By Bill Sargent
John Paoletti writes that he will be one of the speakers on the Yale Educational Tours next year. From June 2 to the 25th he will lead an Italian immersion tour, Mantua and the Hidden Gems of Northern Italy. He says that he will be talking about “the artistic productions of the Renaissance that participants will encounter and the social and historical contexts that produced them.” And, John adds, “Anyone who might be interested can find the material online.”
Brian Kenney says, “I am writing from Martha’s Vineyard where our extended family is having its 56th reunion involving three generations of siblings, children, and grandchildren. I’m pleased and proud to report ten family members are Yale graduates while only two went to Harvard.” Brian adds, “Fortunately, I am in great health, play golf and bridge often, and comanage an investment advisory firm with my son, Greg, going on its 30th year. I have no plans to retire and, most importantly, will continue to maintain close contact with family and friends.”
Cotes Pinckney sent word that he had just learned of the January death of George Briggs (Robin) Rowland, who at one time had been a member of our class.
Joe Novitski reports that Wilford Welch visited him at his central New York training camp (rowing—single scull) in late July, and that they ran into Sherwin Goldman at a luncheon for opera supporters in Cooperstown, New York. The three of them lunched together and then spotted Andy Block, arriving late thanks to a rental car company. In Joe’s words, “The result: a 1961 mini-reunion over opera in Cooperstown, which is home not only to the Baseball Hall of Fame but also to the Glimmerglass Festival, producing four operas, recitals, and ancillary performances each summer. How did this happen? Sherwin has been involved at board level with Glimmerglass for years; Joe’s companion Susan Huxtable raises money for Glimmerglass; Andy visits Sherwin in Cooperstown frequently for a weekend of opera.” Joe adds that Wilford and his wife were visiting from Sausalito, California, where Wilford and his wife Carole Angermeir, and he and Susan live on neighboring houseboats. Joe ends, “QED.”
Bill Bayfield says that living at the Landings just south of Savannah is great because classmates George Longstreth, Al Townsend, and Walter Hough also live there. He adds that he and Penny “get together on a regular basis for various things like dinner, art shows, sports, etc. George and Walter typically go north for part of the summer—too hot for them here. George has built himself a wonderful boat, which he took north to Maine. The last two years have been full of medical issues for me: aortic valve replacement, pacemaker, Type II diabetes, but the good news is that I seem to be doing fine and my multiple myeloma is in remission. Have officiated at 11 golf tournaments so far this year and have one more event left. All is good here in the deep south; y’all come see us sometime, hear?”
Jon Plaskow writes, “This has been a year of travel for Jo and me. In the spring we spent six weeks in Asia traveling from Singapore through Vietnam and ending in China. Currently we are in east Africa for a trip of a lifetime—amazing animals, lovely friendly people, and beautiful scenery. Next, we head to Morocco where one of our daughters and her family will join us with two special grandsons ages 9 and 11. They are excited for the overnight in the desert and camel ride. We feel blessed to be able to enjoy our retirement so much.”
Paul Jarocki writes, “I was walking down a street near Berkeley when I passed a young woman wearing a dark blue sweatshirt bearing in white block letters the word KALE. I was perplexed. Was this a typo? Had she gone to college in New Haven and was being perhaps overly ironic? Or was she simply celebrating her garden? She passed by so quickly I had no opportunity to find out. Is the KALE sweatshirt something I ought to know about?”
Paul Tierney reports, “Joanne and I recently returned from our cottage in St. John. The repair work from the severe damage caused by Hurricane Irma is complete; we have actually had a rental or two already. There are still a few cosmetic items to buff up, but the house is in fine structural shape. The island of St. John still has a way to go. A significant issue is the school in town had to move into modular units due to the significant damage the storm imposed on the existing building. A second issue is that one of the two large hotels will not be ready for this season while the other will be available for only a portion of the vacation months. A lot of local people depended on them for work. On the other hand, people are optimistic that recovery is moving well.”