Day R. Shields – 50th Reunion Essay

Day R. Shields

155 Hulda Hill Road

Wilton, CT 06897-1814

dayrshields@hotmail.com

203-451-0724

Spouse(s): Marguerite Elaine Shields (1974)

Child(ren): Samantha J. Shields (1986), Charles D. Shields (1993)

Grandchild(ren): Plum C. Severs (2009), Leaf D. Severs (2016)

Education: University School, Shaker Hts., OH 1965; Yale College, BA Magna Cum Laude 1969; Yale Law School, JD 1972

Career: Trusts & Estates Attorney: Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (New York, NY) 1972–1979; Holland, Kaufmann & Bartels (Greenwich, CT) 1979-1998; Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky (Stamford, CT) 1998-2003; solo practice 2003-2008.

Avocations: Fishing, cooking & art (pastels). Assistant Scoutmaster, BSA.

College: Berkeley

My undergraduate years at Yale were full of polar opposites: academically, life was great; socially, it frequently sucked. This was particularly true freshman year, but the dichotomy continued right through graduation. Academically, I found college courses challenging but not overly taxing, thanks to my prep school training; also, the workload was generally manageable, probably since there was little else I really wanted to do. Socially, following a pretty miserable time as a lowly (no wheels, under legal age) freshman, campus life improved significantly sophomore year, after I moved into a quad at Berkeley College, was able to keep a car in New Haven, and joined Phi Gam fraternity. Life continued basically unchanged on both fronts until the second half of our junior year, 1968. While the nation was being torn by political and social turmoil, being politically conservative not to mention rather self-centered, I was far more concerned with my own personal problems. Those included: the abolition of numerical grades, which I felt had undercut my carefully constructed academic record; getting dumped by my girlfriend, for a Princeton dude, no less; and the closing of Phi Gam by its board of trustees. After that, senior year seemed rather anticlimactic—although we always had the draft to worry about while debating what to do after graduation.

So what did I really get out of my undergraduate years at Yale? Intellectually, it was the finest education anyone could possibly receive, allowing me to go on to Yale Law School and then start out at the top of the legal profession in a prestigious Wall Street firm. Emotionally and spiritually, however, it did not fully prepare me to deal with life in the real world. I remained too self-absorbed and caught up in the race for wealth, power, and prestige to value the truly important things in life: family, friends, concern for others. I suspect those lessons were available at Yale, but I never took the courses. Instead, it has taken me over 40 years, a rather undistinguished (and unfulfilling) career, and being in a twelve-step program to discover the truth and start redirecting my life.

Not that it has been all bad—far from it! I have a wonderful wife of 44 years, two great children, and now two lovely granddaughters; a second home on a gorgeous out island in the Bahamas; and, after finally saying “screw it” to practicing law, time to pursue my long-suppressed ambition of being an artist, go fishing, and just appreciate everything I’ve been given. Also, I am finally reconnecting with some old acquaintances (Yalie and otherwise) and, to my surprise, finding that they are still friends after 50 years. To top it off, I’ve made a 180-degree turn politically and actually voted Democratic in the last three national elections! So much for all those late-night debates with Jon Silver….