Bill and Pepper have undertaken in recent years. Bill reports that “with
absolutely no dry land anywhere, reaching the overnight platforms spaced about ten miles apart
was crucial and a missed turn on a water trail had Eben and me paddling at maximum exertion
for many hours one day in order to avoid a swampy night in the canoe. Everything about
endurance that Pepper and I learned from Yale Track and Eben from running marathons came
into play.” Joyous end to the ordeal was celebrated with fellow Mace and Chain alumni Bob
(Woody) Woodroofe, who drove down from Hilton Head, and Chuck Whelan, who came up
from Key West for several days of good meals, drinks, and conversation.
Larry Tierney writes: “After 48 years of working at the San Francisco VA Hospital, my
credentials to practice there haven’t been renewed. For the past few years, I had been on
volunteer status, being compensated by my Federal pension. I will maintain my medical license
and pursue other volunteer activities. As before, I will be Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the
University of California School of Medicine. Being more or less fully retired, I won’t be
hampered by professional responsibilities from more actively pursuing my passion for
ornithology, which has taken me to all 50 states and 30 countries; no need to request annual
1
leave! Otherwise, I will hyperventilate over the fates of the local sporting teams, and increase
attendance at jazz and rock concerts, which are widely available in San Francisco. My wife
Mary Jo, a retired nurse practitioner, seems to believe that pickleball is the ideal way to spend
retirement days, and daughter Julie, a clinical psychologist recently moved to Sonoma, is
otherwise tied up in expressionistic painting when not mending distraught brains. One debit for
Bay Area retirement: no decent corned beef or pastrami-serving delis worth their salt! We could
use Katz West. If other 1963ers can disabuse me of this notion, please do so.”
Richard Pleasants Anthony died unexpectedly in Boston, MA on July 17, 2021 of heart
disease. A veteran campaigner for liberal causes, Dick enjoyed shoe-leather campaigning in
neighborhoods, often traveling to New Hampshire or Maine to have more impact. He believed
strongly in the political process and activism, and was deeply concerned about climate change,
the threat of nuclear war, racial equity, and social justice. He was passionate about family and
about nature, and was an avid walker. He had a fine intellect, kind heart, quirky sense of humor,
and impeccable sense of decency. His ever-curious mind served him well as a science writer at
MIT. His bass voice graced choirs from school days until his death. Dick is survived by his
spouse, Becky Siebens, his son Sam Anthony, and two grandchildren.
Charlie Brinley remembers Dick Anthony as follows: “Freshman year Dick, Gardner
Mundy, and I roomed together in Durfee Hall, following which Dick left Yale for a four-year
hiatus, during which he served in the U.S. Navy at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. In 1964 he
returned to Yale and graduated in 1967. Upon returning to Yale he sang in the Battell Chapel
Choir, was active in the Yale Dramatic Association, and majored in History. Dick’s career took
a bit of a winding route, starting as a reporter for mostly New England newspapers. Later he
served as a speechwriter during the Carter Administration, after which he was a freelance
medical and science writer, which was a bridge to a position at MIT as a staff writer. Dick was
fascinated by science, so it was fitting that he landed in that position. Dick loved hiking and
birding, as well as kayaking in coastal Maine waters from a family camp in Tenants Harbor,
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Maine. Singing was a passion in which he engaged throughout his life and which brought him
much joy. He had a rich light baritone voice and sang in many choirs over the years.”
Myron A. “Mike” Arms passed away peacefully on December 26, 2021 in his home
overlooking the Sassafras River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Mike grew up in the Shaker
Heights neighborhood of Cleveland. He attended University School where he was the president
of his senior class. He attended Yale University as both an undergraduate and graduate student,
earning his B.A. in English and Masters in Education. In 1961, he married his long-time
sweetheart Caroline (Kay) Beck Kling, and a year later became the father of twins, Christopher
and David. After teaching English at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia for a few
years, Mike returned to academia and earned his Masters of Theology from Harvard Divinity
School. While attending Harvard, his third son, Stephen, was born. Mike returned to
Philadelphia and continued teaching in independent schools until he abandoned the formal
classroom in 1977 in favor of a different kind of educational setting: a 60-foot traditional
wooden schooner called Dawn Treader. As founder and director of a program of sea-learning
experiences and a Coast Guard-licensed Ocean Master, he sailed for the next five years with
hundreds of teenage boys and girls. In 1983, Mike bought the empty hull of a Flying Dutchman
12, a 50-foot bluewater cutter, that he and good friend John Griffiths finished over the
years. This boat, Brendan’s Isle, would be Mike’s home for the better part of the next 25 years
as he sailed multiple trans-Atlantic passages and cruised Europe, the Arctic, the Caribbean, and
Canada. These voyages would become the background for the countless articles in sailing
publications and four books he authored, including Riddle of the Ice, which became a Boston
Globe bestseller. On a lifetime of sailing, Mike reflected, “It’s funny how things go. Sailing for
me, used to be a hobby. Then it became a vocation. Then an obsession. Then, a metaphor: a
window on the world.” In all, Mike published five books: Touching the World (published in the
70’s about experiential learning), Riddle of the Ice, Cathedral of the World, Servants of the
Fish, and True North. Mike continued to sail into his 70’s in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where
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he spent his summers with Kay. Mike is survived by his wife Kay, his three boys, Chris, Dave,
and Steve, and five grandchildren.
Chris Getman writes: “Mike Arms was part of the group in Pierson which included
me, Drayton Valentine, Ed Whitcraft, Pete Truebner, Mit Massie, Jeff Collinson, and Dan
Moger. Mike got married after Sophomore Year and had twin boys in June of 1962. He was a
very accomplished guy who built his own 50 sloop, Brendan’s Isle, which he sailed all over the
place, especially north. He wrote several books including Riddle of the Ice, which was a
precursor to the conversations we’re having about climate change, and Servants of the Fish,
which describes how the fishing off George’s Bank was decimated. Both are interesting,
thoughtful, and prescient books.
Mike didn’t have much contact with Yale after he graduated, which is Yale’s and 1963”s loss.
He was a unique, fun, and very interesting guy.”
Louis Peter Pataki, Jr. died peacefully at the Norwalk, CT Hospital on November 29,
2021. Louis was an Astronomy Professor at New York University for the past 21 years. He
received his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University and his J.D. from Indiana
University. He had previously taught astronomy at Indiana University and practiced law in New
York. Louis, an Eagle Scout, was a Scoutmaster for Troop 2 in Rowayton, CT for many years,
and a volunteer with the Rowayton Fire Department. He also enjoyed stamp collecting,
orienteering, and his Hungarian, Italian, and Irish heritage. Louis is survived by his wife of 55
years, Jane Smith Pataki; his son Jonathan Pataki; his daughter Daisy Pataki; and four
grandchildren.
In what proved to be his final course description for his NYU astronomy course, Lou
wrote to his students: “Above all, I want you to enjoy this class. I started here before most of
you were born. I have often said, jokingly, that my classmates were dying and my graduate
students were retiring, and what was I doing still here? The answer is simply that I am here
because I love what I am doing and I want to be here. I love working with college students and
attempting to bring them an understanding of science and a share in my joy at having had an
opportunity to be part of a great adventure in discovering new facts and ideas about our
4
universe. It’s been 61 years since I entered college. My college alma mater has the line: ‘How
bright will seem through mem’ry’s haze, Those happy golden bygone days.’ It well captures my
feelings about my college experience. I hope if you think about your college days a half-century
from now you will vaguely remember this course as a part of your happy golden college years. I
am here for you.”
George R. A. Johnson remembers: “I had no family, friends, or relatives in the East.
Lou invited me to his family home in Peekskill, NY for Thanksgiving of Freshman Year. His
parents could not have been more hospitable and I remember the occasion most fondly. Lou was
a ham radio operator. He was passionate about his involvement and had cards he had
exchanged with other ham operators all over the world. My second strong recollection is from
Spring Term of Senior Year. I was preoccupied with my honors thesis (and maybe too many
hands of bridge), and so was late for my term paper in a seminar. Lou offered to help and we set
up an assembly line. I wrote in my room and he typed the final version. I turned it in on its due
date the next day. It was a most friendly gesture. I might not have graduated on time but for
Lou's timely intervention. If I had to describe Lou in a sentence, it would be that he was as
sincere, unassuming, steady and straightforward as they come, and also very smart.” Jim
Courtright writes: “Lou was well informed on many topics. He and I both acted as
intermediaries between the faculty and the administration. His NYU website reveals the care
with which he made science approachable and interesting to his classes.” Geoff Martin recalls:
“Lou’s low-key, dry-humor conversation was such a treat for me. He was willing to talk about
his teaching demands, which often sounded like those of my past, so we could talk of similar
experiences.” Mike Skol adds: “Lou Pataki was one of a number of ’63 classmates I came to
know only decades)after New Haven. The New York Yale Club Class lunches, followed by the
virtual versions, were my basic contact with him. I was much impressed by his soft-spoken
modesty – despite his significant intellectual prowess. If pressed, he could explain astronomy
and related disciplines with confidence and unusual clarity. His demeanor stood in easy contrast
to so many others in this age. His political conservatism was expressed in a way that even a
liberal could admire.” Jim Wetmur remembers: “Lou Pataki was a regular at our monthly New
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York Yale Cub Class lunches, except when his professorial duties interfered. . At our ripe old
age, he was still teaching astronomy to NYU students. What dedication! At our lunches, Lou
was always thoughtful and whether he talked about science or politics, I always listened. I will
miss his intellect and his Hungarian family conservatism.”
Peter Tichenor Pochna died on January 27, 2022 in a nursing home in Hastings-onHudson, NY. He moved to the nursing home after being diagnosed with dementia last year. He
passed due to a heart attack but was already well on his way, receiving end-of-life care and being
comforted by staff and family. He died at peace and with dignity. Peter grew up in Darien, CT
and lived for periods in New York City and Greenwich, CT before moving to Newport, RI,
where he lived for 25 years. Peter graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics
and started his career at Citibank. He then worked for venture capital firms including Foster
Management Group and Phoenix Management Group. He married Priscilla Tilt in 1963. They
later divorced but maintained an amicable relationship, and she provided him with strong support
in his final months. Peter was passionate about many things. He enjoyed attending Broadway
plays and classical music concerts at Carnegie Hall. He was a good athlete who played soccer
and lacrosse in college. He played tennis throughout his life and remained a strong player well
into his 70s. He was an avid sports fan who closely followed the New York Mets and enjoyed
telling stories about attending World Series games in the Mets championship seasons of 1969
and 1986. He also closely followed Yale sports, particularly the lacrosse team. He liked
growing roses and painting abstract art and was an avid reader of newspapers, history books and
spy novels. Perhaps most of all he enjoyed people. He had many friends, some of whom he
remained close with for more than 60 years. He dedicated much of his later life to a spiritual
fellowship, building his own character with the God of his understanding and mentoring others
on the way. He is survived by his two children, Nina Melissa Pochna and Peter S. Pochna, and
four grandchildren.
Jud Calkins remembers: “Peter and I shared Timothy Dwight College, Book and Snake,
and, later, the fellowship of AA, which became the centerpiece of his world. He enjoyed a quiet
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life in simple surroundings in Newport, RI, reveling in conversation with AA friends and others,
following the lives of his daughter Nina and son Peter Jr., maintaining a good tennis game, and
ultimately taking up painting. He was tall, aristocratic and handsome, slow to speak, quick to
laugh, and possessed of a pleasing, dry wit.” Hank Higdon recalls: “Peter was a great
student/athlete and played two varsity sports at Yale — excelling in both soccer and lacrosse.
He enjoyed competing. Peter was a member of Deke, Book and Snake, and the notorious
Timothy Dwight College (the Zoo). Peter met and married a beautiful woman named Priscilla
Tilt — their wedding took place early in the year 1963 and was attended by the entire Book and
Snake delegation. Peter and Priscilla were larger than life, always the life of the party, and were
wonderful on the dance floor as they were both tall, athletic, and most graceful. Unfortunately
Peter somehow developed a drinking problem which contributed to their eventual divorce and
completely changed Peter’s life. Peter became an almost evangelical member of AA and
completely turned his life around. He became an inspirational role model to members of that
group.” Neil Thompson writes: “Peter arrived in New Haven in the fall of 1959 with that 50strong gang from Andover. We soon became teammates on the Freshman Soccer and later
Varsity Soccer teams. Pochs was a very gifted soccer player with the complete tool kit: tall,
fast, strong, durable, intelligent, upbeat, team player, and that rarity of self-confidence without
an ego. A privilege to have seen him in action. We stayed in touch throughout the next six
decades. Along with many others, I had profound respect for him as he dealt with some serious
medical issues.”
David Butler Vietor died peacefully at home in Edgartown, MA on February 8, 2022,
after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Each summer the Vietor family relocated to
Edgartown, where his father taught David to sail at the age of eight. David went on to graduate
from St. Paul’s School in 1959 and Yale University in 1963. He received his Master’s in
German Literature from Stanford University in 1965. He began his career teaching German and
Russian at Boston University and later at the Choate School. But his true calling came after
successfully racing the family’s boats named Orpheus. He was hired to work for Ted Hood at
Hood Sails, and soon was brought on board various winning yachts as an astute sail trimmer,
navigator, and tactician. Hard put to turn down a customer’s request to join the crew, he
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famously one Bermuda race was listed as part of the crew on five boats! He was often part of a
U.S. team competing in Dragons, Six Metres, or Solings all over the world. He moved from
Hood Sails to become President of Ratsey and Lapthorn, where his pattern of intense racing
continued, leading to The America’s Cup. David did two America’s Cup campaigns in 12
Metres: the 1980 Clipper effort as captain and skipper and as CEO of the Courageous effort for
1987. He became a founding member of The Courageous Sailing Center in Boston, which
teaches underprivileged children the skills of sailing and boat handling as a foundation for life.
After leaving Ratsey, he became Director of the Acorn Foundation, where he became deeply
involved in many philanthropic activities, including producing winning documentaries about the
history of the City of New York. Retiring to the Vineyard, he became part of many pro bono
organizations. His happiest days were spent in the company of other sailors, who always
enjoyed his dramatic retelling of close calls and dramatic decisions on the race course. He is
survived by his wife, Nancy Blair Vietor, whom he met on a port starboard collision 71 years
ago; his sons Andreas, Oliver, and Ed Vietor; his daughters Susan Vietor Daughtry and Christina
Vietor Osterman; his stepchildren Marshall Highet Prida and Ethan Trask; and 16 grandchildren.
Ridge Hall remembers: “I first met David Vietor in high school, where we discovered a
shared interest in sailboat racing. He was a remarkable combination of classical music buff,
foreign language enthusiast, and astute sailor. Once I walked into his room in Farnam Hall
during our freshman year, and he was sporting an old tweed jacket with slightly frayed cuffs, his
coffee table piled high with books, listening to Mozart’s Requiem. He offered me a cup of tea
and allowed as how it might be nice to sport a name like Wolfgang Amadeus von Vietor. I had
actually come to ask if he’d sail with me the following weekend in a regatta at New London with
the Yale Sailing team. That was the beginning of 4 years of racing together for Yale during
which our team – including classmates Norm Dawley, Stovy Brown. and Jim Biles – racked up
enough victories that sailing became lettered sport. After Yale we stayed in touch, occasionally
racing against each other in regional regattas. I got an ‘other side’ look at his sail trimming
expertise when racing 19 foot Lightnings in Madison, CT. He was crewing for his future wife,
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Nancy Blair, and they were in last place rounding the windward mark. We all set spinnakers,
and suddenly their boat started moving faster than all the rest of us. One by one they passed the
entire fleet, reaching the leeward mark in first place. As they passed us I made every adjustment
I could think of to sail trim and other variables with no success. Over the years David sailed on
17 Newport to Bermuda races, several trans-Atlantic races, and two America’s Cup campaigns.
He always had a philanthropic side, serving as a Director with the Acorn Foundation, and on the
boards of the South Street Seaport Museum, Mystic Seaport and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital,
and teaching sailing to underprivileged kids in Boston. He was an enthusiastic raconteur on any
subject, will be remembered as truly one of a kind.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
9
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2022 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
September-October 2022
From May 8 through 14, 2022, Karen and Jon Larson were the hosts and travel guides for
32 of our Yale 1963 classmates and 20 spouses and partners for a Y63 Gathering in San
Francisco. Attendees included Dick Ahlborn accompanied by Kory Ward, Cynthia and Ron
Allison, David Anderson accompanied by Michele Goodwin, Mary and Steve Callender, Sheri
and George Clyde, Bud Conrad, Ron Crawford, Sarah Anne and Peter Cressy. Charlene
and Paul Dahlquist, Martha and Ed Dennis, Lyn and John Derby, Bob Dickie, Jamy
and Charles Faulhaber, Claire and Michael Gill, Wally Grant, Anne and John Hagedorn,
Sharon and Henry Hewitt, Michael Koenig, Nelson Luria accompanied by Karen Kennerly,
Pat and Troy Murray, Avi Nelson, Charles Nelson, Nelson Neiman, Christiane and Stan
Riveles, Bill Robbins, Jim Thompson accompanied by Mayda Tsaknis, John Tuteur, George
Tuttle, and Bridie and James Wetmur. Committee members unable to join us include Ed
Carlson, Jere Johnston, and Dick Moser.
Jon Larson writes: “We shared 14 activities and four group dinners together over five
days. Activities consisted of five local museums (Legion of Honor, DeYoung, Di Rosa Center
for Contemporary Act, SF MOMA, and Asian Art). For dinners we enjoyed Mexican at Cantina,
Chinese at Pings. We had a joyful formal Class Dinner on our second to the last night at the
Italian Luna Blu in Tiburon where we dined outdoors under a full moon right on the edge of the
Bay and sang songs including Bright College Years to ourselves and others listening in. We all
went to the Larson home nearby in Tiburon for our final evening together overlooking a moonlit
San Francisco Bay for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. We spent an entire day touring the Napa
Valley wine country with lunch at the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa followed by a
docent-guided tour of the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art founded by Rene di Rosa, Yale
Class of 1939. We had lunch at Pier 39 in San Francisco, visited the San Francisco Presidio,
walked through the giant Redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument, had a docent-guided
tour of historic Grace Cathedral and its walking Labyrinth, visited the California Academy of
Sciences, showed videos we created of ourselves and our families, and took a private ferry boat
cruise of the San Francisco Bay including under the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.
“We chartered a big coach to drive us around all day each day. We all made the Lodge at
Tiburon on the Bay just north of San Francisco our home base for the week with its easy access
to all of the San Francisco Bay area venues. We received lower group rates for all dining and
1
activities all week. We all enjoyed one day off mid-week with no formal planned activities so
folks could arrange their own activities including a ferry boat to San Francisco for lunch and
visits with local resident family members and friends. We toasted with champagne and joy the
recent marriage of Claire and Gates Gill. We also celebrated Chris Riveles' 75th and Ron
Crawford’s 81st birthdays. We enjoyed the many opportunities for socializing one on one with
classmates throughout the week where we refreshed old friendships and made new ones. It was
a joyful experience for all of us. At age 80+, we do not have forever to get out and enjoy these
activities away from home. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to get away and travel after being
held captive at home by the Covid pandemic these past two years. We had a number of
cancellations from classmates who have expressed interest in a similar event in the future
scheduled after our free 60th Reunion in New Haven in 2023, so I am already working on a plan
to repeat the experience which will again be open to all of us. Links to our Gathering activities,
photo albums and videos will be posted on our www.yale63.org web site for all to enjoy. I
look forward to working with classmates who would like to organize similar events in other
locales as pre-Reunion activities leading up to our 60th Reunion in 2023.”
Michael Gates Gill reports: “I married Claire – the love of my life – at Christ Church in
Sausalito, CA on April 19, 2022. It was a small family wedding focused on children and
grandchildren. But now I would like to invite all my friends and Yale classmates to celebrate
with me the miracle of finding such a great love at such a great age. To adapt a line from the
Whiffenpoof song: “God has had mercy on such as me!” Claire and I hope to share such songs
with you, and continue our happy celebrations at our 60th Reunion next year at Yale. Then you
can meet Claire in person and understand what a lucky man I am!”
Mike Lieberman writes: “My new book of poems, Giving Death the Old Soft Shoe, is
available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. The poems reflect my struggle to make sense
of our fraught times in the context of history, the isolation and opportunity for reflection Covid
afforded, and the inevitability of aging, hence the title of the collection. I retired from academic
medicine in 2012 – I was a research physician, a pathologist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry,
working in Houston – and have had a modest but satisfying second hurrah as a poet, and more
recently a fiction writer. I was class poet in high school and returned to poetry in the '80s,
mentored by friends and poets at The University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. After
my retirement, Susan and I continued to live there, but we began to spend more and more time in
La Jolla where we have a second home. We moved full time to La Jolla in 2019, just ahead of the
first wave of the Covid Pandemic. Writing has been an exhilarating experience. Because there
2
is no money in it and even less glory, my only task has been to please myself and hope for a few
readers, whom I seem to have found. Initially I published my work with small presses and a
university press; more recently I have simply put it up on Amazon myself.”
Fred Schneider and Lynn Whisnant Reiser have made a promised gift to The Peabody
Essex Museum (PEM), Salem, MA, of Fred’s collection of Japanese cloisonné enamels. The gift
also includes Fred’s extensive collection of research materials related to Japanese art, as well as a
substantial gift that will support the acquisition of Japanese cloisonné enamels and provide for
the long-term study and care of Fred’s collection. PEM is the oldest museum in the United
States and has one of the largest collections of Japanese art in the country. Selections from the
collection will be on display in PEM’s galleries and forthcoming exhibitions and the entire
collection will be accessible to researchers online and at PEM’s Collections Center in Rowley,
MA. “The gift to PEM of Fredric Schneider’s comprehensive collection establishes the museum
as an international center for the study and appreciation of Japanese cloisonné enamel,” noted
Karina H. Corrigan, PEM’s Associate Director – Collections and H. A. Crosby Forbes Curator of
Asian Export Art. In 1992, Fred decided to seriously collect Japanese art. “In deciding what
specifically to collect,” Fred says, “my two most important criteria were that I loved the material
and that I could make a meaningful scholarly contribution to that particular field.” In early 1993,
he started his collection of Japanese cloisonné enamels. In 2010, Fred authored what has been
called “the most comprehensive book to date on the subject” – The Art of Japanese Cloisonné
Enamel: History, Techniques and Artists, 1600 to the Present. Fred has also lectured on the
subject at universities, museums, and other venues in Japan, Europe, and America. “I am
pleased,” Fred says, “that 1963 has other close connections to PEM, as classmates Chris
Reaske and Lea Pendleton (with whom I have been friends since we were classmates at the
Yale Law School) have their own long-standing relationships with the museum.”
Tom Wehr observes: “Research.com recently notified me that I was ranked this year as
#11,050 in the world in the number of times my scientific articles were cited in other scientific
articles in the field of medicine. When I was starting out as a biomedical researcher, I never
dreamed that someday I would be #11,050. #15,000 perhaps, but never #11,050. Sometimes,
dreams do come true. Unfortunately, they were unable to award me a medal, because they
had run out of metallic elements in the periodic table and their alloys long before they got to
me.”
Gurney Williams was married to Mary Luehrsen on May 7, 2022 at Christ’s Church,
Rye, NY. Both knew each other as parishioners for decades, and grew closer last year after her
3
husband died. “We were long-time dementia caregivers for our spouses,” Gurney reports. “And
both of us fell deeply in love in a real-life song or two. Maybe The Impossible Dream. And
surely Just in Time. Mary still works tirelessly in a nonprofit national association supporting
education and all facets of the musical industry. During the service, Michael Protacio, a strong
tenor in the 2013 Whiffenpoofs, sang Stephen Sondheim’s Being Alive. The organist
played Younger than Springtime as postlude. And at the reception, Whiff ’63 singers Sandy
Fraze, Warren Hoge, Bill Reed, Dan Rowland, Charley Sawyer, and I sang Mary in as an
honorary member.”
Edward Grosset Baur died peacefully of natural causes in the early morning of
February 24, 2022 in Jacksonville, FL. He had recently moved there with his wife of 38 years,
Emily Baur. Ed’s charm and wit got him elected senior class president of Liberty High School,
Bethlehem, PA, where he graduated in 1959. He was the first in his family to attend college with
a full scholarship to Yale University. While there, he married hometown sweetheart Linda
Meyer. He graduated from Yale in 1963, and the couple moved to New York, where Ed
graduated from Columbia with an M.B.A. before landing a job at J. Walter Thompson. In the
Vietnam Era, Ed graduated from the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School in 1966 and served as
a Lieutenant on a guided missile destroyer. Upon his honorable discharge in 1969, he moved
with his wife and young son to Appleton, WI, where he was a marketing manager for KimberlyClark and haunted the trout streams of northern Wisconsin. His career also took the family to
Florida, where he used his diverse education in the paper industry and in teaching Economics
and Marketing at the University of North Florida and Stetson. In 1980 he became a Management
Engineer at the Cleveland Clinic, one of many roles he would play in the rapidly changing world
of health care. In 1984 he married kindred spirit Emily Osborne, and the two of them enjoyed
exploring the streams, woods, and old canal towns of the region. They returned every summer
for many years to a picturesque cabin on Casco Bay, ME. His sons fondly remember a
supportive father who was quick to laugh, who was passionate in his own opinions, and who did
not hesitate to express his love for his family. His wife remembers his treasuring time spent
simply sharing life together with loved ones. Ed is survived by his wife, Emily Baur, and by two
sons, Grayson and Drew Baur.
Joe Alpert writes: “Ed, Dave Gergen, and I shared a suite in "Dirty Durfee" freshman
year. Ed was a delightful person, smart, athletic, and with a beautiful tenor voice. If I remember
correctly after all these decades, he became a member of the a capella group, The Dirty Dozen.
4
He was always ready to pull off pranks on Dave and me. We had e-mail contact after
graduation, but I never saw him at one of the Reunions.”
Dr. Charles Lester Marlow, III of New Haven, CT died on October 14, 2021 at
Connecticut Hospice in Branford, CT, following a brief illness. Dr. Marlow graduated from
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1959, and attended Yale University, graduating with a B.A.
degree in English in 1963. After one year of graduate study at Yale, he went on to graduate
study at SUNY Stony Brook, where he was admitted into the doctoral program in English, but
his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army in 1967. He chose
to serve as a medic, attended one year of basic training as a Clinical Specialist, and saw active
duty in Vietnam from May 1969 to May 1970. He attended the University of Sussex in England
during the 1971-1972 academic year, and later earned a D.Phil. degree in 1977 after completing
his thesis. Based on his Army service as a medic, he took an interest in medicine, which led him
to study the required pre-med subjects in the hope that he would be admitted to medical school
and become a physician. During this time, he worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse and then
became a Registered Nurse. He enrolled in the post-graduate pre-medical program at Columbia
University in 1973 and took employment at St. Luke’s Hospital as a registered nurse, where he
was employed for several years. In the mid-1970s, he sought admission at American medical
schools, but was told that he was too old to enter their programs. Not deterred, he was
eventually admitted to Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, Karnataka State, India in 1979. He
finished his studies there in 1984, completed an internship in Rural Community Medicine in
India, and passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the United States. Thereafter, in
1987-1988, Dr. Marlow attended one year of supervised clinical training at St. Vincent’s Medical
Center in Bridgeport and then completed an appointment as an Intern in Internal Medicine at the
Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven in 1988-1989. From 1993-1996, Dr. Marlow was a
Resident in Psychiatry at Elmhurst Hospital Center and successfully completed the requirements
to be board-eligible in psychiatry. He never again practiced medicine. In 1997, he was hired as
a Registered Nurse at the Yale Psychiatric Institute, where he worked for a period of time. He
was also employed as a nurse at other health care facilities in the New Haven area until his
retirement. His ambition was “to give real help where it’s really needed.” He wrote that “[t]he
measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he would never be found out.” In this
spirit, Dr. Marlow lived a modest and ascetic life, but left behind a generous legacy for the cities
of Baltimore and New Haven.
5
Orin Brustad remembers: “I met Charlie Sophomore Year and he moved in with Dave
Savasten and me Junior Year. Charlie was as remarkable as anyone I met at Yale or thereafter.
