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 1992
Notes: November 1992
Notes: October 1992
Notes: Summer 1992
Notes: May 1992
Notes: April 1992
Notes: March 1992
Notes: February 1992

Notes: December 1992

Happy and safe Holidays to all our readers! See you in February.

—Bernard M. Kosto

Notes: November 1992

While you all look forward, no doubt, to reading in this space of Trillin's latest antics, your secretary would love to hear for a change from some of his more reticent classmates. There must be some of you who, like me, are household names only in your own home; some whose happy golden bygone days were less than golden and some who still reject Yale for having rejected their children. You may be upset with Yale, but do not cut yourself off from a place we share and an experience that has shaped our lives. Writing a note may bring you a hail of correspondence from old friends; it will not make you a primary target from alumni fund marksmen.

News: Peter and Terry Farrand have moved to Brazil in time for the impeachment of President Collor. Their permanent mailing address is Rusa Viradoura 29, Apt. 22, 04538-110 Sao Paulo, telephone 55-11-820-1677. Gladys and Reed Taylor enjoyed a pre-hurricane Hawaiian vacation prior to installing Amy in New Haven for her senior year and Suzanne at Chicago for her sophomore year. Dick Munn will leave Dataquest, which he founded and has sold. His youngest daughter got married in August. His wife Holly is a student at Andover Newton Divinity School. Gil Merritt has been in the news because of his court's involvement in the Demjanuk case, David and Esther Laventhol were seen back east at Saratoga with Binky and Sara Davis. Apparently the women handicapped first place on the basis of the jockey's gender. She reciprocated by romping home first!

Events: Frank and Nancy Mongillo will again open their home to our classmates for warmth and cheer following the Princeton football game. On February 6, 1993, the class will hold a mini-reunion in New Haven in conjunction with the Yale-Colgate hockey game. Peter and Ruth Fritzsche have graciously offered to host cocktails and dinner for the attendees in their university quarters, Mark your calendars for March 23, 1993, when the annual class dinner will be held at the Yale Club of New York.

Finally, a number of classmates have proposed that the Class of 1957 undertake some civic project(s). These efforts may involve the university, national or community service activities, or networks to support classmates changing careers, or in need of aid. Princeton '55 has been a leader in this area. Your ideas, comments, and suggestions would be welcome.

—Bernard M. Kosto

Notes: October 1992

Jesse Lemisch, Professor of History at City University of New York, has written a powerful piece for the New York Times concerning managed health and its personal effect on the family. In the new book department: Marsden Hartley, Biography of an American Artist, Little Brown & Co. by Townsend Ludington, Professor of English, University of North Caroline, Chapel Hill. John Curlett, President of XPres Corp (painting systems and specialty printing) writes from Winston-Salem where he and his wife Anne have spent time with John Shaw and Hank Conlan. John has seen or spoken with Reid White, John Loudon and Bob Bentley. Attorney Bob Sullivan, presumably an estate planner, writes that he is "happily participating in the great American process of the orderly distribution of ill-gotten gains." He must have conscience pangs because he also worked for Paul Tsongas.

Peter Kosinski writes of the decaying business climate in Connecticut, real estate development at a virtual standstill, his opening a new office in Miami, and an architectural foray into Eastern Europe. Son Peter is pursuing "things Chinese" in Santa Cruz, California while sustaining himself as a software consultant. Daughter Isabel lives in Boulder, Colorado. Wife teaches French at Yale.

Richard Roberts is finishing his first year in Rwanda where he is with Management Sciences for Health as a senior adviser to ANAPO, the national population office. Wife Cris is researching for a book on the first American consul to France and Morocco. Larry Kramer's recently completed play The Destiny of Me is mentioned in a long New York Times article on the struggle for art's external expression in the age of AIDS.

