2006

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2006

Post-reunion random notes from all over. My thanks to the following, and to others waiting in the wings, for contacting me and for their patience.

Roger Daniels continues his internal medicine practice in center city Philadelphia, happily married, with two sons, three stepchildren, and two grandchildren.

David Shayne also is still practicing- estate planning with Holland and Knight- while dedicating significant time to his pro bono work for the elderly and unaccompanied child refugees in the Chicago area. (Don’t you love the dual meanings of “practicing”?)

Supposedly retired, Gordon Turnbull helped to finish the statue of Torosaurus, erected near the Peabody in New Haven and is completing the 1/3 size model. He and Marlene completed a seven concert tour of Northern Italy with Con Brio, and Gordon continues to play (string) bass in the New Haven Civic Orchestra.

A brief note from Werner Gossels reports that he is “working-playing tennis and softball, bicycling, enjoying family activities, and traveling, most recently on an AYA Great Lakes cruise.” Some years ago Werner established the Werner F. Gossels Scholarship Fund at Yale. The two most recent beneficiaries of Werner’s generosity reflect Yale’s exciting global outreach: One was born in Russia and now lives in Amherst, MA, and the other was born in Kingston, Jamaica and now resides in the Bronx.

Sheldon Jaffe writes: ” I think it is appropriate to check in once every 15 years or so. Anything more smacks of ostentation.” If you heed Sheldon’s advice, I’m out of business. Sheldon is still practicing (that word again) securities law in Los Angeles, representing individuals in the dot.com bust and “miscellaneous scandals arising therefrom.” Rebecca Jaffe, Yale ’02, spent two years with the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan- a fascinating country which I visited with our daughter a few years ago. Son Seth and Sheldon enjoyed fishing for Arctic Char in Northern Quebec but could have done without the bugs and cold.

Terry Molloy is Professor of urology and Vice-Chair of the urology section at Penn. Terry has been very helpful to a number of classmates facing prostate issues.

Sumner Katz finally retired in 2005 and moved into a Maryland retirement community, one offering plenty of activities and populated with nice people. He does inquire:” Can anyone tell me how to get a wife to retire?”

Nick Steiner e-mailed me many months ago with a wonderful story: Jennifer Steiner used to tell Nick about her good friend, Corinne, whom Nick finally met in the company of Corinne’s new husband, whom Nick did not know, even though they were classmates in Saybrook 50 years ago and both roomed with Whiffs. The classmate? John McCrosky. Nick trained with one of those Whiffs-Ernie Richards- at St.Lukes Hospital in New York.

Bill Hinkes retired in 2000 after 30 years as Finance Officer of the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, N.J. For the past ten years, Bill was President and CEO of a church liability insurance company, established in the 80’s, “anticipating some potential problem with sexual abuse-little did we know!” Bill and family moved to their farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where they raise beef cattle, sheep, and hogs. They fatten the animals over the summer, sell them in November, and travel in the winter.

I am sure that those of you who had the pleasure of spending time with Ted Bilkey at the reunion were as shocked and saddened as I was to learn of his sudden death on July 14th. Ted’s unusual and fascinating career included over 30 years in the shipping and terminal business, culminating with his position as Executive Director of the Dubai Ports Authority and Jebel Ali Free Zone from 1989 to 2003, then COO of DP World in Dubai until June 2006. Ted’s compelling and courageous defense of the U.S.-Dubai Port deal was overwhelmed by Washington politics. A resident of Sun Valley, Idaho, when not working in the Persian Gulf, Ted was an accomplished ocean navigator who raced sail boats to Bermuda and England, as well as off both U.S. coasts. Ted is survived by four children, eight grandchildren, and his wife, Susan, who can be reached at P.O. Box 2760, Sun Valley, ID 83353.