We stayed in touch after graduation through periodic long letters in which he shared much of his
intellectual and cultural life. He never objected to me calling him Charlie, but I don’t recall him
ever introducing himself that way. (He signed his letters with an unpunctuated Chas.) His
friends would often challenge him by mentioning a year, say 1936, and he could ‘reel’ off all the
Academy Award winners for that year as well as the principal actors and plots of all the
nominated films. Once, in New York, we scored standing room tickets for an original-cast
performance of Camelot. He promptly bought a 33 RPM recording and within a week he had
memorized and typed out the lyrics of all the songs. (He gave me a carbon copy!) I last saw
Charlie in Cooperstown where we met in 2014 to share several performances at the
Glimmerglass Opera Festival. While in Cooperstown, Charlie indulged me with a brief visit to
the Baseball Hall of Fame where he lingered at some of the Baltimore Orioles’ shrines. A Hindu
scripture sums up Charlie: ‘Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward.’” Fred
Finkelstein writes: “Charles was an exceptional classmate who had an unusual and varied
career in both the arts and sciences. I spent a lot of time with him in the Trumbull dining room
having engaging discussions about literature and art and again during his time at St. Raphael's
Hospital in New Haven discussing medicine. Charles was a sensitive, thoughtful and caring
individual.”
Dr. Jonathan Wilford Nusbaum died on September 15, 2021 in his home, next to his
devoted wife. Jonathan worked as a general surgeon at Fairfield (OH) Medical Center for many
years. Later in his career, he worked as a medical expert for the State of Ohio for disability
hearings. He attended Lancaster (OH) public schools and graduated from Lancaster High School
in 1959. He graduated from Yale University in 1963. He then graduated from The Ohio State
University College of Medicine in 1967. Jonathan completed his residency in General Surgery
under Dr. Robert Zollinger at The Ohio State University Hospital in 1972. He served in the U.S.
Air Force in Minot, ND from 1972 to 1975. He volunteered his time as Director of Operations
for the Lancaster Festival from 1987 to 2021. He was an active Park National Bank Board
member from 1979 to 2020, and an enthusiastic student of early U.S. history until the end of his
life. He is survived by his wife, Judy Nusbaum; his daughters Emily and Laura Nusbaum; his
stepdaughter Jennifer Hostenske; four nephews; and six grandchildren.
Joe Lastowka writes: “Although Jon Nusbaum and I knew each other well during our
three years at Saybrook and as brothers in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, our friendship did not
6
ripen until our mutual friendship with Dick Malone and Doc LeHew brought us together at Yale
Reunions. At each Reunion through the 55th, Jon and I shared many discussions focused on
family and health. When my oldest son was born blind, with a fortunately incorrect suggestion
that a cancer that might quickly take his life was involved, and again later when my younger son
was diagnosed with a cancer that did take his life, Jon's stabilizing guidance was truly a
blessing.” Dick Malone recalls: “I first met Jon along with Doc LeHew and Bob Kaye at the
National High School Institute. We became good friends there and agreed if we were all
accepted to Yale we would be roommates, which we were for four great years. Jon was a serious
student but also liked to have a good time of which we had many at the Phi Gamma Delta house.
It was not unusual to go there and see Jon and George Hillman as partners in a serious bridge
game. Pat and I will miss seeing Jon and Judy at reunions where we also had many good times.
It’s hard to believe that of the four roommates I’m the last man standing!”
Dr. Arthur M. Virshup of Palm Beach Gardens, FL passed away on May 26, 2022.
Arthur attended Yale University in 1959 and SUNY Medical School in 1963. After medical
school, he served two years in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, and then completed his
internship and residency at George Washington University, followed by eight months as a Senior
Fellow in Rheumatology at Georgetown University Hospital. In 1973, Dr. Virshup established
the first rheumatology practice in Palm Beach County, and set up the first free clinic to provide
rheumatology care to indigent patients. He was honored multiple times throughout his career,
including at the Arthritis Foundation’s Palm Beach Gala in 1996, and was given the “Hero in
Medicine Award” by the Palm Beach Medical Society in 2006. In 2021, four free rheumatology
clinics were renamed after Dr. Virshup and another rheumatologist, Dr. John Whelton. After
retiring in 2014, Dr. Virshup continued to volunteer free rheumatology care to those in need.
Arthur was married for 45 years to his wife, Lorraine, who passed away in 2013. He is survived
by his two children, Tamara and Seth.
Richard Stromberg, Stanton Samenow, and Joseph Schofer write: “We were good
friends with Arthur Virshup from the Fall of 1959, joined as roommates in Pierson College in
1961, and immigrated to the newly-opened Morse College in 1962. Arthur was the youngest in
our Class at graduation. Arthur lived a life of service, starting as a hospital volunteer while we
were at Yale, and providing free services to those in need throughout his medical career,
insisting that his partners do so as well. Arthur always found time to squeeze another patient in
need into his day. He was much loved by those patients, and he received numerous awards for
his service to his community. He became a skilled boat captain and was recognized by the Coast
7
Guard for providing emergency medical services to boaters in south Florida. Arthur had a sharp
and indefatigable sense of humor, always quick with a joke. After Yale, we went our separate
ways but enjoyed getting together at Reunions. With the encouragement of our wives at the
35th, we decided that we should get together every year, and we did so for several inter-reunion
cycles, first visiting each other’s homes and later meeting at various interesting places. Arthur
was the ideal house guest. At one of our roommate reunions based at Stanton’s house, Arthur
decided to make some maintenance repairs on his own. He was just that type of person, finding
ways to help others even without being asked. Arthur was proud of his Yale degree. His son
said at the funeral that his stuffed Yale bulldog was in the coffin with him. Arthur’s passing
breaks up a set that we held together for 63 years. We shall miss him.”
Michael Stephen Wilder passed away at home on May 18, 2022, with loved ones by his
side, leaving behind a legacy of learning, family, the law, sports, and philanthropy. Michael
grew up in New Haven, CT and spent his adult life in West Hartford, CT. He graduated from
Hopkins School, Yale College, and Harvard Law School, where he made lifelong friends.
Michael had an esteemed career as an attorney at The Hartford for over 30 years, retiring in 2001
as General Counsel, after which he became an independent arbitrator. Michael served on the
boards of the Hartford Whalers, the Producing Guild, Safelite Group, Congregation Beth Israel
Library, and the West Hartford Public Library. He enjoyed being part of an investment group for
many years and was an avid reader of books and newspapers alike, possessing an unmatched
intellectual curiosity. A devoted fan of the Baltimore Orioles and UConn women’s basketball,
Michael followed and celebrated sports. He was also a generous supporter of causes he believed
in, including education and the arts. Michael was predeceased by his wife of 38 years, Marjorie
(Levitin) Wilder. During the past seven years, Michael and his companion Sandra Zieky of West
Hartford, CT enjoyed socializing and traveling together. Michael is survived by his two
daughters, Kathryn and Amanda, and five grandchildren.
Skip Baum relates: “Although we were friends at Yale, I got to know Mike better at law
school. He and Marjorie lived next door to my wife and me on the fourth floor of a walk-up
apartment building. I spent time with him at Yale Reunions and remember going to a Hartford
Whalers game. We would try to have lunch at least once or twice a year in Westchester, when
he visited family in Yorktown. He had a passion for baseball. One of his goals was to attend
games in all major league venues. I’m not sure if he made it, but I think he came pretty close.
I'll miss his enthusiasm, intelligence, sense of humor, and friendship.” Willie Dow writes:
“Michael Wilder was my classmate at Hopkins from 1952 to 1959. He was a wonderful guy;
8
professionally successful, personally generous, civic minded, and responsible. My bet is that if
he were grading himself on his life he would be very satisfied on all fronts. And he would be
correct. Mike was, among other accomplishments, editor of the school paper at Hopkins. The
story Mike always repeated when we spoke about Hopkins was how our Headmaster, F. Allen
Sherk, convinced Michael that he shouldn’t be a dentist, but should rather go to Yale and realize
he full academic potential. And, as it was a different time, Headmaster Sherk secured his
admission to our local university, from which Michael departed directly to the Harvard Law
School. Mike was an interested and devoted Hopkins alum and a regular at all reunions. He was
respected, admired and, importantly, liked.” Steve McDonald recalls: “I visited the Freshman
dorm occupied by Michael Wilder, Alan Schwartzman, and Esmond Adams before our first
classes had even begun and marveled at the wall of empty beer cans from floor to ceiling. I was
concerned for my fellow Hopkins graduates until I was told that it took a Southern lad to have
achieved such a decoration in a week’s time. I picked up with Michael again during many
Hopkins Alumni planning activities over the years. He was always the first to volunteer for the
committees (or the school administrators were sharp enough to know he would get things
organized and contacted him first). He was the chairman of every Hopkins Class of ’59 alumni
activity that I can remember. He was a ‘make it happen’ kind of guy and got us to the goals of
each class project with the highest participation of any class in recent memory. We are going to
greatly miss his spirited and energetic leadership qualities, as well as his fellowship.” Alan
Schwartzman shares: “I have many fond remembrances of Michael, dating back to 8th Grade
{Form II] at Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, from which we both graduated in 1959
and then went on to Yale. Michael and I were buddies during all those years, He was so
gregarious and social, trying to teach me how to dance swing/rock’n'roll for all those mixers and
fix-me-uppers with both the locals and college girls. This was always a losing proposition, but
he tried. I actually met and dated (once) the eventual love of his life, Marjorie. He even
requested my permission/blessing to ask her for a date; now that's true character (menschlichkeit)
and karma. I remember how he rigged up a rear set of wheels for his paralyzed dog's hind end
so that she could motate and relieve herself, rather than put her down. That was the real
Michael. We were roommates in our Sophomore Year at Berkeley, along with Esmond
Adams and Ed Gilfillan. Alas, they are all gone now except for me. I was so looking forward
to seeing Michael again at our Yale 60th. I shall have to content myself with several rendezvous
that we had in Palm Desert, CA, where he wintered with his faithful companion, Sandy, after
9
Marjorie's death. Mary and I would drive down from Boise and could always count on his
hospitality and gemütlichkeit.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
10
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2022 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
November-December 2022
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue, Room 2910, New York, NY 10017
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
SAVE THE DATES! After months of waiting, we finally have the dates for our Free
60th Reunion next year in New Haven: Thursday afternoon, May 25, 2023 through Sunday
morning, May 28, 2023. Even if you have never before come to a Reunion, we look forward to
seeing you there. In fact, especially if you have never before come to a Reunion, we look
forward to seeing you at this one. It will be our best and most inclusive Reunion yet.
Wally Grant, who is chairing our 60th Reunion, is looking forward to learning your
ideas about how to make this Reunion special. You can e-mail Wally
at wallygrant@msn.com. Jon Larson is chairing our pre-Reunion activities, and is also on the
lookout for ideas. He can be reached at jonlarson99.jl@gmail.com.
The deadline for inputting your material for the 60th Reunion Class Book into the
Reunion Technologies website is September 15, 2022. Please input your material! The more
complete our Reunion Class Book can be, the better it will prepare us for our Reunion. If you
need a reminder about how to log on to the Reunion Technologies website, please e-mail me.
Chuck Lubar reports: “After 51 years practicing as a U.S. Lawyer in London, the last
seven of which have been with McDermott Will & Emery, I have finally retired from active
practice. It has been long and exciting journey including starting with a boutique law firm in
the early ‘70’s, running my own international tax practice from 1974 until early 1981, setting up
the first office of Morgan Lewis outside the U.S. and practicing with them 34 years until the end
of 2015, and finally becoming a Senior Counsel with McDermotts until this past June. Because
of the exposure to the entertainment industry through my initial firm in London, I ended up
1
doing a significant amount of international tax work for the film, television, and music
industries. This led in recent months to an agreement with a U.S. publishing house to publish my
autobiography, which will include some of the very unusual stories which have been part of my
unorthodox career. So I am not quite retired from the world I have been in and will continue to
provide advisory services for some existing clients, working with various teams at McDermotts.
I will be staying in London and am now reachable at charles@lubaradvisory.com or my personal
e-mail at charleslubar@gmail.com.”
Stanton Samenow writes: “The 2022 edition of my book Inside the Criminal Mind has
recently been published in paperback by Crown Publishers. Fifty years ago, I was licensed to
practice in Virginia as a clinical psychologist. In my mostly forensic practice, I have evaluated
and counseled juvenile and adult offenders. I have served as an expert witness in criminal and
child custody cases, some being high profile (e.g., the sanity trial of the younger of the two
Washington, D.C., snipers). The current edition of my book draws on this experience. It
includes new cases to illustrate concepts presented. Topics newly treated include a focus on
specific mental processes before, during, and after a crime, a discussion of how criminals use
language differently, the relevance of criminality to the opioid crisis, a discussion about how
crime causation theories actually contribute to more crime, and a new chapter on criminal justice
reform. I am continuing to work in this always fascinating area of human behavior.”
Doug Weller shares: “I started editing Wikipedia in 2004. Since the 1990s I’d been
using Bulletin Boards to counter fraudulent archaeology and then moved to the English language
Wikipedia, the largest of the 328, six of which are indigenous to North America. Upon retiring
15 years ago I began spending a lot of time on it and am now the 166th most active editor out of
a huge number. In 2008 I passed a review to become an Administrator, also known as an Admin
or Sysop. Among other things I can block and unblock user accounts, IP addresses, and IP
ranges from editing, edit fully protected pages, protect and unprotect pages from editing, delete
and undelete pages, rename pages without restriction, and use certain other tools. In late 2014 I
was elected to the ‘Arbitration Committee’ for two two-year terms. Neither role deals with
content, and ‘Arbs’ only deal with disputes between editors that can’t be resolved by the
community itself through various means. Content itself is meant to reflect what reliably
published sources say about a subject, and unlike an essay, you can’t combine sources to make
an argument; the source must directly make it. We’ve got numerous policies and guidelines
covering content and behavior. I get a great deal of pleasure out of researching and verifying
sources, but my Admin work takes up a lot of time. I now have the systems access to detect
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when a person is using more than one account (a ‘sockpuppet’), which only a few have, and also
to delete particularly problematic material so that even other Admins can’t see it. It’s all
fascinating work, and at times leads to being attacked on the Internet, something that started for
me even before Wikipedia because of my debunking of fake archaeology and got worse later.
Everything from websites attacking me, a ‘newspaper’ article and a fake Facebook profile.
Active editors and Admins get to know and support each other on and off Wikipedia so I feel
very much part of a community, an international community with friends from Sweden to India.
My various roles mean I also have a lot of contact with the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) that
runs everything. One particularly interesting operation they run is the Disinformation Response
Task Force. I’ve taken part in ‘tabletop’ disinformation exercises which involved quite a number
of WMF staff and key players from the relevant language Wikipedias. Issues have included the
2020 U.S. elections, this year’s elections in Uttar Pradesh (I work with a number of Indian
editors, something that has just naturally developed over the years, not because of an interest in
India, although I have developed one in the Indian Hindutva ideology), the Ukrainian war, and of
course plans are being made for this year’s U.S. elections.
“Unfortunately in the last year I’ve gone from being able to walk four miles a day to
struggling to get through the day. In January I was diagnosed with secondary liver cancer caused
by bowel cancer. That’s been cut out and I’m having chemotherapy, which has made my minor
Parkinson’s problem much more acute, and I’m unable at the time of writing to do any outside
walking at all and am very weak (hopefully this will have changed by the time this is read).
During this time the Wikipedia community has been tremendously supportive, and that, the fact
that I am still able to contribute constructively and with enjoyment to Wikipedia, and the
support of my put-upon loving wife Helen have made all the difference.”
Nicholas V. Niven, M.D. of Santa Cruz, CA passed peacefully the afternoon of April 19,
2019 in the company of his immediate family, due to complications from pneumonia. Born in
Los Angeles, Nick went to school in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and then graduated from
Yale as an English major, developing a lifelong interest in reading and writing, prose and
poetry. Nick earned his M.D. in Internal Medicine at UCSF and later moved to San Diego and
joined the United States Navy, two years later honorably discharged as Lieutenant Commander.
Nick married Rebecca Allen in San Antonio, TX in 1965. Eric was born to Nick and Becky in
1972. The family moved to Santa Cruz in 1975 and Nick joined the newly formed
Gastroenterology Santa Cruz, where he practiced medicine for 40 years. Sarah (Niven) Nielsen
was born in 1979. Nick remarried in 1992 to Corinne (Pate) Niven and in 1997 Camille Niven
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was born. In addition to his three children, “Papa Nick” had five grandchildren. Nick loved to
garden, especially tomatoes, and really enjoyed the outdoors. He was a fan of every kind of
sport, especially the 49ers and college football. But mostly he was a great dad and granddad.
John Hagedorn remembers: “In our upper-class years, Nick and I shared a suite of
rooms in Silliman College with seven other roommates. Nick was the only English major among
us. He had developed a lifelong interest in reading and writing prose and poetry while in high
school. In our Junior Year at Yale, Nick encouraged me to take the Daily Themes course in
which we wrote short stories each week. The story for which I received my highest grade was
based on a tale told me by Nick that was set in the California coastal country between Carmel
and Big Sur.” Jon Larson shares: “Upon arriving in New Haven Freshman Year, being from
Hawaii I initially felt most comfortable associating socially with my colleagues from Hawaii and
also with the California recruits. I fell in right away with a northern California group known to
each other including Peter de Bretteville, Nick Niven, Bill Robbins, and Dick Thieriot. Nick
was super handsome, dressed well, and always dated amazingly attractive women. After
marriage and medical school he returned to Santa Cruz, CA near Carmel and Monterey Bay and
joined a large HMO group where he practiced gastroenterology for 40+ years, lived the good life
in one of the most beautiful communities on the California coast, and raised three great
kids.” Gerrit Osborne writes: “Nick was my ‘go to’ guy when I needed someone to talk to. I
spent the Summer after graduation in LA, and saw him frequently. His dad and mine had known
one another in New Haven 30 years earlier. My favorite recollection of him was as my best
man.”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
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Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2023 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
January - February 2023
SAVE THE DATES! Our Free 60th Reunion will be held in New Haven from Thursday
afternoon, May 25, 2023 through Sunday morning, May 28, 2023. Even if you have never
before come to a Reunion, we look forward to seeing you there. In fact, especially if you have
never before come to a Reunion, we look forward to seeing you at this one. It will be our best
and most inclusive Reunion yet.
You will have a choice of accommodations for the Reunion. Rooms will be available
free of charge for all members of the Yale ’63 Family in the Reunion residential college (yet to
be identified). Hotel rooms will also be available to be reserved from blocks of rooms that Yale
has asked to be set aside for reunion attendees at downtown New Haven hotels. Reservations for
rooms in the residential college and for hotel rooms in the Yale-reserved blocks will open
simultaneously early next year, at a date and time to be specified. We will give you ample and
repeated notice of the date and time when the reservations will open. In the meantime, rumor
has it that classmates have been able to reserve hotel rooms at the Blake, the Courtyard Marriott,
the Graduate (the former Duncan), and the New Haven Hotel.
Russell I. Fries passed away on August 20, 2022, while on a cycling trip on a beautiful
day near Smiths Cove, Nova Scotia, where he had spent happy summers since his childhood.
Russell graduated from Lawrenceville School in 1959, Yale University in 1963, and Johns
Hopkins University, where he earned his M.A., followed by a Ph.D. in Economic History in
1972. Throughout his varied career, Russell showed great love for the stories and histories
behind people and objects, recording and remembering them faithfully. Following his
graduation from Hopkins, he taught at Southern Methodist University, then as an Associate
Professor at the University of Maine at Orono (UMO) until 1984. Beginning in 1972, he also
worked summers at the Historic American Engineering Record on the Paterson Great Falls
Historic District, helping to win its 1976 designation by President Ford as a National Historic
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Landmark. After his time at UMO, Russell worked at the Institute for Defense Analyses in
Arlington, VA until 2001. Later in life, he focused intensely on the history of surveying,
building an important historical collection of surveying equipment and surveying the land around
his homes in Savannah and Nova Scotia. Russell loved animals all his life, and his beautiful
photographs of butterflies, bobcats, woodpeckers, grouse, and more inspired others to look more
closely and affectionately at the creatures around them. He was also an athlete who refused to
act his age, cycling competitively with those 20 years his junior. In his personal life, Russell was
a dedicated caretaker, both for his mother in her declining years and for his beloved second wife,
Ann L. Fries, whom he married in 1992, during her five-year battle with lung cancer. Russell is
survived by his two children from his first marriage, Gwyneth Marcelo Fries and Thomas Fries,
and his stepdaughter Lea Marshall; and three grandchildren.
Dave Breithaupt writes: “After having lost contact after Yale, Russ moved to Princeton,
where we were living. Subsequently, we both moved our families to different islands off
Savannah, GA. Russ worked diligently on his guitar, piano, and singing. He was a very
supportive board members of the Savannah Children’s Choir and the annual Savannah Music
Festival. Russ will be remembered for his dinner parties, his movie room with its very large
screen and multiple speakers . . . and his alacrity with puns.”
Lee Marsh died peacefully on August 23, 2022, after several days in the hospital. Lee
graduated from Yale in 1963, where he was on the football team. After graduating, he served in
Army Intelligence and then attend DePaul University School of Law, from which he graduated
in 1971. Following a judicial clerkship and law practice in Illinois, Lee moved to Los Angeles,
where he eventually became in-house counsel for Bally’s Total Fitness. After retirement, Lee
split his time between southern California and Maui, and traveled extensively. He is survived by
his daughter Samantha and two grandchildren.
Jud Calkins recalls: “Lee had a distinctive walk and bearing, short, brisk steps, erect in
posture, chin high, shoulders slightly tilted, wearing a perpetual half-smile with eyes squinting
over ever-present contact lenses, the guy who did not run but galloped across the Yale Bowl. He
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was Chicago through and through, from a flat ‘A’ and clipped cadence in speech to a jaunty
style, a Mike-Royko-like knowledge of official Chicago, and his favorite descriptive adjective
‘goofy.’ His biggest football moment was junior year at Penn when he veered off left tackle and
bolted 69 yards for the score, taking a ribbing from teammates about the Mack-Truck size of the
hole but earning back-of-the-week honors in the East ahead of Syracuse’s Ernie Davis. Lee was
a great friend and accomplished raconteur with a head-thrown-back laugh that will shine brightly
in the memory of his classmates.” Wally Grant remembers: “Lee was a great friend and
teammate and a great guy. I had good times with him on the football team, when he was in
language school in Monterey, and when he visited me in Colorado. I recall a fun weekend in
Aspen with my then wife, Johna, and Lee. The only lodging we could afford was a campsite on
the Roaring Fork River. Lee had a great smile and laugh which I will never forget.” Jim
Little writes: “I met Lee at freshman football in the Fall of 1959. We became friends and were
two of the 12 who moved from the Old Campus to Berkeley as sophomores. Lee was always
curious and interested in learning. He had something to contribute on almost every subject – a
trait that followed him throughout life. Our Berkeley crowd had many mini-reunions over the
years and Lee was always an active participant. I never saw him happier than after he had
married Sandra. They worked together in her successful medical services company and enjoyed
traveling all over the US and many interesting international destinations. After Sandra died, Lee
went through a long period of grief and his health deteriorated. Nelson Levy and I had lunch
with Lee in Florida in March and, despite his medical and physical issues, he was just as
garrulous as ever, as we talked and laughed about old times and current issues.”
Frederic T. Schneider died on September 7, 2022. After being educated in the Paterson,
NJ public schools, he was graduated from Yale College and Yale Law School. He spent the rest
of his life as a resident of New York City, working first as an attorney, then as an investment
banker, and finally as a hedge fund manager specializing in risk arbitrage, before leaving Wall
Street in 1996. He served as a board member of a number of nonprofit organizations, both local
and national, involved in civil rights, healthcare, education, and the visual arts. He was active at
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and supportive of Yale in various capacities, including as a member of his college Class Council,
Associate Fellow of Davenport College, vice-chairman of the Law School Alumni Fund, cochairman of his Law School class reunions, and donor of objects to the University Art Gallery.
In New York City, he pursued three serious avocations. First, Tae Kwon Do / Korean karate,
which he practiced for over 50 years, rising to the level of 5th degree black belt and judging and
refereeing international tournaments, including at Madison Square Garden and West Point
Military Academy. Second, he studied psychoanalysis and maintained a small practice for a
dozen years. Third, he studied and collected Japanese art, focusing on cloisonné enamels, about
which he wrote a book and lectured at universities and museums in Asia, Europe, and America.
The gift of 900 Japanese cloisonné enamels and related research materials to the Peabody Essex
Museum will significantly expand PEM’s renowned holdings of Japanese art. He is survived by
his longtime partner, Lynn Whisenant Reiser, MD of Hamden, CT, and a sister-in-law, Mary W.
Schneider, of Paris, France.
Before he died, Fred Schneider wrote this message to his classmates:
“Gentlemen, come to the 2023 Reunion. You will have a good time amid lovely
surroundings. You may learn something. You will make Mr. Struve happy. And, it is free. I
had planned to be there, in my wheelchair, accompanied by my attractive health aide and by my
lovely and accomplished partner, Lynn Reiser. Unfortunately, I passed away on September 7,
2022.
“I had attended all 11 of our prior Reunions. At almost every one of them, I met
someone who became a good friend. From Jerry Kenney at our Fifth, to Wally Grant at our
55th, and Jimmy Biles, Charlie Cheney, Bob Knight, Barry Morgan, Bev Head, and others in
between. They, along with many more I knew at Yale or met at subsequent gatherings, Zooms,
and New York Yale Club monthly luncheons, made my life much richer.
“The last five years had not been easy, but I continued to enjoy them. They started well
enough with my annual trip to Japan Spring 2019 accompanied by Lynn and expanded by an
additional two-week tour of Japanese art sites with half a dozen friends. But soon after my
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return I was diagnosed with early symptoms of motor neuron disease/ALS. By spring 2020,
COVID had cleared New York City of all traffic, and I was able to explore the empty streets on
bicycle with camera. By the summer, I could no longer ride my 53-year-old Hercules bicycle as
my main means of transportation around Manhattan as I had for 40 years, and soon enough I was
not able to practice serious karate as I had for 50 years. More recently, I could no longer dazzle
people with my dancing. But I still had my mind, my speech, Lynn, my friends, and my sense of
humor until the very end. I had been able to find a good home at the Peabody Essex Museum
(PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, for my collection of Japanese art and endowed it with funds that
can make it a source of knowledge for scholars and collectors worldwide.
“Most weekends I was at Lynn’s beautiful home in Hamden surrounded by her 15 acres
of trees and gardens on a hillside sloping down to a stream that forms its eastern border, with a
view of the head of the Sleeping Giant. This year we shared the property with two bears, three
bobcats, a fox, a white skunk, a groundhog, a possum, three turkeys, half a dozen deer, and
innumerable rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, small birds, and butterflies. We also nurtured and
observed our monarch butterflies from wild eggs and minuscule caterpillars in terrariums until
they were ready to fly free outdoors.
“I always thought there was wisdom in the great Vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hanh’s,
insight that the miracle was not that one person walked on water, but rather that all of us can
walk on dry land. We, individually and collectively, have walked a long way on diverse and
interesting paths, seen a lot, experienced a lot, done a lot, and accomplished a lot. May it
continue for all of us who have life and breath.”
Michler Bishop remembers Fred Schneider as follows: “The last time I had lunch with
Fred, we went to his favorite neighborhood French restaurant and picked up some food to take
home. Later, we looked at and talked about several of the especially beautiful pieces in his
collection. He also talked about his disappointment at missing the 2020 and 2021 graduations,
something that he very much enjoyed as a Davenport Fellow. When he was a senior, he had
mentored a group of sophomores. They had continued to get together on an annual basis, and he
5
talked about how he missed those get-togethers, as well. But, in general, he was in his usual
good spirits despite his serious, debilitating illness. Of course, we talked about the political
goings-on of the day, and he was ready with his usual insightful, wry observations.” Jud
Calkins writes: “Freddie and I first connected studying history together late nights in the upper
reaches of Phelps Hall. He aced me by miles at exam time. What an upbeat, fantastic guy, even
in the face of ALS at the end, and what a mind and career, in a variety of professions and in the
acquisition of world class art. I had a standing invitation to stay with Fred when in New York,
which did not come to fruition, but we made up for it at Reunions. His final essay to classmates
was an extraordinary outpouring of love unto others, in this case his classmates, even in the face
of finality. It will remain a keepsake for me and a shining example to follow.” Paul
Field recalls: “Fred and I met at WYBC, and I have enjoyed his company ever since. He was
extraordinarily charming, caring, funny, smart, creative, involved, and just great fun to have in
one’s life.” Geoff Martin shares: “I recall with great appreciation the first time I took
Gwendolyn to Yale for a Class Reunion; when we arrived in front of Davenport, Fred was
nearby, and he greeted us so warmly, talking about his collection of Japanese art. Gwen loved it,
and was most impressed by Fred’s warmth, as I was. After that they chatted several times. I
enjoyed bantering and joking with Fred during out lunchtime video gatherings, and I will miss
his intelligent commentary.” Avi Nelson writes: “I knew Fred casually at Yale but got to know
him better and appreciate him more in recent years. Fred was multi-talented. I remember,
particularly, his enjoyable visit to Boston the year before the pandemic. Among other places, we
went to the Museum of Fine Arts, where I saw first-hand how knowledgeable he was about
Japanese art. When he spoke about some pieces in the collection, the MFA experts listened
intently to him. Regrettably, Fred contracted a form of ALS. With characteristic will and
courage, Fred soldiered on, continuing to attend the monthly New York Class of '63 lunches and
to participate in e-mail discussions with our '63 group. As he and I had similar perspectives, I
was enlightened by numerous conversations with him about the political world.” Mike
Skol recalls: “Fred and I have been friends since our days at WYBC. Something of an
6
iconoclast, he could be acerbic, especially about US politics. But that only partially masked a
kind and caring nature. He notably supported family members and others facing difficult
situations. Fred excelled at whatever task he took on, from a long-time career in the arbitrage
business to his decision to educate himself in the art of Japanese cloisonné to the point where he
became a notable collector, a recognized expert, a lecturer on the subject (including in
Japan!), and the author of an in-depth book on the subject. His last two years or so revealed a
steadfast character we must all admire: The steady deterioration from ALS left him – once
healthy and athletic – nearly paralyzed. Yet he maintained his humor, his contacts, and his
participation in those events he could still manage. He refused to be self-conscious about his
condition – thereby putting visitors at maximum ease. When I brought him dark chocolate bars
(his favorite), I had to put the stuff in his mouth. One wonders how most of us would handle
that kind of catastrophe.”
