2020

September/October 2020

Leave it to our Yale Club luncheon host to make up for our inability to assemble and share good fellowship. Ken Liebman accomplished arecord zoom call with 17 eighty six year old participants that included,Bill Emery, Bud Prince, Burt Strauss, Don Falvey, Don Schutz, Ed Barlow,George Litton, Truman Bidwell, Jordan Cohen, Marv Berenblum,Pete Runnette, Bob Hoerle, Bob Shapiro, Steve Scher, Tersh Boasberg,and your writer. All shared five minutes of their Covid 19 altered lives amid the fascination of reading, walking, Netflix binging and sleeping.The call was administered with efficiency (all assembled in 15 minutes)which pleased everyone particularly after we heard that it took Tersh over an hourto accomplish the same task with his Harvard Law School class.With the news from New Haven that no in person events will be permittedon campus through the end of the year, our Class dinner has been canceled.I’ve always enjoyed this event, and continue to be proud that our class is The only one to celebrate on campus. Plans for our 65th reunion are still“up in the air”. Stay tuned.

Classmate George Michael Woloch reports he and his wife Mary had been under the prescribed Covid 19 lock down when he was forced to go to McGill University for two week treatment of three heart arteries. All is better now, and he’s back listening to his classical music and watching out for the appreciation of his gold stocks. Pete Runnette passed along a note of interest calling attention to the recently aired PBS documentary “Across the Pacific”.It took more than ten years to complete, and was funded primarily by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Pan Am Historical Foundation of which he is President. Anyone interested in viewing this great story and adventure, please let me know. Pete can provide links to each episode.

Both Tim Shera and George Unhoch responded affirmatively to Russell Broad’s commentary in the May/June Class Notes on his unfavorable opinion of what he characterized as the liberal swing of the university.An impassioned memorial to Roger Englander our Music Master was received from John Burke Y72 President of Yale Whiffenpoof Alumni. “It is with great sadness that I relate the passing of Roger William Englander, who died peacefully on Saturday May 30. Despite my being a fellow Spizzwink and Yale Glee Club alumnus, I did not get to know Roger until the mid 80swhen I joined the University Glee Club of New York

—-and my introduction was not to Englander the person but Englander thevoice! He was every choral conductor’s dream first tenor: clear, beautifully lyrical, and, despite being a yodeler, the consummate gentleman. We became life-long friends, small grouped together, won quartet contests together, reuned together, and, well, did all the things we expect of Yalies who love to sing. How delightful it was to have him elected to the ’57 Wiffenpoofs shortly after he sangas their 50th reunion guest—it was truly one of the great moments of his life. Themagic of Roger’s singing will be with me always,” This email along with an email from Jim Kingsbury that includes a recording of John singing a glee club rendition of Shubert’s Nachtthelle has been filed with our class web site in memoriam

Paul William Hodge passed away November 10, 2019. After earning a PhD in Astronomy from Harvard, he came back West as a Post-doctorate Fellow at The Mt. Wilson and Palomar Observatories before joining the Astronomy Department at the University of California, Berkeley. A mountaineer, Paul scaled Glacier Peak among other mountains in the Cascades and authored several guidebooks on trails in the Pacific Northwest. His is survived by Ann, his wife of 57 years, three children,nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. I received a poignant letter that included a short obituary from the widow of Bill Moebius who died on April 22in Dallas, Texas. Bill spent much of his career with Scientific Design in New York City and then with Coastal Corporation in Houston, Texas. He traveled extensively for both companies. Bill is survived by his wife Ann, two children and five grandchildren.

Fred Titsworth passed away peacefully June 15 at his home in Northborough MA.After graduating from Yale with a degree in engineering he served as a US Naval Radar Fight Engineer. An MBA from Northeastern University led to a career as a software engineering manager at General Electric and Raytheon. His wife Janet preceded him in 2017. Fred is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.

1956 Class notes July/August 2020

Our congratulations to Jim Kingsbury who was the recipient of the Yale Glee Club Medal of Honor in April. This important award is only given out every two or three years, and they picked a special classmate with a gifted voice. I received fascinating correspondencefrom George Woloch who picked up on my tango craze of a few years past. Evidently George retired as a full professor of classic sand history at McGill University in 1996. After his first trip to Chile tracking down an improbable investment in gold mining companies,George made three more trips, took up Spanish, and crossed over the Argentinian border to discover the melodious intrigue of the tango. While he still invests in gold stocks, the benefit of his learning Spanish has evolved to a love of the tango, its three part dance, music and words, la letra.Back in Montreal he completed a tutorial on the words of the tango,and is spending much time as he nears his 85th birthday engrossed in listening to his many records. What fun for me to share a musical and mutual appreciation!

