These pages contain all class notes from the Yale Alumni Magazine from 1957 on. The notes appear unchanged from their original publication save for the correction of misspellings and other small errors. The few gaps in coverage that exist result from the absence of Class of 1957 notes in a few issues of the magazine over the years. Also, in keeping with changes in the magazine itself, the frequency of publication occasionally changes.

Return to Master Index of All Class Notes

Notes: December 1979
Notes: October 1979
Notes: June 1979
Notes: April 1979
Notes: February 1979

Notes: December 1979

By the time this article appears, Ric Pace should be able to claim the title of "The Oldest Father" in the Class of 1957. Ric and I had a nice chat recently at the Yale Club in our undershorts (which is a great way to hear about an expected child). Ric is presently the editor of the obituary page of The New York Times. He and his wife have been "home" after long spells abroad as a reporter. Most recently, he was a Shah watcher. That led to a novel which we read and plugged in this column. Ric tells me that the novel is doing well, so all the authors in the Class can take heart.

Ric also asked if the Reunion Committee would make special provisions to take care of small children (I think he means babies). I'll see that they get the request and with any luck, Ric and his wife will be named chairmen of that aspect of the Reunion.

There's a nice letter from Don Backe who is the new headmaster of St. George's Episcopal School in New Orleans. Don's been there since July and finds the job, "delightful and city fascinating. New Orleans seems to be a mixture of things and institutions new and old. It is the South and it is not." He goes on like that, sounding more like a public relations man for New Orleans than a headmaster. He sounds very much settled in and he didn't mention Bourbon Street once.

Bob West has checked in from Philadelphia. He's still teaching sociology at Temple. His wife, Sarah, is also a teacher. She's teaching biology at Germantown Friends School. On top of that, they seem to be a serious pair of do-it-yourselfers. They've built a summer cottage "from a kit," on an island off Friendship, Me. They did the house and the inside work in two summers of labor. Perhaps Bob and Sarah want to hire themselves out for the coming summers? I know the Clark house has some real structural needs.

Bert Branford is living in Charleston, W.Va. with his wife and three daughters. He's an agent for New York Life Insurance Co. Bert would love to hear from any other alumni in the area.

Peter Balbach started his own Steel Service Center business in New Kensington, Pa., two years ago. In the interim he has built up an operation to one with 20 employees and "lots of bills." Welcome to the club, Pete! Pete, at some point, we'll need your annual statement and balance sheets, there will be members of the Class who want to know how well you're really doing. OK? He'd love to hear from any of you who are buying and/or selling steel. I guess if we can plug books in this column, we can "plug" (if that's the correct word?) the steel business.

Paul Lopata is selling for a surgical/medical products manufacturer. He relocated to Tempe, Ariz., about 18 months ago and loves the climate and the country. Having relocated from Chicago, who could blame him? Paul and his wife, Dolores, have four children, in age from 24 down to 12. If my arithmetic is correct that's two in college somewhere.

Another lover of the climate is Frank Lin, who's living in Andalusia, Ala. He's an instructor of Physics and Engineering at the L.B. Wallace State Junior College. Along with liking his job, Frank "enjoys the balmy weather."

Walter Loesche is now a 10-year resident of Ann Arbor, Mich. He's been at the University of Michigan wearing two hats. First he is Professor of Dentistry at the School of Dentistry and as a Professor of Microbiology in the School of Medicine. Do you suppose he gets two paychecks? Walter and his wife, Rosemary, have three children.

We have been talking about the upcoming Reunion a bit in the column. I hope you all will want to attend. Since the planning is going on now, we would like to have your ideas about what you'd like to see and do at the Reunion. Ric Pace has given an idea; we hope that his isn't the only suggestion that comes in.

That's our news for the month. See you in February. Happy Holidays to all.

—Junius (Sandy) R. Clark III

Notes: October 1979

I hope that everyone had a terrific summer. The Clarks had a fine time staying at home. The Class of 1957 had a good one too, as Class Dues contributions continued to come in. Joe Mark and I thank those who have given and are looking forward to the rest of you supporting the Class.