Edward J. Walsh, Jr. died on October 1, 2022 from the consequences of metastatic
prostate cancer. He attended Crosby High School before enrolling at Yale University, where he
received his B.S. in Chemistry in 1963. From there he moved to Madison, WI, where he
attended the University of Wisconsin, from which he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1968.
After NIH post-doctoral studies at Cornell University, he and his family moved to the Rochester,
NY area, joining the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories (photographic systems) in 1969. He
leaves behind his loving wife of 59 years, Lea; three children, Edward, Deborah, and Rachel’
and six grandchildren, Brendan, Cameron, Trevor, Taryn, Hazel, and Riley, all of whom brought
great pride and joy to his life. Ed enjoyed his participation in local political activities and
ancestry studies. He was an avid golfer who spent almost every day . . . summer and winter . . .
hitting golf balls in his back yard as well as playing at all of the courses that Rochester has to
offer.
John Harper writes: “My friendship with Ed started about 12 years ago when Ed's
freshman roommate, Bob Nichols, began stopping in Rochester on his trips between Chicago
and New Hampshire. Even though both families had been in Rochester for many years, we had
7
not met before Bob’s visits. These visits resulted in pleasureful socialization around good food,
gin and tonic, and Yale stories of interest only to the men. We enjoyed each other’s company to
the extent that Walshes and Harpers continued to socialize, with Yale stories replaced by Mah
Jongg. What started as pleasant socialization developed into real bonds of friendship, that are
not sundered by Ed's passing. Anyone meeting Ed would become aware of his many interests.
We were pleased when his research in genealogy produced the fact that the wives have a
common ancestor dating from the 1640’s. Friendships can take a variety of forms. Ours was
deepened by the subtle nuances in the personalities of Lea and Ed.: Al Neely remembers: “Ed,
Bob Nichols, and I were roommates our Freshman Year. Ed was our good and lifelong friend.
Bob and Ed attended our 50th Reunion in June 2013. Bob died that November, and Ed wrote in
the In Memoriam section of the 55th Reunion Class Book: ‘Bob was the driving force behind
my attendance at the 50th Reunion. I suspect that his desire to attend the Reunion kept him
going after his diagnosis.’ I recall that by early 2013, Bob had his prognosis and an intense
desire to live to make it to the Reunion. And he insisted that Ed accompany him, and Bob's good
friend did. In the early years after graduation Ed and I were often in touch at a distance and
occasionally got together. For the past 30 or so years we have met more often, usually in
Rochester. Golf was central to each visit. Lea, Ed, and I would play on foot, with the benefit of
pull carts. Ed was a fine and avid golfer. I knew he was my good friend on account of the grace
and good humor with which he tolerated my game. I am an avid golfer, but not a good one. I
can still hear his barbed and amusing jabs when my drive failed to make it to the forward tee.
But I was always invited back whenever I wanted, and I always came back — sounds like the
stuff of good friendship.”
John F. (“Tex”) Younger, Jr. died peacefully in his sleep on August 18, 2022. After
graduating from Midland, TX High School, where he served as president of the student body,
John spent a formative post-graduate year at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire. He
then earned an undergraduate degree from Yale University, where he took enormous pride in
being a core member of the undefeated freshman football team. He earned a law degree at the
8
University of Texas at Austin, where he met, quickly fell in love with, and married Chica Gray,
whom he loved more than anyone. Always a champion of the underdog, John intervened and
advocated for those who suffered injustices and lacked the resources to defend themselves. He
felt it was his duty. It was this conviction that led him to the Marine Corps and to the practice of
law. His first post was in the JAG Corps. From there, he went on to become a respected trial
attorney in San Antonio. In addition to giving his time and expertise in the courtroom, his
professional services afforded him the opportunity to give philanthropically. He gave generously
to friends and family, the church, people who were down on their luck, and entrepreneurs with
“new and promising” business endeavors. John loved golf, and his prowess on the course earned
him the affectionate nickname, Bogey. Fishing was another favorite pastime, especially in
Junction, and he spent far more time acquiring, assembling, and organizing his gear than he did
in the water. His pleasure in acquiring the gear himself was exceeded only by the joy of buying
it for someone else. Perhaps the one thing he loved most, outside of his friends and family, was
music. John had friends from all walks of life, human and animal. His love for his pets, and all
animals, was unconditional and unabashed. It also meant that, while John loved the camaraderie
of a guys’ weekend away, he didn’t make for much of a hunter. Like all children of God, John
was imperfect. He knew his faults. He also struggled with depression. He walked through life
on earth led by his heart – a true romantic – which meant that he was vulnerable, and he didn’t
always make the “smart” choice. He never stopped loving his family and friends, and we are all
grateful that he is now, and will for ever more be, at eternal peace. John is survived by his wife
of 54 years, Chica Younger; children, Galeana Elizabeth Younger, John Stuart Younger, and
Isabella Allen; and four grandchildren.
Jud Calkins writes: “All males from the Lone Star State acquire the nickname ‘Tex,’
but for John it was perfect – the quintessential Texan, just the right doses of accent, swagger, and
joie de vivre. Football was fundamental, from his Midland High School days with future
Sooners’ great Wahoo McDaniel to his role as a sparkplug on our undefeated Freshman
Bullpups, where he introduced our team mantra, ‘When the goin’ gets tough, the tough get
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goin’.’ A bad knee resulted in a pregame taping ritual, from ankle to hip, which made him the
butt of good-natured jokes, such as a lunchtime raffle at a Bullpup reunion on who could guess
Tex’s weight before and after the tape was applied. With Tex, a great joke was always a moment
away, and his farewell signoff echoes today, ‘I love ya, and there ain’t a damned thing you can
do about it.’ His classmates return that sentiment.” Bill Kramer remembers: “I first met John
Younger at a summer ‘seminar’ camp for high student council members sponsored and put on
by SMU in Dallas. John was president of the Midland High School student council, a senior at
Midland High School, and I believe the captain of Midland’s high school football team. I was
a junior at Highland Park in Dallas. We were placed in the same group and had football and
rock and roll music in common. I had a band going and Younger was a fantastic singer. John
put a group together from our group of attendees and we entertained all of the attendees for the
whole week. The band was better than the one I was in in Dallas! We became close friends and
found out our parents knew each other. I visited John in Midland his senior year and we were
friends ever since through Yale (roommates), law school at the University of Texas, and in each
other’s weddings. After all of that, my wife, Patti, and I and John and his wife Chica saw each
other frequently on trips together to Chica’s family home in Cuernavaca, fishing and golf trips
with only the ‘ boys’, with our families each summer at Padre Island, and at Reunions at Yale. I
thought we would go on this way as long as we lasted, until John fell into depression and then
out and then back in over and over. He never really came out of it and eventually depression was
the cause of his death. A lifelong friend with a passion for his friends and the freshman football
team at Yale that was unmatched. He loved you and you could not do anything about it.” Jim
Little recalls: “The last time I saw Tex was at the 2009 50th Bullpup reunion. I will never
forget when Tex got on the bus in front of Payne Whitney to go out to the Bowl for the Brown
game. There were five or six of us and the rest were students, including many comely young
ladies. Tex stood at the front of the bus and got everyone’s attention. Then he addressed the
coeds and said (in his unique Texas accent): ‘I’m very old and very sick and very rich, probably
not much longer to go, wouldn’t one of you young ladies like to marry me?’ The entire bus
10
erupted in laughter.” Ian Robertson says: “I met John Younger during my first week at Yale.
He immediately stood out from the more than 100 aspirants who tried out for freshman football.
His accent promptly earned him his nickname ‘Tex.’ He was an undersized critter wrapped in
more tape than Tutankhamun, the result of encounters with bigger athletes who outweighed him
by as many as 50 pounds. Bigger perhaps but not stronger . . . or tougher. There is an old Texas
saying, ‘It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.’ Tex wasn’t
big, but he had plenty of fight. Like other freshmen, football players were required to pass a
physical examination which included a requirement to do ten pull ups. After 50 John was
ordered to stop when his hands were slipping because they were too bloody. Tex tried out for
center, the most competitive position on the team. Eventually seven centers made the team,
honors included, one all state, one all metropolitan (an area more populous than many states),
two all New England, and one high school All American. John was not intimidated. He had
grown up playing football in Midland, TX and had competed successfully in that arena.
Neighbor George H.W. Bush recommended him for Yale. Yale recommended a year at a New
England prep school, where he was named all New England center. Tex didn’t just make our
team, he played a lot and always gave as good as he got. It was only later that we learned that
John had a congenital heart condition that should have prevented him from playing football. His
ailment was ironic. Tex was all heart. Hank Higdon, the MVP of our undefeated freshman team,
referred to John as the heart and soul of the squad, the personification of our mantra: ‘when the
going gets tough, the tough get going.’ When his knees gave out after freshman year, coach Gib
Holgate recruited John to coach the freshman team in hopes that Tex would imbue later classes
with his fighting spirit. It was only fitting that after serving in The Corps and reaching the rank
of Captain, he moved to San Antonio. In an earlier era, he would have stood with Travis, and
Bowie, and Crockett at the Alamo. In ‘after years’ Tex and I formed a special bond as a result of
our encounters with the ‘black dog’ of depression. We ignored the notion that depression was a
sign of weakness, and that ‘real men’ did not discuss their travails. We helped one another
through some tough times. No man was more loyal. I was deeply moved when Tex together
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with Wally Grant attended the celebration of life that we held for Barbara, my wife and
companion for 49 years. When I flew to San Antonio for John’s memorial, it was fitting to find
the cathedral nearly filled with loyal friends. To paraphrase words Tex was wont to say: ‘We
love you, John, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.’”
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
12
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2023 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
March - April 2023
Our Free 60th Reunion will be held in New Haven from Thursday afternoon, May 25,
2023 through Sunday morning, May 28, 2023. Already 173 classmates have told us that they
plan to come to the Reunion, and there will be many more by the time the Reunion rolls
around. To add your name to the list of those planning to come, simply email the word
“Yes” to guy.struve@davispolk.com.
You will have a choice of accommodations for the Reunion. Rooms will be available
free of charge for all members of the Yale ’63 Family in the Reunion residential college,
Davenport College. Hotel rooms will also be available to be reserved from blocks of rooms that
Yale has asked to be set aside for reunion attendees at downtown New Haven hotels. We have
been told that reservations for rooms in the residential college and for hotel rooms in the Yalereserved blocks will open simultaneously sometime in January, at a date and time to be
specified. We will give you ample and repeated notice of the date and time when the
reservations will open. In the meantime, rumor has it that classmates have been able to reserve
hotel rooms at the Blake, the Courtyard Marriott, the Graduate (the former Duncan), and the
New Haven Hotel.
Ron Allison writes: “My five grandchildren prefer private schools, as California
teaching has declined to a low of 46th in the US. Medical colleges and hospitals remain near the
top, especially Stanford University, where I went.”
Bill Couchman writes: “I am writing this to share my experience as a survivor of Valley
Fever, a rare infectious disease found in parts of the US Southwest. Valley Fever is a serious
fungal infection that affects 150,000 residents and travelers annually in Arizona, California,
Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and northern Mexico. The spores are found virtually
everywhere in the soil and can enter the atmosphere by disturbance of the soil (as in farming or
construction). The disease (Coccidioidomycosis) is not contagious. In some cases the infection
may recur or become chronic. 40% of infected patients will have a range of clinical symptoms,
generally respiratory (like bronchitis). Notable symptoms include a profound feeling of
tiredness, loss of smell and taste, fever, cough, headaches, rash, muscle pain, and joint pain.
Fortunately, fluconazole and other medications can successfully treat the disease. On my 80th
birthday, May 10, 2022, I bicycled my age (80 miles), which I frequently do. (This time was
particularly special because my two sons rode with me.) But two weeks later, I started to feel
1
unwell. At a routine visit with my cancer doctor, he reviewed my lab results and said ‘Get to an
Emergency Room NOW!’ I was in the hospital for seven weeks and almost died. (I am still
feeling the effects as I spent five more days in the hospital in December 2022.) I lost all my
strength and stamina; I project it will take a year to get it back (hopefully). A month after my
birthday bike ride, I couldn’t bike or walk 100 feet. And I had a feeding tube down my throat
(later directly through my stomach wall) for five months to help me recover from severe
malnutrition for twice-a-day injected feedings because I couldn’t eat for many weeks. My age
and weak immune system made me especially likely to get severely ill. Young and healthy
people get the disease too, but 40% can fight if off, often without even knowing it. If you ever
become mysteriously ill within a few weeks of a visit to the Southwest, ask to be tested. I wish
you well.”
Basil Cox reports: “We are preparing to move into a co-op apartment once owned by
Fred Rogers, which gives it a special aura since I worked with him for ten years. The location is
perfect – 100 yards from the Carnegie Mellon campus and 100 yards from our club, the
Pittsburgh Golf Club. Left behind will be my garden, which gave me 30 years of great
satisfaction, but which now demands more effort than I have to share.”
Stan Riveles reports that his (unclassified) professional papers from over 40 years of
government work have gone to the Hoover Library and Archive at Stanford University. After
reviewing the collection at Stan’s home in Taos, NM, a Hoover curator approved the
acquisition. The Hoover Institution has a dual mission as a research think tank and document
archive. It includes the papers of such figures as George Shultz, Condi Rice, William Perry,
Warren Christopher, and other practitioners in the field, such as Stan. The Riveles collection
covers the three principal areas of his professional life: As Czechoslovak analyst at Radio Free
Europe (1960s), he covered the reform movement up to the 1968 Soviet invasion. As nuclear
arms control negotiator at the Department of State (1970s-2000s), he participated in negotiations
on the INF, START, and ABM Treaties. Stan was President Clinton's ABM Treaty negotiator
from 1993-2000 and nominated for Rank of Ambassador. As Research Fellow at the Institute for
Defense Analyses (2000s), he worked on counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and regional
security issues. The collection includes studies and papers on Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan.
Stan is delighted to have the many boxes out of the house and made available to historians and
researchers.
Laurence Huey Boles, Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Flagstaff, AZ on July
14, 2019 with his wife of 41 years, Leslie (Mallen) at his side. He is survived by a daughter,
2
Suyin, of Tucson, AZ. Larry was raised in Cleveland Heights and graduated from University
School in Shaker Heights in 1959. He graduated from Yale in 1963. He later earned a Master’s
Degree in History at CWRU in 1966, and a Ph.D. in History and Political Science from Northern
Arizona University. Larry was an instructor in History, Spanish, and French at Northern Arizona
University and later an instructor in History at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff.
Larry’s Ph.D. dissertation dealt largely with French history. He passed on Bastille Day, perhaps
the most famous day in France’s history. Larry loved music and was a talented singer and
musician. He was a member of the Yale Glee Club which toured Europe. Larry was a selftaught musician, playing the piano, guitar and banjo, and could play a tune from hearing it.
Larry’s wit, humor and good nature will be missed by his family, friends, and former students.
Anthony Ray “Tony” Bullard passed away at home in Westminster, MD surrounded by
his family on September 1, 2017. Tony was the beloved husband of Suzanne Bullard for 47
years. Tony was a graduate of Yale University, Class of 1963. He furthered his education at
University of Pittsburgh with a Masters of Public and International Affairs in 1965. He became
a respected professor at Hamilton College then at Briarcliff College. During that time he
continued his education at Columbia University, earning a Doctorate of Philosophy in
Government in 1972. He then returned to Maryland to work at Chestnut Lodge, a family-run
psychiatric hospital in Rockville, as the administrator. While working at the hospital he earned
his Masters of Business Associate in Health Care in 1980 from Loyola College.
Tony and Suzanne moved out of Rockville, buying a horse farm, where they bred Morgan horses
and competed. He was an avid scholar and reader and had many interests in life, including a
deep affinity for Biblical studies. He enjoyed canoeing and went on several wilderness trips,
some with his family. He also had an interest in weaving, photography and the political
environment. Tony was involved in many professional and community organizations ranging
from psychiatry and education to Rotary Club and We The People. He helped found Gabriel’s
Network, which provides help to pregnant mothers and families in need. He volunteered at
homeless shelters and local soup kitchens. He had the honor of receiving the Citizen of the Year
Award in 1987. He was received in the Catholic Church on the Easter Vigil of 2010. Every day
he tried to bring a smile to everyone he met. Surviving him in addition to his wife are his
son Wilson Bullard, his daughter Caroline Resari, and four grandchildren.
Robert Beck Clark passed away at home in Murray, UT on June 4, 2022. Robert
attended Provo High School where he served as a student body officer, co-captain of the football
team, state championship debater, state medal winning wrestler and the first president of the
3
Provo High School Chapter of the National Honor Society. He was also selected as a first team
all-state football player. He married the true love of his life, Lois Yvonne Anderson, in the
Manti Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 2, 1959. They
spent the next nine years at Yale University where Robert was the recipient of the Boltwood
scholarship. In 1963 Robert received his bachelor’s degree, with honors, as a double major in
physics and mathematics. At Yale he also played on the Ivy League championship and Lambert
Trophy winning football teams (he told of tackling his teammate Dick Cheney at practice) and
completed his Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in theoretical elementary
particle physics. Robert was dedicated to his family. He loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and
enjoyed many opportunities to serve in his church including as bishop of both the New Haven,
CT and Bryan, TX wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During their 32
years living in Texas, Robert served as Regents Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of the
College of Science at Texas A&M University. He was also elected as a fellow of both the
American Physical Society (APS) and American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and
was honored as the recipient of both the Oersted and Phillips Medals and served as the treasurer
and president of the AAPT and member of the Governing Board of the American Institute of
Physics and the Executive Committee of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents. He started
a popular summer program at Texas A&M teaching high school teachers to boost their science
teaching skills. Robert spent the last nine years of his academic career as a Professor of Physics
at Brigham Young University. Since his retirement, Robert and Yvonne enjoyed serving
together as inner city missionaries, home teachers, and temple workers. In addition to being
exceptionally hard-working, Robert liked to have fun. He was always up for an adventure,
especially with his children and grandchildren. Adventures ran the gamut from delivering his
newspaper route early in the morning, searching for possums and raccoons, physics-related field
trips, trying out different restaurants together, and treating the family to Disney World. He
shared his deep love for books by reading the Wizard of Oz books to his children and
grandchildren and helped them learn to read with Dick and Jane. He loved building and flying
model planes, any sports his children and grandchildren played, and never met a stranger. He
was always learning and sharing what he learned. He whistled and sang around the house. He
had a soft spot for the corny films of a bygone era like Little Rascals and Flash Gordon. He
reached for the stars and encouraged others to give their dreams their best shot. Robert and
Yvonne championed and sustained their children and grandchildren in their pursuit of education
and other goals. Robert is survived by his four children: Lois Elaine Clark Holt, Melinda Lyn
4
Clark LeCheminant, Niels Robert Beck Clark, and Orin Peter Anderson Clark, eight
grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Erik Jensen remembers: “I met Bob Clark as a Freshman football player in the fall of
1959. While I was impressed with his size, height, and reach, it was his commitment and
dedication that got my attention. He and I were public school products from the West and
Midwest. We were in a world very different, very challenging, and very exciting. But what
really impressed me about Bob was that, while I arrived in New Haven with a suitcase and trunk,
he arrived with all of that plus a wife and, I believe, two children. He was a Chemistry major
with afternoon labs most days. He had a job, full time, as a shoe salesman as I remember. He
was a student in a difficult major and a father with a family to nurture and support. With all this,
he so wanted to play football for Yale that he made time to be on the field almost every day. To
me his commitment was awesome. He was the epitome of the student athlete and the Yale
football player. Yale is and was a special place and Bob was a special man.” Ian
Robertson writes: “Sadly, we lost Clarkie earlier this year. Bob was one of the finest men I
have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I first met him the first week of Freshman Football. A
devout member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Clarkie religiously wore his garments under
his uniform. He was further distinguished by eschewing contacts for thick glasses which he
wore at all times. He was a very large individual. As he was rumored to be a high-school AllAmerican, I questioned him on the matter. He chuckled and said that the rumor was untrue but
that he might have been All-State. He added that his high school and their opponents were all
small. He must have appeared to his opponents as Gulliver among the Lilliputians. During our
requisite physical fitness tests Freshman Year, Clarkie was unable to achieve the requisite ten
pullups. He told me that he believed that if he could not do ten pullups he would be unable to
graduate. Every day for the next four years he retreated to the basement of the married student
housing and practiced pullups. Finally, in his Senior Year, he achieved ten. “One of my life’s
great achievements!” he proudly reported.
Robert “Bob” W. Grose passed peacefully on March 9, 2020 in Chicago, IL. Bob
graduated from Gilman School, class of 1959. He graduated from Yale University in 1963
where he was an All-American lacrosse player. Following Yale, he graduated from the
University of Chicago Business School and the London School of Economics. After returning to
the U.S., he and his young family lived in Baton Rouge, LA and then Tarrytown, NY before
moving back to the Baltimore area to live and work. Bob is survived by his wife of twenty-five
5
years, Vicky (Pippin) Grose; three children, Peter, David, and Holly; two stepchildren, Hillary
(Owen) DeGroff and Grayson Owen; and six grandchildren.
William B. Lynch died on January 2, 2020 in Livingston, NJ after a 13-year battle with
Parkinson’s Disease. Born and raised in West Haven, CT, Mr. Lynch spent his entire adult life
in New York and New Jersey, most prominently in Greenwich Village and in Montclair. He
graduated from Yale in 1965. A software engineer for most of his life, he was a computer
scientist before computer science even existed as an undergraduate major. He did IT work at,
among other places, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and the Bank of New York. He always enjoyed trivia
(watching Jeopardy! was a perennial highlight for him), scuba
diving, Pepe’s Pizza in New Haven, and being active in the Yale Alumni Association.
Mr. Lynch is survived by his sons Tim and Chris and two grandchildren.
John P. Nutting died on April 7, 2021. After graduating from Yale University in 1963
John attended the American Institute for
Foreign Trade, known as Thunderbird. After Thunderbird he enlisted in the US Army and
served in Heidelberg, Germany at the Headquarters for U.S.
Army Europe. After the Army he settled down in Tiburon, CA in 1967, married his first
wife and started a career at Bank of America in
San Francisco. In April 1976 he joined the Mexico Representative Office of the bank in Mexico
City. He enjoyed a great career for 23 years and retired in 1999. He met his second wife Layla
in 1978 and was remarried in 1981. He credited Yale for getting him the two great jobs in his
life, a great assignment in the Army, and a lifetime job for 32 years with the Bank of America.
He is survived by his wife Lilia Diaz Nutting (Layla), his children John and daughter Jennifer,
and two grandchildren.
Craig L. Ruddell passed on January 20, 2021. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree
from Yale in 1963 and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. He was married in May of
1990 to Rosemary Garrett, who was always very active in the church, most recently as a member
of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Newport News, VA; she died in March 2021. Craig and
Rosemary are survived by her two children, Donald and Cathy, eight grandchildren, and four
great-grandchildren.
George Vernon Sheffield passed away on September 1, 2019 after a long, courageous
fight with Lewy Body Disease. A resident of Hopewell, NJ for over 50 years, he received a
Bachelor of Engineering degree with high honors from Yale University, while also enrolled in a
special program in the liberal arts. This began his lifetime of developing extensive broadly based
6
knowledge and interest in many areas. He then spent 35 years working at the Princeton Plasma
Physics Laboratory in fusion energy research. While there he held a number of management
positions including Head of the Engineering Analysis Division (EAD). It was a unique
organization that he envisioned and created which included several engineering disciplines.
George also authored and published many scientific papers. Creativity was the center of a
number of his activities throughout life. After retirement he spent much of his time with another
very special talent, drawing and sculpting. His art was a special joy for him and is greatly
admired by all who have seen it. His love of animals, both domestic and those he had on the
farm as well as the wildlife in the nature surrounding his home, provided him with a lifetime of
enjoyment. For many years he had at least one very devoted dog, often named Petie. George
raised his family to pursue their dreams through hard work, honesty, and integrity. He was a
very positive person, and he used his sharp wit and dry sense of humor to defuse even the most
difficult situations. George was loved by all who knew him for his kind, gentle, giving, helpful,
and modest nature. It was often stated that anyone who met him sensed immediately that he was
a very good person. George is survived by his loving wife Judith Giarrusso Sheffield, his sons
Andrew, Eric, and David, his stepchildren Karen Munford and Rick Giarrusso, and seven
grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
Francis Jefferson (“Jeff”) Tytus died from a fall and the resulting brain injury on
October 9, 2019. As a child he spent a great deal of time in nature, hunting and fishing, and
grew a love of the outdoors and nature that lasted a lifetime. He was born into a world of
wealth and privilege, first-born son in the Taft family, great nephew of William Howard and
cousin to both Bob Taft
senators. He demonstrated considerable intellect, and his family had high expectations for his
prospects. After graduating from Phillips Exeter near the top of his class, he entered Yale
University. He was becoming a person who followed intellectual pursuits to mastery. He
would read a book, like it, and read every book the author had ever written. He studied literature
and photography and picked up classical guitar. After his freshman year, he was drafted, and,
although he could have avoided it, he did not seek a deferment. He served two years in the
United States Army, stationed in West Texas. There he developed an interest in pistol shooting,
and was appointed to the Army’s competitive team. His love of shooting
and gun collecting began there. Afterward, he went back to Yale, but was persistently frustrated t
here. To the considerable dismay of his family, where he would have been the
fourth in a long line of Yale alumni lawyers, he transferred to the University of Cincinnati to
7
study theoretical mathematics. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with an M.A. in
math. By this time he had married and had a daughter, Eleanor. His son, John came two years
later. He was admitted to Ohio State to pursue his Ph.D. His particular line of study was
Russell’s paradox. He also won several prestigious teaching awards and his Calculus classes
were much sought after at the University. With his rare ability to articulate ideas, he was able to
share the world of higher math in a way that allowed the average person to see its beauty and
find it everywhere in the world
around them. A divorce interrupted him from completing his studies, and he switched to compute
r programming. There he had a number of accomplishments, the most famous of which is the
computer algorithm that chooses license plate numbers. His co-workers described his code as
“elegantly simple and reductive.” He retired after 25 years as a programmer. He
worked on math, particularly on Russell’s paradox, but although he thought he had cracked it, he
never published the work. He spent the remainder of his years reading books of every
kind and subject, playing tennis, shooting, having many conversations with others, and hanging
out with his dogs.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
8
Link to ClassNotes-May-June-2023 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
May – June 2023
Our Free 60th Reunion will be held in Davenport College in New Haven from Thursday
afternoon, May 25, 2023 through Sunday morning, May 28, 2023. Already 229 classmates have
told us that they plan to come to the Reunion, and there will be many more by the time the
Reunion rolls around. To add your name to the list of those planning to come, simply email the
word “Yes” to guy.struve@davispolk.com.
Pre-Reunion activities are planned for Monday through Wednesday, May 22-24 , 2023 in
New York City, with headquarters at the Yale Club of NYC. To get questions answered, go
to www.yale63.org. To sign up for any of the activities, simply
email jonlarson99.jl@gmail.com.
