Peter David Joralemon – 50th Reunion Essay

Peter David Joralemon

325 East 79th Street, Apartment 14B

New York, NY 10075

PDJOlmec@mac.com

917-576-7545

Spouse(s): Mauricio Vacas. Married in (2013)

Education: Yale College, BA 1969; Yale Divinity School; Yale University Department of Anthropology M. Phil 1974

Career: Private Collection Curator, Pre-Columbian Art Expert, Curatorial Consultant to Museums

I came to New Haven from a public high school in New Jersey, part of R. Inslee Clark’s first class to reflect a broader range of students than Yale had traditionally admitted. Like many classmates, I went from being in the top echelon of a secondary school to a college class where everyone had been in the top tier of his previous school, some with much wider experience and better preparation than mine. That was my first impression of Yale. I was surrounded by very smart young men and had to work very hard to succeed.

I loved studying the past and intended to become a university professor. Majoring in history seemed liked just the thing. That was fine until my first class with John Morton Blum and suddenly American studies was my new passion. Next, a course in ancient Near Eastern civilization made me think that Egyptology was for me. Finally, studying ancient Mexico with Michael Coe, an enthusiastic young archaeology professor, sold me on an academic career in pre-Columbian studies. My interest ranged from anthropology to the history of art to religious studies. Only the Scholar of the House program gave me sufficient freedom and flexibility to pursue my goal in shedding light on the religion and iconography of the Olmec, America’s first civilization.

The middle 1970s was a terrible time to be a graduate student in pre-Columbian archaeology searching for an academic post. Hundreds of applicants competed for the few positions that were open. My plans to become a professor were permanently shelved. Depressed and uncertain of my future, I moved to New York and reinvented myself as a private collection curator, pre-Columbian art expert and exhibition consultant to museums. I’ve advised fascinating collectors, researched extraordinary art from the ancient Americas and published too few of my findings. My greatest pleasure has been curating exhibitions at the Snite Museum at the University of Notre Dame, the Williams College Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, El Museo del Barrio and the Yale University Art Gallery. In recent years I’ve focused on developing Yale’s collection of pre-Columbian art and supporting research into pre-Columbian art works in collections.

My personal life at Yale and after included a series of both short and long relationships with men, but nothing that grew lasting roots. As middle age approached, I became resigned to spending my life as a solitary man. To my surprise, my life changed completely in 2003 when I met Mauricio Vacas, my life partner and spouse since 2013. Different in nationality, education, skills and age, we complement each other in countless ways and have woven a satisfying and joyful life together.

My Yale College friends and I followed different paths after graduation and I lost track of most of them. Some died and some just disappeared. To my great pleasure a small band of classmates from Ezra Stiles has recently reconnected and collaborated with Jeff Wheelwright on an essay about gay life at Yale in the 1960s.