Before getting to the news, we are beginning to plan for the 25th Reunion. We already have some volunteers to work on this, "event" and we'd sure like more. If you want to lend a hand, please drop me a line. I'll bet you can't guess who the Reunion Chairman is going to be?

I'll start the news off with congratulations to Vern Loucks who was elected an Alumni Fellow of Yale Corporation. I'm sure that his election is a direct result of the plug that Vern got in this column.

Fred Guggenheim has written from Dallas, Tex. He's moved down there to become an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Southwestern Medical School and Chief of the Division of Consultation Psychiatry at Parkland Hospital. Fred had spent the preceding 10 years at Mass. General and the Harvard Medical School. Do you suppose that Texas Chili is better for the state of one's mind than the Boston Bean?

Chuck Kerr wrote a nice note from Tucson. He's been selected as the Arizona representative for the Torch Relay for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. He'll be one of 52 people from the United States on the relay team that will "run" the torch up the East Coast. If Chuck will tell us which leg of the relay he's running, we'll publicize it here in hopes that the rest of the Class will watch. If memory serves, John Hopkins is good at watching running events.

Which leads me to Larry Kramer. He has reported that "John Halpern and I got drunk last night and gave each other the benefit of our worldly advice. He's a very wise man." John must nip a bit as he watches. To return to Larry, he has written a new book called Faggots. Random House is the publisher. Larry also reports that, as if that one wasn't enough, he's working on his second novel. As you know, our policy is to "flack" all books written by members of the Class, so we'll give that one a plug too when it comes out.

Mike H. Kohler writes from Spartanburg, S.C., that his son, Matthew, is going into the new freshman class at Yale. Bet it makes Mike feel older.

There's a nice note here from Clem Labine--he's not only older, but poorer. He publishes a restoration newsletter called The Old House Journal, in sufficient volume to "pony up two tuitions to Yale a year." I think Clem is the only member of the Class with two children in Yale at the moment. I don't think anyone else in the Class is doing well enough to send two?

Bill Reimann is very active in the art world in Boston. He's a Senior Preceptor in Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard. He's been commissioned to do sculpture and drawings all over the Northeast. For those of you in Houston, Bill has even done a piece for the Chemshars Corporation. Would someone check it out and give the Class a review? I suspect that Bill would love our input.

Peter Grose is one of a number of you who refers to "my mid-life crisis." Pete's explanation of what it has been for him is quite different from the others. "After 14 years at The New York Times. I went to Washington as a Deputy Director of Cy Vance's Policy Planning Staff." After a year of this, he came back to New York to write a "long gestating book on the relationship between the U.S. and Israel." He's even gotten a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to finish the book. According to Pete, "writing this kind of provocative book is hard, but satisfying work." I thought a "mid-life crisis" was precipitated by a blond, not a book. Good luck to you and let us know when it's published.

Dick Curran checked in briefly from Houston (will you check on Reiman's sculpture?) "I'm alive and well... became President of Ruska Instrumental Corp. in November 1978.

Speaking of successes, Craig Bowers has checked in with his own Horatio Alger story. He's the President of CRB Enterprises, syndicators of radio and television programs. Craig has worked for a number of radio and television stations in Denver, Chicago, and in Los Angeles before moving out on his own. He's married to Lolli Mozer and has three children. Craig cuts the grass in Tarzana, Calif. Look him up there.

On that note, we'll turn to thought of falling leaves. The Game is in New Haven this fall. The Class of 1957 will have a tent or at least a share of one. Drop by and see who you can find. I know that Reid White will be there because he agreed to "host" the affair when Howie Gillis didn't show up at the last tent.

I'll see you next month, if not at the Harvard game.

