Mayday 1970

Mayday 1970

A number of us classmates were in New Haven on the weekend of May 1, 1970, be it for grad school, working, finishing our undergrad work or just visiting.  The rest of us read about it.

It was definitely a scary time — three weeks before, violent protests erupted at Harvard and major destruction followed.  The Weather Underground promised to destroy Yale, and the announcement of a […]

Fair Sustainable Society SIG Holds First Meeting; Plans Next One

Fair Sustainable Society SIG Holds First Meeting; Plans Next One

In early April, I announced an interest in assembling some classmates to try to create a fair, sustainable society. See Yalies for a Fair, Sustainable Society.
We met by Zoom on April 15th. The group of attendees had broad interests and the kind of depth that reminds you how much talent was around us as undergrads … often without our appreciation. At the meeting, we […]

Short Film: Lipstick (Ascending) On Caterpillar Tracks

Short Film: Lipstick (Ascending) On Caterpillar Tracks

The Yale Archives just added this short film about the fabrication and installation of the Claus Oldenburg (Yale ’50) artwork that appeared in front of Commons in May of our Senior Year.   As you watch this 15-minute film, you’ll recognize a number of faces — Coffin, Scully, Brewster, and some patrician representing the Yale Corporation – Sam Chauncey?  There are many student faces in the crowd, too — perhaps yours?

Online Shared Interest Groups for Yale 1969

Online Shared Interest Groups for Yale 1969

The COVID challenge clarified a decision I was struggling to make: How best should Yale1969.org enable sub-groups of the Class to meet and hold discussions as a “Shared Interest Group” (SIG)? 

Should we use video conferencing or a text-oriented, online “Discussion Forum”? Our recent stay-at-home experiences with Zoom (or Skype) make the choice obvious: video conferencing. This article shows how you can find, join (or create) “Shared Interest Groups” of like-minded ’69ers.

The Class Survey Presentation at the Reunion

The Class Survey Presentation at the Reunion

A very large part of our Class responded to the Class Survey, which covered money, sex, career, religion, politics, Yale, and other interesting facets of our lives.  We were delighted to be able to pull everything together and present the findings in a slideshow at the Reunion, and to discuss the findings with the assembled classmates and significant others.

Here are the slides …

Great Co-Ed Week Photos

Great Co-Ed Week Photos

I have finally found and scanned a selection of the photos I took in the fall of 1968 as one of four Silliman students assigned to cover Coed Week for Life magazine. Two of them appeared in Life’s article.

For me, Coed Week was the start of a life’s career in photography. I cut all my classes to photograph the week’s events; I was hooked.

Dave Henderson, Yale 1943, was Becoming an Embarrassment

Dave Henderson, Yale 1943, was Becoming an Embarrassment

…. When I mention this to my Peets Coffee drinking buddy, a Dartmouth grad who has a terrific sense of humor, he mentioned an article in Smithsonian Magazine about a secretly invented Yale grad from the Class of 1943 … whose exploits were published in the YAM 1943 Class Notes.  He sent me the article and the obit of the perpetrator of the faux exploits …

Seeds of Our Future Accomplishments, or Not

Seeds of Our Future Accomplishments, or Not

In this addition to the Yale 1969 Archives, I have scanned, processed and now re-published a Supplement to the Yale Daily News, which was originally published on May 14, 1969.  I suspect that, owing to its being published so close to our graduation date, many people in our class may have never seen it before. Believe me, it’s worth reading!

J.E. To Publish History; Wants Spiders To Submit Reminiscences

J.E. To Publish History; Wants Spiders To Submit Reminiscences

In a recent e-mail blast to alumni of Jonathan Edwards College, Mark Saltzman, Head of the College, and Mark Ryan, Chair of the JE Trust, announced the forthcoming publication of a new “introductory history” of the College. Alumni of JE are invited to contribute reminiscences for the publication, and, if they wish, to donate. See https://jespiders.org/.  Reminiscences, which can be submitted through the website, will be accepted until February 1.

Handball, a film by Steve Bemis

Handball, a film by Steve Bemis

One of the more interesting submissions I received following my request for classmates to send me artifacts from our days at Yale, was a 3-minute, 16mm film Steve Bemis created for Art 50b, a second semester, senior year seminar.  The film shows his roommates, Ralph Schmidt and Mabry Rogers, playing squash, set to an Erroll Garner jazz soundtrack.
Check it out.