Tim Powell

Class Notes for January-February 2023

Greetings for the New Year.  I hope that your holiday season was a safe and happy one.  Unfortunately, I begin this column with the sad news of the passing of two of our classmates.

Priscilla Lundin sent word that her close friend and Trumbull classmate J. Brian Sheehan died on September 4, 2022, in Bloomfield, NJ. Initially in the Class of ’70, Brian was an African Studies major in Yale’s Five-Year BA Program. He joined our class after returning from a year in Mongu, Zambia, where he taught English at St. John's College.  After Yale, Brian earned his J.D. from NYU Law School, then a PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University, which published his dissertation, The Boston School Integration Dispute: Social Change and Legal Maneuvers (1984). Brian taught college courses with content that often reflected his interests in both anthropology and the law, including as an Assistant Professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.  For four years during his college teaching career, Brian worked on the documentary film, A Leap of Faith, nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival. Narrated by Liam Neeson, this documentary is about an integrated school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that enrolled both Protestant and Catholic children. Brian assisted in the conceptualization of this film and was a producer; he also coordinated fieldwork and handled fundraising and media relations.  After leaving academia, Brian devoted himself to helping the disadvantaged. His work included writing research grants for the prevention of crime and homelessness, and legal work in the area of mental health for the NJ Department of the Public Advocate. Brian subsequently volunteered as a pro bono attorney in the area of immigration law: for the American Friends Service Committee and Immigration Justice Campaign; and, in recent years up to the time of his death, for KIND (Kids in Need of Defense), representing migrant and refugee children in immigration court. Brian's survivors include his three sons, Nicholas, Matthew, and Daniel, four grandchildren and his former spouse Noreen Connolly.

            David M. Porter, died of Alzheimer’s disease Sept. 21, 2022.  David entered Yale originally with the Class of 1969, left and returned as a member of our class, and finally completed his undergraduate studies (including courses at Johns Hopkins University) in 1976.  After working as an auto mechanic for a couple of years, David enrolled at the University of Maryland School of Law and earned his J.D. degree in 1982.  He began his legal career in the tax department at what was then Piper & Marbury, now DLA Piper, and joined the Maryland Attorney General’s Office in 1989.  He subsequently took a position with the Maryland Department of Licensing and Regulation, served as deputy to the state banking commissioner, and then returned to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office of Housing and Community Development.  Until retiring in 2016, David spent the last 15 years of his career at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.   David’s obituary noted his lifetime passions for photography, folk music, collecting classic cars and motorcycles, sailing the Chesapeake Bay and his devotion to his wife, his daughters and his grandchildren.

Turning to happier news, Mark DeFrancesco has been elected Secretary of the Accreditation Commission for Health Care for a term running through June 2025.  Mark is a past President and former National Secretary of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and recently retired from private practice.  He is a founder of Women’s Health Connecticut/Physicians for Women’s Health and served as its Chief Medical Officer from 1997 to 2014.  Mark has a long history of service in the healthcare accreditation arena, including as a Board Member and President of the Board of Directors of Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.  He subsequently served on the Board of Directors of Accreditation Association for Hospitals and Health Systems, the parent company of Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program.  After Yale, Mark received his medical education at the University of Connecticut and earned an MBA from the University of New Haven. Congratulations, Mark.

We have exciting news to share regarding the Calvin Hill Day Care Center.  From its inception, the Center has been closely associated with the Class of 1971. Conceived during the latter stages of our undergraduate years and co-founded by our classmate Kurt Schmoke and Mary Pearl (’72) during the summer of 1971, the Center was designated as our “official class charity” at our 20th Reunion. Since that time, dozens of classmates have donated thousands of dollars to this worthy organization. Now, classmate Mitch Kapor and his wife, Freada Kapor Klein, have made an extraordinary commitment to the Center:  a $25,000 gift targeting the Clinic’s programming and a second $25,000 commitment to match donations made by classmates to the Center during the 2022-23 school year (i.e., through June 30, 2023).  Assuming that gifts from classmates reach the $25,000 goal, Mitch and Freada’s initiative will generate a very impactful $75,000 contribution to the Center attributable to the relationship between our class and the Center.  Our class leadership is grateful to Mitch and Freada for their generosity, and we wholeheartedly endorse this fundraising venture for the current academic year. Information on how to make an online contribution directly to the Center is found on the Center’s website calvinhilldaycare.org (as is their mailing address for those who wish to make their donations in the traditional manner).

