YAM Class Notes: May/June 2018
We fled February in Maryland for Mexico, and Maryland experienced the warmest February on record. Go figure. Donna and I had the pleasure of sharing a week of near-perfect Mexican weather with Bob and Mary Rounsavall, Perrin and Peggy Quarles, and Steve Rockmore. Meanwhile, back in Connecticut, Jeff Miller and Mike Hanson put on another successful class hockey dinner. Jeff reported: “Twenty-one classmates and guests enjoyed the class hockey dinner on February 24 at Mory’s, and Yale’s subsequent nail-biting 2–1 win over Harvard at Ingalls. The group was entertained at dinner by several numbers from the Spizzwinks and an informative pregame scouting report from cochair Mike Hanson. Classmates in attendance included Bergfeld, Buddenhagen, Crane, A. P. Draper, Tony Dunn’s widow Ellen, Hanson, Hoey, McPheters, J. C. Miller, Murck, Obernauer, Papernik, Schenck, and Tierney.” Mike Hanson commented: “Jeff has been the driving force behind these dinners for years. I had not been back to Ingalls Rink in almost ten years. It was really fun! And the walking path to the rink from Mory’s now passes Benjamin Franklin and Pauli Murray Colleges, beautiful additions to a campus that continues to improve and expand. And you cannot walk around in New Haven without being impressed by how much the city itself has improved—thanks largely to the leadership and vision of our classmate Bruce Alexander.”
I asked Jeff to take a look back at our record of class hockey dinner wins and he found the following: “Next year will be the 25th class hockey dinner. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but the class could be at least partly responsible for the Bulldogs’ outstanding record in hockey dinner games over this period. Since 1998 (records for 1995–1997 not being available), Yale is 13–6–2, and in the last ten years, playing Harvard exclusively, our boys are 8–1–1. How about that?”
Jeff also reported that the next round of class lunches included “April 10 in New Haven (Jeff and Bruce Alexander, cochairs); April 17 in Palm Beach (Peter Conze and Stan Trotman, cochairs); and May 2 in New York City (Burt Haimes, chair). Plans are also under way to hold events in New Jersey and Boston starting in June. A class-wide notice to supplement the regional invitations for these events is forthcoming. Lunch plans are under way for Boston, Connecticut, NYC, New Jersey, and Florida, with all hosts having been contacted. I may come up with a few more venues, including DC for sure.”
In news from Alaska, Chris Cooke reported: “In 2017 Alaska governor Walker appointed me to a five-year term on the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees. After confirmation by the Alaska legislature, I was elected vice-chair of the seven-member board. This unique trust, originating from the Alaska statehood legislation, owns approximately one million acres of land in Alaska and has over $600 million in assets. The trust is dedicated to implementing Alaska’s comprehensive mental health plan and improving mental health services for the trust’s beneficiaries.”
Brief notes: Jim DeAngelis reported snow in his French retreat of Paulhan, which is roughly due east of Marseilles: “a very unusual event for the region.” In other environmental news, David Hawkins was honored with the California Air Resources Board’s 2017 Haagen-Smit Legacy Awards, California’s premier award recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving air quality. Fred Roberts continues to expand his photographic program for young people: “My faculty and I are thrilled to inform you of the latest of many transformational outcomes for our students. We were recently informed that Gabo Espinoza, who received his introduction to photography in our 2014 workshop in Nicaragua, was named one of that country’s 12 best photographers by a national travel magazine.” Peter Cummings checked in from Santa Fe to let me know that his painting and sculpture website is up and running: swimmingtaco.com. Well worth a visit to see his work and check in with him.
Lee Lundy wrote: “My wife Nancy (widow of Peter Godfrey, Y’63) brought to my attention that Y’63 has a support network consisting of volunteers (class members, spouses, widows, etc.) to put those who are encountering health, financial, or other problems in touch, on a confidential basis, with classmates and family members who are experiencing or have experienced similar problems and are willing to talk about it in a supportive manner.” Bob Hammond has kindly taken on the task of exploring a similar network for our class.
I’m sorry to report we lost two classmates and one former classmate in January. Paul O’Gara passed away January 9 as a result of numerous complications from ALS. Paul is survived by his wife, Brenda, his son Jonathan, and his daughter Abigail and their families. Bob Trenkamp died in Skidaway Island, Georgia, on January 4, with his family by his side. Bob is survived by his wife Frances (Shar), his son Robert and daughter Hilary, and five grandsons. Obituaries are posted on the website. Lloyd Bowers, who began with us and graduated with ’66, died on January 19 while visiting friends in Palm Beach. Please visit the website and post remembrances.
Reminders: Portland/Coast of Maine mini-reunion October 2–5, 2018; class dinner October 26, 2018.