61 CLASS NOTES for JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2026
Class Notes Editor – Paul Capra
2365 Chambers Lake Ln, SE
Lacey, WA 98503
E-mail: shonea1@gmail.com
Webmaster – Lou Allyn
E-mail: yaleclass1961@gmail.com
Website: http://yale1961.org/
Class officers:
Jamie McLane – Co Chair – E-mail: jmclane@profexa.com
Henry Kuehn – Co Chair – E-mail: hhkuehn@gmail.com
The 65th Reunion Committee is planning the best reunion ever! Starting Thursday evening May21, 2026 we will have dinner at Mory’s (we have the entire place!). The days that follow will include top Yale faculty lectures; a special update to our class from Yale’s Provost, a dinner that features memories from our days at Yale and a special show by Melissa Errico, Mike Errico’s daughter, who has been featured at our past reunions. Registration materials will be in your hands shortly. Our intent is to make this reunion free so the only costs to you would be overnight accommodation and travel. We look forward to seeing everyone there. (65th Reunion Committee – Hank Kuehn Chair, Brian Kelly, Paul Capra, John Pearce, Jamie McLane and Ron O’Connor.)
The 64th Reunion committee of Andy Block, Rich Carr, Mal Kamin and Hank Kuehn reports: With the sun shining all weekend, 83 classmates, spouses, and widows were treated to a jampacked “Taste of Chicago” from September 25th-28th. We visited the newly opened National Museum of Public Housing; ate fish ‘n chips or mini sliders outdoors and adjacent to the Chicago River, had a wonderful river architectural tour; tasted many different dishes in Greektown, enjoyed a private showing of Gustave Caillebotte paintings which toured for the very first time in Chicago and Los Angeles; opted for either Ashland Avenue, a Goodman theatre play or a Chicago Cub game and ended the weekend with a delicious dinner, followed by a cabaret gig featuring Meghan Murphy, a very talented actress with a gigantic personality. It was easy to observe many classmates bobbing their heads, tapping their toes and mouthing the words as Meghan sang Moon River and other songs from 1961! At the end of her gig, Meghan (aka Big Red) asked Jamie McLane and Phillip Periman to join her in singing Bright College Years! It was the icing on an engaging weekend cake! Most importantly, the gathering resulted in a renewal of old friendships and the creation of many new ones. Andy had promised that everyone would go home exhausted and they did, but they were very content.
Paul Tierny attended the “marvelous” 64th reunion in Chicago. Immediately after the reunion Paul and his wife Peggy spent two weeks at their cottage in St John. “I bought a house there in 1999 planning to use it for five years or so. Here I am, twenty-six years later, still loving it. See you all next May at the 65th! Boola, boola.”
Frank Grazioso writes: Dear Paul, I am now retired from my New Haven law practice. Mary and I now live in Woodmont, CT with a view of Long Island Sound. We stay in touch with a few classmates including Nick Cimmino, Ed Cantor, Frosty Smith, Brian Kelly and Vince Teti my sophomore year roommate. I hope to celebrate our 65th reunion with you all. Fond regards.
George B. Longstreth. My wife Betsy and I love “Y61 at the Movies” with Gary Fox. Keep them coming. Looking forward to our reunion next May
The obituaries that appear below are amplified on the class website: http://yale1961.org/
Denis M. Lorenz passed away on Monday, December 16, 2024. A New Haven native, he received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Yale and a master’s degree in library science from Simmons Colege. He retired as the Director of the West Hartford Public Library in Connecticut. Dennis had a love for sailing, traveling, cooking, enjoying restaurants and was a wine enthusiast.
Steve Goldstein passed on September 25, 2025, at the age of 85 from Alzheimer’s disease. A New Haven native Steve was an exceptional child, entering Yale University at 16 years old. He had a long and successful career as an advertising and marketing executive at Levi Strauss & Company. Known for his enthusiasm and curiosity, Steve always had something witty to say and was loved by many. A follow up note from Andy Block: “I didn’t realize that Steve had a dementia, but that explains why he didn’t answer my emails over the last few years. He was great to work with. He steered us successfully to the hats, T shirts and blue blazers, etc. used at several of our big reunions.
Stanley Walter Burkey passed away July 3, 2025 in Kampala, Uganda. Stan graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering and the C. H. Plimpton Prize for high scholarship, ability and character. He was a Henry Fellow at Oxford University, England, 1961-62. He worked in a variety of educational and relief agencies in Nigeria, Norway, Uganda and Sri Lanka. His book People First: A Guide to Self-Reliant Participatory Rural Development was published in 1993. Retiring at age 67, he chose to stay in Uganda, where he had spent twenty years promoting self-reliance and empowerment of the rural poor.
Edmund “Pete” Dewald Stafford passed on August 26, 2025, in Naples FL. After Yale, Pete served as Captain in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserves. His professional career spanned decades at Honeywell Inc. while his community and church commitments extended for the rest of his life. Pete Stafford was a living example of the Rotary motto: “Service before self.”
John Thomas Cullinan passed on April 8, 2025 in Scottsdale, Arizona. After Yale John earned a PhD and Taught English Literature at the University of California. His careers took him to the University of Chicago and the State Department. John was an avid reader, film buff, theater lover and passionate fan of classical music; he was a member and supporter of the Newberry Library, WFMT-Chicago classical music station, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Woodstock Mozart Festival, and Music of the Baroque. He donated half of his extensive book collection to the Macao Polytechnic University in China, where his stepdaughter, Joanna Radwanska-Williams, was a professor of English.
The Cantors and McLanes attended Cindy Allyn’s funeral. Lou Allyn said: “It was a good feeling to have Yale friends meet family.”