Your secretary had the pleasure of a personal tour of the sumptuous law offices of John Peters in New Orleans. The Mississippi flows north by the city! Charlie Marks was heading to Chicago to preside at the Millionaires round table but offered entre to one of the city's delectable restaurants. Tom Brown retied from Bethlehem Steel after 35 years of service as assistant superintendent of the cold sheet mill. From the mid-1960s until the present, Tom supervised every aspect of the mill's operation. Tom and his wife Maureen live in Chesterton, Indiana. Jared Curtis, Professor of English at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, continues to track down obscure information about the poetry of William Wordsworth. Jared's analysis will be included in the 21-volume Cornell Wordsworth. Of the experience of making one person's work the focus of a life-long career, Jared says, "It's something that is always there…it is a tremendous influence on me."

I record with sadness the death of Dick Sheinbaum on April 18th. Dick was a member of Calhoun College, and in later life, a banker. His wife Susan may be reached at 47 Highpoint Road, Westport, CT 06880.

Several members of the class of 1957 came together to work on an extraordinary new book entitled I Will Sing Life, Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. The book tells the life stories of several campers from Paul Newman's camp for kids with cancer and blood diseases. It all started with Ray Lamontagne who is on the board of the camp and who found funding for the camp's creative writing counselors (Larry Berger and Dahlia Lithwick '90) to write a book with seven talented camper authors. Ray then put the two counselors up in his house for the year that they worked on the book. When it came time to find a publisher, Ray phoned Little, Brown's Roger Donald. When it came time to find a writer to cover the story of the book and the camp for the New York Times Magazine, they tracked down Calvin Trillin. The executive director of the camp is Carroll Brewster and the camp's insurance agent is Michael O'Hearn, All authors proceeds and a percentage of publisher's proceeds go to support the camp.

Congratulations to our Class's newest member, Honoris Causa, Murray Murdoch. The coach may be reached at 190 Dessa Drive, Hamden, CT 06517 or (203) 288-9676.

Howie Gillis has written the following: "I sit in a very special position, as I have been Reunion chairman since our graduation from Yale 35 years ago and have worked with all Class Secretaries. Without taking anything away from any of the previous secretaries as there have been many great secretaries, Tom Perkins has devoted an extraordinary amount of time and dedication to the job and has left the class as a cohesive, positive and vibrant group of people with both leadership and interest in Yale at a time when the university needs this type of support from its Alumni. Thanks Tom Perkins for a job well done."

—Bernard M. Kosto

Notes: Summer 1992

Thirty-Fifth Reunion

If you didn't come to our 35th Reunion… shame on you! You missed a special time.

Howie Gillis, running his seventh reunion, turned out almost 300 strong, including spouses and guests, and we celebrated the present as well as the past. Even better, old and new friends shared hopes and concerns about the future.

In addition to the diverse reunion educational programs offered by the University, our own Friday class panels were well conceived and prepared under the leadership of Chuck Schaller. Jim Banner chaired a panel on Education in America including a schoolteacher, a headmaster, and a member of the New York Board of Regents, namely, Reed Taylor, Brian Walsh, and Ed Meyer. This was followed by a panel led by Rod Correll providing many hard questions and some good answers about where each of us goes from here, including experts from many fields: Fred Guggenheim (psychiatry), Jack Hughes (medicine), Don Roberts (personal financial planning), Mike O'Hearn (insurance), Mo Raker and Pete Fritzsche (career changes), and Binky Davis (coping with life-threatening illness).

Ed Meyer organized a class tennis tournament resulting in trophies for Sally and Chris Sonne and for White Plains' own Alan Hockstader. Yale's formidable world-renowned golf course was brought to its knees by Mike Kenefick, held at bay by Dick Arnold, and paid homage to by the rest of us in Binky's Davis' fine golf outing. Other classmates toured Long Island Sound aboard the S.S. Liberty Belle.

Awards for exceptional service to the Class went to Frank and Nancy Mongillo, Don Roberts, David Mininberg, Rod Correll, and Howie Gillis. Murray Murdock, Yale's hockey coach in our day, was made an honorary classmate and we also honored Aileen Quigley from the Yale Alumni Fund, who has worked with our Class for many years. The Class Dinner also featured a thoughtful talk by Bud Trillin on Pricing of Soy Bean Futures and a stellar performance by the Whiffenpoofs of 1957.

On the fund-raising side, Yale's Best Class set its fourth straight reunion giving record. Thanks to the remarkable efforts of Don Roberts and a host of volunteers, most notably Tom Quirk, we presented Yale with a humdinger of a reunion gift of close to five million dollars, almost doubling our goal.

