Class Notes, Nov-Dec 2023

Lee Mundell died on June 26, 2023, after a brief illness.  From Legacy.com:

His wife and children were with him. He served in the United States Air Force where he was a pilot and flew in Vietnam. He then graduated from Golden Gate University (MBA 1974), and the University of Georgia School of Law (1977).

While in law school, he was a teaching assistant in the university’s Terry School of Business, became a Notes Editor on the Georgia Law Review, a staff member on the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, and was a winner of the Richard B. Russell Moot Court.

He met and married a fellow law student, Melissa Stebbins Mundell, of Darien, Georgia.

In Savannah he joined the law firm of Hunter, Maclean, Exley, Dunn, & Connerat (now HunterMaclean) where he became a partner, while continuing as a Major in the Air Force Reserve.

He had served on the boards of, and as the president of, Historic Savannah Foundation and The Downtown Neighborhood Association. He served on the boards of the Savannah Association for the Blind and as President of the Citizens’ Advisory Board for the Chatham Urban Transportation Study Committee.

Andrew Schnier: “I am so saddened by news of Lee Mundell’s death.   I considered him one of my closest friends at Yale and I have tried many times over the past decades to see what became of him and what he was “up to”, with no success.   Maybe I didn’t try hard enough.  I never saw him at any of the Reunions and I noted that he did not submit anything for the 50th Reunion Book.

I met Lee at WYBC where he was a very active and joyful participant throughout his time at Yale, and it was primarily at WYBC where I shared the “Yale Experience” with him.

I know it sounds like a cliche, but he was one of the nicest, most unassuming, fun to be around guys I have ever had the privilege to call a friend, whether at Yale or anywhere else, and I very much regret that I missed the opportunity to re-connect with him before his passing.”

David Harrison Idol II died Saturday, August 22, 2020 at his home on Hillcrest Dr. in High Point. From Legacy.com

“David was educated at Woodberry Forest School, King’s College, Taunton, and Yale University, and he received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He began his law career as a clerk for U.S. Appeals Court Judge John A. Field, and he then served as Assistant District Attorney in High Point and Greensboro. He opened a private law practice in High Point in 1983, where he worked until his retirement in 2016. He worked to build a practice that served his community, and he was passionate about helping his clients, many of whom became dear friends. As a native son of High Point, he was proud of his city and was active in civic affairs. He was a lifelong member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where he was honored to serve several years on the vestry, including a term as senior warden.

The roles he loved most, however, were those of husband, father, and grandfather. On December 5, 1981, he married Helen Louise Taylor of Greensboro. Together they raised two children and enjoyed many happy years. In the last years of his life, he showed bravery and grace in the face of illness, inspiring those around him with his positive attitude and sense of humor. He left this world surrounded by his adoring family.”

Bill Caltrider died recently. Excerpts from the Baltimore Sun:

“William R. “Bill” Caltrider Jr., the founder and president of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Research Education, who also played a major role in the rehabilitation facility Tuerk House, died of heart failure July 15.

Mr. Caltrider was on the faculty of Johns Hopkins as a graduate assistant from 1969 to 1975 and taught history at Morgan State University from 1970 to 1971. After leaving academia, Mr. Caltrider earned his real estate license and established and served as president of Federal Realty. In addition, he had been president of Argent Realty, the Northeast Real Estate Conservation Project, the Greater Northwood Community Council and Applied Technology Partners. But his struggle with alcoholism came to define his life.

At his death, he had celebrated nearly 39 years of sobriety and was “credited with helping countless people who suffered from addiction,” according to a family biographical profile…Mr. Caltrider’s outreach in the world of addiction was extensive. He was vice chair of the Governor’s Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission, as well as a member of the Governor’s Executive Advisory Council and the Baltimore Coalition Against Substance Abuse. He wrote numerous essays regarding treatment, prevention and drug policy in the U.S. and Europe. He helped organize the Drug Prevention Network of the Americas, which links prevention and treatment professionals in North and South America and the Caribbean… He enjoyed singing and was a longtime member of the old volunteer Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Chorus.”

Happier news: Daniel Duke has published his second novel, “River of Dreams.” Publisher is Page Publishing, and he says: “many of my history-minded classmates might find it interesting.”

The book is available at bookstores, and online at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.”

55^th Reunion: May 30, 2024-June 2, 2024.

By the time you read this, many details will have been posted on the class website at yale1969.org. Hope to see you there!