Class Notes: March/April 2025
By John M. PinneyWe just got a taste of winter with about 10 inches of snow. It sent the now larger-than-usual goose contingent looking for a snow-free lawn. The possible good omen I mentioned in the last notes may have come true, as the Washington Commanders are in the playoffs. Otherwise, it remains to be seen what good things will transpire as 2025 unfolds, except, of course, our 60th reunion.
Speaking of our 60th, Ralph Protsik has been doing an outstanding job getting the 60th class book ready for publication. As of this writing, over 150 essays have been submitted and David Martin has done yeoman service on remembrances. Mel Shaftel and Stan Trotman and their gift committee are hard at work boosting our class gift total, and Jerry Libby has recruited classmates to organize 17 regional lunches as a prelude to the reunion. Last but by no means least, our highly experienced reunion cochairs Roscoe, Leich, and Farrington are planning our activities and program. Thanks to this stalwart group and everyone working to make the 60th a great success.
In other class activities, our YAA representative Bill Crosby attended the annual assembly and convocation and filed an excellent report which you should have received in January. And thanks to the Zoom team (Hammond, Mack, and Roscoe), we kicked off another year with January’s program entitled “Yale’s Research Ecosystem: Benefiting Yale, New Haven, and the World” featuring Michael Crair, Yale’s vice provost for research, and our own Bruce Alexander, former VP for New Haven and state affairs and campus development. The Zoom team is currently planning the next several months of presentations—the March program will be the 50th in this outstanding series, born in the pandemic and continuing to offer us a wide range of stimulating speakers.
Brief notes: Chris Cooke reported: “Our classmate Bill Christian (who died December 5, 2020) worked with the Nature Conservancy during the last two decades of his life. One of his special interests was conserving the Amargosa River, an underground river in the Mojave Desert near Death Valley National Park, and its watershed. On November 4, the Amargosa Conservancy dedicated the Bill Christian Trail in his memory. The plaque at the trailhead reads in part: ‘Bill recognized the immense value of this region and inspired a generation of conservationists to follow in his footsteps. His legacy is measured in acres of land preserved, in the flow of water from the springs, and in the ripples that his work will cause for generations to come.’”
Karl Schonborn posted a picture on Facebook showing Karl and Leslie at the Todd Haimes Theatre in New York City (named after our own Burt Haimes’s cousin) joined by Dennis Mack and Robert Cohen. Finally, there was a bit of competition on the class listserv over who had sung in the most unique vocal performance. David Hawkins led off with “a choral piece by a contemporary Latvian composer.” Duane Campbell responded with having sung for “the Queen of Belgium, the King of Denmark, the chancellor of Germany, and two vice presidents.” But Chris Cooke won hands down with having sung “at the Mushers’ Banquet of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.” The competition remains open but beating Chris will be very tough.
We’ve had news of the loss of two classmates since the last notes. Jim Thiel notified me of Joel Eaton’s death: “Our NROTC classmate and my and Woody Knapp’s roommate during carrier qualifications died January 3, 2024.” And Heaton Robertson and John Schenck both informed me that Jonathan Wainwright died in East Hampton, New York, on November 21, 2024, after a battle with cancer. Their obituaries will be posted on the class website. Please visit the site and post remembrances.
By now, you should have your hotel room booked and your travel plans set for the 60th on May 22–25. I’m expecting us to set a 60th reunion attendance record. Stay warm and safe until then.