David O’Brasky and Sanford Stark, Yale ’88, kindly advised me of Steve Stark’s death on June 14th. Steve spent 40 years as a financial advisor with various firms, including L.F. Rothschild and Dain Rauscher. Sanford reports that Steve was “a frequent visitor to the Yale Bowl…and, in fact, a CD of Yale songs provided fitting background music at his funeral, courtesy of his freshman roommate, David O’Brasky” who spoke at the funeral with a reference to Bright College Years. Steve and Joan, who lives at 196 East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021, were married for 48 years. The family includes three children and nine grandchildren.

Fred Frese died on July 25th after a long battle with cancer. A resident of Akron, Fred retired from Bridgestone/Firestone in 1985, after 25 years service, then started his own CPA firm, later joining another firm in 1992.He retired for good in 2005. Fred’s wife, Pat, may be reached at 3092 Morewood Road, Fairlawn, OH 44333. Fred also is survived by two children, three step-daughters, and six grandchildren.

In my last column, I reported on the death of John Oates. His wife, Rosemary, wrote me a very thoughtful letter which contained news of John’s extensive Yale connections, including Rosemary herself, MA ’56, a son, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and two brothers! Rosemary reported that Charlie Cook and Bill Reeves attended John’s memorial service.

I am out of space…Stay tuned for news of Douglas Smith, Howard Parker, Peter Sullivan…and you? Please let me hear from you.

SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2006

Additional news about the 50th: Total attendance was 337 classmates (significantly higher than the 50th reunion average) plus 283 spouses, widows and significant guests, for a total of 620. The class gift total at this moment-and still counting- is close to $45 million from 76% of the class. The 1956 Memorial Scholarship, celebrating the lives of our deceased classmates, is fully funded at $100 000, and 48 classmates have contributed and pledged toward the Warren and Lilly Zimmermann Memorial Scholarship. Combined with the gifts from others, including Lilly Zimmermann Metcalf’s Yale cohorts, that total is $175 000.

Our roving reporter, Tersh Boasberg, was saluted by John Eaton during the latter’s concert as one of the three most famous sons of Buffalo, New York, along with Harold Arlen and Millard Fillmore. Tersh reported on his conversations with three classmates who returned for their first class reunion- Park Teter, John Stephenson, and Bill Lovejoy. They, like those first-timers with whom I spoke, said they had a wonderful time. As Tersh commented, there were various acts of thoughtful kindness for this celebration. John and Jane Fitzgibbon were determined to return for the reunion, even though John is confined to a wheel chair, suffering from Parkinson’s. Kim Chace, our ever so generous benefactor, sent a plane to pick up the courageous and determined Fitz and others, bringing them to New Haven, where Jane and John stayed with Joanne and Bill Rees. Roger Hollander and Phyllis and Milt Gaines joined the Rees’s in escorting John.

Jim Downey’s daughter, Kim, flew through the storms from Milwaukee with her four small children so that they could hear their grandfather and the other Whiffs sing for the first time.

On a sadder note, a number of us have been receiving reports on Irwin Miller’s valiant battle with cancer. Irv recently started a second round of experimental treatments, which made a trip to New Haven impossible, a result which saddened him and his equally strong spouse, Judy. They sent their best wishes and expect to join us for the 55th.

Others who were able to come took the long, overland route. Gib and Camilla Durfee hosted Ruth and Don Gordon, who drove from Denver, stopping en route to New Haven at the Kennedy Center in Washington to sing with the National Festival Chorus and Orchestra.

Among the many events over the weekend was the dedication of the McNay Family Sailing Center, a “ state of the art sailing facility and home to the Yale varsity sailing teams” which was the gift of Joe McNay and his family. Joe’s son Stuart, Yale ’05, led his team to the 2003 NCAA Championship Regatta. Andrew McNay is a member of the class of 2007. An appropriate way to wrap up the reunion coverage, one which falls into the “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” category: Bud Prince, who has been our outstanding reunion guru for 25 years, has a daughter, Julie, who is not only Chair of Alumni Fund agents for the class of 1994 and recently elected to the Alumni Fund Board, but also is actively involved in planning 1994’s…reunions!