Our own class officers are Bern Kosto, Secretary and Art Diefendorf, Treasurer. I know you will give them the strong support that you gave Rod Correll and me these past five years.

See you at the 40th.

Those who attended (*spouse/guest): Mrs Abuza, Ackerman*, Almond, Alvarez de Toledo, Anderson*, Appel*, Argall, Armstrong*, Arnold, Atkeson*, Austin*, Baker, Banner*, Berger*, Bingham*, Boasberg, Bodkin*, Bogert*, Bourguin*, Bowman*, Breslav, D. Brown*, F. Brown*, Bullard*, Carlisle, Carpenter*, Carson*, Chauncey, Cheney, Childs*, J. Clark*, M. Clark*, Clayton, Clinton*, Conlan*, Converse*, Cooke*, Correll*, Crafts, Crisler*, Cronin*, Crosby*, Curlett*, Curran, Davies, Davis*, Devrovner*, Deters, Diefendorf*, Edelstein, Ellis*, Erickson, Everitt, Farnum*, Farrand*, Flagg*, Fleming, Foote, Freeman*, Fritzsche, Gage, Gillis*, Graff*, Guggenheim*, Guggenheimer*, Halpern*, Heller*, Herrmann, Highland*, Hochman*, Hockstader*, Hopkins*, Hughes*, Hull*, Hutchinson, Inglis*, Jensen*, Johnson*, Jonas*, R.K. Jones, R.O. Jones*, T. Jones*, Joost*, Kalkstein, Kaplan*, Katz*, Kenefick, Kerr, Kimball*, Kner*, Kosinski*, Kosto, Kramer, Kulleseid, Loucks, Lovins*, Ludington, Lumpkin*, Lynch*.

Also Mackiewicz, Marchesi, Marden, McCarthy, McEligot, McGill*, Merritt, Meyer*, Michelman*, Mininberg*, Mitchell, Mongillo*, Moore*, Mottus*, Munn, Neary, Neff*, O'Hearn*, Pelen, Peet, Pegg*, Pepples*, Perkins*, Peterson*, Pillsbury, Poinier*, Prisant*, Quirk, Raker*, Ritchie, Roberts*, Robinson, Ruhm, Russell, Ryan, Samet, Savin, Schaller*, Sharp*, Shaw, Sheffield*, Sipherd*, Smith, Somary*, Sonne*, Sullivan*, Sweedler*, Swinchatt*, Taylor*, Tebbe*, Trillin, Trippe*, van Alen*, Vojta*, Walker, Walsh*, Ward*, West*, Weymouth*, White, Wiley*, Wittenberg*, Witter*, Wolf, Wrean*, Wroth*.

—Thomas P. Perkins III

Notes: May 1992

Jack Pendergast was good enough to remind me that my recent listing of class members on the federal judiciary glaringly omitted Ralph Winter. Ralph is also a federal appellate court judge, sitting on the Second Circuit, which consists of New York, Vermont, and Ralph's home state of Connecticut. My apologies to Ralph and thanks to Jack.

This is the 39th and final regular column turned in by your faithful scribe, completing my five-year tour of duty as Class Secretary. I am very much in debt to all of you for being such a diverse and interesting cross section of 57-year-olds. I have enjoyed immensely recording your many exploits and occasional foibles. Thank you for the opportunity.

Bernie Kosto has just completed an active and successful three-year term as the Class AYA Representative. Come next fall, he will be succeeded by New Haven's own Frank Mongillo, who, like Bernie before him, has a long record of service to the Class.

More books for the class bookshelf. St. Martin's Press recently published a new novel by Ray Sipherd entitled, The Courtship of Peggy McCoy. Down South, Professor Jim Crook's latest book, Jacksonville, After the Fire: A New South has been published by the University Presses of Florida. Kim's book is a study of urban growth and development, Florida-style. And look for Los Angeles lawyer Zach Sachs' first novel, Driver, which will be out shortly.

