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by (Cy) Paul Pesek 55th reunion Another record-breaking reunion! The amazing Class of 1954 did it again: We broke the record for the 55th reunion gift, with a gift of $66,545,454 (and still counting until June 30)! Irv Jensen, the gift committee chairman, presented a giant check for that amount to Fiona Boucher of the university development department at our class dinner. This is the second class-gift record in a row that our class has achieved; we also broke the record for our 50th reunion gift, as you remember. This is from a group of guys that just lost 40 percent of their 401k investments and are all unemployed! We were all Depression babies born in 1932, so we must be trying harder! Attendance at the reunion was very high, with 256 attendees consisting of 143 classmates and 113 guests, all gathering at the Timothy Dwight bar and grill. The president of Yale, Richard Levin, made a special effort after his recent surgery to come by our class dinner and thank us for our great contributions to Yale. Barrie Rich, our retiring class secretary, who did a wonderful job over our last five great years that included two mini-reunions, five football celebrations, record fund-raising, and bringing the class closer together, introduced the new class officers, who are: (Cy) Paul Pesek, class secretary; Irv Jensen, treasurer; and Murray Buttner, chair of agents. Paul thanked Barrie Rich and Leigh Quinn, the retiring treasurer (who did not invest with Bernie Madoff), for their dedication and skill that created an outstanding five years for our class, and announced that Barrie and Leigh will continue to serve the class as "agents for life." Paul also vowed to continue the mini-reunion tradition started in these past five years. Carl Loucks, the reunion committee chairman who acted as master of ceremonies and ringmaster, announced Distinguished Service Awards that were presented to Bob Martin, Ken MacDonald, and Dick Suisman for their great work on the mini-reunions; to Bob Newman for producing the class directory; and to Irv Jensen and Paul Pesek for co-chairing the 55th reunion gift committee and taking on grueling jobs for the next five years. The Friday class panel that was chaired by Dick Thornburgh and which included classmates Dr. Lew James, Dr. Blair Leroy, Dr. Jack Matloff, and Dr. George Spaeth discussed "U.S. Health Care, What's Good, What's Wrong, and How Do We Fix It?" It was noted that our class, at age 77 with 72 percent still alive, exceeds the average American male mortality age of 75 by 43 percent (calculation upon request), largely due to improved medical care. There must be something very good about the system. Not surprisingly, the health care issue is so complex that nobody is sure how to fix it. Dick Bell introduced the panel and generally kept order in the hall. The Finance and Economy Panel was moderated by Howard Brenner and included as panelists professor Douglas Rae and classmates Charlie Johnson and Steve Kumble. They examined how we got into this mess (unrealistic optimism about real estate prices), what is likely to happen (interest rates will soar), and where we should invest (a bit vague -- if they knew, they would fully invest!). This ten-year down cycle (2000-2010) should be followed by a ten-year up cycle (if the world doesn't end in 2012 like the ancient Aztecs have predicted by ending their 3,000-year calendar in that year). The regenerated Whiffenpoofs entertained us each night and participated in the Celebration of Yale Singing at Woolsey Hall on Saturday with hundreds of other Whiffs and Glee Club members. The "Older but Wiser" Whiffs include: Obie Clifford, Pete Coughlan, John Franciscus, Dick Hiers, Charlie Johnson, Tom McLane, Bruce Meacham, Jim Monde, Nick Peay, Russ Reynolds, Harold Starr, Buddy Thompson, Hugh Ravenscroft, and Pitch Pipe Oakleigh Thorne '51. Buddy Thompson belted out a few Frank Sinatra songs during the dancing which followed the Saturday night lobster dinner. We sang "Bright College Years" several times and some of us should soon know it by heart. Thanks to the reunion committee for providing a great program, good food, stimulating panels, a congenial atmosphere, and pretty good weather: Carl Loucks, Dick Bell, Jim Monde, Bob Newman, and Don Gray. Contact:
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This is my first regular column as class secretary for the "Amazing Yale Class of 1954." I am proud to start with two amazing achievements by our classmates: Joel Smilow made a major gift to Yale for cancer
care and research, and it has been used to construct a new building that
is named the My old roommate, Russ Meyer, was "honored and enshrined" by the National Aviation Hall of Fame on July 18 for his work for small aircraft manufacturers and his 30 years as CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company. His co-honorees were two astronauts and a famous general and airpower advocate -- pretty good company! Since you all read the Wall Street Journal everyday, this may not be news, but Charlie Johnson's photo was on the front page of the April 18 issue of the WSJ in an article about the dismal stock market of the 1970s. The photo must have been taken in 1970 because Charlie had all his dark hair -- which was much longer than when he was at Yale. Sheila Pite let us know that four roommates (Peter Benelli, Bob Ford, Jerry Jones, and Marsh Pite) "have been married to the same woman for more than 50 years!" (I think that she means to the same four women.) Let me know if you have been married to one woman for 50 or more years. (I have.) Bill Aull died in Bill Conkling died on March 27. He was a naval
aviator and a flight instructor after graduation from Yale. Bill then
worked for IBM for eight years, and for 24 years was a vice president of
Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC), a subsidiary of the Frank (Rod) Meyer died on April 25. He excelled
at track at Yale, and in 1954 he represented the Ivy League as a member
of the Bernhard Hoffmann, who died on April 18, was a
Russian translator for the Army Intelligence Service after graduation.
He then became a banker and investment adviser in Book Reviews: Each column, I will comment on (not critically review) books written by or about our classmates and by their wives. I have read many classmates' books and most are very good. Please let me know if you or your wife has written a book and send me a copy to read. If you haven't written a book yet, write one now! Mini-reunions: Many of us enjoyed the two great mini-reunions that we had in 2006 and 2007, and we are already planning more mini-reunions for 2010-2013. Let me know if you have ideas and/or a preference for location, frequency, time of year, and events. After we cheer the Bulldogs to victory over Harvard in the "Class of 1954 Yale Field" on November 21, we will continue our tradition of a micro-reunion after the game in the Smilow Field House. Contact:
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Classnotes