Reflecting on the intellectual programs at the reunion and the stimulating participation of so many classmates is a good lead in to a report on the achievements of some of our numerous authors and scholars. A major article in The Washington Post confirmed the retirement of Lew Lapham as the Editor of Harpers. In a subsequent phone conversation, Lew confirmed that he is not going away quietly; he is raising money to start the Lapham Newsletter. Two class authors recently received rave reviews in The New York Times Sunday Book Review: Fred Brown’s best seller, Flaubert: A Biography, also was acclaimed in the daily Times and in The Wall Street Journal. Don Velsey and his co-author of Classic American Popular Song are described in the Times as “critics of estimable clarity and candor, wit and heart.” Bill Rees has supplied me with news of two other class authors. Louis Rukeyser calls Fred Buggie “a talented guru” in his review of Fred’s New Product Development Strategies. Jerry Linderman received the Forrest Pogue Prize in 1996 for The World Within War: American Soldiers’ Experience in World War II- a timely subject.

I have received word of Donald Vogler’s death on December 4th 2004. Neither my records nor our new yearbook provide any data on his life. If any of you have any information, please let me know.

My recent report on Doug White’s death contains misinformation provided to me. With my apologies I want to correct it and report that at his death Doug was accompanied by his long-time companion, Marcia Brynwood, as well as previously reported his daughter, Heather. I am grateful to Bob Hirsh for the correction.

Another correction, this time of the entry in the Yearbook introducing Nikki Barranger’s poetry piece: Nikki was a good friend and sometimes legal counsel to Walker Percy but NOT the executor of his estate.

JULY-AUGUST 2006

“This is my first class reunion. I am so glad I came; it is such a rewarding experience”, said one of several first timers. Another classmate commented: “This is a very special class. Under this tent there is such camaraderie. Everyone is so interested in, and supportive of everyone else. There is a unique feeling here.” A spouse observed: “We sat down at dinner Friday night. We didn’t know any of the people. We had a terrific dinner, and, by the end, we agreed that they were the nicest people we had met in a long time.” These comments summarize the feelings shared by 620 guests, including 337 classmates, representing 50% of our class at our glorious 50th.

The up side of the downpour was that we spent many hours in our Branford tent, sharing feelings, experiences, and hopes for the future. About 100 of us organized and were active participants in the events. At our class dinner, so ably mc’d by Ed Barlow, I thanked many of them. However, as the acoustics in Commons are horrendous, I want to again recognize: Kim Chace for his generosity in underwriting the cost of the yearbook and for providing the funds that enabled twelve classmates to return; Ted Robb, our class Treasurer, who skillfully raised $138 000 to help underwrite reunion costs; Jack Silliman, Angus Wurtele, and Joe McNay led the class gift effort which yielded an astonishing $ 44 million plus, raised from the smallest Yale class since World War II; Ben Scotch and Henry Cooper for producing the most interesting and entertaining yearbook imaginable, described by one classmate as “a monument to be treasured for the rest of my life”; Bill Rees, who in six short months organized a comprehensive and stunning class authors’ exhibit in Sterling Library, “Comment and Commitment”, which is accompanied by a beautiful catalogue.

Our reunion planning committee, headed by Bud Prince, pulled off another miracle. To illustrate Bud’s ingenuity: After the Friday night ’56 Whiff concert in the over-flowing Branford living room, the Fire Marshall threatened to close down our reunion if we repeated that violation. By the Saturday night festivities, Bud, with the help of the marvelously helpful AYA staff, had re-located us into the University Theater.

On the subject of concerts, we were not only blessed with our Whiffs but also a wonderful class chorus, organized by Roger Englander and directed by Fenno Heath. Of course, John Eaton soared on the biggest Steinway I have ever seen, the only one, reports John, that has a special smoking section. John, introduced by Acting Dean of the Music School Thomas Duffy, performed in Sprague Hall and never was better

Our children were represented by the daughter of Toni and Ken Liebman, Wendy, an outrageously funny professional comedienne, who reported: “My parents still have sex; they want more grandchildren.”