Bill Reimann added four gold and three silver medals to his vast trophy collection, swamping his fellow rowers in the U.S. Masters in Austin, Texas. Bill's recent artistic achievements include a huge sculpture, suspended 20' in space, created for the Tropicana World Headquarters in Bradenton, Florida.

Retirement is a new beginning, according to the consistent testimony turned in by many of us. Tony Loughran retired from Ma Bell in San Francisco nine years ago, but continues to thrive up in Nevada City, "the finest place to live in the U.S." Phil Pillsbury, among other pursuits, is now a regent of the American Architectural Foundation and President of the Octagon Society, after 31 years at USIA. Peter Smith, down in St. Simons Island, Georgia, is busy consulting after 30 years in the banking business. Courtenay Haight is now a neophyte farmer in Maine after a long career at J.P. Morgan. Psi Simons has traveled all over the world after retiring from Punahou School in Honolulu and is busy tutoring Japanese students. Finally, Bob Rospond is reaching and logging in Eastern Washington., How about you? When are you going to smell the roses?

Late Breaking News: After many years as a Shearson, Lehman superstar, John Herrmann was lured away by the Industrial Bank of Japan to become a C.E.O. of its merchant bank, the Bridgeford Group. Jim Ferris is back in Auburn, California after completing a 25-day trek in Nepal, his second such venture in the past five years. Dick Munn, who sold his own firm two years ago to Dataquest, part of the Dun and Bradstreet empire, now serves as Vice President of Eastern Operation for this concern, operating from Dick's base in Weston, Massachusetts. John Kohler reports in from Spartanburg, South Carolina where he serves as Manager of Kohler's South Carolina plant.

Dick Sheinbaum, a long-term employee at Connecticut Bank and Trust, now is managing a portfolio of $5 billion in non-performing loans for Recoll Management Corp., a Fleet affiliate. Career changes for two classmates out in Australia. Dick LaGanza, after a long career with Shell, has set up a new consulting business in mineral processing and chemical technology in West Pymble, New South Wales. John Spencer, also in New South Wales, is back practicing law after ten years in politics. John is living in Wollahra.

And finally, and best of all, we have a brand new "youngest" father, Tom Crumpacker who sends this special news from Redstone, Colorado. Tom will be at our 35th Reunion to accept congratulations. See you there. By the way, it's not too late for you to plan to attend. Get going!

—Thomas P. Perkins III

Notes: April 1992

Many of us, I'm sure, have fantasized about qualifying for and performing (brilliantly, of course) on Jeopardy! The answer: one of us did it. The question: Who is Louis Pryor! Lou's odyssey in the competition is best described in his own words: "I was given a 50-question written test in Atlantic City in December 1990, then interviewed and put through a mock game; a few weeks later I was notified to come to Hollywood for the 1991 Senior Tournament ("Senior" in this case meaning 50 or older). Fifteen of us (including Malcolm Post '51) competed in March in programs that were broadcast in July 1991. I won my first game, edged out Mal in the semi-final, and won the two-day cumulative-points-total finals. As the Senior Championship winner, I qualified to compete in the 'Tournament of Champions', taped for broadcast in November 1991. I moved into the semifinals as a so-called 'Wild Card," i.e., I did not win my first game but had one of the highest scores among non-winners. In the semifinals I defeated Mark Born, who had taken home more money in his previous appearances than anyone else in the program's history. In the two-day finals, I was competing with two guys whose combined ages (22 and 35) were less than mine; I did not win, but the competition went down to the last questions on the last day, a three-part question on which I had two parts right; but you had to have all three to win, so I could not overcome the winner's lead from the first day of final." All I can say is "Wow!" The best part from our perspective is that another classmate is busy revising Lou's 35th Reunion gift assessment. Who is Don Roberts.

Delovie Gisn, the Russian version of Fortune, recently featured a long article by Phil Lynch on doing business with the new republics over there. Phil has spent most of the past 25 years in East-West trade and finance. Just a year ago, Phil was asked by the then Supreme Soviet to serve as a consultant on restructuring the defense industry in Kharkov. Phil warns that the U.S. may be missing out on "massive opportunities" in Russian and Eastern European trade. In December, Phil hosted a delegation of Kharkov and Moscow business types in Cleveland, highlighted by the special treat of "rubbing satin encased elbows with the real power structure in Grass Roots America," to use Phil's description, at Cleveland's celebrated Yale Ball.

