YAM Class Notes: March/April 2018
Hopefully by the time you read these notes, we will have endured no more “bomb cyclones” and will be seeing signs of spring. At the moment, the geese on my lawn are asking each other why they didn’t fly further south. In contrast to the tundra-like scene here in Maryland, Fred Roberts offered a heart-warming report: “It occurred to me several months ago that I had far too much wine in my wine cellar. Consequently, I decided to sell most of it through auction. And the logical beneficiary for the proceeds of the sale is my Workshops program (the Frederic Roberts Foundation). I was extremely pleased to see the reaction of the staff at Sotheby’s, who were moved by the accomplishments of the Workshops and were enthusiastic to help.” In fact, Sotheby’s devoted 38 pages in their December 2 auction catalogue, not only displaying Fred’s extraordinary wine collection, but also numerous photos of Fred and his photography students, interspersed between the Chateau Haut Brions and the many other fine Bordeaux.
Bob Hammond has graciously assumed the duties of our AYA representative, succeeding Chris Kinney, whose three-year term expired. Bob and his wife Barb joined me at the AYA Assembly this past November 16 and 17. Two highlights of the assembly were our own Jeff Miller, presenting on our class lunch program at a session on innovative ideas for connecting classmates, and, of course, Yale’s trouncing of Harvard. Attendees expressed considerable interest in the lunch program, which Jeff will be relaunching for 2018. Among classmates watching Harvard being trounced was Peter Desjardins, who came all the way from Dubai to bring good luck.
Kent Reinker alerted the listserv that he has just published his sixth novel: The Fire at the Bottom of the Sea. “It’s available from Amazon in paperback or kindle format—or you can just look up the title or my nom de plume, Alain Gunn, on the Amazon website. If you want a signed copy, I’ll be happy to send you one at the same price as Amazon charges. The book is about a nuclear submarine that sinks after a freak accident and ends up on top of Loihi, Hawaii’s undersea volcano.”
The Yale News reported: “Bruce Alexander, vice president for state affairs and campus development, is among the members of the newly formed Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, Governor Dannel P. Malloy has announced. It will be responsible for developing and recommending policies to achieve state government fiscal stability and promote economic growth and competitiveness within the state. Alexander is one of 11 newly announced members of the 14-member commission.”
News in brief: John Leo received the news that a new award for outstanding scholarship in LGBTQ studies in popular culture has been approved by the board of the Popular Culture Association. The award will be named the John Leo and Dana Heller Award for Best Single Work, Anthology, Multi-Authored, or Edited Book in LGBTQ Studies. H. Gary Wright reported: “My son Andrew, who was last an assistant counsel for President Obama, has now been at Savannah Law School for several years. He has a son, Garrett, age 6 now. Last year I published a philosophy book called Ontic Ethics (Lexington Books), which shows the link between moral behavior and the substantiality of the self. Greetings to all old friends and acquaintances in the class from the darkest Ozarks.” Karl and Leslie Schonborn are on an extended tour of the Mideast, India, and Africa. One stop was Dubai, where they dined with Peter Desjardins and Frank Rice. Finally, you will have seen an e-mail inviting ’65 to join the ’64 Canadian Rockies trip this coming July. This copromotion of a class event is the first of what could become a more frequent opportunity.
Sadly, I have to report the loss of several classmates over the past two months. Dodd Fischer died November 17, 2017, at home with his family in Portland, after a nine-month struggle with pancreatic cancer. He will be remembered for his interest in people, and a love of history, travel, and hard work. Dodd had hoped to attend the class dinner. Murray Horwitz passed away on December 3, 2016. He is survived by his college sweetheart, Janet Sandberg Horwitz (Connecticut College ’66); two sons: Andrew (Emory ’91) of Charlotte, North Carolina, and William (Yale ’94) of Geneva, Switzerland; and five grandchildren. Murray had a fulfilling career practicing law as a tax attorney in the US Department of Justice. He passed away suddenly while preparing the garden before leaving to spend the winter in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Marshall Louis died of cancer on November 11, 2017, in Bangor, Maine. He is survived by his three children, Rachel Barnett, Josh Louis, and Gabi Louis, and three siblings, Tom, Ken, and Sue Louis. Marshall served at the US State Department as a cultural affairs officer. After a distinguished career that included service in Israel, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, and many other countries, he retired to northern Maine. Obituaries for these classmates are posted on the class website. Please visit the site and post remembrances.
Reminders: Portland/Coast of Maine mini-reunion October 2–5; class dinner October 26.