The seminars and tours organized by Yale were excellent. Those organized by our classmates- Tersh Boasberg, Jordie Cohen, and Bill Poorvu, were outstanding, thanks to a great extent to the informative presentations of our classmates on the panels and in the audiences.

We also celebrated the gifts and memories of the 188 classmates who have died since graduation at a beautiful, touching memorial service, organized by Dick Eckart, with the participation of seven other classmates and of Mary Lee Jamieson, who headed up our widows’ committee. We were joined at the reunion by a significant number of surviving spouses, and we are grateful for Mary Lee’s leadership. At the memorial service, she read: “As long as we live, they too shall live; for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.”

I could go on forever and apologize to all whom I should have mentioned and didn’t. A final request: If you have photographs from the reunion, please send them, labeled to identify the subjects, to George Berman, 22066 Las Brisas Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33433. george56@aya.yale.edu.

To those who couldn’t attend the reunion: We missed you. To those who came: Thank you. FRIENDSHIP DOES…last, that is.

MAY/JUNE 2006

Classmates in the news: I woke up to “Morning Edition” in February to the voice of Ted Bilkey, the COO of the Dubai port company, DPWorld, as he began his round of congressional testimony on the takeover of the British firm managing a group of east coast ports. In a subsequent phone conversation, Ted demonstrated that his sense of humor is intact, while making some interesting observations on the executive and legislative branches of our government and on the joys of the retirement in Sun Valley that he had abandoned. He also expressed his concern for the future of our relations with our moderate allies in the Middle East. If not still appearing before Congress on June 1st, Ted will be in New Haven.

The word from the north woods of Vermont is the report that Ben Scotch has received the Secretary of State’s Enduring Democracy Award, recognizing “a strong commitment to promoting the tenets of democracy.” From the west coast comes the news that Mike Marron has been recognized by the Bar Association of San Francisco for outstanding service as Chair of the Fee Dispute Executive Committee. In addition to practicing civil and appellate law, Mike was a state deputy attorney general and has been active in alternative dispute resolution. He was elected by his peers as a “Super Lawyer” and one of “the best lawyers in America.” His pop and jazz singing group, “Ross Commons” is still going strong. Ted Robb received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Lincoln University, where Ted has been a trustee for many years .The award citation included a reference to the “I Have a Dream” class which our class supports. Ted arranged for that group to visit Lincoln as part of its college orientation process. Congratulations also to Don Velsey, co-author of “American Popular Song-the Second Half Century”, which discusses over 1100 songs, describing what makes a popular song- “a critical and socio-historical study.”

Herewith some excerpts from Charlie Cook’s excellent report on the fall AYA assembly, which “focused on what Yale does to help prepare its students for life after Yale.” Also attending, representing their regions, were Michael Carey, Andy Euston, and Bob Kiesel. Stephen Scher was there as an AYA board member. Although our grads have little difficulty finding jobs and Yale offers a lot of support, many must make unfortunate career decisions in order to pay off their large student loans. On the second day of the assembly, Jeff Brenzel, the new Admissions Dean, discussed the difficulty in selecting 1800 students from a pool of 20 000 applicants. The rate of admission for legacies is 2 1/2 times better than for other applicants, but 75% of them are turned away. In his concluding remarks, President Levin said: “Endowment ratifies what we are. New gifts allow us to grow and innovate so that we will be a university of tomorrow, not a university of today.”

Quiz: What do Ted Wilkinson, Carl Morse, and Tim Shera have in common? They were the winners of the class fellowship competition, selected by a group of young Davenport fellowship winners. At the reunion you will hear them discuss: Trust between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officers; being gay at Yale in the ’50’s; learning and practicing non-violent communication. YOU will have a chance to participate in that discussion, reflecting on your past as a prologue to your future.

Another quiz: What do Jordy Cohen, Tersh Boasberg, Rocky Suddarth, and Charlie Lord ,with spouses, do on a dreary Saturday night in February? Go listen to John Eaton, segueing from Harold Arlen, to George Gershwin, Bessie Smith, and Fats Waller.