A recent piece in the New York Post featured Andre Schiffrin. In January, Andre launched New Press, a not-for-profit publishing house seeking to expand both the range and reach of published books with a goal of an annual list of 40 titles. Andre headed Pantheon Books for many year, but resigned in protest two years ago when Pantheon was cut back by its parent company, Random House. Diverse initiatives for Andres at New Books include a book on civil rights issues raised by AIDS, children's books for inner city neighborhoods, translations of European literature and other effort beyond the traditional reach of commercial publishing.

I regret to report the death in January of Heyward (Sonny) Myers. Sonny was a personnel consultant and organizational recruiter. A longtime resident of Clinton, Connecticut where he had served as president of the town's Economic Development Commission. Sonny is survived by his wife, Gail, of 80 Seaview Terrace, Guilford, CT 06437, and by two daughters and one grandchild.

Finally, good news from Korea: Kong Kyun Ro, who is teaching management science in Seoul, is "planning to find a way to attend the 35th Reunion." If Kong can get there so can all the rest of us. Make your plans now!

—Thomas P. Perkins III

Notes: March 1992

This should reach you just prior to our annual Yale Club dinner in NYC, set for Thursday, March 19th, with the festivities beginning at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully, it's not too late to reserve with Sandy Clark by calling 212-661-9230 or just appearing at the door, check in hand. Our "mystery" speaker turns out to be none other than Henry Geldzahler, erstwhile Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of New York and then Curator of Modern American Art at the Metropolitan. Henry continues his high profile in the art world and we should have an interesting evening.

Howie Gillis will also be on hand to update us on reunion plans. Our 35th promises to be very special. Chuck Schaller, by the way, will be running our reunion class panels and would welcome suggestions. Chuck can be reached at 2032 Burr Street, Fairfield, CT 06430, 203-259-5664. Don't be shy.

Congratulations to both Yale and to Pete Fritzsche on Pete's selection as the new Managing Director of the Yale Alumni Fund. Pete's efforts as a class fundraiser are legendary, with record 20th and 25th reunion gift totals achieved under this leadership. Pete has also served as Class Secretary and on the YAF Board of Governors. His enthusiasm, expertise, and keen sense of humor will greatly enhance Yale's fundraising efforts. We owe it to Pete and to our current Chair, Don Roberts, to maintain our class tradition with a new record for the 35th Reunion. If you haven't signed on, do so pronto before Pete comes after you.

Pete joins Ted Jones and Vern Loucks in Yale's development leadership. Also prominent in these efforts is John Herrmann, one of the key leaders of Yale's $1.5 billion "And for Yale" Capital Campaign. John is regional chair for New York City for this monumental undertaking.

Al Boasberg writes in from San Francisco of his recent trip east and visits with Bill Sheffield, Roger Samet, and Paul Leand. We expect to see all four at Reunion. Paul is an early favorite in the class tennis tournament.

Late Breaking News: Pete Greer joins George Dunn on the yachting scene, having recently guided his boat Antares 1400 miles northward from Oriental, North Carolina. We have reported on Fred Guggenheim's exploits in the world of psychiatry. Fred also doubles as an accomplished photographer, along with Dick Crisler. Fred just had his second one-man show out in Little Rock and perhaps he and Dick can be persuaded to present a show at our TD reunion headquarters.

Frank Muggia, on the faculty at the University of Southern California, was recently back in New Haven to give an address at the Yale Medical School. Phil Clover continues as Vice President and Comptroller of Western Union Financial Services, Inc., while fighting the recession as a member of the Economic Advisory Committee for Ridgewood, New Jersey. Our ranks of real estate operatives continue to grow. Rod Koehler, in Stormville, New York is just the person to find you your weekend retreat or retirement home up in Putnam or Dutchess Counties. Give him a call. Finally, Hardy HRM Corp. recently published a comprehensive study of Compensation for Outside Directors, under the aegis of its Executive Vice President, Frank Brown.