As we progress through 2023, we will continue to host our popular monthly class Zoom sessions (3rd Thursday of each month at Noon ET).  If you would like to be added to the invitation list, please let me know.  Don’t forget to visit our class website https://yale71.org/ to review material from our 50th Reunion and to see latest postings from classmates.

Cheers,

Andy Kaufman

11-08-22

by Tim Powell

Class Notes for November-December 2022

Our Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:

            Dori Zaleznik, co-editor of our Class of ‘71 much acclaimed 50th Reunion classbook, is launching a new project to tell the stories of the historic beginning of coeducation at Yale College. The full story of that interesting time has not yet been told. This is a call to the men of ’70 and the men and women of ’71, ’72, and ’73 to participate by writing your stories so future historians can understand that period. The best history is told through narratives, and we would like to put together your stories — admittedly through the lens of memories from 50+ years ago. This is not an effort to report how Yale influenced your life nor to make Yale look good or bad. We want your stories about how you experienced coeducation at the time — the momentous and mundane recollections and anything in between. If interested, please send an email to Dori at coeducationatyaletherealstory@gmail.com.

Matt Gold missed our reunion because he was attending the American Medical Association’s Annual Meeting in Chicago, the AMA’s first in-person full-function meeting in three years.  Matt continues in solo practice neurology in Winchester, MA, and in addition he serves as his local Independent Practice Association's representative to the Organized Medical Staff Section at the AMA. For the last 10 years, he has been first the Alternate Delegate, and for the last 5 years the Delegate, of that Section to the House of Delegates of the AMA, and he has authored and advocated for numerous resolutions over that time.  In particular, Matt spearheaded (and wrote most of) a resolution approved at AMA last June (after a year of work) to acknowledge a strong correlation of hearing loss in mid-life to later cognitive decline and dementia and to encourage education and more research in this field. Though most of Matt’s activity at AMA is for the Organized Medical Staff Section, this resolution was submitted by the AMA’s Senior Physicians Section.  The resolution also received support from the American Academy of Neurology, and the National Institute of Health and the AMA are discussing possible collaborations to accelerate research on the subject.  Matt’s efforts were recognized in this SPS Member profile: https://www.ama-assn.org/member-groups-sections/senior-physicians/sps-member-profile-matthew-d-gold-md.

Rick Merkt reports that his new educational enterprise, Lionheart Classical Academy, opened successfully for business in Peterborough, New Hampshire, on August 31, 2022, welcoming nearly 200 young students.  This achievement followed nearly 20 months of intensive effort by the founding board.  Lionheart Classical Academy is a public charter school, meaning that any student in New Hampshire can receive a classical academic education tuition free.  It extends the principle of school choice to many Granite State families who could not otherwise afford it.  Rick currently serves as Secretary of the Founding Board and is working on a volume to recount how the founding got done, what they did right, and what mistakes they made along the way.  It is intended not only to tell Lionheart Classical Academy's story, but also to act as something of a "how-to" guide for others in New Hampshire and New England interested in expanding educational options for children.          

            Jay Gitlin and Ginny spent some time in Ireland last summer.  Jay reports that the trip “was nice but exhausting (Basie joined us for the final two days. We drove from Dublin to Galway--went to a castle--fun--in Kinvara, a monastery in ruins--and did the boat ride to the Cliffs of Moher. How anyone ever crossed the Atlantic in those choppy seas is a miracle. We ended our time there with a proper dinner--bangers and mash--in a pub listening to traditional music. All fun.”  Jay has been busy on the Yale Club speaking circuit this fall.  In mid-September he gave a talk at the Yale Club of New York City entitled "Are Words Necessary? The Comic Art of James Thurber, Robert Osborn (Yale '28), and David Levine."  Jay was joined in the presentation by Adam Van Doren, who teaches painting at Yale and who did a PBS documentary on Thurber.  This was the second in a series of talks about cartoonists, with more to come, and Jay hopes that the collected talks will become a book. Vera Wells came to the talk and joined Jay and Adam for dinner afterwards.  In addition, later this fall Jay gave a talk for the Yale Club of Cape Cod on the evolution of Cape Cod as a vacationland.