Gay and I recently returned from a wonderful Yale trip to see the gardens of the Caribbean. We were very pleased to be on board with Alice and Tom Kugelman.

As the new school year began, Bill Reeves, still active at Collegiate School in Richmond, saw his retired wife, Jane off to France to visit son William in Paris. As she walked out the door, Jane whispered to Bill: “As you make it, so you have it…old man.” Bill adds: “You’d think I’d learn.”

In response to my plea for information on the late Jerry Boerner, I received an e-mail from Jerry’s daughter, Lee Daly, who reported that Jerry had retired from Prudential Securities and had moved from Connecticut to Camarillo, California. In retirement Jerry worked as an arbitrator and volunteered with various city organizations. Lee describes her father as a “foodie” and baseball fan, with an extensive library collection. Battling the after-effects of a stroke and cancer, Jerry spent the last month of his life living with Lee and her family- “an amazing experience…filled with incredible lessons and memories.” The night before he died, Jerry shared his last martini. He was fascinated by his grandson’s interest in fencing. Lee hopes that one day her son will fence for Yale, with “grandpa (rooting) from above.”

Jason Bacon advised me of the death of Charles Connolly on February 11th. Jason, Charlie and Jon Donald were together last summer in Vermont for Jason’s 71st birthday, riding fast motor boats on Lake Champlain. Charlie had a government career, primarily in the Caribbean. Joanne may be reached at 315 Amherst Drive, Albuquerque, NM 87106.

Noel Ames’s death last summer was reported to me by Bill Hoskins. I hope to provide more information for you in a future column.

Alan Buchmann died on September 28th. Alan was a Fulbright Scholar, a lawyer, Chairman of the ABA section on public utility law and member of the ABA House of Delegates. He was active in Ohio Republican politics and was President of the Cleveland Archeological Society. Alan’s wife, Lizabeth Moody, may be reached at 3910 Belle Vista Drive, East, St. Petersburg, Fl 33706. Thanks to your wonderful efforts to keep me informed, I have a backlog of information to report. Please be patient. See you June 1st.

MARCH – APRIL 2006

Reunion Update: If you haven’t sent in your registration, please do so NOW. We look forward to an exciting combination of stimulating programs and discussions, pleasing musical presentations, good food and cheer, and plenty of time to catch up with our friends. W e also will be able to visit Sterling Library and see the publications created by classmates over the past 50 years. As I write this on January 9th, 75 of you and your spouses have responded to the appeal and submitted more than 120 publications for a two month exhibit at Sterling, and there are still more to come. Our thanks to Bill Rees who so has effectively taken on this project.

Sadly, I have seven deaths to report this month. In order to recognize valued members of the class, there is not the space available for much happier news, including Charlie Cook’s report on the AYA Assembly.

I am grateful to Larry Hewes for passing on some interesting snippets gathered from calls encouraging classmates to submit their yearbook questionnaires. Douglas Smith finished Yale in three years and entered medical school in his fourth year. Doug spent many years at the Robert Wood Johnson hospital at Rutgers. Bill Price practiced law in Brattleboro, VT until 1986, when he moved to Washington to work for Jim Jeffords. Subsequent jobs included stints at Preservation Maryland and the Library of Congress. After re-marrying, Bill moved to Centerville, on Maryland’s eastern shore, where he currently lives in retirement. Ted Jump received his MA in literature and Philosophy at Emery and taught at Severn School in Maryland for many years. An interesting sidebar: One of Janet’s and Ted’s daughters, Leslie, is married to Edward Walker, who succeeded Rocky Suddarth as the President of the Middle East Institute.

During my yearbook calls, I reached Peter Gram. Peter was a physicist at Las Alamos and taught at Colorado College. Now retired, Peter is raising palm trees and hibiscus in Hawaii. On another call, I learned that Kenneth Butler, an estate lawyer in Kansas City, will trek from the plains to New Haven for the reunion, when he’ll also visit his daughter and three grandchildren in Connecticut. Charles Hilbert has retired and stays active in the Pottsboro, Texas Lions Club and in his church, also enjoying his five grandchildren.

