Class Notes: January/February 2026

Class Notes: January/February 2026

The geese have returned, but the news on ospreys is not good: there is a notable decline in the osprey population in the Chesapeake Bay. The cause is unclear—it may be due to a decline in a major source in the food chain on which ospreys rely. Like many environmental phenomena, there are conflicting opinions. The eagle clearly felt no need to visit the osprey nest and perform his ritual “good riddance” gesture. Happily, he returned to the tree he normally perches in, although he’s 15 feet lower because the storm I mentioned in the last notes knocked the top off the tree.

The Y65 Zoom Hour Series resumed on schedule in November with the 56th program in the highly successful series. The speaker was James W. Porter Y’69, ’73PhD, who gave a fascinating and frightening presentation on the effects of global warming as observed in studying the oceans and the effects of warming on coral reefs. Our classmates Bob Heil and Dale Kieferserved as moderators and added additional insights from their personal and scientific perspectives. A recording is available on Yale1965.org. I encourage all to watch it. Thanks to David Roscoe, Dennis Mack, and Bob Hammond who have signed on to keep this excellent series going for another year.

Brief notes: Kent Nelson: “I’d like to report to my classmates that I have a new website, KentNelsonWriter.com, and am posting on Substack and would welcome subscribers. I also have two new eBooks out: a novel, The Beautiful Ruined World, and a collection of stories, The Mercy of Others. I now have published 161 short stories in magazines. I still live in Ouray, a mountain town in southwestern Colorado. My daughter Dylan (Y2000) and I recently did a hike near here of 3,005 feet in 3.5 miles and 26,833 steps!” 

Donna and I had a delightful visit with David and Linda Schaff, who ventured down from their home in Pennsylvania. David has arranged to give a piece from his art collection to our excellent local art museum. We’ll see them again in mid-January for another visit and a trip to the museum to view the new Rauschenberg exhibit.

Fred Bamber sent the following note: “This past Wednesday, I attended a (current) Whiffenpoofs concert in a Berkeley, California, church. I found it unbelievably uplifting. They were so sincere. Each member with their own style, seemingly no pressure for conformity, except in dress.” Following Fred’s post, David Hawkins reported on former Whiffs: “In October I joined 13 other former Whiffs to sing in New Haven. We sang at Mory’s Friday night (joined by a few of the current Whiff class), then three hour-long concerts on Saturday: a retirement community, Trumbull College, and a benefit at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. The Whiff classes represented ranged from 1962 to 2015. The reviews were positive, even from non-relatives who still had good hearing. But the big positive was being able to revisit old favorite arrangements, learn a few new ones, and spend time with fellow lovers of song.”

The class discussion group took a break from political discourse (and occasional invective) to discuss a more important topic: which side of the toilet is the handle on, and does it make a difference. Contrary to the view that the handle is always on the left when facing the toilet, Dennis Mack reported that he has two toilets in his home with the handle on the right side when facing the toilet. Hopefully, this will encourage more of you to join and participate in the discussion group.

On a more serious note, we’ve lost several classmates since the last YAM edition. Bob Rounsavall called to tell me that his former roommate Dave Williams died on Sunday, November 2, from melanoma. A celebration of life will be held in June. Dave’s obituary can be found on the class website. Following the news about Mike Lydon’s passing, Joel Papernik sent me an interesting obituary on Mike from the New York Times. It also is posted on our class website. In other sad news, Stan and Doozle Trotman called with the news that Mal Douglas died in Roanoke on November 8. I spoke briefly with Mal’s son Mac who said an obituary will be forthcoming and he will let me know when a memorial service will be scheduled, likely in the spring. The YAA sent me the obituary for Bill Torbert who died on October 21 at his home in Boston after a lengthy illness. Bill was a retired dean of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. One final note. Perk Foss reported he attended Duncan Pollock’s memorial on October 15 at the Hope Church in Lenox, Massachusetts, with friends and family attending: “Duncan’s close friend Peter Woerner, Y’66, brought warmth and humor to the service, regaling us with vivid tales of Duncan’s exploits over the years.” As always, please visit our website and post remembrances.

Looking to the future, there will be a 65th reunion for us, but rather than waiting five years, it would be great to hold several minireunions in the next four years. As always, I’m happy to entertain any reasonable offers to plan and host and will assist in the planning. In the meantime, Happy 2026 to you all.