—Junius (Sandy) R. Clark III

Notes: June 1979

The Class of 1957 has its very first official ambassador to be exact, "ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States to the State of Bahrain." Bob Pelletreau has been sworn in as Ambassador to Bahrain on February 26, 1979. His new address is: American Embassy, FPO New York, 09526. Prior to being named ambassador, Bob served in Tangier, Nouakchott (where is it?), Beirut, Amman, and at the State Department as an international relations officer. From 1973 to 1975 he was political officer in Algiers, and from 1975 to 1978 he was Deputy Chief of Mission in Damascus. It would appear that Bob has spent as much time in the Middle East as Ric Pace. Maybe they would like to sponsor a Class Dinner out there? Since Bob is in so thick with the Arabs, maybe he can get the Class a good price on a gallon of gasoline!

Dick Simons writes from the Punahou School in Hawaii that his son is a freshman at Yale and "has already outdistanced his dad in grades, in athletic prowess (jv soccer team) and probably in romances as well." Dick, I will accept the first two, but not the third.

Bob Rosefsky has written a nice letter giving us an update that his last couple of years includes lots of freelance writing especially for radio and television. He spent some time in London writing for the BBC and this summer he will be relocating to Los Angeles, 740 El Medio Ave., Pacific Palisades, Calif. 92072, where he is going to do some TV writing. Bob is also writing a textbook on personal finance. With a facility for writing, maybe he'd like to take over this job from two points of view: 1) my personal finances are a mess, 2) anyone who writes as well as Bob does, is a natural to b the Class Secretary.

I just voted for Vern Loucks who is a candidate for an Alumni Fellow of the Yale Corporation. I hope you exercise your franchise for Brother Loucks. I presume most of you read the description of his background that came with the ballot. Vern is President and Chief Operating Officer of Baxter Travenol Laboratories in Deerfield, Ill., and is living with his wife and six children in Lake Forest, Ill.

I had a terrific letter from Norton Wright who is a producer of children's TV shows in Los Angeles. He is presently working on a major project called Freestyle for KCET in LA. It will be coming out this fall on 270 stations. I hope you all will be looking for it. Nortie reports that his wife, Susan Watson, is "finding Hollywood much to her liking, is doing her nightclub act again and disappears most every summer for the summerstock circuit--last summer's highlight being My Fair Lady's Liza opposite Theodore Bikel." He also asks the whereabouts of Timothy Towell. Tim, if you'd check in, it would help. Nortie also reports that Sandy Speer is in "Holland using as his CIA cover the role of a modest, unassuming business executive for 7-Up." As far as Your Class Secretary is concerned, Speer still cannot handle a pool cue with any authority at all. He was a pigeon for years, and I assume he still is.

This will only make sense to the Cleveland crowd and I apologize to the rest of the Class but Nortie asks, "Did Colette Irr really marry Tom Cooper--is it too late for me?" Nortie, she did, and it is, but you're a dirty old man.

I see that Joe Marks' Class notice is out. I want to reemphasize what he said, that your contribution of $20 will go a long way in helping us solve our fiscal problems.

We are beginning to get together the committees for the 25th Reunion. Anybody who wishes to help in this endeavor should contact me. We will be hearing more about the Reunion as time goes on. Obviously, we hope to have a big turnout for the 25th. That's all for this month

—Junius (Sandy) R. Clark III

Notes: April 1979

I apologize for missing the notes last month. It was caused by a combination of too much work and not enough information from the Class of 1957. This month the work is the same and the information is improved.

Recently the Yale Alumni people sent me a death notice, which is one of the grimmer parts of this job. The way the card read, there was clearly some doubt, if you can be doubtful about that subject, about the person's demise. So it was with some shock that they told me of Dave Bowman's passing. I still pride myself on keeping "my ear close to the ground," and, since I hadn't heard this from another source, I decided to do some checking. After two days and lots of phone calls, Bowman himself called up to announce that news of his passing was "premature" and that all bill collections and the like could continue their pursuit of him. He's acting, living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and sounded terrific. After this story, I expect Dave to play Frankenstein or maybe even the impoverished Yorick.

There was a very long letter at Christmas from Dick Lamb and his wife, Laverne. He practices in internal medicine at a clinic in Birmingham. From the sound of his letter, Dick's children will qualify as very active. Dick and his wife are both active in their church.

