Why do alumni attend reunions? YAA research reveals three top reasons:

Friends. Seeing and eating/drinking with old friends, face-to-face (and meeting some new ones, maybe).
Reflections. Walking around and visiting some old haunts and reconnecting with some formative times.
Education. Attending those delicious lectures, seminars and discussion groups offered both University-wide or privately only for our Class

The Reunion committee for the Class of 69 can’t change your friendships or memories, but it did organize the class-only seminars by taking input from a steering committee of about 18 classmates and recruiting them to craft the final programs. See the final CLASS ONLY PROGRAMS below as of May 1. (See also the online program for any late-breaking updates.)

Class-Only Program Details (as of 5/1/24)

Summary:

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Thursday, May 30, 2024

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM	Yale Class of 1969 Survey Redux: New Information About the Class as It Turns 55
	Our classmates Tom Guterbock and Mike Baum, who presented the main survey results in 2019, will walk us through our 2024 responses – what changed, what did not and how we are evolving.
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM	“For Whom, for Country…” Revisited: Spirituality in Our 70’s in the Class of 1969
	Our 50th Reunion Survey asked some probing questions about our collective approaches to spirituality, and the 55th Reunion Survey sought to determine whether and how our beliefs have continued to evolve. This presentation will examine the spiritual state of our class, raise some questions about why it is and what it is, and present some individual views and questions to ponder as we age. Yale’s new University Chaplain, Rabbi Maytal Saltiel, will respond to the presentation and compare our class to Yale today. Speaker: Michael Baum; Contributors: Michael Folz, Matthew Flynn.

Friday, May 31, 2024

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM	The Future of Liberal Education: Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis Addresses Our Class
	Where does liberal education go from here? Pericles Lewis, the Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature, Professor of English, and the Dean of Yale College, will provide his thoughts and then lead a discussion on the road ahead. Dean Lewis should have a good deal to say, as he is currently writing a book on this topic. Among several other pivotal positions at Yale, Dean Lewis has also served as vice president for global strategy. He will be introduced by Bill Newman.
3:15 PM – 4:30 PM	The Science of Aging Gracefully – or Not, with Terri Fried, M.D., Yale School of Medicine, and ’69 classmates
	Terri Fried, M.D., a star of the Yale Medical School faculty, where she is Humana Foundation Professor of Medicine and Section Chief, Geriatric Medicine, will address our class. Dr. Fried has focused her research on decision-making for older people with advanced illnesses and with multiple conditions, with a particular interest in the elucidation of patient preferences. She will join our classmate-experts to share the latest information on expanding “healthspan” and managing declining capacities. Our classmate Harold Mancusi-Ungaro, M.D., a plastic surgeon, will lead the classmate panel, and he will be joined by Wilfred Lam, M.D., a cardiologist, and Jerry Rosenbaum, M.D., a psychiatrist.
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM	For God, for Country, and for the Planet (Redux): How Do Members of Our Class View Current Developments in Climate and Energy?
	The challenging relationship between people and the planet has been one of the defining issues of the half century since we graduated. Nowhere has this issue been more fraught than on climate and energy. How do members of our class view what is happening? This popular topic from our 50th reunion will add new voices and share class survey results on climate change, plus the latest science and what we Boomers can do about the issues. We will hear from Derry Allen, Tom Emmons, Tom Guterbock, Skip Hobbs, Eugene Linden, and Wayne Willis.

Saturday, June 1, 2024

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Special Walking Tour for Our Class
	A walking tour of some of the places related to several Yale icons and pivotal events such as John Davenport and the founding of New Haven colony; Abraham Pierson and the founding of Yale; Jonathan Edwards and the First Great Awakening; Timothy Dwight and embattled religion at Yale; and Yale’s role in the Student Volunteer global missions movement. This tour is being organized by our classmate Jay Castelli and will be led by Jon Hinkson of the Rivendell Institute at Yale. Meet at Phelps Gate on College Street.
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM	Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Boomers: Perspectives of Two Yale Professors
	As AI is increasingly integrated into every facet of society, it both reflects and shapes societal norms, ethics, and human behavior. Along with tantalizing expectations that AI will relieve us all of many tedious tasks and will profitably extract ever-more value from oceans of data, the hyper-speed deployment of AI has led to some troubling results, raising urgent questions about the ethical implications and governance demands that come with AI. Two outstanding professors will lead our discussion: Nisheeth Vishnoi, the A. Bartlett Giamatti Professor of Computer Science and a co-founder of the Computation and Society Initiative at Yale, and Edward (“Ted”) Wittenstein, Executive Director of International Security Studies at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. The discussion will be introduced by our classmates Doug Colton and John Adams and will include Q&A.
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM	Class of 1969 Memorial Service, Battell Chapel
	We will hold our traditional memorial service to remember those members of our class who have passed away since June 2019. Our classmate Rev. J. Douglas Ousley will officiate; Daniel A. Seiver will read names; and Richard A. Williams, Jr., Eliot Norman, and a small chorus of classmates will provide music.
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM	55th Reunion Class Dinner held under the tent in the TD courtyard, followed by music performed by classmates.
	Our own ‘69 Pop-up Band, “The ‘69 Blue Notes,” will entertain the class with wide range of sounds and videos, including a Shostakovich Waltz sing-along, tangos, jazz standards, rock favorites from the 60’s, Yale songs, folk/rock, and Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue). The group is led by Eliot Norman (piano), with Special Thanks to Dick Williams for helping to recruit our talent and for his advice. The musicians also include Tom Guterbock, electric bass; Jonathan Hoffman and Terry Benson, vocals; John Adams, clarinet; Harry Wise, trumpet; Jay Castelli, piano; Michael and Maureen Folz, guitar and vocals; and Matt Kastner (’70) guitar.

Sunday, June 2, 2024

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM	Class Business Meeting, to be held after breakfast under the tent in the TD courtyard
	The class officers will conduct a brief business meeting with classmates, including the Class Treasurer’s report and the announcement of class officers and committee chairs going forward.

Our “Class Programs” at Reunion: Truly Exceptional