Class Notes: July/August 2023

Class Notes: July/August 2023

For those who pay attention to my reports on life on the Eastern Shore, I’m happy to report that for about the 20th consecutive year, the osprey returned to the nest right on schedule. I noted some initial discord between the couple, possibly because they arrived during unseasonably cold spring weather. 

The Y65 Zoom program marches on, thanks to our devoted Zoom team of Hammond, Mack, and Roscoe. The May program with Marci Shore, assistant professor of history, on Ukrainian history is another example of the timeliness of these programs. Space limitations don’t permit my usual recap, but all our Zoom programs are recorded and are available on our class website.

Brief notes: Thanks to my ’64 counterpart Tony Lavely for this report: “Jay Lavely attended the wedding of his brother Tony in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 19. Best man was fellow Yalie Dick Niglio ’64.” Gordon Bear is keeping busy in retirement: “Collaborating with a fellow social-psychological scientist, I have been searching the census of 1880 for records of marriages among the indigenous peoples. Across the continent, we are finding the husband older than the wife in about 80 percent of the couples, which constitutes novel evidence for a human universal.” Jim DeAngelis announced to the class discussion group that he and Beatrice are selling their home in the village of Paulhan, France: “As you might expect, it has been difficult for Beatrice and me to come to terms with this sale since we’ve had this village house since 2002. In the two decades since, we have enjoyed the village of Paulhan, the surrounding areas, the beaches, the friends we’ve made, the markets, the food, and the vineyards’ wines.” Classmates interested in buying a getaway in France can visit the website. 

Pope Barrow alerted me to the publication of his latest endeavor: “This may not rise to the level of general interest necessary for your notes, but I recently published a book with quite a few stories of my fun-filled days at Yale. It does not contain serious or intelligent stuff like the books produced by the many brilliant luminaries I read about in your class notes, but a few of our classmates may get a laugh or two out of it. It is entitled I Should Have Been More Careful (Archway Press 2023). Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. All proceeds go to river conservation. Finally, I was informed by the office of classmate Judge A. Joe Fish that he recently celebrated a 40-year milestone: “Judge Fish was appointed US district judge for the Northern District of Texas on February 24, 1983, by President Reagan and entered duty on March 11, 1983. He became chief judge on January 1, 2002, and served as chief judge until November 12, 2007.”

Hopefully all who wanted to register to attend the upcoming Santa Fe minireunion did so. These notes are written in advance of the deadline date so I’m going to assume we filled the quota. Speaking of class gatherings, Seth Hoyt sent this interesting summary of a recent “mini mini” attended by seven classmates: “Memorable dinner at Mory’s on April 29, organized by George Michas, and attended by small but enthusiastic group of ’65ers: Jim Butler, Lionel Goldfrank, Seth Hoyt, George Michas, Joel Papernik, and Dave Williams, plus spouses and guests. Bruce Alexander and his wife Nancy joined us in the Cup Room and Bruce was asked to talk about his service to Yale. 

“Big changes have taken place since ’61. The most consequential developments arguably have taken place on Bruce’s watch. Bruce returned to Yale in 1998 as vice president for New Haven and state affairs and campus development. There had been no one with full-time responsibility for relationships with municipal officials, business leaders, union leaders, and other civic and private notables. Bruce took that on, working particularly on union matters because of the critical impact on town-gown relations. Yale had suffered some punishing strikes in the late ’80s and early ’90s. There hasn’t been a strike through four contract negotiations since. Today, New Haven displays a charm of old New England that on a fair spring day compares very favorably to Cambridge and Harvard Square. 

“While Yale is a tax-exempt institution, it nevertheless voluntarily pays more than $35 million every year to New Haven—believed to be the most of any university in the country to its host community. Bruce was point man for two presidents (Levin and Salovey) in an array of other Yale operations: real estate acquisition and development programs, leveraging biotech assets, creating and retaining business incubators, not to mention ‘marketing’ New Haven as a destination for fine dining, shopping, and cultural adventures. It’s safe to say that Yale and New Haven are better friends, more strategically connected than ever. Bruce (retired now, but continuing to consult and advise) was pretty much the guy to drive the agenda.”

I’ve received notice of the deaths of five classmates. Mel Shaftel shared the news that John D. (Dave) Weinland passed away in July of 2022. The YAA advised me that John Mingo died on November 8, 2022, and Peter Worsley’s daughter Hannah emailed that Peter died on November 16, 2022. We also lost Jack Rosholt on February 12 of this year. Finally, a great loss to our class and to the wider community of Whiffenpoof alumni, Dennis Cross died on April 14, 2023. Please visit our website and post remembrances.