If you don't already have the new 1957 Classbook, it should reach you before the end of this month. Hopefully, it will inspire you to sign up for the Reunion! Do it now! You'll be glad you did.

—Thomas P. Perkins III

Notes: February 1992

Thursday, March 19th. Circle this date on your calendar. This will be our annual NYC Yale Club dinner and final warm-up for our 35th Reunion. We promise you, as always, a mystery speaker and a fine evening. We will send notices to the greater NYC area, but if you are planning to be in New York that evening from out of town, call Sandy Clark at 212-661-9230 or me at 410-244-7510 and we'll put you on the door list.

Dick Arnold has recently received the high honor of appointment as Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which includes Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Iowa, along with Dick's native Arkansas. Dick joins Gil Merritt in this singular distinction. Gil is Chief Judge of the Sixth Circuit, which includes Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky along with Gil's home state of Tennessee. Also in the federal judiciary is Ken Sharp, serving on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. This is certainly a formidable lineup of which all of us can be proud. I also hope that if I have left someone off this prestigious federal judiciary list, he doesn't hold me in contempt.

Another report from our legion of active class athletes: John Snider is a star goalie in a very competitive senior hockey league up in Michigan. The former Trumbull College hockey captain is also very active in professional hockey as President of the International Hockey League and owner of his hometown Muskegon Lumberjacks. Snides also manages to find time to chair the Muskegon Economic Growth Commission while maintaining a flourishing law practice.

Had a good visit recently in D.C. with Harry Valentine, who at one time, also owned a professional sports franchise, a minor league baseball team in Florida. A few years back, Harry obtained a degree from the Yale Divinity School and is active in a prayer ministry in Washington while living in Annapolis.

Our class publication list keeps on growing. We'll need a special wing in Sterling. Rufus Goodwin has written a new novel, Sinai Option, and a new volume of poetry, The Open Door, published by the Urban Press in Boston. Arthur Wertheim has been named editor-in-chief of the writings of Will Rogers. Arthur will be bringing out 10 to 12 volumes of this opus over the next decade under the auspices of the University of Oklahoma Press. The only class wordsmith I know of with more volumes is Bud Trillin, whose latest hardback (I count 15 so far) is American Stories, described as "elegant reportage" by Newsday, among other rave reviews. John Leinenweber, a Benedictine brother, now at the Yale Divinity School, expects to publish shortly his next work, a translation of letters of St. Augustine. Tim Childs is also working on a new book, a biography of Napoleon's stepson Eugene, who held the august titles of Prince of the Empire, Viceroy of Italy and Duke of Leuchtenberg. Prince Eugene would surely have been in the Fence Club if he had been a classmate of ours. Our leading playwright, Larry Kramer, is currently in residence in D.C., doing some extended research. Larry can be reached at 202-234-1068 and would like to hear from classmates in the Washington area. Finally, in the computer field, Frank Lin, a Professor at the University of Maryland's Eastern Shore campus, reports that he has authored two books on theoretical physics and computer science. Quite a diverse bookshelf.

Late Breaking News: Congratulations to Gordon Bellis in San Francisco on his recent marriage to Carole Brainard Hutchins. Secretary of the Yale Club of Israel is Don Edelstein, living in Jerusalem. Hal Hochman has been named William E. Simon Professor of Political Science at Lafayette College, effective in September. Bill Keen is still engineering for Merck & Co., "America's most admired company," he tells us, with special assignments in Germany. Don Backe was recently named Headmaster of St. Andrews Elementary and Nursery School in Annapolis. George Lee continues as Managing Partner of Akin, Gump, Hauer and Feld, a major national law firm headquartered in Dallas. Charlie Strong is Vice President of Montenay Power, based in Miami, specializing in recycling and waste to energy projects. Larry Flinn runs several companies in satellite programming, communications, and cable-TV systems, operating from his base in Greenwich, Connecticut. Finally, if you admired the bass playing on Blind Love in Bob Seger's latest album, The Fire Inside, you should have. Buell Neidlinger starred on this number and belatedly sends Christmas greetings to us all, strumming on Merry Christmas, Baby, the Ojays' Christmas album on the EMI label. Hannes Somary, we are told did not conduct this recording.

—Thomas P. Perkins III