We have lost four more classmates. Dr. Shaun Ruddy died April 3in Richmond Virginia. Shaun served on the faculty at Harvard and VCU where he was Chair of the Division of the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. Much admired by his patients and respected by his colleagues, he received multiple awards for outstanding teaching and research throughout his career. He was an eternally optimistic sailor, and a lifelong lover of music of all types.In fact he was an accomplished jazz clarinetist and saxophonist who played in many musical groups throughout his life. A lover of dogs,particularly golden retrievers, of which he bred many litters, he was affectionally known as a “Puppy Resuscitator”, having saved many puppies at birth. Quick-witted, kind hearted, intellectually curious and engaging, he was beloved by all. He is survived by his wife of sixty years Millicent, two daughters and three grandchildren.

Michael Fahy died February 25 at home in Central City Pa.And is survived by his wife of thirty seven years Judy, two children,one granddaughter and two grand dogs. A retired Bethlehem Steel Superintendent and owner/operator of Data Systems Associate, he enjoyed listening to country music, watching the Steelers and spending time with family and friends.Stephen Waters died at his home in Deering New Hampshire April 5 after a long illness related to my elofibrosis.Steve enjoyed a rich teaching career including 21 years as headmaster of St. Andrew’s School in Barrington RI. The school was founded in 1893 to serve dis advantaged Boys. During his tenure, he introduced programs to help kids with learning disabilities and introduced co-education. From1992 to 1997 he served as headmaster of the Charles ArmstrongSchool in Belmont CA, a school for the dyslexic learner. Steve’s“whole child” approach added arts and physical education to thecurriculum. Back east, he settled in Deering NH where he was honored to become Citizen of the Year in 2007. An accomplishedpianist and downhill skier, Steve was a gifted writer and public speakerwith featured editorials in the Concord Monitor. In fact he wrote aself study the summer before he died that was forwarded to me byErnst Schoen-Rene Yale 1959. I have passed this fascinating pieceof writing to our webmaster Bill Rees and you can read it on ourWebsite at www.yale-56. Steve is survived by his wife of 54 yearsJane, one son and three grandchildren. His daughter CarolynPreceded him dying in a horrible auto crash.

The email from Scotland reported “it seems I’m on my way out”written by Hugh Magee who passed away April 24 withhis wife Yvonne at his bedside. A peripatetic life in andout of the clergy, Hugh married a fellow student engagedin the Course of Miracles being offered by The Community MiraclesCenter of San Francisco. Since that time Hugh, along with Yvonnedevoted his entire ministry to promote the Course teachings,Notably at St. James Church in Cashmere, Washington, where he servedas Vicar from 1991-2003. Later he and Yvonne moved to Scotlandwhere he was able to resume his ministry at the Cathedral in Dundee.Yet, despite a lifetime of loyalty to what he terms the Christian myth,he concluded that with the coming of the Course, Christianity willbecome virtually obsolete which became the focus of his retirement.Hugh worked to put in place the John Magee Memorial Fund to helpendow the chaplaincy at the Episcopal Church at Yale where he hasurged his many friends to make a memorial contribution.I am now heading to the hospital for my second hip replacement.

1956 Class Notes May/June 2020

Let’s begin with an update on two of our class initiatives.First The Class of 1956 Memorial Scholarship Fund. I wasnotified that Abigail Hopkins, the grandniece of deceasedClassmate James Moore, was selected for this yearly tribute.This is the 12th straight year the award was given to a descendantof our class. Abigail, a senior, is a psychology major who intendsto earn a master’s degree in public health. She writes: “Thank youso much for granting me this ability to be in this incredible place.I have learned to grow and think and laugh and learn”. The yearlyfund award is now up to $14,448. Contributions honoring the lifeof fellow classmates are still encouraged. The Boston, New Yorkand Washington committees judging thirteen applications for theDavenport Fellowship have rendered their selection of three winners.They include Babak Badley who wants to study the roots of Persianpoetry in Iran; Sarah Gannett who wants to study and write aboutKay Ryan’s journal; Noah Parnes an aspiring actor who wants to explorethe techniques necessary to learn the art of drag. All will attend ourclass dinner next year to report on their accomplishments.