Mike LaFond reports: “All is well with our families. We continue to enjoy all four
seasons. We enjoyed our annual family get-together in northern Minnesota in July, and we will
have visits with our three kids and their families again this winter. I remain active in the
Episcopal Church. And I do hope that Peace will return to our own country and to other
countries in our challenged world. I look forward to participation in our 60th Reunion!”
Our deceased classmate Fred Schneider served as Freshman Counselor to a group of
members of the Yale Class of 1968. Fred and his Freshman Counselees remained close as long
as he lived. Fred’s Freshman Counselees will be holding a memorial celebration for Fred during
their 55th Reunion. Their Reunion will take place the weekend after ours, but any of our
classmates who can make it are welcome to join them in reminiscing about Fred at the memorial
celebration. The memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 10:00 AM to
12:00 Noon in the second-floor library of Davenport College.
Jonathan (“Jon”) Bogert of Savannah Lakes, SC died on December 7, 2022 at Self
Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, SC. Jon was a graduate of Yale University with a B.A.
degree. He was a retired Certified Public Accountant in New York, having worked for Local
802 Musicians Union of New York as well as Price Waterhouse, Sterling Drug, and Baker
Hughes, CPA. Jon had numerous interests. He loved playing golf and tennis. He enjoyed world
news, crossword puzzles, lively conversation, and telling jokes. He and his lovely wife Elizabeth
loved to travel. They visited Switzerland, Japan, Argentina, and Britain, and their favorite place
1
to visit was France. Jon was raised in the Methodist Church and was a member of St. Paul’s in
Englewood, NJ. More recently, Jon attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Abbeville, SC. Jon is
survived by his wife of 26 years, Elizabeth Nebolsire Bogert; his children Laurie Fuller and
David Bogert; his stepchildren Matthew Bodman, Philip Bodman, and Michael Bodman; and
three grandchildren.
Jon’s widow Elizabeth Bogert writes: “I so enjoyed attending the last three Reunions
with Jon. Here are some of the classmates and spouses I remember talking with: Mary Frances
and Tom Bailey, Dixon Bogert, David Boren, Susan and Reve Carberry, Shirley and Ed Carlson,
Margaret and Jim Courtright, Midge and Skip Eastman, Joyce and Tim Holme, Karen and Jon
Larson, Emily and Bob Myers, and Ian Robertson. Jon and I danced to the great music and
saw David Gergen and his wife dancing nearby – we all smiled at each other. Jon and I spent a
few lovely weeks in Maine with the late Dr. Hugh Hunt and his wife Carol.”
Skip Eastman writes: “Jon Bogert and I, along with Bob Myers, were roommates on the
top floor of Vanderbilt our Freshman Year. Jon was the New Jersey State Heavyweight
Wrestling Champion and went on to captain several Yale wrestling teams. We didn’t see much
of Jon Freshman Year due to his dedication to wrestling, and when he was around, he was quiet
and pretty much kept to himself while concentrating on his studies. All in all, Jon was an easy
guy to room with, and we had lively chats about multiple topics. However, when we sensed he
was in a bad mood (he’d growl at us when he was trying to lose weight to wrestle down a class),
we knew it was time to disappear. Jon and I both headed to Calhoun our Sophomore year, where
Jon roomed with Walt Alexander. Later we both joined Phi Gamma Delta. We remained good
friends throughout our years at Yale and my wife Midge and I enjoyed catching up with Jon and
his wife Elizabeth at the Class Reunions.”
Charles “Charlie” Clark Cheney, a Connecticut Yankee who delighted in wearing his
Mexican huarache sandals, passed away on February 3, 2023, in Bethesda, MD, where he had
resided since 1980. Born in New Haven, CT, Charlie was a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy and
member of the Yale Class of 1963. He also held degrees from the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Universidad de Las Americas-Mexico City, and The Park School of Buffalo, with
“time served” at The Taft School. A man who was not afraid of the written or spoken word, he
was “born to talk” about most any subject and especially on topics touching history, politics,
genealogy, the use of language, and anthropology. A Cultural Anthropologist by formal
education and professional dedication, Charlie was a humanist at heart who loved to “root for the
2
underdog,” and this was reflected in his work, volunteering, and spirit. Charlie is survived by his
wife, Susan, his three sons Lawton, Matthew, and Benjamin, and six grandchildren, A Memorial
Service will be held at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Milton, CT on Monday, April 3, 2023 at
3:00 PM, and a Celebration of Life will be held sometime in July 2023 in Bethesda, MD.
Stallworth Larson writes: “Charlie and I were first classmates at Taft. I was just getting
to know him when his abrupt departure from Taft occurred. He liked to refer to it as his
defenestration from Taft. The next I heard of him was when a fellow Taft classmate asked the
Dean of Students at a school assembly, “Mr. Douglas, I hear that Charlie Cheney is going to
Yale, is that true?” Mr. Douglas replied emphatically that there was no way Charlie Cheney was
going to get into Yale. Well, of course, he did. Legacies still trumped defenestrations then. It
also didn’t hurt, I am sure, that after arriving midway through his 11th grade year at his next
school, Park School in Buffalo, which as rather more “progressive” than Taft and suited Charlie
just fine, Charlie that spring was elected student president of the school. Charlie and I never
roomed together and were in different colleges and fraternities at Yale. He joined Deke! Some
may recall his athleticism (not). At Yale Charlie and I soon discovered that we had similar
temptations, which led to several foreign trips together and then to an invitation to his wedding
to his wife of 57 years, Susan Armstrong. This in turn led to my wife Juliette and I meeting with
no assistance from Charlie or Susan beyond our invitations to their wedding. Juliette and Susan
had been classmates at Northwestern and then roommates in New York City. We are forever
grateful to Charlie and Susan for enabling us to find such everlasting happiness. We and they
were on different sides of the political spectrum, but neither of us on the extreme edges, and we
enjoyed many happy visits and family get-togethers over the years with our two girls and Charlie
and Susan’s three boys, Lawton, Matt, and Ben. We shall miss Charlie’s bright wit and
conversation. I think he was probably the most voracious reader I have known. As such, he was
in good part an autodidact since his class attendance at Yale was not splendid. Charlie was a
history major with major mathematical and scientific blind spots which dropped him out of Navy
Officer Candidate School, which we entered together, but not from thereafter earning a Ph.D. in
anthropology from Berkeley.”
Phil Stevens recounts: “Charlie was a good friend, fellow sometime Amherst, NY
resident (graduate of Park School), and fellow anthropologist (Ph.D., UC Berkeley, 1972). He
was beloved by members of the Washington Area Professional Anthropologists, of which he had
been President and was a continual supporter; he was active in the venerable Society for Applied
Anthropology; and he was instrumental in gaining Presidential status for my 2008 double panel
3
on ‘Anthropology, the Military, and War,’ held at the annual meeting of the American
Anthropological Association in San Francisco in November 2008. At that session over 500
people heard ten anthropologists discuss the Army’s controversial ‘Human Terrain System,’
which proposed to ‘embed’ anthropologists with front-line troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, to
advise them on local customs in their thwarted efforts to ‘win hearts and minds’ (remember the
old Vietnam slogan). My wife and I will fondly remember pleasant times with Charlie and
Susan; and I will remember him as a cheerful and optimistic fellow.”
James Robert (“Jim”) Lilienthal died peacefully on December 28, 2022 in his home city,
San Francisco, under comfort care after a 14-month battle with cancer. Jim spent four years at
Yale University and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of
California at Berkeley. Jim was an inveterate world traveler, writer, and photographer for most
of his life. He spent a nine-year period traveling on a shoestring budget the length and breadth of
Mexico, Central America, and South America – after a similar long period in Eurasia during
which he developed a special relationship with Russian citizen Luda Pryakhina and, later a
friendship with her granddaughter Nina. He was a true adventurer, robbed at machete-point in
Venezuela, sleeping on dirt floors in rural villages, riding local buses on terrifying Andes
mountain roads with squalling children and chicken crates almost in his lap. He and a stranger
(who became a fast friend) bounced along in the open back of a cargo truck across the remote
Bolivian altiplano with local campesinos one day to experience a Tinku ceremony. As a final
reward to him by the Fates, he completed a rich, extraordinarily photographed, deliciously
described travel throughout Sicily and Calabria, returning to San Francisco just one day before
his final illness set in. Jim never felt more at home than when he was embracing another culture,
whether or not he spoke the local language. His prolific, although unpublished travel writings,
were, like Anthony Bourdain’s, more than just a travelogue; they expressed his emotional and
analytical musings on the cultures he was communing with. His folk-art collection, writings, and
superbly composed, superbly atmospheric travel photographs survive him. In part because of
those travels and his participation in World Affairs Council activities, he was remarkably
knowledgeable and astute about international society, policy, and politics. When in the Bay
Area, he frequently attended the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, and many other artistic and
folkloric events. For seven years during his mother’s final decline, he gave up travels and
remained in San Francisco to play a major role in her medical care, welfare, and household. Jim
is survived by his brother Peter Lilienthal, his niece Ann Moniot Lilienthal, and other extended
family.
4
Jim Courtright remembers: “Jim Lilienthal was my Freshman Year roommate; he went
to Pierson and I to Calhoun. We met up again at our 55th Reunion and he had a fantastic time.
He told me that he had spent the last 50 years traveling widely to many countries especially
South America and getting to meet persons from other cultures. After June 2018, he and I
started emailing one another on a variety of topics, ranging from the political scene in Wisconsin
to his recent sharing of many photographs of Sicilian villages in late summer 2022. His last
email last Fall contained a bit of good news and some shared humor; he said there was also some
bad news he would tell us about later. He never sent the bad news but I knew what he had
learned.”
Jon Larson writes: “Jim was truly a gentle soul. He possessed a never-ending
intellectual curiosity. I never heard him express words of anger or deceit even though his innate
shyness certainly made it more difficult for him to engage openly one on one. Karen and I
enjoyed seeing his sweet smile and the twinkle in his eyes. Jim had two great passions in life,
the World Affair Council of San Francisco and global travel.
He was a very active member and
sponsor of many of the events of the Bay Area Global Policy Forum, which explores political,
economic, security, and environmental policy and practices through more than 100 moderated
conversations every year which are open to members and the public. Jim worked hard to give
audience members the chance to ask their questions to the speaker directly and gain insights they
might not get elsewhere. Jim was a tireless traveler and loved to be on the road. Jim joined us
for several of the Yale 1963 get-togethers over the years. He was going to join us in May for the
Yale 1963 San Francisco Gathering but he had to withdraw because he was battling the cancer
that was taking him down.”
Richard J. (“Dick”) Malone passed away on December 18, 2022 at Mercy Health-St.
Elizabeth Main Hospital, OH. He was a 1959 graduate of Niles McKinley High School and a
1963 graduate of Yale University. Mr. Malone was employed initially by J & L Steel, followed
the progression of the company through LTV and WCI, and retired from RG Steel as the Chief
Industrial Engineer after more than 47 years of service to the companies. Mr. Malone was a
staunch supporter of Liberty Township athletics and a member of the Liberty School Board. He
was the past President and Treasurer of the Liberty Township Baseball Association and even
coached baseball. He loved his trips to Avalon, NJ with his family. Madison on the Lake was
also a special place for him and his family. He was a passionate Ohio State and Cleveland sports
fan and loved watching his kids and grandkids in sporting events. Mr. Malone is survived by his
wife of 54 years, the former Patricia McNamara; his sons Richard Malone, Vice President of
5
Information Technology at Graphics Packaging, and David Malone, a high school principal in
Niles, OH; and six grandchildren.
Skip Eastman remembers: “I met Dick Malone our Freshman Year at Yale when we both
lived in Vanderbilt. We remained good friends throughout our college years, although Dick
moved to Saybrook while I went to Calhoun. We both joined Phi Gamma Delta where Dick was
the House Chairman. He was a fun-loving guy with a dry wit. Dick was not always the life of
the party, but rose to the occasion when the alcohol was flowing freely. Dick was a groomsman
in my wedding, and I in his. My wife, Midge, and I got together with Dick and his wife, Patty, at
Class Reunions and visits to Dick’s homes in Girard and Niles, OH and vacation home on Lake
Erie, as well as our homes in NJ and MD. One year we rented a vacation home together in
Avalon, N.J. near Joe and Frankie Lastowka’s summer home. I have a fond memory of taking
Dick’s youngest son, David, fishing when he caught his first fish (5” long). Dick was a good
friend, and we remained so until his death.”
Joe Lastowka writes: “In spite of the distance between Dick’s Ohio home and mine near
Philadelphia, I had a closer relationship to Dick Malone and his family for the past 60 years than
with any other classmate. The bond between us began at Saybrook when we played intracollege
basketball, together with his roommate Doc LeHew, and at Phi Gamma Delta where the three of
us were brothers. It reached into our families after my wife Frankie and Dick’s wife Pat first met
at our fifth Reunion, and continued with our children as the Malones vacationed many years,
including last summer, in Avalon, NJ where we’ve had a summer home for 50 years. Dick was
deeply committed to serving his community as a youth sports coach and school board director.
His biggest disappointment was the decline of the American steel industry where he worked
from graduation until retirement. He had great pride in the accomplishments of his sons Rick
and David, and his grandchildren. We often laughed about the Yale weekend I matched Dick up
with a beautiful girl who was my first grade classmate. I married her a year after our Yale
graduation, my wonderful wife Frankie of 58 years, who died shortly before Thanksgiving last
year, only a month before Dick’s death. The year 2022 ended with profound sadness.”
6
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
7
Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2023 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes
July – August 2023
On a sunny Spring weekend from May 25 through 28, 2023, we held our 60th Reunion in
Davenport College in New Haven. Davenport was where we held our memorable 50th Reunion
in 2013, and we filled the tent in Davenport courtyard once again with classmates and guests.
Many who were there said that this was our best Reunion ever.
Like the 55th Reunion, the 60th Reunion was a Free Reunion. All food, drink, and
residential college lodging were entirely free of charge to all classmates and guests. This was
made possible through Class dues and contributions to the Reunion Expense Reserve by
hundreds of classmates. The Free Reunion was a vivid demonstration of our commitment to
including every member of the Yale ’63 Family.
Also like the 55th Reunion, our 60th Reunion set new records for attendance at a 60th
reunion, with a total attendance of 361 members of the Yale ’63 Family, including 213
classmates. Our Class now holds the attendance records for both 55th and 60th reunions (as well
as a not wholly unworthy standing of second place for a 50th reunion).
The Chairman of the 60th Reunion, Wally Grant, devoted countless hours to planning
and executing the Reunion. We all owe him our warmest thanks.
The program for our 60th Reunion included many features pioneered in our previous
Reunions. Once again, we had extremely successful Class discussion groups, with discussion
leaders including David Gergen, Bill Nordhaus, Benno Schmidt, Ian Robertson, Stan
Riveles, Ridge Hall, and many others. Topics ranged from China to Ukraine, from AI to
Alzheimer’s, and from estate planning to the environment.
Once again, we held a Memorial Service in Battell Chapel to remember our classmates
who had died since the last Reunion. This year’s Memorial Service was reimagined and
carefully realized by Jere Johnston, Bob Morris, Peter Sipple ’62, and Woody Woodroofe.
At the Class Dinner on Saturday, May 27, 2023, Class of 1963 achievement awards were
presented to Bob Dickie, Wally Grant, Rees Jones, Nelson Neiman, and Martin Wand.
1
The Reunion Gift Committee, headed by Troy Murray, Ian Robertson, and Martin
Wand, raised a total of $47.2 million, contributed by more than two-thirds of our classmates
since our last Reunion. Included in the total is $1.6 million donated by more than 50 classmates
to the three Class of 1963 Endowments created this year: for Yale College scholarships; Jackson
School of Global Affairs graduate fellowships: and Student-Athlete Performance and
Innovation. These endowments may be added to in every year and at every Reunion, and they
will exist in perpetuity as memorials to the Class of 1963. All these numbers are likely to rise
because the books on the Reunion Gift will not close until June 30, 2023. To make a
contribution before that date, email brian.nekoloff@yale.edu.
The Reunion was preceded by a Pre-Reunion in New York City, culminating in a Class
Dinner at the Yale Club of New York City, planned and executed by our Pre-Reunion
Chairman, Jon Larson. Jon, along with Jim Courtright and Jon Rose, also led the dedicated
team of editors who produced our 60th Reunion Class Book, which gives a comprehensive
picture of our Class at 60.
While we had a great time at the 60th Reunion, we had constantly in mind the many
classmates who were prevented from attending by graduations, medical treatments, and other
circumstances. We hope to see many of the classmates we missed at our 65th Reunion in 2028.
Guy Miller Struve
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10017
+1 212 450 4192 tel | +1 212 450 5192 fax
guy.struve@davispolk.com
2
Link to ClassNotes-Sep-Oct-2023 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes September – October 2023
Don Akenson is happy to report that Oxford University Press has just published The
Americanization of the Apocalypse: Creating America's Own Bible. This is the final and summative
volume of his historical trilogy dealing with the related questions of why the United States is so open to
late-stage Fundamentalism (under the flag of “evangelicalism”) and to apocalypticism and to White
Christian Nationalism. He suggests that the Big Beliefs that really count did not come from America's
successive “Great Awakenings,” the generalized Protestant religious events that historians
conventionally use to explain domestic religious lurches in the U.S. ranging from the colonial era to the
late-twentieth century. Actually the formative bundle of beliefs --- frequently labelled as
“dispensationalism”-- was put together in the 1830s by wealthy Protestant landlords in southern Ireland
as part of their affrighted response to the rise of the political and social power of the Catholic
population. These constructs were imported into the U.S. by successive cadres of “Brethren”
missionaries who were discreet to the point of stealth and were quietly successful in internally
colonizing large segments of evangelically-disposed Protestantism. The crucial moment was the
appearance in 1909 of the Oxford University Press's Scofield Reference Bible, a version that made the
content of the scriptures subservient to the radical commentary that in this version encases them. The
SRB was the best-seller among Bible commentaries during the 20th century and still is the go-to site of
sermon outlines in the evangelical wing of Protestantism. Its mind-capturing quality rests on its fit
with the whiplash changes in American society over the last 100-plus years. The Scofield system
provides a coherent melding of biblically-sanctioned ideas that conform to the American right-wing's
melding of anti-environmentalism (mankind is to subdue the earth), of racial inequality (the Almighty's
curse placed upon the children of Ham), of the geopolitical sequence of nation states (with the U.S.
emerging as a power-state) and, most troublesome, of an acceptance of the widespread fantasy that the
final great Apocalypse of human society (now most often reckoned as nuclear annihilation) is not to be
worried about: it's part of God's plan, and, in any case, the righteous will be whisked off to eternal bliss
before the occurrence of the full, flaming, nation-crisping horror.
Chuck Lubar reports: “I have retired from active law practice but still carry on a modest
Advisory Service in London for a few existing clients. In addition, my Autobiography, An
Improbable Journey: Music, Money and the Law, is being released in the U.S. on June 20 and in the
U.K. on August 17. It covers my rather unusual career, first, stopping the practice of law in
Washington, DC in 1969 and moving to Nairobi, Kenya with a wife and 12-week-old daughter, to help
fund and run a Kenyan business with a young Kenyan entrepreneur who was getting his Ph.D. in
Washington, DC but who wanted to establish his own business in Nairobi. After that sojourn I moved
to London and went back to the law, first joining a boutique U.S. corporate and entertainment firm,
then running my own international tax practice, followed by setting up the first office outside the U.S.
for the Philadelphia law firm, Morgan Lewis & Bockius, retiring there after 34 years and joining
another U.S. firm, McDermott Will & Emery, as Senior Counsel. The book covers many unusual
stories, including my tax work in the entertainment industry in the representation of Michael Jackson,
the Muppets (including Miss Piggy), three important contributors to the Bond films, as well as many
other famous (or infamous) characters.”
Elliot R. (“Randy”) Bolsinger died on November 1, 2022. Randy was in Saybrook and
graduated with a degree in Psychology. He was a Systems Engineer with IBM’s Computer Task Group
in Poughkeepsie, NY. He is survived by his former wife, Barbara Anne O’Reilly; their children SeanKevin O’Reilly, Cara Mireille, Melody Lynnette, and Elaine Kirsten; and one granddaughter.
William Hayward (“Bill”) Frederick died in Owls Head, ME on May 2, 2023 after a hardfought battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, neuroendocrine carcinoma. Bill took his
undergraduate degree at Yale while studying southeast Asia under Harry J. Benda. Bill and his wife
Muriel moved to Kobe, Japan, where Bill taught at the Canadian Academy while Muriel acted as dorm
mother. Their daughter Anita was born while they were living in Japan. They went on to live in the
Netherlands, Indonesia, and finally Hawaii. Bill received his Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii in
Manoa. From Hawaii, Bill and his family moved to Athens, OH, where he served as Foreign Student
Advisor at Ohio University (OU) from 1973 to 1979, and taught at OU from 1973 until his retirement
in 2010. Bill was the author of Visions and Heat: The Making of the Indonesian Revolution and
numerous other works on Indonesia and southeast Asia. Bill will probably be best remembered for his
love of food and his generous hospitality. Bill would make a beeline for the local market upon arriving
at a new destination. He made a quick study of available ingredients and local cuisine before whipping
up a scrumptious feast. He brought all of these experiences home, much to the delight of many a
dinner guest. Bill is survived by his daughter, Anita Hayward Frederick, his son Jason Wyatt Frederick,
and two grandsons. Steve MacKinnon remembers: “Bill and I were among the few in our Class who
seriously pursued a career in Asian Studies as a result of work as undergrads. Wellington Chan was
another. Bill took classes with Harry Benda, the preeminent U.S. authority on modern Indonesian
history, and it changed his life. In my case, it was Professors Mary and Arthur Wright, and, in my
Senior Year, Professor K.C. Liu. Together we threw ourselves into language study. Thereafter Bill and
I would cross paths professionally as we looked for jobs after Ph.D.s and went up the academic ladder.
Bill had a long career as a gentle warrior in the field of Asian Studies. From his perch at Ohio
University, he was a pioneer in organizing the study of Southeast Asian languages in the U.S. as well
as publishing important scholarly works. He became a master chef. We were not close personally, but
I admired his cool demeanor and tenacity.’ Rich Samuels writes: “Bill and I were both members of
Saint Anthony Hall and were close friends from our Sophomore Year through graduate school. Late in
the summer of 1963 we undertook a camping trip (traveling by automobile) that took us northwest from
Chicago, ultimately to Western Idaho. By the early 1980s I had unfortunately lost contact with Bill and
his wife Muriel, who predeceased him.”
Gregory E. Good, Jr. died on December 28, 2022. Tom Hartch writes: “Greg Good was one
of my best friends at Yale. After college, Greg matriculated at Harvard Law School. In the summer
following second year, he married Mary Balet in Pelham, NY. Upon graduation, Greg had a wide
range of high-profile employment opportunities. After checking out a couple of the possibilities, he
showed his independent streak as he and Mary moved to a sparsely populated town in Orange County,
NY. Their daughter Jennifer was born and Greg ran a small business and became a judge. About 30
years ago Greg moved to France, where he practiced law and, in his later years, pursued his interest in
the theater. Nash Gubelman recounts: “Greg and I reconnected after Greg had transformed himself
from lawyer to actor and was living in Paris. He spoke fluent French and had found Michelle, a
beautiful French partner with whom he spent many years at the end of his life.” John
Impert remembers: “I made Greg’s acquaintance in a Freshman French class. Later we were two of
the ten Yalies in the Junior Year in France program. Greg was Texaco’s spokesperson for the complex
securities lawsuit involving Texaco, Getty, and Pennzoil in the 1990s.” Bob Dickie writes: “Greg was
one of the best listeners I have ever met. He would hear what was said with all the nuances, and he
would hear what was not said, and understand it all. Then he would respond thoughtfully, insightfully,
constructively, and generously.”
William Frederick (“Bill”) Moore died on April 12, 2023. Bill Moore made the world
brighter. He saw the innate dignity and brilliance in every person and helped us all be the best version
of ourselves. He approached life with joy and humor, and was a consummate storyteller. Bill
graduated from Yale University in 1963 with a B.A. in Architecture, then earned his M.A. in
Architecture from Yale in 1966. He maintained a lifelong relationship with the university, serving on
the board of the Yale Alumni Association and as a director of the Yale Club of New Haven, a member
of the Alumni Schools Committee, an Associate Fellow of Berkeley College, and the architect of
several buildings on campus. In retirement he audited no fewer than 30 Yale courses, gleefully
surrounding himself with new ideas and with youthful energy and intellect. Bill served as a parental
figure for generations of Yale students who were far from home. Their friendship enriched his life in
countless ways. Bill practiced architecture for 45 years – most of that time his New Haven firm Roth
and Moore Architects. The buildings he and his colleagues designed include award-winning spaces for
ideas and relationships to grow: libraries, schools, centers for religious life, an observatory, science
centers, a theater, and more. For every project, he dove into learning from people whose perspectives
were different from his own. He was an artist, an appreciator of details, and a gifted diplomat who
loved to shepherd diverse stakeholders toward common ground. In 1965 Bill married Julia Duff, the
love of his life. He was a devoted parent to Lisa, a loving in-law to Vinetta, and the most playful and
creative grandparent Kiran could dream of. While Bill accomplished much in his life, he will be best
remembered for how he made people feel: seen, valued, and joyful. One of his care providers said that
he was “like a warm bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter day.” He was fully vibrant and vivacious right
up until the second of his two strokes in late February 2023. At that point, he lost much of his ability to
speak, but still was able to articulate what mattered most: “Thank you, wonderful people. I love
you.” George Steers remembers Bill Moore as follows: “Bill was a warm and wonderful friend, a
marvelous raconteur and a brilliant architect whose work graced the Yale campus and environs. Bill
was fascinated by many aspects of university life and the times in which we lived. I remember
driving in his Volkswagen bug to the first McDonald’s in the area, marveling at the sign (non-digital)
that tracked how many hamburgers the entire chain had sold. He we would say in an incredulous tone
“Over 700 MILLION HAMBURGERS sold; imagine that: 700 MILLION!” He just couldn’t get his
mind around it. I had to drive that bug back to New Haven from Vermont after Bill injured his knee
skiing. It his first attempt at skiing and he fell on the beginners slope, called “The Mitten.” Eventually
the story was expanded to how his friends, including in particular his host, John Schafer, had lured
him up to Vermont, given him defective equipment and left him to his own devices on the steepest
slopes and ruined his career. That story never got old, it just got better over the years. At our 45th
reunion, Bill was fascinated by a new toy, a baseball that recorded the velocity at which it had just been
thrown. Bill marveled at how much faster a major league pitcher threw than any of us mortals could
and challenged us to try our hand. I uncorked a blistering high pitch over his head and into the
neighbor’s yard. We couldn’t find the ball and argued ever since how fast my pitch was.”
Kenneth Edward Porter died on March 5, 2023. His family wrote: “Our dad took his last
breath at 9:29 PM last night. We were with him until a little after 8:00 PM, talking to him, holding his
hand, and playing his favorite folk songs of the 1960s. The attending nurse said he had a smile on his
face afterwards, and we noticed it too. We are extremely saddened to lose our dad, but it is a blessing
that he is no longer struggling from dementia and can finally be at peace.” Jim Courtright writes: “I
did not know Ken until he recruited me to become one of his Class Agents in about 1994. He truly
cared about the Class and about Yale and took pride in the dollar amount raised and the solid
participation percentage achieved.” Jon Larson remembers: “It was not until around our 40th that I
first met Ken through our San Francisco Bay Area friends and activities. Ken always had a proverbial
sparkle in his eyes and he loved to kid his good friends. He had a great sense of humor which he
shared with us.” Joe Wood recalls: “Ken was a funny guy, a devoted supported of Yale, a passionate
Democrat, and a loving husband to his dear wife Sally. After Yale Ken and Sally signed up as Peace
Corps volunteers in Micronesia. That choice reflected the idealism of the Kennedy era, but it was also
a way for Ken to provide practical help to people who needed it. After law school in California, Ken
never was tempted by a career in law. He chose insurance instead. To Ken insurance was not a
financial choice. He saw it as a critical source of protection if and when things went badly wrong. As
a passionate progressive in politics, Ken wasn’t content to just heap scorn on the other side, although
he did do some of that. He actually liked canvassing at election time, going door to door, making a
small but intensely practical difference.”
Stanton E. Samenow died on May 8, 2023 of complications from leukemia in a hospital in
Fairfax County, VA. Dr. Samenow devoted decades of his career to the study and rehabilitation of
criminal offenders, beginning in 1970 with his work alongside Samuel Yochelson, a psychiatrist who
oversaw a years-long study of patients at St. Elizabeths psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C. At
that time, psychologists generally agreed that many if not most criminal offenders had mental
disturbances which could be treated through psychotherapy. That approach, Yochelson and Dr.