Keith Haight’s widow, Maureen, contacted Ben Scotch that Keith died in France last spring. Maureen has written an essay for the yearbook in celebration of her life with Keith. Maureen can be reached at Prades, 34360, Chinian, France.

Dr. Stanley Levine and his family celebrated Thanksgiving together just before Stanley died on November 27th. He was an outstanding leader in the pediatric field, devoting his life to children with learning and developmental problems. A Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics, Stanley was Director of the Marcus Institute of Development and Learning in Columbus, GA and taught at the Medical College of Georgia and the Iowa College of Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Louise, two children and three grandchildren. I can not find an address for them, not even via 411.

Doug White’s death was reported to me by Bob Hirsch. Doug, who worked in insurance, died on Christmas day, with his life companion, Heather, by his side. She resides at 2086 East Calle De Dulcinea, Tuscon, AZ 85718. Doug also is survived by two sons.

As reported in the New York Times, Harry Joe Brown died on November 23rd. The son of a Hollywood producer father and an actress mother who starred with Buster Keaton and Spencer Tracy, Harry was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford. He produced off Broadway plays by Edward Albee and Samuel Beckett, and a Tennessee Williams production in London. Harry then moved into real estate, and, as reported in the Times, generated “pizazz” by “enlisting 34 leading architects to design one house each for a Hamptons residential development,” with restrictions on the size of the houses. “I want to show that every new house does not have to be a McMansion,” Harry stated. Harry is survived by two daughters and a grandson.

Barclay Robinson, the last of eight Robinsons to work at the family law firm in Hartford, died on November 14th. Barclay was a diverse and engaging person- a community activist and volunteer, a nature lover, kayaker, and accomplished amateur photographer. Barclay always was fascinated by trains. He spent time on his honeymoon in London, snapping black and white shots of trains, leading to his photography passion and to various gallery exhibits. Katherine Robinson lives at 229 Wamphassuc Point Road, Stonington, CT 06378. Barclay also is survived by twin daughters and three grandchildren.

Last month I reported on the death of Bill Bourne. Bob Wheeler and Helen and Peter Randolph recently joined over 200 guests at a celebration of Bill’s life at the Park School, where Bill taught for 44 years.

Rufus Goodwin died on July 10th. This fine novelist and poet will be represented with his works at reunion. Although he actually graduated with the class of 1957 and received a beautiful tribute in the ’57 notes in the last YAM, we also claim him, as he spent much of his Yale career as a ’56er. Irmgard Goodwin lives at 55Brackett Place, Apt A, Marblehead, MA 01945-4664.

Dr. Peter Eimas, Emeritus Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences at Brown, died on October 28th. Peter also taught at Queens University, Ontario, and Rutgers. In a seminal 1971 article in Science, Peter and his research team reported that infants possess abilities to perceive speech far earlier than thought, leading to a new field of research and a cognitive revolution. Peter published over 100 articles and co-edited three research volumes. Peter is survived by a daughter, three grandchildren, and his wife, Joanne Miller, who has kindly agreed to provide publications for the reunion. She lives at 20 Diman Place, Providence, RI 02906

JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2006

Calling all 1956 authors!

For the 50th reunion celebration we are hoping to arrange a display of books published by our living and deceased class authors and their spouses. In order to insure a manageable display, we must adopt the following ground rules: We can not accept articles, nor books in which the class author had only limited participation, for example one chapter in an anthology. We ask for no more than three books per author for the display. Please e-mail or write me before January 15, 2006 with the titles of the books you or your spouse will be submitting, and you will be contacted by a member of the reunion committee with further information on how to proceed. All books will be returned to you at class expense. PLEASE do not be shy or feel that your book is too technical for the class masses. Your submission will help us display our remarkable range of interests and knowledge over the past 50 years.

While on the subject of the reunion, John Eaton is warming up for his reunion concert by making five appearances at the Smithsonian. He also recently played a gig for Justice O’Connor and friends at the Supreme Court. You may recall that John played the White House for the Reagans. He reports that the Supreme Court Steinway B is superior to the one at the White House but asks that we don’t tell the Bushes.