Bill Dickinson, while reporting in with two hip replacements, sentalong the sad news that yet another of his roommates William “Bill”J. Adams passed away February 6 in Memphis TN. After a stellarcareer in grain merchandizing, Bill settled down in Memphis where heserved on the advisory board of the Art Academy. He is survived byhis widow Sylvia, three children, eleven grandchildren and fourgreat grandchildren. David Parker Clovis died in Parkersburg WVDecember 23. David practiced law in West Virginia for 34 years.He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Katherine, two daughtersand two granddaughters. David Alwin Schetter died January 26in Ridgefield CT. He combined a 36 year career with General Electricalong with a passion for the stagecraft of live theater, mostrecently with the Westport Community Theater. His wife Nancypredeceased him, and he is survived by three children. Russ Miller,while enjoying retirement, attending the Cleveland Orchestraconcerts and being the oldest active member of the Yale AlumniAssociation of Cleveland passed along the sad news of the deathof Livingston Hunter (Terry) Ulf on January 6 in Cleveland HeightsOhio. Terry devoted much of his time in his adult years to ClevelandSeamen’s Service Inc, a nonprofit group formed to welcome andassist seamen from visiting ships. Loving all things musical, he wasan accomplished pianist and also played the accordion. Thanks tothe prodding of Don Erickson, I was able to unearth the obituary of Richard Helmstader who passed away February 23, 2012. For somereason neither Yale or your class secretary had been informed of hispassing. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Dick helped to make theUniversity of Toronto one of the top universities in North Americafor Victorian Studies. His undergraduate classes attracted hundredsof students, and as a doctoral supervisor, he was in constant demand.Nonetheless he found time for major administrative roles; he servedone term each as Acting Chair of the History Department and asGraduate Coordinator. Notably, he emerged from each position stillliked and respected by his colleagues, who often praised his fairnessand good judgement. At the same time, he was an active scholar ofReligious nonconformity. Dick was viewed as a rarity in academia—a gentleman an a scholar for his ethics and dedication and for hisformidable intellect. My apologies to his family and friends for thedelayed report. Communications of every variety have been received.

From H.Warner (Tex) Merritt Jr a four page recollection from Mobile Alabama of his undergraduate years, his roommates, and his prodigious travel, and ending with his expressed fear from entering early stages of dementia. If any of his many friends feels so disposed, a brief communication to his address at 136 General Bullard Avenue Mobile AL 36608 would be received with appreciation. From Cornelius J. Van Cott…our DNA came up with a home run: effective January our daughter Elizabeth was promoted to Professor of Hematology at Harvard Medical School/Mass General. If any classmate needs good blood work, tell her I sent you and give her our best regards. From Russell Broad Jr.“ 2019 was A difficult year for me with the loss in March of my best friend Steve Waters. He and I attended Mount Hermon School so we had been friends for over 70 years. I was disgusted to hear that Yale had invited Angela Davis, an avowed communist, to speak on campus. I cannot believe How far to the left our former great institution has moved. This follows the“Halloween Disaster” and the renaming of Calhoun College. Why single out Calhoun when Eli Yale dealt with slaves from India as did many other leaders of our republic. Are any other classmate sconcerned about the radical direction of Yale? From Arnie Kaplan “Our latest YAM notes are sad tributes to our thinning numbers.On a different note, I’m happy to report that I continue my psychiatricpractice half time and I’ve never been happier with my professional life.Warm and wonderful memories of our 4 years still swim in my mind.Finally from Dave O’Brasky “Twenty odd years ago we left Connecticutfor Skidaway island in Georgia And moved from there In 2014 to Bluffton SC…until August of last year when we drove 2,000 miles to Peoria Arizona…where we are now ensconced in Casita 27 Morning Star Senior Living….Alert to any 56ers…call.

1956 Class Notes March/April 2020

I know we are in the new year, but since this is the first time I’vehad to comment on the activities of the Harvard weekend, I willassume editorial privilege. Our dinner was exceptional thanks to thehard work of Ray Foote. We had 25 classmates show up for thefestivities including Banks,Barlow,Bissell, Boasberg, Braun, Cook,Don, Foote, Gates, Gossels, Kiesel, Kingsbury, Mason, McNay, Miller,Poorvu, Prince, Rees, Rindlaub, Silliman and Strauss. We were honoredby the presence of Lucy Ambach, Gordon’s widow. Dare I not forget tomention the appearance of Messrs Emery and Runnette at our Mory’sparty the night before the dinner. A special thanks to all for making thetrip and supporting the only Yale class that celebrates yearly at this time.The football game was one of the more exciting H/Y matches including astudent climate change protest that occupied the field for an hour after halftime. Both the protest and the police handling of student participantswere accomplished with aplomb, though I must admit the having the sensationof being on the deck of the Titanic while the Yale band was serenading us duringthe police action and the announcer pleading over the loudspeaker to “pleaseget off the field”. However it was so dark by the time of the last tackle, I couldbarely see the field. Bottom line we won.