Samenow came to believe, was profoundly flawed. Yochelson and Dr. Samenow compiled their
findings in a work titled The Criminal Personality, published in three volumes from 1976 to 1986. Dr.
Samenow also wrote Inside the Criminal Mind, a book geared more toward a popular readership and
first published in 1984. Dr. Samenow and Yochelson identified more than 50 “errors in thinking” that
lead criminals to see the world as “a chessboard, with other people serving as pawns to gratify their
desires.” “Criminals cause crime – not bad neighborhoods, inadequate parents, television, schools,
drugs, or unemployment. Crime resides within the minds of human beings and is not caused by social
conditions,” Dr. Samenow wrote in Inside the Criminal Mind. Dr. Samenow formulated intensive
counseling techniques used in prisons to help offenders avoid recidivism by breaking away from those
“errors in thinking.” At the core of the approach was acceptance of individual responsibility. Dr.
Samenow, who left St. Elizabeths in 1978 to pursue a private practice in northern Virginia, frequently
testified in court, mainly as a prosecution witness, in cases involving the insanity defense. Dr.
Samenow received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University in 1963 before pursuing
graduate studies in psychology at the University of Michigan, where he received a master’s degree in
1964 and a doctorate in 1968. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, the former Dorothy Kellman, two
sons, Charles and Jason Samenow, and two grandchildren.
Christopher Frank Sheridan died on September 15, 2020. Chris graduated from Yale in 1963 and,
after serving in the U.S. Navy, returned to Yale for an M.A. in City Planning, graduating first in his
class in 1969. Chris married Claire Effinger in 1965; they had two sons, and were divorced in 1979.
Chris had a fruitful and diverse career in project planning and community and economic development,
first in DC and then in Dover and Portsmouth, NH. His work as a realtor/investor took him to Florida
and then to Tucson, where he met the love of his life, Phyllis Vinci, in 2005. His sons remember him
as a supportive and engaged father who strongly encouraged them to pursue their goals. Most of all, he
will be remembered for the deep love he had for Phyllis, his family, and friends. He is survived by his
companion, Phyllis Vinci; his sons, Chris D. and Jeremy A.; and three grandchildren.
Duward Franklin Sumner, Jr. died from a stroke on January 15, 2023. He left this world to
join the love of his life, his partner of 54 years, James Earl Dice. Duward graduated from Yale
University in 1963. After serving several years in the U.S. Navy, Duward and Jim traveled the world
together while living in San Francisco, Pompano Beach, FL, and Washington, DC. Duward was a
member of theater organizations both in San Francisco and in the Washington, DC area, and was a
member of Actors Equity Association. He was a founding member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of
Washington, DC. Duward worked in the insurance industry (what performers call your “day job”), as
Vice President of the National Professional Insurance Agents of America and later for the U.S. Merit
Systems Protection Board. Tom Stempel recalls: “Duward Sumner and I had the good fortune to both
be assigned to Jonathan Edwards College in our Sophomore Year. JE had and still has a long history of
arts activity. Both Duward and I were interested in theatre, and the college had The Gilbert and
Sullivan Society, which put on musicals. We ended up doing three productions our Senior Year.”
David Edwin Winebrenner, IV died in Naples, FL on March 28. 2023. Dave graduated from
Yale University in 1963. After graduation, Dave served in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Alamo, a troop
transport ship operating in the South China Sea at the onset of the Vietnam War. In 1966, Dave married
Elizabeth Cooper. They first lived in Michigan and then moved to Wallingford, PA where Dave
received his M.B.A. from Drexel and their three children were born. Dave and Liz then moved to
Darien, CT where he was active in the children’s soccer program, Babe Ruth League, St. Luke’s Parish,
and the Kiwanis Club. The bulk of his business life was spent in the field of insurance. Upon retiring,
Dave and Liz moved to Naples where Dave was an active volunteer for the Naples Therapeutic Riding
Center, serving for a number of years on its Board. He loved his time with the horses and students.
Most of all, Dave loved spending time with his family and grandchildren. Summering at Lake Geneva,
WI was a highlight as he was able to gather with his children and their families and spend quiet time on
the water. Dave is survived by his wife of 57 years, his sons Dewey and Andrew Winebrenner, his
daughter Catie Jacobsen, and nine grandchildren Dave loved the sea, he loved the beach, he loved his
grandchildren. It is fitting that he spent his last moments enjoying all three.
Link to ClassNotes-Nov-Dec-2023 pdf file
Class of 1963 Alumni Notes November-December 2023
Troy Murray reports: “With the books finally closed on June 30, 2023, your Reunion
Gift Committee reports that 70% of our classmates contributed $50,224,514 to Yale, the fourth
highest amount ever raised for a 60th reunion. This included $516,907 donated to the Alumni
Fund. Of the three Class of 1963 Funds, the Yale College Scholarship totaled $425,609 from 37
Classmates; the Jackson School Fellowship, $922,688 from 35 donors; and Athletics, $251,083
from 13 donors. Among other factors, our very successful Reunion appears to have inspired an
especially large flurry of last- minute contributions.” Immense thanks are due to the Reunion
Gift Committee Chairmen – Troy, Ian Robertson, and Martin Wand – for their energy and
dedication.
Jon Larson writes: “All classmates are invited to join a Y’63 Hawaii Cruise/Tour, June
5-15, 2024. 36 of us are already planning to spend ten days together cruising and shore touring
the Hawaiian Islands. We are holding a group of adjoining staterooms grouped together high up
on the 9th deck. June 5-8: Three days on Oahu staying at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and sharing
planned activities and dining: Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaiian Luau, Bishop
Museum, a sail on Kaneohe Bay, a drive through a tropical jungle, and an around-the-Island drive
including North Shore beaches. June 8-15: Seven days on board the NCL Norwegian Cruise
Lines Pride of America sailing around the Islands including four stopovers for optional guided
shore tours: one on each of Kauai and Maui and two on the Big Island. And of course we plan to
share as much spare time as possible dining, socializing, sharing life stories, and relaxing
together. We have reserved additional cabins available at the same 45% discount off the full
price listed at sailing time. This is a popular time of year with good weather to travel to Hawaii.
You can make a reservation with a refundable $300 deposit. More details are posted on our web
site at www.yale63.org . Please contact tour leader Jon Larson at jonlarson99.jl@gmail.com for
more information and to book a reservation.”
Mike Lieberman’s new novel, Anvil Hopewell, is available on Amazon in print and
Kindle versions. Mike writes: “Hopewell is an unlikely hero, a poet whose life is on the skids.
As the novel opens, Hopewell is a Yale undergraduate in the late ’80s. It was great fun inventing
a fictional Yale for the novel’s protagonist. Apologies to classmates who actually worked for the
Yale Daily News.”
John Rogers reports: “Still working full time at age 83. I may be the only Yale-educated
licensed Civil Engineer in California!”
Hugh Alexander Campbell, Sr. died on July 22, 2023 in Louisville, KY. Alex graduated
in 1963 magna cum laude from Yale University, with an undergraduate degree in Politics and
Economics, and in 1966 from Yale Law School. While at Yale, he received several academic and
leadership awards, including election to Yale’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and he also served as
Class Secretary for a time. In the eight years after law school, Alex served as counsel to
Kentucky Governor Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt, as Assistant Attorney General to Kentucky
Attorney General John C. Breckinridge, and with Mr. Breathitt after his term as Governor in a
Ford Foundation funded initiative addressing rural poverty in the United States. Then, for over
40 years, Alex practiced corporate and transactional law in the Louisville office of the multistate
firm Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP. A cradle Episcopalian, Alex served multiple terms as vestry
member and Senior Warden in his family’s parish and in appointive and elective roles connected
with the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky and related institutions. One of these important
initiatives was chairing the search committee that resulted in the election of the Rt. Rev. Terry
Allen White in 2010 as Bishop of the Diocese. Alex is survived by his beloved wife LaForrest
Cody Campbell; their sons Peter Barnett Campbell and Hugh Alexander Campbell, Jr.; and one
grandson, Hugh Alexander Campbell, III.
LaForrest Campbell writes: “Alex cherished his Yale and Yale Law School days. One
of his fondest memories was the trip to France with his classmates – an extraordinary trip to
Normandy and Paris. He would have been so proud of what the Class accomplished at the 60th
Reunion.”
Dr. Thomas Michael Fake passed away on June 2, 2023 at the Methodist Hospital in
Omaha, NE. Tom attended Yale for one year, and finished his bachelor’s degree at the University
of Iowa. He went on to the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, graduating in 1968.
Following his schooling, Dr. Tom opened his practice in Denison, IA, owning it for 43 years. He
married Idamae Brandenburg in 1978. Dr. Tom and Idamae volunteered their time as
missionaries and traveled to Africa and the Philippines, where he provided dental services to the
less fortunate. He loved all sorts of fishing, especially fly fishing and bass fishing. In his
younger years he also enjoyed golf and hunting. One of his favorite pastimes was reading, and
he was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes fan. He is survived by his wife of over 44 years, Idamae Fake;
his children, Randi White, Dani Fake, Robert Carmichael, Stephen Brandenburg, Diane Winey,
and Debra Vosika; six grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.
Jim Little recalls: “Tom and Dick Cheney were recruited as student athletes by a Yale
alumnus in Casper, WY, and joined our Class in the Fall of 1959. As a Freshman, Tom was proud
to be a left-handed quarterback on the undefeated 1959 Bullpups. However, coming from
Wyoming to Yale was difficult for Tom and, although he made a number of friends at Yale, he
never felt that he fit in. He preferred the great outdoors and hunting and fishing to the constraints
of the intensely developed East Coast. Through our Berkeley group, we stayed in touch with
Tom and his wife. He was a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor that we all enjoyed.”
Christopher H. Getman died after a brief illness on July 9, 2023. His wife of 59 years,
Toddie, was by his side. (Although Chris was a member of the Class of 1964, he was an
important part of our Class too, and with the permission of the Class of 1964 we are
remembering him here.) Chris lost his father in World War II when Chris was three. From that
time on, the cultivation of meaningful relationships became a defining mission in his life. He
was a devoted husband, a loving father, a loyal friend, a joyful teacher, a community organizer, a
generous philanthropist, a patron of the arts, a zealous – and somewhat wild – athlete, an
energetic practical joker, a passionate server of good causes, and a relentless advocate for anyone
who needed it. Although he had a reputation for mischief, he never strayed from his strong moral
compass. He gave everyone the benefit of the doubt but was impatient of greed or cruelty. After
graduating from The Hill School, Chris moved on to Yale University. Always grateful for the
blessings in his life, Chris considered the opportunity to attend Yale among the greatest. After
receiving his M.A. from Reed College and teaching at The Hotchkiss School for five years, Chris
returned to New Haven in 1970 to work for the Yale Alumni Association and coach football and
basketball. The move back to New Haven marked the beginning of a lifetime of dedication to
both the University and its surrounding community. His many accomplishments and the
organizations he served are too numerous to list, but the highlight reel includes the Elm/Ivy
Award; the Yale Medal honoring outstanding voluntary service to the University; the Mory’s
Cup; and the G.H.W. Bush Lifetime Leadership Award. Chris also served as Chairman of the
Alexis de Tocqueville Society of The United Way and was the top fundraiser for the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society for more than 30 years. Chris is survived by his wife Evelyn (Toddie);
his daughters Sheila, Hilary, and Julia; and six grandchildren.
Willie Dow writes: “Chris made New Haven his adopted home. He directed his energies
to countless projects affecting where he lived. He was the longest-serving member of the Board
of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, a leader of the United Way, was involved in
environmental projects and the Special Olympics. He was, we will all remember, one of the
laboring oars in saving Mory’s. And as the cherry on top of that sundae, for 30 years he kept and
maintained several iterations of Handsome Dan. Not surprisingly, Chris was honored with the
Elm/Ivy Award symbolizing efforts to strengthen relationships between the City and the
University. Most of all, he was just an all-around good guy.” Ian Robertson shares: “In 2019 I
was sitting between Chris and Ben Balme at the Blue Leadership Ball. Ben mentioned that he
had been granted an unplanned leave of absence in his Junior year. I said, ‘Don’t feel bad, Ben. I
had two unplanned vacations.’ Chris chimed in and said, ‘I had four more than both of you
together.’ Both Chris and Ben were Blue Leadership Ball honorees. Just goes to show.
This May Chris abandoned his Rhode Island hospital bed to attend our football lunch prior to
’63’s 60th Reunion. We count him as one of our own even though he chose to affiliate with ’64.
A wonderful man.”
Philip Pechukas, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University, died on June
8, 2023 in Great Barrington, MA. Phil earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Yale in 1963
and his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Chicago in 1966, and joined the
Columbia faculty in 1968. He was a gifted theoretical chemist whose work in chemical reaction
dynamics and quantum chaos was deeply insightful and illuminating. Phil made a deep impact
on Columbia through his service as Chair of the Chemistry Department during the design of a
new building and was an extraordinary teacher and mentor to students. He was the recipient of
many honors, including Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Humboldt Senior
Scientist Award 1993-1994. Phil Pechukas was a unique individual, a gifted scientist and a
talented writer with an ironic sense of humor. Phil suffered the painful loss of his two daughters,
Fiona and Maria, who predeceased him. He is survived by his beloved longtime partner, Rachel
Brier, a psychologist in Great Barrington; Rachel’s family, Lauren, David, Hannah, and Jonah;
his surviving children Sarah, Amy, and Rolf; and four grandchildren.
Jim Baird (no mean chemist himself) writes: “Theoretical chemistry has lost a towering
figure.” In a lighter vein, Jim adds: “During our Sophomore year, Phil, and the rest of us
chemistry majors, took Chem. 32 Organic Chemistry. One of the toughest experiments in the lab
involved the multistep synthesis of a special compound. At the end of the penultimate step, Phil
had very little material left to work with. Before the lab, Phil had picked up his mail at Yale
Station. On opening a letter from his girlfriend, he found a love poem which she had composed.
After reading it, Phil was at a loss for a creative way to respond. Then he had an idea! He tore a
page out of his notebook and fished through his lab drawer for an eyedropper. Horrified, we all
shouted, ‘Phil, don’t do it!’ He ignored us. He extracted a couple of precious drops from his
already depleted product and dribbled the liquid onto the notebook paper. The result was an
indescribable greasy spot. He signed the page ‘Love, Phil.’ and put it in an envelope addressed
to this girlfriend. The rest is history.” Dave Mawicke writes: “Phil and I were classmates from
Junior High School through Yale. Phil was an accomplished theoretical chemist, but most of his
pride was about the accomplishments of his students. He beat me regularly in golf, which we
played weekly until I could no longer play. Cooking was a passion of Phil’s. The local butcher
and greengrocer were friends of his, and he had an extensive culinary library. Always trying
something new.”
Benno C. Schmidt, Jr. died peacefully in his sleep on July 9, 2023 in his home in
Millbrook, NY. Benno studied History at Yale and, after graduating in 1963, went directly to
Yale Law School, where he graduated in 1966 at the head of his class. After clerking for United
States Chief Justice Earl Warren, Benno spent two years working for the United States
Department of Justice, and then joined the faculty of Columbia Law School. An expert in First
Amendment law, Benno became Dean of Columbia Law School in 1984. Less than two years
later, Benno was named as Yale’s 20th President. In the words of The New York Times, “he was
president there for six years, during which he fought with the faculty over painful but necessary
budget cuts, changes that left many people bitter but the University better off in its finances and
educational direction.” Yale’s current President, Peter Salovey, told The Times: “Benno was
president during a really important transition for Yale. He helped push the university from being
a college with strong professional schools into a university with outstanding professional schools
and a college at its center.” Benno left Yale in 1992 to become chief executive of Edison
Schools. In 1998 Benno was put in charge of a rescue task force for the City University of New
York. In 1999, Benno and his colleagues presented a plan to gut-renovate CUNY, and for the
next 17 years, first as Vice Chairman and then as Chairman of the CUNY Board, he executed that
vision. Benno served for many years on the Board of the Kauffman Foundation and the NewYork Historical Society. He is survived by his wife, Anne McMillen; his son Benno C. Schmidt
III; his daughters Elizabeth Hun Schmidt and Christina Whitney Helburn; his stepdaughters Leah
Redpath and Alexandra Toles; five grandchildren; and two step grandchildren.
Beverly Gunther, the widow of our classmate Steve Gunther, remembers:
“Benno, Dick Foster, Nathaniel Kingsbury, and my beloved Steve all began their Yale journey
in the Fall of 1959 on the Old Campus. These four classmates who became roommates were
anchored by Trumbull College. In addition to serious study, they spent a good deal of time off
playing hockey, darts, and pool. Steve would often say, ‘Benno recovers so well academically
from these all-nighters. I do not.” Females were allowed to visit for restricted weekend hours.
Sunday midday dinner saw lots of women in the dining hall for a proper roast feast. Thus were
the Trumbull years. I do not think that there was ever a Reunion that Steve and I missed. Each
Reunion we had a tradition- dinner with Benno. What a blessing that we of Yale ’63 were
together at the Reunion!” Dick Foster writes: “It was Noon in September 1959. I was taking
my first NYC taxi ride. I was terrified. My co-passenger was Benno Schmidt, born and raised in
NYC. He was chattering away as if we were having a nice lunch in a restaurant. Cars were
whizzing by, brakes screeching, people in the walkway yelling at us, and Benno was talking
about his class the day before with Harold Bloom. It was then I knew I was not in Chagrin Falls
anymore. That was the day Benno became one of the most important mentors of my life. Benno
was a rocket ship (and he had a rocket slap shot on the ice). He set the standard in my eyes;
brilliant, wickedly witty, accomplished, and a very loyal friend.”
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
90 The Uplands
Berkeley, CA 94705
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Link to ClassNotes-Jan-Feb-2024 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes January-February 2024
Jud Calkins reports: “Hank Higdon’s granddaughter Casey O'Brien is tearing it up as an AllAmerican Junior on Wisconsin's national championship women’s ice hockey team. I got to watch her
when the Badgers were in playoffs last season and Hank tipped me off to a televised game. This
September I got to watch her in person when she appeared in the St. Louis area for a two-game series.
They prevailed handily in both games and Casey had a goal and an assist in the one I saw. Stay tuned
for her on TV as Wisconsin moves into national contention again this season.”
Eben Ludlow, Pepper Stuessy, and Bill Bell followed up our Reunion with a visit to
spookmate Charlie Brinley, who is recovering well from “heart events,” and then to the Upper
Connecticut River for several days of canoeing not-so-gentle rapids, followed by a week of hiking and
fishing in Maine’s Baxter State Park semi-wilderness. Lots of rain, conversations, and a few moose.
Bill Bell reports: “There was a moment, the day after Memorial Day, as Eben and I had dumped and
were hanging on to the canoe at the top of a set of pretty big rapids, that we potentially could have
qualified for both the adventure and obituary sections of the Class Notes. The Upper Connecticut in
springtime is No River for Old Men.”
Dick Moser writes: “I’m pleased to share that I’ve been selected as one of 14 members of the Small
Business Administration’s new Investment Capital Advisory Committee (ICAC). This committee will
provide advice, insights, and recommendations to SBA on matters broadly relating to facilitating
greater access and availability of patient investment capital for small business. A new path to which I
look forward.”
Avi Nelson reports: “For five and a half years, 1984-1990, I was the editorial director of the then allnews radio station in Boston, MA (WEEI). In that capacity, I wrote, presented to an editorial board for
advice and consent, and broadcast generally three editorials per week. There were over 700 in all. I
have put together a compendium of these editorials and self-published them in two book, Vol. 1: 19841986, and Vol. 2: 1987-1990 – one editorial per page. Read now, some of the presentations are dated,
made anachronous by, as our alma mater foretold, “time and change.” Others could have been written
yesterday – the issues unresolved and the debates unchanged over the intervening decades. The
editorials bear a libertarian/conservative orientation, reflective of the author and the board. But as a
whole, the compendium provides an angular political-historical record of the period – including the
1988 presidential campaign, when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis was the Democrat
nominee and nearly won the presidency. My objective is to offer the books gratis to libraries,
organizations, academies, think tanks, and/or individuals for purposes of research and scholarship.”
Ian Robertson recounts: “On August 30, I stood on a lauhala mat placed on the promontory in front
of my hale kaha kai. Behind me, the ocean and a glorious Kona sunset. I was waiting for Kahu Dan
Akaka and his wife Anna to lead my bride-to-be to join me on the mat. Bonnie and I had agreed to
never marry, but our 65th Reunion changed everything, aided by Chris Getman (who escaped his
Rhode Island cardiac ward to make fun of me), Benno, and Capt. Gwin and Sonar Landa (who
invited Bonnie to join that most clandestine of (male only) Societies). On our return to Palm Springs, I
invited Bonnie to dinner where I announced: ‘I want to renegotiate!’ ‘Does that mean you want the
other side of the bed?’ she asked. I produced a green velvet pouch containing a ring. Bonnie was
stunned. ‘Does this mean you want to get engaged?’ She said. ‘Do you?’ I countered. ‘Yes,’ she
said. ‘As long as we don’t have to get married.’ So, on August 30, we did. And we danced barefoot
on my lawn. On Saturday, October 15, Bonnie and I were supposed to leave for our honeymoon.
Bonnie woke me early Saturday morning. ‘Don’t freak out!’ She said. “On Thursday I thought I had a
UTI. A doctor at Urgent Care advised a CT scan but when I told him that we were leaving on my
honeymoon Saturday he said it could wait three weeks, but I had severe back pain last night.’ I
called Jim Biles and asked him to speak to Bonnie. After speaking to him Bonnie handed me the
phone. Jim said, ‘If she has a tumor in her kidney and it dislodges, she could bleed out. If she has a
kidney stone, she could be in agony for three weeks, and if you don’t have access to proper care it
might be infected and she could die. Cancel your flight and get her to Emergency RIGHT NOW!’
A trip to the emergency room aided by constant advice from Dr. Biles resulted in the immediate
removal of a very large kidney stone. By Sunday morning Bonnie was home, and we rescheduled our
honeymoon. Three weeks of agony or perhaps catastrophe avoided. Thank God for Jim Biles.”
Tom Stempel reports that he was gobsmacked in September 2023 when he was awarded the inaugural
Lifetime Achievement Award for Service to Screenwriting Research. He had no idea it was in the
works. The award was given by the international organization Screenwriting Research Network, which
includes screenwriting researchers around the world. When Tom started researching screenwriting in
the late sixties, nobody else was doing that, especially in America, where the emphasis in film history
was on directors. Although there are now more researchers studying screenwriting in the U.S., the
focus is still on directors, which is less true in other countries. Tom explains that this is why he has a
bigger international fan base than his domestic one. Tom started researching screenwriting when he
was a graduate student at UCLA, and he has written six books, five of them on screen and television
writing. Four of his six books are still in print, including his definitive FrameWork: A History of
Screenwriting in the American Film and Storytellers to the Nation: A History of American Television
Writing. For the past 15 years he has written the online column “Understanding Screenwriting,” which
you can read at https://scriptmag.com/author/.
James Lewis Axtell died on August 28, 2023. Jim graduated from Yale in 1963 and earned a
Ph.D. in History from Cambridge University in 1967. Athletics played a large role in his college
years. Jim set records in track both at Yale and at Cambridge. He was chosen for the All-England
university basketball team after being the top scorer on the Cambridge varsity for two years. Jim later
claimed that he finished his Ph.D. dissertation in only two years so that he could return to the U.S.
without having to guard first team All-American and Rhodes Scholar Bill Bradley on the Oxford team
the following year. After teaching at Yale, Sarah Lawrence, and Northwestern, in 1978 he became
Professor of History at the College of William and Mary, where he remained for 30 years of
distinguished service. Jim was a prolific and multi-faceted scholar, at home in colonial American
history, Native American history, and the history of higher education. He wrote a 650-page history
of The Making of Princeton University and a major work on ethnohistory, The Invasion Within: The
Contest of Cultures in Colonial North America. Jim was predeceased by his beloved wife and best
friend of 61 years, Susan Hallas Axtell. He is survived by his two sons Nathaniel and Jeremy and two
grandchildren.
Doug Allen remembers: “At a special track and field reunion celebration at the Yale Club in
New York, it was emphasized that 1959-1964 was the high point in the history of Yale track and field.
Jim’s contributions were outstanding. I recall that he set Yale records in the long jump and in the triple
jump. After our graduation in 1963, he went to Cambridge University, where he set Cambridge and
U.K. jumping records that stood for decades. That a classmate so healthy and so productive has died
reminds me of our mortality and how grateful I am for our many years of meaningful
experiences.” Kip Clark writes: “In our Sophomore Year, Jim and I lived in Silliman College where
we became good friends and History Majors. During Senior Year, while writing our senior theses, we
stumbled on unpublished photographs in the Yale Manuscript Division in our different fields. Jim had
worked in a darkroom earlier and he suggested that we spend a day in the Silliman darkroom
developing full-page copies for our theses. To our surprise, both our theses won departmental prizes.
After graduation, I often saw Jim at National History Conferences. He was a remarkably gifted
historian and one of the leading scholars in the emerging field of Native American history.” Hank
Hallas recalls: “Jim was a hard working scholar and athlete. He set a high standard. He dated Susan
Hallas (no relative) at Wellesley College and I dated my first wife, Susan Seymour, also at Wellesley.
Jim used to kid me about that from time to time. He had a great sense of humor. I tried, without
success, to get him to come to our Reunions. I wish I had succeeded.”
Warren Hoge died peacefully at home of pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2023. After being
expelled from Exeter for gambling, Warren graduated from Trinity School in New York in 1959 and
from Yale in 1963. After serving in the Army for six months in 1964, Warren attended graduate school
at George Washington University while working as a reporter for the old Washington Star in 1964 and
1965, then became the New York Post’s Washington Bureau chief for four years. The New York Times
hired Warren as a metro reporter in 1976. By 1979 he became the bureau chief in Rio de Janeiro,
followed by stints in Central America, New York, and London. By the time his journalism career was
over Warren had reported from more than 80 countries. He became the Times’s foreign news editor in
1983, and assistant managing editor in 1987. After leaving the Times in 2008, Warren became vice
president of external affairs at the International Peace Institute, and senior adviser in 2012. Warren is
survived by his wife, Olivia Larisch Hoge, whom he married in Rio in 1981; his son Nicholas; his
stepdaughters Christina Villax and Tatjana Leimer; and six step-grandchildren.
Tony Elson recalls: “Warren and I became friends through our involvement in singing
organizations that spanned our time at Yale. Because of our participation in the Yale Glee Club tour of
Latin America after our Sophomore Year, we developed a lifelong interest in that region (and Brazil in
particular), which we fostered by taking a language learning course in Brazilian Portuguese in our
Junior Year. Warren was a very gregarious person who loved to engage with his friends and associates
discussing current events, politics, the arts and culture or just exchanging funny stories. He was also an
avid, daily reader of the New York Times and knew well before graduation that he wanted to be a
journalist. In his Senior Year, he took a course in the writing of ‘Daily Themes,’ in part to help develop
the discipline for daily reporting he would require as a journalist. Warren was truly a creature of New
York City, having been born and raised there and spending most of his journalistic career at The Times’
head office, except for two foreign correspondent assignments in Rio de Janeiro and London. Even
during the final months of his life, burdened by cancer and the risk of Covid and dependent on a
wheelchair, Warren managed to attend four performances of the Metropolitan Opera.” Phil
Stevens recalls: “I knew Warren not only as a classmate, but because for several years he dated a close
friend of mine! For me he always showed cheer and a warm smile.” Gurney Williams writes: “After
more than 60 years singing with Warren closely in a semicircle facing hundreds of crowds, I can hear
his effortless, smooth solo. And more than ever, I hear and remember his journalistic voice as an
elegant editor and writer at the Times. Most of the time for the Whiffenpoofs of ’63, it would have
been hard for Warren to be heard individually. And that was good because he was a skillful middleman
in the strong three-member baritone section. Danny Rowland and Charley Sawyer were crowdpleasing soloists, quiet or loud. When baritones backed up with each other in chords, Warren melded
them into a harmonic team, just as described in the last line of his Times obituary: ‘He’s ambitious, but
he’s nice to people over and under him.’ More captivating than just nice, Warren often delivered
impromptu talks in Danny’s farmhouse in South Londonderry, VT. He held the floor with small
audiences of Whiffs and wives with a hint of sweet smoke from the large fireplace. Topics ranged from
politics and worldwide news or what he had learned from the latest Secretary of Something the other
day. But he was open to hear from anyone else. ‘That!’ he would say, meaning ‘I hear and understand
you!’ Or ‘Yes! And I’ll tell you why . . . .’”