I recently received a phone message from Jim McCarthy that he is safely back in New Orleans. On that subject, be sure and click on our web page to read Nikki Barranger’s “Katrina Journal.”

Now…the dinosaur department…no, not us, but the Torosaurus dedicated on October 22nd on the Peabody Museum lawn. The full-sized bronze statue, two stories high, was made possible through the generosity of Stan Phelps, his wife, Elizabeth, and their three grandchildren. I have seen an impressive picture and look forward to visiting it when in New Haven.

Notes from all over: Clark Row is working as a part-time environmental consultant for governmental bodies and associations, currently including the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Clark is focusing on green house gas emissions. Clark’s son, Jess (Y ’96) has a new book out; “The Train to LoWu” (Dial Press), a series of stories on the human side of cultural change in China and Hong Kong.

John Barnes reported on his cruise with Judy to Bermuda, the first time back since Yale. He was pleased that “Ray Foote was not there to bird dog” Judy. Tom Okin heard Jerry Post lecture on terrorism at his 45th Medical School reunion. Jerry’s lectures are fascinating and very timely. I presume we will have the pleasure of seeing Jerry’s books on display at our 50th.

Another reunion: Roy Herndon e-mailed me about his get-together with two of his JE roommates, Don Pruett, and Jan Dyke, both of whom were ushers at Bill’s wedding. Don and his son are still practicing surgery; Jan has retired from his surgical practice, and Roy is still in his internal medicine practice. The other roommate, Bill Peniston, died of cancer several years ago after a career with Anheuser-Busch. Don is still playing tennis on two total knee replacements and fly-fishing, a passion shared with Roy.

CC-M Productions, aka Clare and Bob Mason, has just completed a fascinating documentary, “Good News…How Hospitals Heal Themselves”, which will air on Public Television in January. The program describes how two hospitals have adapted the Toyota Production System and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award principles to re-organize the everyday work of healthcare and to dramatically reduce unnecessary deaths, suffering, waste, errors, infections, and cost. Note to 1956 MD’s: More information is available at www.managementwisdom.com

David Slavitt reported that Charlie Paolillo died on September 22nd in Rome, surrounded by his family, including his wife, Nan, and his two children. Charlie battled cancer for five years but kept his spirits up. He and David shared what turned out to be a warm and friendly farewell dinner in New York a short time ago. David’s tribute to Charlie: “We will happily remember his joy, his commitment to important causes in the developing world and in the West, his sense of humor and his messy desk. Join with us in wishing him well, in remembering who he was and what he stood for, his ideals and vision and his love for a hearty laugh-and of course a good ear of corn.” Nan may be reached at Via Ugo Bassi, 15-B, 00152, Rome, Italy. Incidentally, David summed up my feelings in his e-mail: “The end of (your) column is the part I have learned years ago to dread, from the time I was reading my father’s class notes.”

K.H.Jerry Boerner died on June 16th. Jerry lived in Los Angeles, and that is all I know. All efforts to reach someone who knew him at home or work were unsuccessful. Can any of you help me out?

The Boston Globe published a beautiful obituary on Bill Bourne, describing him as a “mountain-climbing middle school teacher who taught a generation of youngsters how to be themselves… Mr. Bourne often had a string of students following him like goslings as he huffed his way up the rocky slope. He’d say “no sweat” in Latin to encourage those who weren’t enchanted with the rigors of the climb.” Bill, who died on July 14th, taught at the Park School in Brookline MA from 1961 until his retirement in 1995. Truly a Renaissance man, Bill enjoyed woodworking, making model ships, playing “Jeopardy”, and acting in student Gilbert and Sullivan productions. A “Boston Brahmin with a hippie streak” Bill liked to wear a bandana across his forehead like Willie Nelson. Bill was cremated with his bandana. He is survived by his wife, Kay, who lives at 52 High Street, Brookline, MA 02445, and his two children.