The response to my question about joint replacement surgery drew wide andhumorous reports. Here are some samples. Jim Don“I may well have the record for thegreatest number of new joints among our classmates: seven in all two ankles, two knees,two shoulders, and one hip”. Charlie Cook two hips, David Slavitt two hips, George Littonone knee, but in no hurry to have the other one replaced since hospital stays carry risksof not being able to get a martini at 5pm.. Larry Hewes 12 joint ops including 4 Knee ops & fake hip.Eric Moore one hip, Burt Strauss two hips, Tersh Boasberg two knees one hip, Hutch Liebeweinone hip, Ed McGowan one hip, but in closing he suggested a neologism to fit our proceduresand its results—“Quadribionic” and its variants, uni-, bi- or tri.. He further suggested a new classmotto “Hip,hip Hurrah”.

Shout-outs to classmen. John Eaton who was featured in a “Washington Post”Article on the eve of his 30th anniversary concert at the Barns of Wolf Trap..JoeMcNay who has a Café named after him at Evans Hall in the Yale SOM.I was pleased to have been invited to the opening of the McNay Café,and I encourage you to visit same on your next trip to New Haven. PeterBraun who wrote to me about his personal roots trip to the Austrian village ofMarktPiesting and spoke at the dedication of a Riverwalk to the memory of hispaternal Grandfather Jakob who had practiced medicine in the communityand was a civic Leader in so many areas. In addition, Peter has writtenan absolutely fascinating account of his life from 1938 to the present.Bill Rees has filed Peter’s essay on our website www.yale-56.org.Well worth reading. As you may have suspected there have been moredeaths of classmates. Lee Murch passed away June 26, at Togus VAMedical Center in Chelsea CA. Lee engaged in different lines of workthroughout his life ,but his lifelong passion was books and literature. He issurvived by his brother Thomas. Bill Colville died November 30in Hyannis MA. A graduate of Columbia Law School. Bill’s career included legaland executive positions at Upjohn, Vecta, Chase Brass and Copper and Owens,Corning. He was an avid gardener, aspiring lobster man and competitive thirdbaseman and paddle tennis player. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Kathleen,three children and five Grandchildren. John McCrosky passed away in New YorkSeptember 4 after a long illness. At Yale, he was an esteemed memberof Book and Snake senior society and after graduation enjoyeda distinguished career in advertising.He is survived by his wife Corinne Samios. Courtesy of BillBourke, I was informed of the death of Dudley George Kebow known as Duke.He attended Stanford Business School, and was later employed for several yearsas Controller of The Deutsche Company. He later purchased from his fathera small producer of pepper mills , Mister Dudley, moved to ahome right smack on the rocks of the Pacific Shore in Carlsbad, and grewthe business successfully. His wife Sheila died just a couple of weeks before Duke.Terrance Tennant died September 21 in Morro Bay CA. After graduation hemoved west to Cal Tech where he received a master’s degree, and accepted hisfirst job as a mechanical and aerospace engineer at General Dynamics in Pomona.Next he taught engineering at Cal Poly where he became program managerfor its new engineering building and later retired after ten fulfilling years,and built a home in Morro Bay. He is survived by His wife Sherie, four childrenand three grandchildren. Peter Bull died on October 29 in SanFrancisco. I refer you to his essay in our 50th Reunion class-book“Juvenile Justice in the City That Knows How” to recall his life pattern.He dedicated much of his career to doing pro bono work fortroubled young people, joined a public interest law firm the Youth Law Center and was instrumental in starting Coleman Advocates for Children. He is survived by his wife Elaine and two children.I close with a suggestion for my readers. Considering that we are fastapproaching our 65threunion, a review of our 50th reunion bookwould be an entertaining prologue. The YAA has extra copiesshould you need one.