Robert Victor Jensen passed away peacefully on July 10, 2023. Bob graduated from Yale
University in 1963 and obtained his law degree from the University of Washington School of Law in
1966. After law school, Bob joined the Peace Corps and was stationed in Ecuador from 1966 to 1968.
That is where Bob met the love of his life, Maria Ines Vergara. Bob was an avid outdoorsman, and
scaled most of the peaks in the Northwest, including Rainier, Adams, Baker, and Hood, and many in
Ecuador, including Chiimborazo and Cotopaxi. Bob was an early environmentalist, working tirelessly
to protect the habitat he treasured. He was most proud of his work as an Assistant Attorney General for
the State of Washington on behalf of the Department of Ecology, interpreting and enforcing the newly
enacted Shoreline Management Act. He later served on the Shoreline Hearings Board and Pollution
Control Hearings Board. Bob inspired everyone he met with his kindness, devotion, patience, and
integrity. His warm smile and cheerful disposition brought joy to every occasion. Bob is survived by
his wife; three children, Howard Fernando Jensen, Dorian Miguel Jensen, and Monica Cristina Jensen;
14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
John Impert recalls: “I met Bob in Pierson College our Sophomore Year. Bob was a friendly
guy who planned to become a lawyer. In 1987, when I moved to Seattle, I reconnected with Bob, who
worked in the capital, Olympia. Bob's most notorious case was defending the state legislature against
an artist who had painted murals (the labors of Hercules) for the state capitol building. The artist
objected when the state legislators voted to cover the murals because they hated the artist's modern
style. Bob loyally defended his employer, the attorney general's office, while hating the position he
was forced to articulate. Bob won the case, but he was surely happier when the murals found a new
location at a state college.” Tom Rusling writes: “Bob and I met late in Freshman Year, pitching a
frisbee on the Old Campus. There was something about this guy that was endearing. A warm smile, an
easygoing manner, and little in the way of confrontation, UNLESS he disagreed with your point of
view. Bob had a kind heart and was always putting others' needs before his own. During college
summers he operated ‘Big Daddy's Fruitstand’ and that must have been worth a visit. He created new
words to ‘St. James Infirmary,’ to wit: ‘Oh, I went down to Big Daddy's Fruitstand, to see what I could
see . . .’ Bob's dedication to helping others was borne out early with his joining the Peace Corps in lieu
of military service. He was posted in Ecuador, where he met the love of his life, Maria. He pursued
her doggedly, doing all the right things in the Ecuadorian culture to win his bride. Bob and Maria have
been devoted Christians, and live their faith. I cannot remember Bob without a vivid image of his
winning smile, which he showed often.”
Williamson (“Wick”) Murray died on August 1, 2023 at a hospital in Fairfax, VA. Wick
graduated in 1963 from Yale University with a history degree. He served in the Air Force until 1969,
including a tour in Southeast Asia. Wick returned to Yale and earned a degree in military and
diplomatic history in 1975. After teaching at Yale for two years, Wick became a professor of military
and diplomatic history at Ohio State University from 1977 to 1995. He also taught at the Army War
College, the Marine Corps University, and the Naval War College. Wick was a prolific author, writing
studies of the American Civil War, World War II, the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and many other
topics., Wick is survived by his wife of 30 years, Lesley Smith; a son and daughter from a previous
marriage; and five grandchildren.
Stan Riveles writes: “We, and the country, have lost a unique asset. Wick and I were brought
together at Reunions through our mutual interest in how policy and history complemented and clashed.
We became friends and, eventually, professional colleagues at the Defense Department after my
retirement from State. Chris and I occasionally visited him and Lee at his ancestral home in upstate
NY, where he enjoyed talking while cooking sirloin steaks for visitors. We rarely talked shop, but
always about the lessons of history and the limits of policy making. His energy and wit never flagged-always in the midst of preparing his next book.” Guy Struve recalls: “Wick had an enormous library,
and his store of knowledge and insights was equally vast. Wick generously shared his knowledge of
Civil War strategy and tactics by guiding classmates on tours of the battlefields of Antietam,
Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania.”
Alan Parker passed away on August 8, 2023. Alan’s love of language and culture ignited
following a summer in Germany as an American Field Service exchange student. He went on to study
economics at Yale University where he was also a member of the Yale Russian Chorus. Singing with
the chorus was a source of joy that continued throughout the rest of his life. After his M.A. in
comparative economic systems at UC Berkeley, Alan joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign
Service Officer. His career included assignments in Sweden (where he met his wife of 55 years),
Russia, India, East and West Germany, Romania, Israel, and the UN. Alan is survived by his wife,
Ingegard Parker; his daughters Elisabeth Gomez and Carolyn Fowler; and six grandchildren.
Mike Haltzel reports: “As frequently happens, I got to know Alan better after we left Yale than
while we were undergraduates. We both were involved in foreign policy, and our conversations usually
revolved around some aspect of international affairs. Alan was unfailingly well informed and judicious
in his judgments, all the while retaining a sense of humor and a twinkle in the eye. We last met at a
D.C. area class luncheon at Mount Vernon shortly before Christmas 2022. Alan mentioned his
chemotherapy but quickly segued to Nordic security (he was thrilled with Finland’s joining NATO) and
U.S. collegiate athletics (he was dismissive of their corporate culture). What a fine guy. I’m grateful to
have known him.” Dick Moser shares: “A handsome, quiet man, Alan was both self-effacing and selfconfident. And Yale he quickly developed enthusiasm for the Russian language, Russian culture, and
economics. He was active in the Yale Russian chorus, an organization which he supported and in
which he participated for many years. Alan's easygoing style could hide a driving curiosity and sharp
intellect.” Stan Riveles remembers: “Alan and I occupied different corners of the State Department
universe. But if he was not abroad, we would meet for lunch in the cafeteria to talk about the latest
foreign policy cock-ups. Alan never lost his faith in the essential goodness of man and the best
intentions of our policies, even if they came up short. He was always more ‘idealist’ than ‘realist’ in his
approach to the daily work as a diplomat, and was always able to put himself in the other guy's shoes.
His wife Inge was the perfect complement to his optimistic outlook on the world.”
George Duvall Tuttle died on August 24, 2023, at his beloved farm in Sonoma County, CA.
He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University in 1963. George spent the
next year abroad, mostly in Paris, and returned to attend Yale Law School, graduating in 1967. In the
summer of 1965, he volunteered at a law firm in Bogalusa, Louisiana, representing Black citizens there
who were denied state police protection in a shopping center, and winning for them in federal district
court. He moved to San Francisco in 1969 and began a successful 30-year corporate law practice at
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, handling complex transactions and advising boards and CEOs of major
companies. On sabbatical in 1989 he did volunteer work with Mother Teresa in the House of the Dying
in Calcutta. He retired from Brobeck in 1997 but maintained an office there until the firm failed in
2003. George and his husband, Ben Cushman, became a couple in 1990 and took every step the law
would allow to formalize their relationship: Domestic Partners in San Francisco in 1992, a Civil Union
in Vermont in 2000, Domestic Partners in California in 2001, and, finally, married in 2008. They
moved full time to The Farm in Sonoma in 2005. George died on the 15th anniversary of their
marriage.
Sharif Graham writes: “I met George when we were both tapped for Elihu in 1962. When the
15 of us started assembling, we knew right away that George Tuttle would be our leader. He was just,
well, presidential. After we graduated, I heard he became a lawyer and moved to California. I
encountered him once on the street in Paris and we had lunch. Then came the zinger: an announcement
that he was getting married, to a man! Although we got to know each other well during our year in
Elihu, we evidently did not share such intimate details as out sexual orientation. Now of course
everyone does, a great improvement. At subsequent reunions (50, 55, 60) George came with his
marvelous husband Ben. I even visited them once at their splendid ranch in Sebastopol, CA. Although
George's later years were not easy, having Ben at his side made all the difference. It was truly a joy to
have known such a man, and I wish him bon voyage.” Lea Pendleton remembers: “George was one
of a group of seven classmates, Woody Woodroofe, Kip Clark, Tony Dater, Eben Ludlow, Pete
Morris, myself and George, who occupied two suites on the same floor of Silliman. Most of us were
members of Zeta Psi fraternity. After graduation and his return from a year in Europe, George and I
roomed together as freshman counselors in Bingham Hall while we attended Yale Law School. Later,
George became the godfather of my first born son, Charlie, and in honor of that he sent Charlie a silver
piggy bank from Gumps. Over the years, I had several wonderful visits to George and his husband Ben
at The Farm in Sebastopol, CA, where they grew several acres of pinot noir grapes, which were bottled
by a local vineyard, reputedly an excellent wine. George had an extremely inquiring mind, as well as a
quick, wry sense of humor.”
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
90 The Uplands
Berkeley, CA 94705
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Link to ClassNotes-Mar-Apr-2024 pdf file
Class of 1963 Alumni Notes March-April 2024
Erik Jensen reports: “On the evening before the 2023 Yale-Harvard Game, a group
of veterans of the 1960 undefeated and untied football season gathered for dinner at the
New Haven Lawn Club. Present were Chuck Duncan, Hank Hallas, Tom Iezzi, Erik
Jensen, Ian Robertson, and Stan Riveles from the Class of 1963, Sherm Cochran, Class of
1962, and Bob Blanchard, Brian Kenney, and Willie Welch, Class of 1961. Tom
Singleton’s wife and many family members also attended. There was a lot of good
conversation and sharing of memories both football and personal. The high point for the
’63 attendees was the presentation of a bust of Handsome Dan to Ian in recognition of his
many contributions to the Class of 1963 and the 1959 Bullpups. The inscription on the
Bulldog’s base reads: “To Ian Robertson, With Admiration and Gratitude From the 1959
Bullpups And the Yale Class of 1963” Ian was surprised and quite overwhelmed to be so
honored by our Class.”
On October 2, 2023, Richard Rosenfeld gave a talk at Timothy Dwight College’s
Rosenfeld Hall entitled “When Yale Buildings Speak: the Eponymic Voices of Timothy
Dwight College.” In his talk, Richard described the long struggle to bring Yale to full
acceptance of the Enlightenment values of scientific reasoning, democracy, and toleration
over the competing values of Congregationalist orthodoxy, championed by both Presidents
Timothy Dwight, and of eugenics, supported by President James Rowland Angell. Richard
paid tribute to the vital role played by Reverend William Sloane Coffin, after whom the
common room of Rosenfeld Hall is named. President Peter Salovey (who attended the
talk) wrote to Richard: “Your talk was a tour de force, and very well received, too. I
learned so much about how to frame a very important message as well as about Yale’s own
history.” The full text of Richard’s talk, together with a video link to the talk as Richard
delivered it and Richard’s discussion thereafter with Peter Salovey, faculty, and students,
can be found on the Yale ’63 Class Website at www.yale63.org/rosenfeldtalk..
Ridgway M. Hall, Jr. died on October 20, 2023. Ridge was a pioneer in the field
of environmental law. After graduating from Yale College magna cum laude (1963) and
from Harvard Law School (1966), Ridge began his legal career with Cummings &
Lockwood in Stamford, CT, and later served as Associate General Counsel for Water at the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was a founding partner of Crowell & Moring
in Washington, DC, where he started the environmental law practice in 1979. Ridge was
an officer of the Environmental Law Institute, a member of The American Law Institute
and The American College of Environmental Lawyers, and repeatedly named one of the
top lawyers in the field. After retiring in 2011, he became Vice Chair of the Chesapeake
Legal Alliance, where he helped to create a network of lawyers to handle on a pro bono
basis cases relating to the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, its watershed,
and its natural resources. Ridge was a former World Champion in Blue Jay class sailboats
and a finalist in the U.S. Olympic Trials sailing in the Finn Class in 1968. He is survived
by his wife, Anne (Jill) Harken Hall, their three children Ridgway (Taddy), Alden, and
Anne, and four grandchildren.
Bob Dickie writes: “Ridge and Jill, often with their children and grandchildren,
traveled widely and often vigorously. They had recently returned from a visit to California
that included four or five days of rigorous but lovely hikes in the hills behind the Big Sur.
A few days after they got home Ridge got up one morning, went to their kitchen to make
coffee, passed out so quickly that he couldn’t break his fall, and landed hard on his head.
Jill got him quickly to a hospital, but the doctors even in surgery were unable to stop the
bleeding. Ridge was a man of instinctive magnanimity. His world view is well articulated
in the words he wrote in our 60th Reunion Class Book: ‘Let’s do what we can while we
can.’ Amen.” Geordie du Pont recalls: “I first met Ridge in Jeremiah Crump's Freshman
English class. When called on to read aloud, Ridge used the same strong voice that served
him well as the public announcer for Yale Polo, on the racecourse for Yale Sailing, and
cheering for Yale Hockey. After Yale his powerful voice was useful as an acting sergeant in
the Army Reserve, yelling “track” while bombing down a ski slope, in the courtroom, and
advocating for his team in the charades contests we enjoyed when our families met over
Yale football weekends. We were godfathers of each other’s oldest sons and the Halls
boarded our son when he was a Summer intern in Washington. A pick-up game of soccer
in 95-degree heat and 100% Washington humidity was the Hall family’s idea of fun. Ridge
was a world-class sailor who put aside glory to help our family around the
racecourse.” Jon Rose adds: “I have gotten to know one of Ridge’s grandchildren, his
grandson Khuan – a Junior at Yale and a talented city editor for the Yale Daily
News.” Charlie Yonkers shares: “At our 60th Reunion in May, it was great to spend so
much time with Ridge and Jill, so full of life and adventure . . . just as we all have always
known him and them as a couple. All of Ridge’s world-class warm and energetic traits
were on full display. From Yale days, to Harvard Law, to DC law firm life, and then to the
Chesapeake Bay, we shared so many rich topics with Ridge and then Jill. One unique
relationship Ridge and I shared was a common heritage in the two law firms that FDR’s
Attorney General Homer Cummings founded, one in Connecticut and one in DC. Also, it
was great to see Ridge’s great love and work for the health of life on the Chesapeake Bay,
something we shared in later life. I treasure the length and breadth of memories with him,
and then to have last seen him so robust and vital helps too.”
William E. Johnson died recently in Arizona. Bob Dickie and Dick Foster write:
“Bill was one of the extraordinary guys in our Class and was blessed with a quick mind, a
fabulous wit, and a generous spirit. No one was more fun to spend a time with including
weekends at his parents’ penthouse on East 72nd Street that were a barrel of fun. Bill was
also unusually strong and skilled. He stroked our freshman heavyweight crew to a great
year. During Junior Year he met the lovely and delightful Barbara Gnieser of Goteborg,
Sweden, and they married in June 1962. Barbara produced their son Tom, named after his
Yale roommate and friend, Tom Tilson. Having been in Yale's Army ROTC, Bill spent the
two years after Yale stationed in Europe. He then went to the Harvard Business School,
where he was a Baker Scholar, and went from there to McKinsey. While at McKinsey, Bill
was called in to lead a team advising General Electric. Reginald Jones, the then CEO of
General Electric, realized that GE's complexity was limiting its growth. Jones hired
McKinsey to find solutions and Bill, then about age 35, was put in charge of the team of
some 15 to handle the task. All but one of McKinsey’s suggestions were adopted. For
years afterwards Harvard Business School cases were taught about the restructuring of GE.
Soon after finishing his work at GE, Bill left to become CEO of Scientific Atlanta, a then
small medical products company which, under Bill's leadership grew to become an industry
leader. Bill had drive, charisma, warmth, exceptional intelligence, good looks, presence,
and charm.”
Richard Eugene Moser passed away on October 22, 2023. In early October he
discovered he had advanced cancer that was found to be untreatable. He died peacefully at
home with his wife and family by his side. Dick came to Yale on a Navy ROTC
scholarship and majored in Psychology. His NROTC training earned him a commission in
the Marine Corps when he graduated from Yale. Dick became a helicopter pilot and flew
over 600 combat missions in the Vietnam War, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and
33 awards of the Air Medal. After Vietnam, Dick was assigned to fly Marine One, the
Presidential helicopter, and transported Presidents Johnson and Nixon to various locations
around the world. When Dick left the Marine Corps in 1968 he earned an MBA degree
from Stanford and spent the rest of his career in California, working at a large
conglomerate for 11 years and then moving into the venture capital world, where he spent
the next 40 years working with a wide spectrum of technology companies as an investor
consultant, director, and CEO. One of Dick’s favorite pastimes was choral singing which
he enjoyed through his high school years, his Yale years in the Glee Club, and in Bay Area
choral groups. He is survived by his wife of almost 31 years, Donna, his four children, and
seven grandchildren. His years at Yale meant a great deal to him and he faithfully attended
as many Reunions as possible in which he enjoyed reconnecting with his classmates and
their significant others – a brotherhood that stayed with him throughout the passing years.
John Hagedorn writes: “I first met Dick when we were both in the Yale Freshman
Glee Club in 1959-1960. I gained joy and pride from hearing Dick sing with his volunteer
group at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts. I enjoyed a number of Yale '63 Class
lunches that Dick hosted at the Marines’ Memorial Club in San Francisco.” Jon
Larson shares: “Dick was one of the giants among us I discovered after our 25th
Reunion. He was a proud Captain in the US Marine Corps. As a helicopter pilot he earned
many medals in recognition for his brave achievements in Vietnam flying medevac
missions into active war zones. After earning an MBA from Stanford Business School, he
soldiered on through a number of career changes in the Bay Area, where he enjoyed the
challenges of helping small businesses get funding and support to be successful. Most
recently he started his own business, hiring and managing 50 employees and as many
trucks to make 40,000 deliveries a day to Bay Area customers of Amazon. His most
enjoyable times were spent with Donna in their beautiful home north of San
Francisco.” Victor Sheronas writes: “I got to know Dick though our Class Reunions,
regrettably, not as an undergrad. I was stunned to learn of his passing because we had had
a lively and intense Saturday lunchtime conversation during our last Reunion, under the
tent just outside the entrance to Davenport’s dining room. Dick’s daughter Leigh shared
this remembrance of her father: ‘He has always been there for me. But there is one picture
that sums it all up. I did a race in the Marin Headlands in May 2009 that should have taken
me about 10 hours. The rain started before the race started, then the winds picked up to
about 70 mph on the bluffs, the trails turned to puddles of mud. Dad was my crew person
who met me at every aid station to feed me and put warm dry layers on me. He wasn’t
going to quit and neither was I. It was about a 16-hour day in the worst conditions. I
started in the dark and finished in the dark.’”
Byron Stuhlman writes: “My wife of 55 years, Hester, née Kruse, died on October
9, 2023 of Alzheimer’s Disease. She had been well cared for since January in a memory
care cottage. Hester graduated from William Smith College. After taking a master’s
degree at Vanderbilt, she taught as a volunteer for mission in Malawi for two years. On her
return, she taught French for a year in Setauket, NY. We were married in 1968 in Christ
Church Cathedral, Hartford. After our marriage she taught in various school systems. She
served as a docent at the Wadsworth Atheneum and at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art
Institute in Utica, where she also trained docents. In 2007 we retired to Maine, where we
had summered since 1969. Here Hester was active in book groups and in the church choir
and Tapestry Singers.”
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
90 The Uplands
Berkeley, CA 94705
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Link to ClassNotes-May-Jun-2024 pdf file
*
Class of 1963 Alumni Notes May-June 2024
Art Gilliam was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of
Fame in July 2023. Art’s selection for the Hall of Fame recognized
his leadership of WLOK, the first and only independently owned
African-American radio station in Memphis, TN that broadcasts on
both FM and AM. On February 1, 2024, Art was recognized by the
University of Memphis Black Student Association with their Lifetime
Achievement Award. The award is given annually to a Memphian
whose life exemplifies outstanding dedication to the Memphis
community and who is a constant reminder to today’s student that
hard work and dedication are true keys to success.
Phil Stevens reports: “My big news is that a book I first
conceptualized in the 1980s has been published: Rethinking the
Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft: Inherently
Human (Routledge 2024). The book presents a totally new theory on
these phenomena, expressed in its subtitle. The literature on these
‘occult’ concepts is huge, and the terms have been widely used with
wide ranges of meanings. My book identifies six components of the
best anthropological meaning of magic, and 14 components of the
notion of the flying and transforming evil witch. These components
are universal, found in all societies and at all stages of human history;
this fact suggests that beliefs in magic and witchcraft are cultural
elaborations on fundamental fears and fantasies, likely rooted in
human biological evolution. The book is designed as a textbook, but
is easily readable.”
Roger Lewis Chaffe passed away on December 17, 2023.
Roger graduated from Yale University and University of Virginia
School of Law. He had a varied career in private practice and
corporate law, but he always said that the most fulfilling part of his
career was working for the Attorney General of Virginia, serving for
31 years under eight elected Attorney Generals. Throughout his 50year career he received numerous accolades and citations. Following
retirement, he was appointed to the Virginia State Air Pollution
Control Board (Chairman 2012-2014). He served as a hearing officer
at the Virginia Supreme Court and practiced law with his son. He
loved the Yankees, the Cowboys, the stock market, and spending time
with his family and his dogs. Roger is survived by his wife of 47
years, Bonnie Chaffe; his daughter Laura Chaffe; his son Thomas
Chaffe; and three grandchildren.
Jim Baird recalls: “Roger was a member of the Party of the
Right in the Yale Political Union. In the Spring of 1963, he won the
Political Union’s Gardner White debate, which was moderated that
year by Senator John Tower of Texas. That evening, Roger casually
informed me of his victory while brushing his teeth! Senator Tower
offered Roger a job in his Capitol Hill office, but Roger demurred,
having already decided to start law school in the Fall of 1963. Roger
was a true-blood, lifelong, conservative. I don’t recall that he ever
found a liberal idea to his liking. That did not keep him from having
an encyclopedic knowledge of liberalism, however, whose main
points he would recite with a gleam in his eye and wry smile on his
face.”
Douglas Jones Crowley passed away peacefully, surrounded
by family, on January 18, 2024 at St. Raphael’s Hospital in New
Haven, CT, the same hospital in which he was born 82 years ago.
Douglas graduated from Yale College and the Johns Hopkins
University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where
he earned a master’s degree in international relations. During a year
working in Paris, Douglas met Rosaline de Galmibert, who became
his wife of 58 years. They returned to New Haven in 1966,
whereupon Douglas joined his brother, Joseph D. Crowley, leading
the New Haven Terminal, the family-owned marine terminal
business, for which he worked his entire life. Douglas loved the City
of New Haven. He served on the boards of numerous institutions,
including Cornerstone, Inc. and The New Haven Preservation Trust.
He maintained strong ties with Yale University through his
involvement with Jonathan Edwards College, the Wrexham
Foundation, which he led for many years, Saint Thomas More
Chapel, and the Yale School of Music. Douglas was never happier
than when he spent time at his summer home in Madison, CT and in
France at Rosaline’s family home. He was an avid traveler and
regularly explored the world with Rosaline. Douglas was a talented
bookbinder, a hobby he pursued for many years. He was an amateur
photographer, loved football and baseball, pork ribs, and good
sauces, and enjoyed political sparring and a good party. Douglas
leaves behind his wife, Roseline; his four children, Nicholas, Alex,
Melanie, and Georgia, and five grandchildren.
Koichi Itoh remembers: “Doug was probably the most active
member of our Manuscript group after graduation, continuing to
serve on its board and helping with all aspects of Manuscript
activity. Since I live in Japan far away from New Haven, the only
times I was able to see my classmates were during reunions, and
Doug was always there to get us together, mostly by inviting the
group to his home in Hamden for a delightful dinners hosted by Doug
and Roseline. We were unable to see him during our 55th Reunion
due to his physical problems, but he was very much in his former
form last May at our 60th, getting around on his cane and making us
all very happy together as if the clock was turned back 60 years!”
Bill Nordhaus recalls: “Douglas formed deep friendships at Yale
with his brilliant roommates, in Manuscript, and in his studies in a
major called “History, the Arts, and Letters” or HAL. HAL was a
legend among Yale undergraduates as a stratospherically difficult and
learned major. Alas, it has not survived to the current grade-inflated
era. But, as I look back six decades, I realize that History, the Arts,
and Letters were Douglas’s lifelong passion. He was a voracious
reader, mainly of European history. He would ask me, ‘Have you
read the new biography of King George?’ ‘Which King George?’ I
would ask. He replied, ‘THE King George.’ I read the book. It was
a royalist critique of the American revolutionary complaints against
King George III. This was Douglas as literate contrarian. He showed
generosity, humor, room-filling laughter, and loyalty through all the
seasons of a man’s life. The last few months were tough for him, but
you could hardly tell. He died on a bitter-cold day in his native town,
close to the sea that was his friend and livelihood.”
David
Schoenbrod writes: “The Christmas holiday letters from Doug and
Roseline pictured a large, loving, and talented family. The family
lived up to this glowing picture when I had the pleasure of visiting
the Crowleys in Hamden and Madison, CT. Doug’s friendship was
deep, caring, amused, and amusing. Indeed, he was still all that even
after physical disabilities struck him in his last years.”
Thomas Curtiss, Jr. died peacefully at home in Los Angeles,
CA on December 23, 2023. Tom earned his B.A. from Yale in 1963,
served four years in the Marine Corps, and then earned a J.D. from
Harvard Law School in 1970. He practiced estate planning law in the
Los Angeles area for 45 years, retiring in 2015. Tom’s spouse,
Charles Anthony Neeley, writes: “We were companions for more
than 50 years and married in 2014. That year we also purchased a
vacation home in the mountains near Lake Arrowhead, CA and
enjoyed a great deal of time there. By my count, Tom visited 35
countries during his lifetime. In the past decade, we made trips to
China, Russia, Greece, Italy, Germany, Budapest, Vienna, Prague,
and Amsterdam, plus seven U.S. states. He also loved the theatre,
concerts (anything from Beethoven to Joan Baez), museums, his
sizable collection of antique furniture, genealogy, and junk
television. Tom loved the Whiffenpoofs and we saw them in concert
here in Los Angeles several times. Beginning in 2017, and each year
thereafter, I would ask the Whiffs to record a short birthday video
concert for him, which was then played for guests at his birthday
party. The first year was a complete surprise to him and it brought
tears to his eyes.”
Carlyle Hall recalls: “Tom was my roommate, fraternity
brother, and friend. Throughout his life, he remained proudly loyal to
Exeter, Yale, the Marine Corps, and Harvard Law School. He
approached life's challenges with loyalty, enthusiasm and honesty. I
have never seen him happier than on his wedding day with Charles
Neeley, a ceremony presided over by an Episcopal clergyman.”
Rick Holloway remembers: “Tom Curtiss, Tom Greenspon, and I
came to Yale as friends and Exeter classmates; we roomed together
Freshman Year and then became part of a larger group when we all
moved to TD. One of the most memorable things about Tom was his
‘gung ho’ enthusiasm about Yale, about friends, about physical
fitness, and just about everything else. Freshman Year, he and I took
the German introductory language course, and it was Tom’s
enthusiasm which got me to the eight o’clock class at the language
lab every day of the week (no small feat). He kept both of us
involved in college sports throughout our years at Yale – always
available for a game of squash. It was not until Senior Year that we
had any idea that he preferred men.”
Tom Greenspon writes:
“Rick Holloway, Tom, and I were Exeter classmates, Freshman
roommates, and part of a larger group in TD. I treasure memories of
those times, but a significant part of my grieving now brings regret.
Living in a time before our country’s more open acceptance of
sexual and gender fluidity, neither of us were equipped to talk about
his felt but hidden existence as a gay man. If I, in my self-assured
state of unknowing, ever made flippant comments about gay people
in his presence, I feel shame. The sense of aloneness and alienation
he must have felt profoundly saddens me. I am grateful that Barbara
and I could finally talk about this with Tom at our 50th Exeter
reunion. I am grateful, too, that Tom was ultimately able to find a
husband and a loving marriage.”
Curtis S. Moore died on May 25, 2023 of Alzheimer’s.
Curtis entered Yale with the Class of 1959, and graduated with our
Class after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960.
Curtis was a Philosophy Honors major and a Ranking Scholar. He
continued to work in the field of philosophy throughout his life,
specializing in foundational logic, philosophy of science,
metaphysics and epistemology, and ethic. Curtis wrote a book
entitled A Model Constitution for a Democratic Economy, which was
published in 2002.
Frank R. Nora passed away on May 11, 2023 at Emerson
Health Care Center in Emerson, NJ. Frank received his bachelor’s
degree from Yale University and his master’s degree from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served in the United
States Navy in the early 1960s. Frank owned and operated his own
professional engineering firm, Frank R. Nora, PE, in Middlesex, NJ.
He enjoyed travel, his cats, hiking, sports, military history, polar
exploration, and licorice. He is survived by his sons Frank and John
Nora and his daughter Julie Nora.
