Reunion: Thursday afternoon will make sense of it all

What were we like 50 years ago?

What’s happened to us since?  What’s it all meant? And where are we going from here?

Those and other Big Questions will be addressed — and maybe even answered — at the Reunion opening sessions starting at 2:15 on Thursday afternoon, setting the stage for this uniquely special weekend.

Classmates Tom Guterbock and Mike Baum will present and analyze the findings of the Class Survey – from the evolution of our political and social sensibilities to the surprising truth about our preferences in underwear.

Reed Hundt and Richard Tedlow will deliver provocative and thoughtful insights about the events and trends of the past five decades – how they shaped us, how we shaped them, and what they mean for the future.

These interactive sessions and discussions will identify the most important moments we experienced during our four years together. Where did Yale succeed for us? Where did it fall short? Which professors do we remember most vividly? Why? What experiences outside of class were most important? Which opportunities did we grasp? Which did we miss? What message do we have for graduating seniors or incoming students that might be valuable to them?

Altogether, these deep dives into our shared experience will provide a rich backdrop to all the events and camaraderie of the Reunion, not to mention ignite some broader understandings about what might happen next.

So, register for the Reunion and make sure your travel plans get you to New Haven early enough to make the kick-off sessions … followed by Welcome Cocktails (5:30 PM – 6:30 PM), and “American Favorites Dinner Buffet” – both in Davenport College Courtyard.

If you already booked your reunion reservation, but only for Saturday or Friday, and you now want to add Thursday, simply email reunions@yale.edu and ask to add Thursday dinner and/or Thursday housing (if applicable).  The YAA will take care of you from there.

Here are the formal descriptions of the events on the Yale Alumni website for our reunion.

1969 | Class Survey
May 30 2:15PM – 3:45PM

We open our 50th Reunion with a provocative and insightful discussion of the results of our Class Survey emceed by Tom Guterbock, who managed the Class Survey, and Mike Baum, who wrote it – looking beyond the results and focusing on hard questions, such as were we agents of change, or the last hold-outs for old Yale? Did we effect the changes that were happening then, or were we just swept up in larger currents of change? Have we given back enough? Was Yale a unique experience, or just another elite college? What role does spirituality play in our lives today and in what directions have our spiritual yearnings taken us?

1969 | Milestones
May 30 4:00PM – 5:00PM

The opening discussion will be followed immediately by an open discussion with a more historical focus, led by classmates and acclaimed speakers Richard Tedlow and Reed Hundt. Richard will provide recollections of the four years we spent together at Yale. Reed will review the half-century since then, focusing on three milestones: 1969, our 25th Reunion in 1994, and today.