January/February 2020

The significant earthly footsteps of 8 more classmatesended at the yearend close of 2019.Bill Reeves passed away September 16 after a period ofof declining health. Religion was alwaysan important part of Bill’s life. As an ordained Episcopalpriest, he ministered to many diverse congregations overthe course of his professional career. In Richmond, Billserved as both a lay priest and interim rector at numerousEpiscopal churches including All Saints and St. John’swhere his great-grandfather, William Fitzhugh Lee, hadalso served as Rector in the 1800’s. In retirement, Billenjoyed travelling to see family and friends, counselingand sailing with those in need of spiritual guidance.He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jane,three children and three grandchildren. Alan Marshall diedpeacefully in his sleep September 6. A stalwart memberof Calhoun College and a golfer of some merit, who took me totask many times on the Yale Golf Course that he consideredhis favorite layout, always bringing him to his knees despitethe fact that he loved the challenge. Michiganwas where he spent most of his life. Often travelling to the woods ofWisconsin visiting his extended family where his ashes are now lie in state.Alan is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorie, two childrenand two grandchildren. John Pearcedied October 14 at Hughes Home in Fredericksburg Va.His career in historic preservation, included posts at TheSmithsonian, the National Museum of American Historyand Curator of Properties for the National Trust forHistoric Preservation Later he served as the StateHistoric Preservation Officer for Maryland, and AssociateProfessor of Urban Planning and American Civilizationat George Washington University. After a four year stintas Director of Planning and Programs at the James MonroeMuseum, he became the Museum Director before retiringin 2010. John was predeceased by his wife Loraine and issurvived by two children and four grandchildren. BrianDavis passed away passed away September 25 in Louisville Ky.During his career in Louisville, Brian spent18 years in thechemical coatings sector, 4 years in retail investment sales,before moving on to business strategyconsultation with clients ranging from small start-ups topublicly held corporations. His love for Phillips Exeter Academycontinued throughout his life and in his later years he becameClass Correspondent and later Class President. Brian is survivedby his wife of 33 years, Bobbi, and five children and five grandchildren.

Schuyler Carl Wells III passed away September 20 in Denver CO.After serving in the Navy, Carl worked for Bausch and Lomb beforemoving to Denver with Cigna. He volunteered at The Rocky MountainStroke Association St. Francis Center, Church of the Ascension, and St GabrielEpiscopal Church. During his retirement he developed a passion forbirding/ wildlife watching. That inspired him to volunteer at Bluff NatureCenter where he led school children on nature tours. Carl is survivedby his wife Allie, three children, nine grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. Andre F. LeRoy passed away August 29 in WheatonMaryland. His work for the Public Health Service was monumental,including testing soil and water for radiation contamination, as well asmany years of research at the NIH with a focus on metabolism ofanticancer drugs. Even after retirement, he became an independent consultantevaluating experimental data for a range of pharmaceutical products,in support of applications for regulatory approval from the Foodand Drug Administration. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Dee.Anne Kister reported the death of her father William Kister October 14at his son’s home in Hillsboro Oregon. Bill worked initially as a chemicalengineer and then as a manager at Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporationfor 30 years. Prior to retiring in 1997, Bill served as a consultant in thealuminum smelting industry, traveling widely. Married originally to MaryLou Bishop, Bill lived in Spokane WA where he welcomed four children into his family.In later life he married Cora Duthie living first in Ghana, Africa before movingto the Village of Brickhill in England where he lived for 30 years. He is survivedby his first wife, four children and two great grandchildren.

Marya Bradley Yale ’87 reported the death of her father Thompson Bradleyat his home in Rose Valley PA after a long illness. His obituary, as published bySwarthmore College, where Tom taught for over 40 years is one of the mostcompelling briefs in honor of one of its most passionate, influential andbeloved faculty members I have ever read. I will happily share it with anyClassmate who might be interested. After graduating from Yale with a RussianLanguage BA, Tom was drafted into the army where after basic training he workedmilitary intelligence. Tom earned an MA in Slavic Languages and literature fromColumbia University. He then spent a year in Moscow as one of 35 AmericanScholars on a cultural exchange. Working in the Lenin Library and the GorkyInstitute of World Literature, he witnessed the downgrading of Stalinism andbefriended members of the dissident movement. He joined Swarthmore’sfaculty in 1962 as an instructor in Russian, connecting with an earlier generationof scholars in the Modern Language Literatures Department who had been displacedby World War II and other major conflicts and had emigrated to the U.S.His Swarthmore obit closes “Although it has been several years since Tom’sever-present black beret and red scarf clad figure was seen striding acrosscampus, his example of advocating for peace and social justice throughrational thought, open dialogue, integrity, and solidarity with societiesless fortunate, lives on in his many students and colleagues”