Doug Allen writes: “I knew Frank at Yale for close to four
years through Cross Country and Track. Frank and I sometimes
talked about our shared New Jersey upbringings, including coming
from public high schools and modest economic and social
backgrounds. Frank was reserved, but always friendly.” Jim
Courtright recalls: “Frank was a member of the 1959 Freshman
Cross Country team and both he and I found the three- mile distance
a bit more daunting than we could easily handle. He finished well
ahead of me and offered words of friendly encouragement and
support after the finish. He persisted for three more years, perhaps
asking, once again, more of himself in Cross Country and Track
competitions.”
Robert D. (“Bobby”) Power passed away peacefully after a
brief battle with cancer in the comfort of his home surrounded by his
family. Robert graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of
Arts in 1963. During his time at Yale, Robert was captain of the polo
team and voted most valuable intercollegiate polo player his senior
year. He was also a member of the men’s varsity soccer team, and
was nominated twice to All-Ivy soccer. After college Robert moved
to New York City where he met Eliane Georgette Munier, a native of
Grenoble, France. The couple married in 1965 and moved to
England, where they had two daughters, Julia and Melanie. In 1972
they returned to New York City, where Robert continued his career in
institutional equity sales. He worked over the course of his career at
Wall Street firms including Lehman Brothers (1978-1982) and
Hambrecht & Quist (1982-1995). Toward the end of his career he
was proud to be affiliated with Academy Securities, a post-9/11
veteran owned and operated investment bank. In 1993 Eliane passed
away. Robert met Angela Anstatt soon after, and they married in
1997, sharing many happy years together. Robert remained a
passionate athlete throughout his life, enjoying numerous racquet
sports, car racing, golf, sport shooting, and fly and tarpon fishing. He
treasured time with his extended family and grandchildren and could
often be seen cheering on the sidelines of family sporting events.
Robert is survived by his wife, Angela Power; his daughters Julia
Power Burns and Melanie Power Everett; Angela’s daughter Kim
Morton; and five grandchildren.
Stallworth Larson remembers: “Who would not have been
aware of Bobby? No one else spoke the way he did, and he certainly
seemed an interesting fellow. I was aware of his soccer skills, but I
was more intrigued with his polo prowess. Who even knew Yale had
a polo team when we arrived on campus? That seemed really old
school and Bobby was the captain! We both ended up not far from
each other in Vermont, he in East Dover and I in East Dorset. I also
enjoyed seeing him at our Reunions and mini-reunions, the last being
our 60th when he seemed as chipper as ever.”
John Tuteur writes:
“Bobby Power and I shared a number of adventures besides sharing a
suite in Davenport for three years. I had the wonderful pleasure of
meeting his family in Beaconsfield outside London, traveling with
Bobby from Italy back to England in his Austin Healy. In addition to
occasional visits to our Napa ranch by Bobby and his offspring, I am
overjoyed that we were able to spend time together this past May
both at the Reunion and with his wife at their lovely home in
Vermont. Bobby was the epitome of the English gentleman with a
rakish tinge. Family was very important to him as were friends. He
exuded charm and compassion.”
Philip Raymond Werdell of Sarasota, FL passed away on
September 9, 2023 after a brief illness. Phil graduated from Yale
University in 1963 with a degree in American Studies. He went on to
receive his Master’s degree from Beacon College in Human Service
and Higher Education in 1980 and did post-graduate work in Eating
Disorders at the University of South Florida and in adult education at
Columbia University. Phil was a jazz pianist, avid traveler, history
buff, social activist, educator, food addiction therapist, author,
lecturer, mentor, and guide. Phil founded ACORN Food Dependency
Recovery Services (currently SWIFT Recovery by Acorn) and was
one of the visionary co-founders of the FooAd Addiction Institute.
Phil’s unwavering commitment and tireless efforts revolutionized the
food addiction recovery landscape worldwide. Phil is survived by his
wife, Mary Foushi, his daughters Maureen Freehill and Sheila
Freehill-Hirt, a granddaughter, and his former wife Donna
Vanderheiden-Werdell.
David Daniel Wirtschafter, M.D. died on December 26,
2023 after heroically battling ALS for over two and one-half years.
He is buried in Modlin, Israel after having made aliyah in 2012. Dr.
Wirtschafter married his college sweetheart, Barbara, in the summer
of 1964. Shortly before his passing, he was able to celebrate his 59th
wedding anniversary with his true love. Dr. Wirtschafter relished and
enjoyed life to the fullest, worked very hard, and achieved important
goals. He was an avid runner, taking up marathons in his 50s, and
went on to complete seven marathons, including his favorite, the
Marine Corps Marathon. Dr. Wirtschafter graduated from Yale
College (History of Science and Medicine) in 1963 and from the
University of Oregon School of Medicine in 1967, and was a
pediatric trainee at the Stanford University Medical Center (19671969). After serving in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, including a
one-year tour in Vietnam, he completed his pediatric training at the
University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center (UAB) (19711975). At UAB he was Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Director of
Clinical Information Systems, and Assistant Chief of Staff,
University Hospitals. He joined Southern California Permanente
Medical Group in 1985 as its Regional Coordinator of Perinatal
Services, and practiced neonatology with them until his retirement in
2006. From 1998 until 2007 he was Chairman of the Perinatal
Quality Improvement Panel of the California Perinatal Quality Care
Collaborative. He is the author of over 200 articles on neonatology,
quality improvement, and medical computing, and has over 2,000
citations. In October 2013 he began volunteering with an Israeli
Neonatology Society committee to design and manage a quality
improvement collaborative focusing on decreasing health-careassociated infections in Israel’s NICUs, often working 40-hour
weeks. One of the most impressive outcome measures from this
initiative was a threefold decrease in hospital-acquired infections,
which not only decreased hospitalization days but also saved lives.
On June 14, 2022 Dr. Wirtschafter received a lifetime achievement
award from the Israel Neonatal Society. Dr. Wirtschafter – a proud
husband, father and grandfather – is survived by his wife Barbara;
three children, Nathan, Ari, and Deborah; and 11 grandchildren.
Michler Bishop writes: “David Wirtschafter enriched my life
in so many ways as an undergraduate. I remember innumerable
meals with David while discussing everything from politics to
poetry. In my mind, I can still see us standing and talking at the gate
to Davenport. He had a wonderful sense of humor and an equally
wonderful smile. What I particularly liked was that he could always
offer another perspective on almost any topic. It was people like
David, even more than the professors, that made Yale such a
stimulating environment, and I’m thankful for the time that I had
with him.”
Richard Jay Worley, M.D. passed away peacefully on
January 17, 2024. Dick received a scholarship to Yale and graduated
Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in Ancient History. During
Christmas break of his senior year at Yale he married Sue Hardisty,
who would be his lifelong companion. Dick attended medical school
at the University of Kansas Medical School in Kansas City. Upon
graduation from medical school he joined the Navy and volunteered
for a year’s tour of duty at the South Pole Station in Antarctica.
Following Dick’s residency in OB-GYN and fellowship in
endocrinology, the family moved to Park City, UT, where Dick joined
the faculty of the University of Utah and helped to start the first in
vitro fertilization program in the state. He was invited to lecture at
conferences around the world, and became President of the American
Association of Endocrinology. Dick left academic medicine in 1989
and joined Conceptions, a small group in private practice in the
Denver-Boulder area of Colorado. After 40 years of practicing
medicine he retired and returned to Utah. Dick is survived by Sue,
his wife of 62 years, his sons Richard Jay Worley, Jr. and Brian
Andrew Worley, six grandchildren, and two great-grandsons.
Bill Wangensteen remembers Dick as follows: “Dick and I
became friends Freshman Year on the Old Campus. Dick was living
in Bingham, I was next door in Vanderbilt. We were both bursary
boys and worked the dinner shift at Commons. We roomed together
(with Don Akenson, Langston Snodgrass, Kent Taylor, and Hal
Weiss) the next three years at Davenport. Dick was a class act:
super friendly, dapper dresser, intelligent, humorous, hard working. I
was honored to be best man at Dick and Sue’s wedding in Kansas
over Christmas of our Senior Year. Dick faced medical challenges
these past several years, but he bore them with his usual grace, selfdeprecation, and even some humor.”
Kent Taylor writes: “I first
met Dick on the breakfast line in Freshman Commons where we both
had our scholarship jobs. How he stayed so cheerful and full of
enterprise early on those dark New Haven mornings in January I’ll
never know. For the next three years in Davenport he was a great
roommate and a wonderful friend. Later, whether striding though the
woods with his Norwegian elkhound or down the corridor of his IVF
clinic in Denver, you could never quite keep up with him.”
Bill
Sanford remembers: “I first met Dick having lunch at the Yale
Commons midway through Freshman year. We hit it off
immediately. A few days later Dick joined me on a ride home where
he made a strong impression on both my parents, so much so that my
mother suggested that our family include Dick on the six-week trip to
France and Switzerland planned for the coming summer. Fe happily
joined our group. It turned out to be an incredible adventure which
cemented our friendship. Three years later Dick married Sue
Hardisty, his childhood sweetheart, and then embarked on a medical
career. During these busy years, because we had begun to lose touch
with each other, Dick and I decided to use our extended 50th Reunion
as an ideal opportunity to catch up. The Reunion was a great success,
allowing all four of us to appreciate each other once again. From that
point on we made a point of spending at least several days together
during our travels whenever we could. We will never forget these
times together. Dick was a wonderful person, never allowing the
pain and disappointment of Parkinson’s disease to affect his love and
consideration for other people. He never complained and lived life to
the fullest.”
Jon Larson adds: “I first met Dick and Sue when
they joined up with 40 of us for our Yale ’63 2015 Tour De France. A
year later they both joined 42 of us for 16 days for the Yale ’63 UK
tour. I don't believe I have ever been with a more pleasant and
happier couple. Dick had been struggling with spinal stenosis later in
life which made getting around difficult, and Parkinson's made it
even more difficult. If the measure of a man is the answer to the
question ‘Is the world a better place for his having been here?’, the
answer has to be a resounding YES.”
Craig Cooper recalls: “Barb and I became close with Dick and Sue during the tour of the British
Isles. Dick was a kind man and a listener. When he asked how you
were, he actually wanted to know.”
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
90 The Uplands
Berkeley, CA 94705
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org
Link to ClassNotes-Jul-Aug-2024 pdf file
Class of 1963 Alumni Notes July-August 2024
After retiring from lawyering in 2005, Lou Livingston resumed history studies that he had
begun in college. He earned a master’s degree in History from his local Portland State University,
writing his thesis on Theodore Roosevelt’s labor policies. Since then, a number of his articles,
including about TR’s labor union views, his philanthropy, his literature-fueled friendship with novelist
Edith Wharton, and (yes) his challenge to a duel, have been accepted for publication in the Theodore
Roosevelt Association Journal. In the midst of those projects, Lou discovered a copy of a forgotten TR
paper he had written while at Yale. Bright college years, to be sure! Apropos of bright things, Lou and
Mari are changing their principal residence from Oregon to Kihei on Maui, Hawaii.
Bob Myers, M.D. has supplemented Sam Francis’s warnings on falls with notes on balance
devices and other means of preventing falls, which can be found on our Class Website
at www.yale63.org.
Pepper Stuessy drove his van from his home in Colorado to meet up with Bill Bell in
northernmost New Hampshire to be sure of a clear sky for photographing the total eclipse. Pepper
reports that the three minutes of totality happened just too fast for good photography despite six days of
practice in his back yard beforehand. Bill reports that two sub-freezing nights in the “Stuessmobile”
bracketed the event.
Jud Calkins writes: “Proof is now in that the Hank Higdon athletic gene runs deep and long.
Hank and Erika's son Henry posted a stellar ice hockey career at Harvard, and now comes
granddaughter Casey O’Brien with an award-winning women’s ice hockey run at the University of
Wisconsin. Casey, a senior, has been a starter since freshman year on a team that has won two national
championships and narrowly lost to Ohio State 1-0 this year in their bid for a third. Her list of
achievements is long and remarkable: First team All-American, Player of the Year in the United States
College Hockey Organization, first in the country in assists and second in total points – goals plus
assists, one of three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award – the Heisman Trophy for women’s college
hockey, and the single-season record holder for assists in Wisconsin history. Casey has a final year of
post-graduate eligibility, which she will take at the U. of W. while pursuing an MBA, and she has her
eye on the U.S. team for the 2026 winter Olympics in Italy.”
Ronald Charles Alessio Allison passed away at home on February 18, 2024, with loved ones
by his side. Ronald received scholarships and grants to attend Yale University and graduated in 1963.
He graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1967. After an
internship at Stanford, he completed his residency at UC Davis, University of Vermont, and Vanderbilt
with a specialty in Urology. From 1972 to 1974, Ronald served our country at Keesler Air Force Base
in Biloxi, MS. He practiced Urology in Stockton, CA from 1974 to 2017. Wanting a legal education,
Ronald graduated from Humphreys University in 1996 and passed the bar in 1997. Ronald was active
in law until his illness in 2024. One of Ronald’s favorite sayings was that “health is a function of
participation.” Ron served as Cubmaster for his sons’ Cub Scout pack. He was a member of Rotary,
Toastmasters, Barbershop, Italian American Club, Pacific Italian Alliance, Odd Fellows, Freemasons,
Shriners, Sundance Running Club, and many others. As a lifelong runner, he completed numerous
marathons, with his greatest achievement being the Western States 100. The trail connects Squaw
Valley and Auburn. Ronald ran the trail in less than 24 hours, which earned the coveted silver buckle.
Ronald was a committed traveler and visited all but one continent. He especially enjoyed traveling
with Yale classmates and performing with the Yale Alumni Chorus in South America, Russia, Europe,
Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Cuba, and South America. When Halley’s Comet returned, Ronald led a
tour to New Zealand. His final travel came in 2023 when he attended his 60th Yale Reunion. Ronald is
survived by Cynthia, his wife of 55 years, his sons William and John Alessio, and five grandchildren.
Craig Cooper writes: “When Barb and I attended Yale functions, the first couple we spotted
was usually Ron and Cynthia. We renewed the conversation we had started more than a year before.
Ron was the Renaissance man – medicine, law, and fruit trees. He was also kind and generous. Ron
was a serious scholar and just the right amount of off-beat. We will fondly remember his trademark
conspicuous elastic suspenders, which Ron noted were perfectly suited to their function, far superior to
a belt. Jon Larson recalls: “As with so many of our classmates, my personal connection with Ron
was made later in life after Yale. Ron and Cynthia participated enthusiastically in all of our Yale ’63
activities over the years, here in the Bay Area, in New Haven, and Yale-related travels abroad. Ron and
Cynthia lived in Stockton in the central Sacramento Valley on a 20-acre spread of cherry and walnut
trees which he was only too pleased to let his neighbors farm and harvest for him while he focused on
his Urology practice and participating in many community activities. During our Yale ’63 tours of
France and the British Isles, I was always impressed by how Ron arrived each morning well studied
ahead of time for the planned visits for each day.”
Virgil Dixon Bogert died on December 6, 2023 at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL. Dixon
earned a B.S. (Class of 1963), M.S. (1965), and Ph.D. (1969) from Yale University, all in physics. He
also taught astronomy at Yale. In 1970 Dixon accepted a position at the National Accelerator
Laboratory, Fermilab, in Batavia, IL. He played key roles in the design, development, and construction
of many of the Lab’s accelerator projects, including the Main Injector and NuMI, as well as related
neutrino experiments. His expertise was widely sought after in the experimental physics community;
he served and consulted on multiple NSF and DOE review panels and subcommittees to aid in the
development of scientific research projects across the US. He was even referred to as Fermilab’s
“Indiana Jones” upon his retirement from the Lab’s Accelerator Physics Center in 2008. After his
retirement Dixon continued his affiliation with Fermilab as a guest scientist. He also continued his
love of and support for Yale University throughout his entire life, sponsoring both undergraduate and
graduate scholarships in physics, and attending as many Class of 1963 and graduate reunions as he
could. Dixon had a fondness for sacred and secular music. He loved railroad trains of every
description and had a collection of Lionel and LGB trains, as well as smaller model trains. His hobbies
included travel, gardening, numismatics, philately, and attending theatrical productions and musical
concerts. Dixon was an active member of the Congregational United Church of Christ of St. Charles,
IL. Dixon is survived by his sister Elva Crawford, his nephew Evan Bogert Crawford, and his close
friend Jean Atkins of Naperville, IL.
Doug Allen writes: “Dixon Bogert and I were roommates in Branford. Dixon had an
exceptional passion for physics, which defined his occupational achievements throughout his life. At
our 55th Reunion, sitting together in the Branford courtyard, Dixon gave an amazing account of his
research on black holes. His animated report was at the deepest levels of philosophical metaphysics,
cosmology, how we and the cosmos had evolved, and imaginative and creative speculations about what
this might reveal about the future and the nature of reality. At our 60th Reunion in 2023, we sat
together at lunch and at the evening gatherings. Dixon expressed great love for Yale, was well
informed about caste and politics in India, was concerned about troubling developments in the U.S.,
and finally requested that I allow him to arrange an extended visit with him in Illinois.” Phil
Scott recalls: “I did not know Dixon while we were undergraduates. I did sit next to him at the Class
Dinner at the 50th Reunion. I found him to be a gentle, quiet person who loved physics and loved
Yale. His eyes misted over at Bright College Years. Susan remarked as to how devoted he seemed.”
Donald Avery Graham (Sharif Munawwir) died on February 18, 2024. He studied at Yale
University (B.A., Magna Cum Laude, 1963 and M. Phil. 1973) and the University of California at
Berkeley (M.A. 1965). Sharif became a professor of Literature and Comparative Religion, first at the
University of Arizona and then at Pima College. Sharif began studying Sufism after he first
encountered Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan in Paradise, AZ in 1970. In 1982 Sharif visited the Nekbakht
Foundation Archives in Suresnes, France, and from that time began working every summer on The
Complete Works of Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan. Sharif became the editor-in-chief of the
compendium in 1990. In 1998 Sharif retired early from academia and moved to Suresnes with his wife
Kore Salvato and his daughter Elodie to take up work in the Archives full time. Over the course of 14
years 11 volumes of the Complete Works were finished. In 2012 Sharif left Suresnes and returned to
the U.S. In 2016 he was in a terrible automobile accident in which his spine and other bones were
broken, but he eventually recovered from those injuries. Of late his Sufi work had been mostly on the
inner planes, following in the footsteps of Pir-o-Murshid. Sharif is survived by his three daughters,
Ramona, Jalelah, and Elodie, and three grandchildren.
Leonard Chazen writes: “Although I stayed in touch with Sharif (who will always be Donald
to me) until our 60th Reunion last spring, my most vivid memories of him go back to our Senior Year
when Donald and I were part of the Elihu 1963 Delegation. The people in the Class of 1962 who had
put our delegation together, told me that he was a luminary of the undergraduate English program,
which was true, but only captured a small part of his personality. The essential Donald was always
seeking out new experiences, especially those with a mystical component. In 1963 it took the form of
speaking in tongues, which Donald explained to us was how the Apostles spoke when they were
possessed by the Holy Spirit. While he pursued an academic career, Donald’s interest in mysticism
eventually led him into Sufism, the Muslim version of religious mysticism. Donald (now Sharif) not
only practiced Sufism, he also became a leading Sufi scholar, which eventually led him to take up
residence at a Sufi center in the Paris suburbs. But if ever there was a religious leader who was also
irreverent (in the best sense of the word) it was Sharif, and I could always count on some entertaining
conversation if Sharif happened to look me up on one of his visits to New York.” Wally Grant adds:
“I first met Sharif as ‘Don Graham’ while I was serving as a deacon of Battell Chapel and then again
when we were part of the 1963 Elihu delegation. We kept in touch off and on for years, more so in
recent years when he was Sharif. A wonderful, thoughtful, and interesting man. He lived his beliefs
and I enjoyed learning about them from him.” Koichi Itoh remembers: “Avery was my Freshman
Year roommate in Bingham Hall. Hailing from somewhere in middle America, he was a very unique
individual with a great love for classical music while rejecting anything resembling popular music of
the time. He was the very teacher who introduced me to Bach's harpsichord concertos which he
constantly played in our suite. On Beethoven’s birthday, he was cooped up in his room playing the
entire nine symphonies in succession. Being a wide-eyed kid from Japan with very limited exposure to
American/Western culture nor even my own Japanese heritage, I could not have been of much interest
to Avery, although he was always kind and understanding. After our Freshman Year, Avery became
Donald, and I became Koichi (shunning my anglicized name Francis) to embrace my Japanese
identity. We became close friends over time through Reunions, and during our 60th last May, we
shared our lasting friendship, still referring to each other as Avery and Francis after 63 years.”
Philip Avery Johnson died on February 28, 2024 in Red Bank, NJ. After graduating from Yale
in 1963, Phil earned his M.S. in Mathematics from Ohio State University in 1965 and his Ph.D. in
Computer Science from Rutgers University (the first Ph.D. Rutgers awarded in that field) in 1974. Phil
worked for 32 years at Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he was involved in domestic and
international maintenance and operational standards for telecommunications. Phil served on both
domestic and international bodies concerned with telecommunications standards, including T1M1, of
which was Chair from 1992 to 1996. After retiring from Bell Labs, Phil worked on local
telecommunications switching protocols at Bell Communications Research, followed by stints teaching
both undergraduate and graduate courses at the College of William and Mary and Hampton University,
during which Phil wrote texts on operating systems and internet protocols. Phil is survived by his wife,
Margaret McMillen, whom he married in 1985; his children Lori Avery Faust and Jeffrey L. Johnson;
and four grandchildren.
Steve Bruner writes: “Phil was a Midwestern boy, honest, modest, but moving in arcane East
Coast technological circles. Despite the conflicts implied in these assignments, he was largely
unflappable.” Guy Struve remembers: “Freshman Year Phil and I were in adjoining rooms in Welch
Hall. We hit it off immediately, and roomed together in TD, along with Steve Bruner, until the lure of
single rooms separated us in Senior Year. Phil was a wonderful person – a gentle giant, quiet,
unassuming, and modest to a fault about his many accomplishments. I never knew him to raise his
voice in anger. In his last years a mysterious illness left Phil wheelchair-bound and unable to speak.
He bore this affliction with characteristic grace, under the devoted care of his wife Margaret. To the
end of his life, Phil continued to find enjoyment in Yale football games and our Class Notes.”tmlv
>
Link to ClassNotes-SeptemberOctober 2024 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes September-October, 2024
charlie Dilks was honored by The Chestnut Hill Conservancy at its Spring Gala on June 8,
2024. The Conservancy noted that Charlie has served in leadership positions not only at the
Conservancy, but also at the Natural Lands Trust, the Schuylkill Center, the Friends of Philadelphia
Parks (now the Fairmount Park Conservancy), Friends of the Wissahickon, and the Pennsylvania
Environmental Council. It has been particularly important to Charlie to preserve open space through
conservation easements, including at their family home in Mt. Airy and their farm in Maryland.
In April 2024, Annick and John Impert visited Sheryl and Mike Smith and Mary Frances
and Tom Bailey in Tulsa, OK. In 1959-1960, John, Mike, and Tom were roommates in Vanderbilt 1,
the lowest numbered box in the Yale post office. The first time since Freshman Year that they met
again was at our Class’s May 2023 Reunion, and over dinner they resolved to gather together again in
2024 in Tulsa, where Mike has always lived, and where Tom moved back a few years ago. They drove
to Bentonville, AR, to visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the newly built and wellfunded creation of one of the Walmart heirs.
At the May 2024 Annual Meeting of The American Law Institute, Guy Struve marked his 50th
year as an ALI member, and presented a 124-page draft on statutes of limitations which was approved
by the ALI membership for inclusion in the ALI’s Restatement Third of Torts. (Other ALI members
from our Class include Dale Hershey, Jon Rose, and the late Ridge Hall.) On a less positive note, the
timely warnings from Bob Myers and Sam Francis ’64 about the dangers of falling reminded Guy that
last Fall he tripped on his own shoelace and did a face plant on the sidewalk, which fortunately only
inflicted surface cuts requiring five stitches. Guy has promised his family to be more careful in the
future.
Elissa Arons, the widow of our late classmate Dan Arons, writes: “Ten years now since
Daniel’s death. The children pull us forward, growing and developing, no matter how we wish to hold
time slowly. I am fine, retired three years ago from my office practice and teaching of Psychiatry and
Psychoanalysis. I have time to thrive in other activities, without the schedule, worries, or
responsibilities for patients. I miss some of the people but not the tensions. My family is terrific, three
married daughters, five grandchildren, now entering college (Cornell, Wesleyan). I have a lovely
companion, also widowed after a long good marriage, an architect, retired, with three well-married kids
and seven grandchildren. We are still traveling and enjoying this unexpected loving chapter two.
Thanks to all of you for the good memories connected with ’63.”
Duncan Adrian Girard Footman passed away peacefully in his home in St. Helena, CA on
April 8, 2024. Duncan hit a turning point while attending Yale when he spent his Junior Year in
Madrid, learning Spanish and studying literature and art. After graduating from Yale, he attended the
University of Chicago Law School and spent three years in the Peace Corps in Venezuela. Duncan then
worked in Chicago for three years as a lawyer for Legal Aid. In 1972 he began working at the Legal
Aid outpost in Napa, CA. A few years later he formed a two-man office in St. Helena, and later
became a partner with Coombs and Dunlap. He was a creative trial attorney, creative, reliable, and
concerned about his clients’ outcomes. While working in Napa, he met the love of his life, Ana Vigil,
who later became the proprietor of Ana’s Cantina in St. Helena. Ana was his devoted wife and
supportive companion. Duncan was a father to Ana’s children, Roxana and Michael Rallis and
Catalina and Vanessa Gonzalez, and they loved him back in the same way. The highlight of his days
was to have the whole family gathered to savor Ana’s cooking and regale them with tales of his
adventures. Despite his ailments requiring his wife Ana’s near-constant attendance, Duncan retained
his engaging, positive demeanor until his earthly departure, which occurred peacefully during an
extended nap. Duncan is survived by his wonderful wife Ana; his children Louisa and Alex Footman;
Roxana and Michael Rallis; Catalina and Vanessa Gonzalez; seven grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren.
John Tuteur remembers: “Duncan and I were both from the San Francisco Bay Area and
traveled occasionally to and from Yale. In 1972 Duncan moved to the Napa Valley and we kept in
touch over the past 45 years. Duncan was quiet but determined and used his attorney skills on behalf of
the disadvantaged in our community. At one point Duncan joined a movement that had him wearing
long, flowing white robes. He was certainly a hit when he wore those to our rather conservative
courtrooms.”
Douglas Moore Graybill died on April 2, 2024 at his home in Vero Beach, FL. He was
surrounded by his family and passed peacefully. Doug received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering from Yale University. From there his career took him to IBM for 30 years and then to a
consulting company he cofounded. Throughout his life, Doug was fun-loving, kind, and generous. He
loved the outdoors, all animals, and the water. His thousands of pictures are reflective of this. He was
a strong supporter of helping to save the lagoon, the Indian River Trust, the Environmental Learning
Center, and Quail Charities. He was an extraordinary husband, a devoted father and grandfather, and a
loyal friend. Doug is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Lesia; his daughters Susan Totten and
Dawn Sirras; his son Steven; and five grandchildren.
Bill Couchman writes: “Doug was my roommate at Yale for three years. We both majored in
Electrical Engineering and had many classes together. Much of what we did together was in simply
bullshitting in our rooms while drinking Budweiser. Doug did much of his ‘philosophizing’ sitting
cross-legged on top of the refrigerator. One time we had a contest to see who could give the most
blood in a semester. The winner got to ‘keep’ the goldfish we had been growing. When Doug won, he
decided that the winner should actually drink the goldfish, which he promptly did. I last visited Doug
on March 14, 2024. At the time, he seemed in good spirits and little pain. But Lesia told me later that
he was a good actor, and probably had a lot of pain and was quite pessimistic about living for long. We
had both shared having lymphoma for ten years or so. Mine had expanded to include leukemia, but I
had been successful in finding treatment that put me in remission (now five years). Unfortunately,
Doug’s expanded into cancer of the bladder and liver, which seemed untreatable.” Chuck
Hellar recalls: “Doug Graybill was always a joyful and friendly person from the first time I met him at
Lawrenceville until the time he passed away. After college, we did not see much of each other, except
for reunions at both schools, until I started going to Vero Beach, FL for three months in the winter
starting about ten years ago. And there he was, a permanent resident of Vero. We played golf, took
excursions, and saw each other often. He had not changed over that time, always being joyful and
friendly. Over the last few years, when he was fighting cancer, he began sending emails to his friends,
five or six at a time two times a week. They were political, comical, jokes, and about everything else he
found interesting. I will always remember Doug by his personality and those emails.”
