YAM Class Notes: November/December 2020
By John M.PinneyUsually this time of year, in addition to commenting on the weather, I write about what classmates reported doing in the summer, and upcoming events like our annual class dinner. Needless to say this year is different, and while I know things will eventually get better, I’m really ready for the “old normal.” Happily, we live in an area where exposure and death rates are extremely low, and people (including tourists) are complying with masks and social distancing.
On the subject of upcoming events, hopefully everyone who wanted to join the Zoom gathering held on October 30 in lieu of the class dinner was able to do so. Our rescheduled 55th reunion is still up in the air as Yale continues to work on plans for the spring. It’s likely that we’ll have either a hybrid live and remote gathering, or fully remote. Our reunion team of David Roscoe, Bob Leich, and Carl Farrington will be working through ideas for both possibilities. Despite the challenges and disruptions surrounding the 55th, Stan Trotman and Mel Shaftel, our class gift leaders, reported: “After an extraordinary year, we are delighted to announce that our class has raised $7,591,743 for the 55th reunion.”
I apologize for any confusion about the 55th class book Our Stories (Continued). When I wrote the July/August notes, delivery was imminent, but due to unforeseen complications, it was delayed. The reviews have been excellent, and Ralph Protsik and John Schenck deserve another round of applause and appreciation for an outstanding job under difficult circumstances. The other publishing milestone worthy of note is Bob Woodward’s Rage, his 13th bestselling nonfiction work.
Other notables from our class family include Chris Cooke’s wife, Georgianna. Chris notes: “Happy and proud to share that my better half, Georgianna, was selected as one of Alaska’s 10 Women of the Century by USA Today!” And in August, the YAA heralded the news, under the headline “Trailblazers, groundbreakers, and difference-makers honored with 2020 Yale Medal,” that Bruce Alexander was awarded the Yale Medal. The article went on to state: “He was instrumental in the renaissance of New Haven, the purchase and redevelopment of commercial properties adjacent to campus, and in strengthening town-gown relations by building effective community partnerships.”
In other news, Landon (Bunky) Carter reported from New Zealand in August: “After 102 days of blissful normal, with no cases of COVID-19, we are now in level-2 lockdown for about seven more days.” He has launched a second Integrating Transformation Technologies master class; inquiries via email.
We have lost several classmates in the past several months. Jim (Shamus) Weber, who started in Y’63 and graduated with our class, died of COVID-19 on April 1, and Copley Crosby died on August 17 at his home in San Francisco. We lost Randy Totten on July 22 after a long struggle with congestive heart failure. I watched the very touching livestream service for Randy. And David Hawkins wrote on September 25: “I am sad to report that our classmate and fellow Whiff, Dan ‘Anita Ek’ Bergfeld, passed away today at his home in Florida. His beloved wife Holly was at his side. Dan suffered a recurrence of cancer late last year and today it took him.” Visit our Yale1965.org website to view obituaries and post remembrances.
As winter approaches and the pandemic persists, please stay safe and send me good news items.