Alan Lovins has written to me that he's been appointed Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale. This isn't exactly new news, still I'd overlooked this in previous notes. Hope Alan will forgive me for being slow.

We're planning a Class Dinner in New York for some time in May. Anyone who is interested in coming should contact me. We'll try to get all the greater New York people a note. Anyone else who wants to come in, let me know and we'll see that you get the information. No fundraising will take place at this affair.

If those of you in Chicago and Los Angeles want to set up the same sort of thing, please let me know and we'll give your affair a plug and help you set it up.

After a recent meeting in New Haven, it appears that the Class of 1957 is one of the worst organized classes. Since most of you will think that's terrific, we will let any member of the Class who wants to serve, nominate himself to the Class Council. The "perks" aren't real good, but we promise to shower you with a great deal of glory. Applicants can apply to the above address.

See you next month.

—Junius (Sandy) R. Clark III

Notes: February 1979

A look around Harvard Stadium on a beautiful fall afternoon turned up a good Yale football team and more members of the Class of 1957 than we could find the week before in New Haven. Perhaps we should have our tent at the Yale-Princeton game next year?

Among those that were seen and identified by yours truly were: Gene Doggett, Cheeb Everett, John Stockwell, Doug Almond, and Harry Valentine. All were suitably "into" the game so they didn't want to talk to me too much. I also ran into Mike O'Hearn coming home from Cambridge. He and his bride had been up there celebrating his father's 50th wedding anniversary.

Tom Perkins was at the game. He's one of the representatives to AYA. This august group had a session in New Haven in October where Tom reports that: "The Class of 1957 was well represented. I saw Don Bain, who is a partner in a Denver law firm, Pierre Bourquin, Art Diefendorf, Don Goodman, and Colin Jensen." Perkins also goes on to say "Ron Sharp was there; he is probably the best tax lawyer in Fairfield County (God knows we need them) and certainly the funniest."

Almost with the next day's mail came a letter from Ron, as if he anticipated "defending" himself from Perkins' reports. Ron and his wife, Sue, live in Easton, Conn. They have two children, Greg 9 and Nancy 12. Ron is playing lots of tennis and paddle, and his wife is a "budding, first class artist." Ron is an attorney in Bridgeport. He also reported that Dr. Len Katz was at the AYA. Len is a gastroenterologist and lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Ammon G. Dunton, Jr. has claimed the title of Oldest Father in the Class of 1957. His wife, Kathy, gave birth to James Linen Dunton recently and, in so doing, took the title, fittingly, I think, away from Bob Mobley.

I had breakfast with Mobley not too long ago and he assures me that the title will remain with Dunton for some time to come. Bob and his wife, Melinda, have moved to San Francisco (3829 Jackson St., SF 94118). Bob has set up a sales and presentation training company. He tells me that the company is doing quite a bit of work for Baxter Labs and Vern Loucks. The way Mobley describes it he's traveling a great deal and is very excited about his new company.

To continue with some corporate news, John Roche has been appointed general manager, service operations, instrument sales and service division of Perkin-Elmer Corp. John joined Perkin-Elmer after we graduated and has been there "ever since." He lives in Redding, Conn.

I have some legal news. Dick Arnold and Ken Sharp are the two newest judges in the Class. Arnold got his judgeship by way of the President and Sharp got his by way of the voters of Florida. Dick was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. If any of you need to find him, try the U.S. Court House in Little Rock.

Sharp was elected to a six-year term as circuit judge "covering" from Hobe Sound to Vero Beach. He's giving up his law practice and starts the new job on January 1. To celebrate all of this Ken and his wife, Nary, were off to Switzerland for some December skiing. Apparently the cold air clears the legal mind.

That's the news for this month. In rereading this, it would appear that we're reporting on too many people from Connecticut and Jonathan Edwards, I apologize, it's the circuit I've been traveling lately. With your help, I'll try to get this spread around a bit more. See you next month.

—Junius (Sandy) R. Clark III