Carl Vitez Ormandy died on January 11, 2024. Carl was born in Hungary, and escaped to the
West by himself in 1957 by traveling to East Berlin and taking the subway to West Berlin. After
graduating from Yale, Carl attended graduate school at Columbia University, and taught at Wilbraham
and Pingry. In 1967 Carl became an agent with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance. In our 50th
Reunion Class Book, Carl wrote: “Access to the intimate personal, family and business affairs of my
policyholders has been an awesome privilege and responsibility, and this kept me in business through
the bad times as well as the good.” Carl is survived by his partner, Lorna Ganit, and their daughter
Lea.
Tom Bailey remembers Carl as follows: “When I think of Carl it is with deep admiration for
the courage it took for him as a teenager to escape Hungary and forge a life and career in America on
his own. He walked to the beat of a different drummer, suffered no fools, was quick to smile, was firm
in his opinions, was a fierce competitor on the Yale swimming team, and was one of the most selfconfident fellows I met at Yale. He may not always have been right, but he was never in doubt. And it
was Carl who got me a job as night watchman at the Jewish Home for the Aged in New Haven when I
desperately needed a job!”
Heber C. Pierce passed away on December 28, 2023 in Mercy Walworth Hospital, Lake
Geneva, WI. In our 50th Reunion Class Book, Heber wrote that the 50 years since graduation had
passed like a blur: “Leaving New Haven, joining a [Navy] ship, sailing half way around the world,
losing friends and family in Vietnam, going to work in the real estate business in Chicago, and
surviving the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s seemed like a movie in fast forward.” More recently, Heber retired to
Williams Bay, WI, and enjoyed renovating his new house after living in a Chicago apartment all his
adult life. Heber is survived by his wife, Suzanne C. “Gigi” Pierce; his children Amanda and Charles;
and one grandchild.
Paul Field writes: “Heber and I were close since our undergraduate days. He was in my
wedding in New York and I was in his in Chicago. With the blessing of texts we stayed very close,
even living half a country apart. He was smart, caring, funny, and a very good friend.”
Charles Edwards “Chad” Snee III passed away on November 28, 2023, surrounded by his
wife and children, following a difficult battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Chad earned a Bachelor’s
Degree in Engineering from Yale University in 1964. Chad then served four years in the United States
Navy, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. In 1972, he earned a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown
University Law School. Chad and his first wife, Karolen Bacon Linderman, were married in 1965 and
had two sons, Charles Edwards Snee IV and Peter Clark Snee. Chad met his second wife, Janet Celeste
Cox, when they were both working at the U.S. Patent Office in 1971. Their marriage of 50 years began
on September 1, 1973, and they had two children, Henry “Mackie” Thom McClelland LeFevre-Snee
and Julia “Beth” Elizabeth Sanchez. After graduating from law school, Chad worked as an intellectual
property lawyer at the U.S. Patent Office and in private practice in Washington, DC. In 1985 Chad
moved with his family to Lebanon, NH, where he worked as an in-house attorney for AMCA
International. From 1989 to 2005, Chad was an in-house attorney for Eastman Kodak Company in
Rochester, NY, retiring as General Counsel. Chad was a voracious reader and avid jogger, and enjoyed
riding his motorcycle on the Blue Ridge Parkway during his retirement in Lynchburg, VA. Chad is
survived by his wife, Janet; his children Charles and Peter Snee, Mackie LeFevre-Snee, and Beth
Sanchez; and ten grandchildren.
Link to ClassNotes-NovemberDecember 2024 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes November-December, 2024
Your Class Council has elected as Co-chair of the Alumni Fund Class Agents Phil Stevens, who
has long served as a member of our successful team of Agents. Phil joins Troy Murray, the other Cochair.
Don Akenson was awarded the Albert B. Corey Prize for 2024 for his book The
Americanization of the Apocalypse: Creating America’s Own Bible. The Albert B. Corey Prize is
sponsored jointly by the American Historical Association and the Canadian Historical Association, and
is awarded in even-numbered years for the best book on Canadian-American relations or on the history
of both countries. Don reports: “Among the reactions to the book – which is about the origin in 19th
century southern Ireland of the main ideological chord of today’s white Christian nationalism – that of
my fellow students of Irish history is the most intriguing. On the one hand they are quietly pleased that
something so important arose in their countryside. On the other, they are embarrassed and slightly
frightened by what the social-political product actually is.”
Bill Bell, Ralph Johanson, Tom Kukk, Bob Myers, Lea Pendleton, Quinn
Rosefsky, Charley Sawyer, and George Steers enjoyed seeing each other again at their Phillips
Andover 65th reunion. However, Bill reports that the best storyteller at the reunion was their classmate
Jerry Secundy, one of the 18 black members of the Harvard Class of 1963 profiled in the 2020
book The Last Negroes at Harvard.
Ed Carlson received a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State
University in Port Clinton, OH on August 3, 2024. Ed explains the background of this achievement as
follows: “George Floyd’s death in 2020 reinvigorated my involvement in racial reconciliation. I got
involved with the Center for Restorative Justice in Monrovia, CA, taking several classes, getting
involved with prison (mass incarceration) activists, and bringing together two men’s groups from a
‘black’ church and a ‘white’ church. At the time Shirley and I were living six months in California and
six months in Ohio. We brought that ten-year experience to an end in the summer of 2022, and now are
in Ohio full-time. Shirley, my wife of 57 years, serves on the Bowling Green State University
Foundation Board. We attended the 100th Homecoming in the fall of 2022, and we ran into BGSU’s
President, who asked if we were Falcon (school mascot) Flames – couples who both went to BGSU and
got married. When we told him we were not, he said, ‘Ed, you only have to take a course.’ I went
home that night, searched for courses, and found that BGSU offered an on-line Master’s Program in
Criminal Justice. This was the perfect answer to my concern that when discussing mass incarceration
and other related issues, people would throw around numbers that were inconsistent and often
contradictory. I decided to enroll in the program so that I would learn more about the whole field of
criminal justice and learn where to find solid data, most pressing issues, etc. Shirley refers to my going
back to school as ‘his beyond-mid-life crisis.’ I began my studies in January 2023. In May 2023, at
our 60th Reunion, I led a table talk on the “school-to-prison pipeline,” but more importantly attended
the session led by classmates Steve Jones and Tony Gaenslen and later read Tony’s book, A Hard Road
to Justice, which further motivated me to learn more about criminal and juvenile justice. Now that I
have graduated, I have three prime areas of interest: keeping juveniles out of the juvenile justice
system through the use of diversion programs; Second Look legislation that involves a set time period
for reviewing cases involving long-term sentences for consideration of early release (which
significantly impacts racial minorities who make up the majority of these cases); and efforts to support
successful reentry into the community following release from prison.”
Lowell Dodge reports that he has completed an essay on his lifelong spiritual affair with trees,
especially redwoods. Lowell explores what he sees as the existential threats to the survival of
redwoods and describes his efforts to save them. Ian Robertson initially encouraged Lowell to write
about his experiences and tracked down a number of photos for the piece. He also contributed his
signature centered-text format. Ian intends to make the essay the first of many by classmates who wish
to share their environmental stories, and to assemble them as a collection for our 65th Reunion.
Classmates may request a copy from Lowell, goodwoods@aol.com.
Larry Gwin, Bob Hetherington, and Phil Stevens met at Deerfield Academy in June for
their 65th reunion. Highlights were conversations based on watershed moments in their lives and the
traditional New England clambake, with lobster, steamed clams, corn, and potatoes.
Harry Meacham Brants died peacefully in the early morning hours of July 17, 2024 in Fort
Worth, TX. Harry was a lifelong resident of Fort Worth. He was reserved and always a serious
student. Harry graduated from Yale University and the University of Texas Law School in Austin,
where he was Editor of the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. Harry started his legal
career working with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He then moved back to Fort Worth and was a
partner in the firms of Hudson, Keltner, Smith and Cunningham and McLean & Sanders. Harry was a
member of the Brackett & Ellis Law Firm for a number of years, and he officed with his sister, Lucy
Brants, for the last two years of his practice. Harry practiced law for over 50 years. He was boardcertified in estate tax, and his practice focused primarily on estate planning, wills and trusts, probate
matters, and tax matters. Harry was a highly respected member of the legal community in Fort Worth.
Harry was a lifelong hunter and fisherman. He loved the outdoors, and he was an expert bow hunter
and fisherman. Harry loved to hunt in Wyoming and Alaska with his friends. He spent many happy
hours hunting and fishing on his family’s land at Eagle Mountain Lake. Harry challenged himself by
becoming a marathon runner when he was in his 50’s, and ran the New York City Marathon with his
daughter Emily. Harry believed in Fort Worth and served on various boards and belonged to many
local organizations. In 2013 Harry was honored by Historic Fort Worth’s Preservation Is the Art of the
City for his many contributions to the Fort Worth arts community and his support of preservation
efforts in Fort Worth. Harry is survived by his children, Dr. Allan Brants, Emily Brants Templin, and
David Brants; his sister Lucy Brants; four grandchildren; and five nieces and nephews.
Gerrit Osborne recalls: “During a visit to Fort Worth with Harry during our Sophomore Year
we were cruising in his Ford convertible out in the countryside, and for some reason we had a shotgun
with us. Spying vultures circling what we assumed was a dead animal, we pulled off the road to see
what was going on. Approaching from opposite sides of the vultures’ target, we came upon a dead
something with a very interested vulture about to feast on it. As we approached, the vulture took a
greater interest in Harry then he did in the carrion, and Harry, protected by his 12 gauge, raised it and
blew the vulture out of sky. I was directly in his line of fire, and I’m sure he missed me by more than it
seemed at the time, but it makes a good story.”
Elton Hathaway Follett died on July 24, 2024 at home in Ozona, FL. As a youth he was
known as Tony and attended Evanston Township High School in Evanston, IL, where he became highly
successful as a swimmer, setting numerous state and national records. He continued his career at Yale
University, where he was captain of the Freshman team and a member of the All-American team that
swam in Japan and at the Pan-American Games. Elton married Nancy Ennis during college and they
moved to California for a few years after graduation. They then moved to England, where he started
The Dolphin School, a Montessori-style college preparatory institution. The Dolphin School is located
in Berkshire, England, where it remains a thriving day school. After his divorce, Elton moved to
nearby Reading, where he studied both Cordon Bleu culinary arts and psychotherapy. He became
renowned both for his excellent dinners and for his mentoring to his psychotherapy clients. Elton was
always interested in sailing and sailed across the Atlantic with two friends. He married Dagmar
Strasser in 2004. In 2014 they retired to Florida, where Elton continued his love of the water by daily
snorkeling and messing around with small boats. Elton leaves his wife Dagmar; his children Daena
Lambert (deceased), Saul Hathaway, Morgane Tredway, and Thea Maia; and five grandchildren.
Elton’s widow Dagmar remembers: “In spite of his failing health, he was determined to attend
last year’s Reunion, which he did and greatly enjoyed. He was so proud and grateful to have had the
opportunity to be a part of Yale.” Bob Dickie recalls: “Elton was fun to be around. He had a real
presence and curiosity. He was open-minded and a natural-born learner. He came up with an original
way to approach secondary education, and to develop that further he founded and ran a school in
England.” Phil Stevens writes: “I am saddened by the news of Elton’s passing. Not only a great
swimmer, a great guy, self-effacing, with a ready smile and sense of humor.”
Link to ClassNotes-January-February 2025 pdf file
Class of 1963 – Alumni Notes January-February, 2025
Class of 1963 Alumni Notes
January-February 2025
Herb Rosenthal reports: “Walt Sturgeon and I just completed a two week excursion of
Iceland and Greenland. This was on a small group trip for which Walt was a co-leader. Walt is a
world traveler in support of waterfowl and other birds. Our hotel rooms and ship cabins were about
the same size as our room in TD 1627. BUT without the bunk beds which free up a lot of space.
We saw all kinds of birds. We went to magnificent waterfalls. Sheep on every smooth patch of
ground in Iceland. We also got within 1,000 feet of a Polar Bear. When the bear looked up and
saw six Zodiacs with 60 taste treats (us), it must have thought ‘Uber Eats delivery has finally
arrived.’ We saw musk oxen having a seniority battle. The loser ran a mile or more to get away.
The scenery was beautiful. Many, many icebergs of all shapes and sizes. Colorful fall colors of the
ground cover in Greenland. And Walt and I got on just as well as we did 65 years ago.”
It was a cold, rainy afternoon on August 15, 1973 for the inaugural running of the Falmouth
Road Race. Approximately 100 runners were lined up to start in front of the Cap’n Kidd bar in
Woods Hole, MA for a seven-mile bar-to-bar race to the Brother’s Four in Falmouth Heights. The
race was organized by Tommy Leonard, the bartender at the Brother’s Four, who was inspired by
Frank Shorter’s Olympic Gold Medal in the Marathon in Munich the summer before. An unknown
runner, Bill Rodgers, won the second year, and Frank Shorter himself beat Rodgers in 1975. From
there on, the Falmouth Road Race was established as one of the most important non-marathon road
races in North America, routinely attracting many of the best distance runners in the world. Brian
Salzberg was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology at Yale Medical School,
working that summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He was among the
runners and this was his first road race. He finished, bedraggled, in 26th place and was hooked.
Brian subsequently finished 21 marathons, beginning with NYC a month later, seven of them under
three hours, and including seven Boston Marathons and four NYC Marathons. Falmouth, though,
became his obsession, and this past August Salzberg completed his 52nd consecutive Falmouth
Road Race. He is the only person left to have run every single Falmouth Road Race.
James David Biles III, M.D. died peacefully at home in Annapolis, MD on September 12,
2024 after a long and valiant battle with cancer. A fourth-generation physician, Jim was a graduate
of Yale University (B.A.), Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons (M.D.), and completed his
Surgical Internship at Charity Hospital, Tulane University and his Residency at The Brady
Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was accepted into the American Urological
Association and was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He served two years active
duty as an Army Major at Edgewood Arsenal conducting research before becoming one of the
founding partners of Anne Arundel Urology, practicing at both Anne Arundel Medical Center, now
Luminis Health, and Baltimore Washington Hospital. He held an Instructor appointment at Johns
Hopkins Hospital and was also elected President of the AAMC Medical Staff, serving on several
hospital boards. Jim absolutely loved practicing medicine, specializing in urologic cancers, and
faithfully served the needs of his patients for 41 years. Jim’s other great passions in life were
sailing and his family. A self-taught sailor, he grew up racing Snipes on the TVA lakes and
continued racing collegiately, helping to establish Yale racing as a varsity sport. He settled in
Annapolis so he could continue racing on the Chesapeake Bay. He competed in international 14’s
and J 24’s his entire life, even after becoming handicapped. He was Governor of the J 24 fleet and
helped to establish the East Coast Championships in Annapolis. His wife and children share his
love of sailing and cruised the Caribbean with him and crewed for him in the J 24 in local regattas,
Midwinters, East Coasts, and North American championships. Jim was also very devoted to his
family, spending many happy and involved hours with them and their friends as they grew up. He
loved dancing with Brenda, played the piano and guitar, and enjoyed reading and lively intellectual
discussions. Jim leaves behind his wife of 44 years, Brenda Lee Catterton, three children, James
IV, Lindsey, and Michael, and six grandchildren.
Ian Robertson remembers: “Jimmy Biles was a member of the 1959 Bullpups, who
included everyone who tried out for Freshman Football. He had a fulfilling medical career as one
of our country’s most gifted urologists. In 2019 he attended our ’59 Bullpup memorial for Jerry
Kenney. Jimmy was on crutches. He had developed two kinds of cancer, one in his rib cage that
required removal of ribs on his right side, and another that caused the loss of the use of his right leg.
Jimmy paid little attention to his ‘disability.’ In 2020, Mimi Head invited Jimmy, his wife Brenda,
and me to spend ten days in her glorious home in St. Barth’s. Jimmy was unfazed by the
precipitous stairs that accessed Mimi’s home, or the sand he had to cross to get into the ocean. We
became fast friends, frequently sharing long phone calls. Then in 2021 Jimmy told me his cancer
had returned. This time little could be done. Jimmy was able to participate in at least two trials.
The trials slowed the growth of cancer but came with nasty side effects. He still swam, sailed and
laughed. But about a year ago he needed a scan. He told the technicians to be careful because he
had a very fragile back. Despite the warning, they dropped him. Jimmy was paralyzed from the
chest down. Our calls continued. You would never know that the bright, laughing man on the
phone was heavily medicated and unable to walk or even turn over. Jimmy wrote: ‘I still live each
day to its fullest, very happy to still be here, and not dwelling on the end.’” Complete versions of
Ian’s remembrance of Jim (illustrated in Ian’s inimitable style) and of Jim’s autobiography can be
viewed in the In Memoriam section of the Class Website (www.yale63.org/biles2.pdf). Victor
Sheronas writes: “Jim's eternal upbeatness was both infectious and uplifting. He always took my
call; he always answered the phone himself; he was always laughing and upbeat; his mind was
always sharp; he always wanted to engage in meaningful conversations; he never complained about
his limitations; I always felt better for after talking to him. All this while essentially paralyzed in
bed. He never lost his joie de vivre; he set the bar incredibly high.” Phil Stevens recalls: “Jim was
a dedicated brother in Beta Theta Pi, where he was Chairman of the house one year, and pledge
trainer another. I loved his Memphis drawl, and his great wide smile and good humor.”
Alan Bruce “Sky” Magary died of natural causes at his home in Litchfield, CT on
September 28, 2024. Magary was nicknamed “Sky” by his mother shortly after his birth in Elgin,
IL on September 20, 1942. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy (1959), Yale University
(1963), and Harvard Business School (1967), Magary would more than live up to his nickname by
embarking on a career that took him from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to Pan Am Airways,
Hyatt Hotels, and finally Republic/Northwest Airlines. It was at Northwest that Magary, as Vice
President of the airline’s Marketing Department, implemented the first domestic smoking ban that
any airline had ever attempted in North America. Despite fierce opposition from the tobacco lobby,
the ban proved to be a historic success, with other airlines soon instituting bans of their own, and
the U.S. government codifying the ban as law in 1990. Magary also had footrests installed in front
of every seat on Northwest flights. Airlines had never been so accommodating to all of their
passengers, and perhaps never will be again. After a change in Northwest’s ownership, Magary left
the airline in 1991 and retired to Litchfield, CT, where he remained for the next 33 years, playing
golf (as best he could) and collecting vintage railroad timetables. He was a contented man, and
ended his life that way, surrounded by his wife and kids, and loved by them forever. Magary is
survived by his wife of 60 years, Susan, along with their three children, Alexander, Amanda, and
Andrew, and eight grandchildren.
Ross Mackenzie remembers: “I met Sky at Exeter and roomed with him for three years at
Yale. At Yale I knew him as a guy who entered with soaring SATs, exhibited maddening
brilliance, rarely studied, and drew solid grades. He had the answer to practically everything – and
if he didn’t he would make up one that might sound more plausible than the real thing. Perhaps his
favorite word was ‘impressive’ – an apt self-description. He had a clam-shell memory, a sardonic
wit, and an abiding good heart. We had easy fun trashing Yale’s cattle-brained left.” Phil Stevens
writes: “I roomed with Sky and Ross Mackenzie our Sophomore Year in Branford. Discomfort
with their ultra-conservative politics ended that relationship, but I traveled for three months
throughout Europe with Sky in the summer of 1961, a fantastic trip, and he and I remained good
friends. On that trip he added to his cherished collection of railroad timetables, which was assessed
as unique and valuable by Yale’s rare book specialists. I remember him as cheerful and outgoing,
very smart, and a great travel companion.” Guy Struve adds: “Sky and I ran across each other in
various conservative groups at Yale. Sky had an eagle eye for unfounded statements and lapses in
logic, and I learned to think things through carefully before saying them to him.”
Steven Lawrence Miller passed quietly on August 17, 2024 after a short illness. Steve was
a graduate of Yale University where he was a resident of Saybrook College and later of the newlyestablished Morse College. Steve attended Duke Law School, graduating in 1966. He then joined
the United States Navy JAG Corps, being stationed in Newport, RI, Philadelphia, PA, and Pearl
Harbor, HI, where he served until 1972, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After the
military, Steve moved with his family to South Charleston, WV, where he practiced admiralty law
and litigation for the Charleston law firm of Kay Casto & Chaney and later struck out on his own,
establishing the law firm Steven L. Miller and Associates in Cross Lanes, WV, where he practiced
litigation and bankruptcy law until the early 2000s. Steve also served a term as City Attorney for
South Charleston, WV and was active in West Virginia politics. Steve loved his children and
grandchildren and relished telling them stories about practicing law. He also chronicled the life and
adventures of a beloved character, Oscar the Pig, which were stories that his children and
grandchildren always preferred to the stories about practicing law. Steve is survived by his
children, Glenn Steven Miller, Dr. Hilary Sarah Miller Jones, and Gregory Lawrence Miller, and
nine grandchildren.
Richard E. Sampliner, M.D. died on August 17, 2024. He left behind a stellar list of
accomplishments. By far the one he was most proud of was his family: his wife of 58 years, Linda,
his sons Rob and Steve, and his grandson Gabe. His marriage was one of love, adventure, laughter
and tears, and a true sense of shared partnership. Dick’s contribution to the field of
gastroenterology endures. He was known and respected internationally. His pioneering work in
eradicating premalignant lesions of the esophagus revolutionized the prevention and treatment of
soft tissue cancers throughout the body. He was honored with many awards throughout his career.
He considered the success of his trainees his most important professional accomplishment.
Colleagues, family, friends and neighbors will remember him for his zany sense of humor, his
dedication to his craft, his exceptional brilliance, his unfailing curiosity, and his profound love for
his family.
Joe Alpert writes: “I remember Richard well both when we were at Yale and during many
years when we worked together at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dick was smart,
energetic, and calm under stressful situations. He was Professor of Medicine and formerly headed
the Gastroenterology Section in the Department of Medicine. I am sorry he is gone and saddened
by his suffering.” John Impert remembers: “Dick was my assigned roommate Freshman Year,
and we chose to remain together during my three years in New Haven. Although Dick was from
Cleveland and I grew up in rural upstate New York, our fathers were both physicians, and we had
enjoyed similar upbringings and parental expectations. Dick's father had decreed that while he
would pay for college at Yale, he expected his sons to come back and live at home while medical
students at nearby Case-Western Reserve Medical School. Dick complied, but then ‘escaped’ with
Linda to treat patients, teach, and do research in the Southwest. Dick was a no-nonsense student at
Yale, studying hard while eschewing extracurricular activities. Dick mostly deferred dating to
medical school, and he married Linda as soon as feasible after graduation. It was clear to me that
Dick remained deeply in love with Linda all his life.” Bill Kramer shares: “The group in
Vanderbilt 2 saw a lot of the groups in Vanderbilt 1 and 3 which was Dick’s suite. My memories of
Dick, whom we called ‘Sampliner,’ all revolved around his laugh and big smile. I lost track of Dick
after graduation, although I would see him at Reunions, still smiling.” Mike Smith recalls: “I had
the good fortune to be a suitemate with Dick for four years, first in Vanderbilt and then in Pierson
college. His determination to acquire knowledge and his study habits were an inspiration to me.
That I was able to navigate the intellectual challenges at Yale was in great measure due to Dick's
example. I lost contact with Dick after graduation until we reunited in Tucson some years ago. At
that time he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. It was fascinating to listen to
him describe the difficulties in making the diagnosis. When I met with him he had no discernible
cognitive impairment. We met for two years in a row and then the third year he didn't show for
lunch. I later received an email saying that he had forgotten.” Neil Thompson writes: “I knew
Dick Sampliner starting in 1952 as a classmate in the sixth grade at University School in
Cleveland. He was very bright and a prodigious worker. I always liked and had a very high regard
for him.”
Richard Tobin Thieriot was born into the newspaper profession, and he loved it. His
great-grandfather cofounded the San Francisco Chronicle in 1865, he learned the business from the
time he could write, and the day before he died of natural causes in his sleep on September 27,
2024, he was working hard in his office. In his 82 years of life, Thieriot was also many other
things: an environmentalist, a rancher, a farmer, a combat Marine, a wrestler on his college team at
Yale. But it was all rooted in that ink-stained trade his family blessed him with, and when he ran
the San Francisco Chronicle as editor and publisher from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, he left
his imprint on every corner. “My father was an editor in every way,” said his daughter, Justine
Thieriot. “He loved editing, loved books, loved words, and he cared a lot about having things done
well. Sometimes you’d even tell him a joke and he’d say, ‘Hmmm, you might try that a different
way.’ Thieriot worked with state and federal agencies to place most of the family’s 17,000-acre
Llano Seco Ranch in Butte County – in the family since 1861 – in conservation easements to
preserve the natural habitat there. ‘The ranch was his passion,’ said his daughter Justine. Thieriot
was an avid duck hunter, ‘and he was a good shot, but shooting the ducks wasn’t what it was all
about,’ she said. ‘He mostly just loved being out in that beautiful place that he loved.’ After
earning a bachelor’s degree in English at Yale University, Thieriot served in the Marine Corps from
1964 to 1967, doing combat duty in Vietnam. After being honorable discharged as a captain, he
earned an M.B.A. degree at Stanford University and began working at the Chronicle. Thieriot is
survived by his wife, Angie Thieriot; their five children, J.P., Simon, Charlie, Richard, and Justine;
and nine grandchildren.
John Lahr writes: “Richard Thieriot, my pug-nosed pal and roommate throughout my
Yale years, died in his sleep on September 27. I loved him. I tweaked his grumpy cheeks.
Between his college years and his old age, Dick’s solid outline remained more or less the same. He
was built like The Little King: solid, portly (always hitching up those charcoal grey slacks), with
his tortoise shell eyeglasses propped up on top of his shiny bald pate, looking out at the world with
beady stoic amusement. Dick’s reserve was part of his authority and his allure. His guarded soul
was hard to fetch but the detachment made him compelling. (Even though he was neither an
outstanding athlete or scholar he was selected for Book and Snake). Dick was by turns impish,
grave, stubborn, and charming. Very charming. His combination of gravity and hilarity were
irresistible. Dick was some kind of Princeling, the scion of one of San Francisco’s first families,
who went on to be editor and publisher of The San Francisco Chronicle. He wore his power and
his pedigree lightly. Under the shellac of his conservative persona (the tie, Brooks Brothers jackets,
grey flannels were his never-changing mufti), he had a rollicking side. Once, as undergraduates,
coming out of the Plaza in New York, juiced on too many Tika Pooka Pookas at Trader Vic’s, Dick
hijacked the horse and buggy across the street and, with me riding shotgun, galloped through
Central Park until the driver of the buggy caught up with us in a taxi near the Metropolitan
Museum. Dick had spent an four years as officer in the Marine Corps. He’d seen action. He was
slow to anger but he could be a hard-ass. His sternness , however, hid a tenderness, even a
fragility, which he rarely showed the world. Once, staying with him in San Francisco, I came
downstairs to find Dick in his blue boxer shorts, a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoon in his
hand, stooping over high chairs of his two baby sons and feeding them eggs benedict. Dick lived
like a pasha. He shuttled between his ranch in Chico, where latterly he was trying to farm walnut
trees not cattle; his trout stream in Oregon, where he roamed his domain on a trike and smoked
cigars while he fly fished; and a house in Punta Dela Este, Uruguay. I knew him in all these places,
but the place where he lives for me is in rooms in Branford. He is my Yale. We were witnesses to
each other’s beginnings and to a fellowship which, despite the separation of continents, never lost
its amperage. God, he was a great guy.”
Jon Larson remembers Dick Thieriot as follows: “I met Dick on the Old Campus
Freshman Year as he was part of the West Coast contingent of San Francisco Bay Area classmates I
associated with naturally including Bill Robbins and Peter de Bretteville. If I had to describe
Dick in a single word, to me he epitomized the word ‘affable’. He was always pleasantly easy to
approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite: and a courteous gentleman. Karen and I
would on occasion run into Dick and his ever gracious lifetime partner Angie in the lobbies of the
San Francisco Ballet, Opera, and theatre.” Phil Stevens writes: “Five guys shared a Branford suite
right under Harkness Tower. Just two remain. We have lost Johnny Bowen, Jerry Stevens, and
now Dick Thieriot. I knew Dick the least; we had little contact after graduation. But I admired
and respected him; he was serious, and true, and had a quick sense of humor and a ready laugh.”
Guy Miller Struve, Secretary
90 The Uplands
Berkeley, CA 94705
E-Mail: guy.struve@davispolk.com
Class Website: www.yale63.org