Sadly, Jeff Fortgang notified me about the unexpected passing of Maury Eldridge last May, while kayaking off the coast of Maine.  Although Maury didn’t graduate until ’73, he remained officially a member of ’71 and submitted an entry for our 50th Reunion classbook (p. 293).  Although Jeff did not know Maury at Yale, in September 1974 they landed together in a clinical psychology doctoral program at Adelphi’s Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, now known as the Derner Institute.  Subsequently, they both moved to the Boston area for their internships and clinical careers.  Outside of the clinical sphere, Maury was an enthusiastic lover of nature, which was the focus of a long series of poems and magnificent photographs.  In addition to singing, he also energetically embraced any number of outdoor activities, such as rowing, snorkeling, hiking and birdwatching, and traveling to venues that provided these opportunities.  Since Maury’s death, Jeff has met with some of Maury’s patients who abruptly found themselves missing their long-time psychologist, and Jeff reports that without exception they describe experiencing him as a supportive, understanding, and stabilizing presence in their lives.  For a moving obituary of Maury, including an example of his poetry, see https://mysticchorale.org/maury-eldridge/.  We send our condolences to Maury’s wife Dale and their two sons and their grandchildren.

Several of you sent me notes about the passing in August of Janet Hill, Calvin Hill’s wife.  Although Calvin was ’69, we made him an honorary member of ’71 some years ago as a result of our Class’ long involvement with the Calvin Hill Day Care Center.  Many of our classmates had the opportunity to know and work with Janet as well, particularly in connection with the Center.  Jeff Gordon sent me this link to a moving article in the Washington Post about Janet, and Jeff and I thought many of you would be interested in reading it:     https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/19/janet-hill-duke-grant-hill-calvin-hill/.

Class Treasurer Bill Primps has sent out his annual solicitation for our Class Treasury.  We rely on our Class Treasury to defray class expenses, including reunion expenses not covered by the reunion fees, so your support is very important to us.  Please contribute if you can.

And don’t forget our monthly Zoom class gatherings, from Noon to 1pm ET on the third Thursday of each month.  We assemble in groups of approximately 12-15, and we shuffle the groups each month so that classmates have the opportunity to engage with a different cohort of classmates each time.  Participation continues to grow, spurred no doubt by the connections and reconnections so many of us made at our 50th (+1) Reunion last June.  Please send me an email if you would like to participate, and I will add you to the invitation list.

Cheers,

AMK

9-17-22

by Tim Powell

Class Notes for September-October 2022

Our Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:

With our terrific “50th + 1” Reunion behind us, and with almost four years remaining until our 55th, we can take a breather -- at least temporarily -- from Reunion planning. In the meantime, I’ll return this column to reporting more traditional news from and about classmates. Of course, the success of that depends on the flow of material I receive from you, so please keep those cards and letters (and emails) coming.

Steve Weise received the American Law Institute’s Distinguished Service Award at the ALI’s annual meeting in May. The award recognizes Steve’s extraordinary contributions to the ALI and its private law reform projects over some 30 years. Congratulations, Steve.

Tim Powell, our Class Website publisher, is eagerly looking for one or two classmates to assist him with editorial and content support. Please let us know if you are available to help.

Karl (“Bert”) Fields continues working full time as a professor of medicine for UNC. In addition, he is an editor in chief for “UpTo Date” (providing evidence-based clinical decision support for healthcare professionals), and he continues to teach, see patients and particularly to train people in using diagnostic ultrasound in clinical care. Bert says that what keeps him from retiring are the young doctors who are such enthusiastic learners. He also enjoys teaching internationally, and with COVID waning he has a couple of international visiting professor trips scheduled. Bert’s children are bicoastal, in Wilmington NC and Portland OR, and he and Deb try to travel to both coasts as often as time allows.

Alexis Krasilovsky has recently published a new book, “Watermelon Linguistics: New and Selected Poems,” and released a new film, “The Parking Lot of Dreams.” Her film won the Outstanding Achievement Award in Experimental Film at the Tagore International Film Festival in March of this year and has been named an Official Selection at several upcoming festivals. Alexis retired in May from her position as Professor of Screenwriting at California State University, Northridge, after teaching there for 35 years.

Catherine Ross reports that her latest book -- “A Right to Lie: Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment” (University of Pennsylvania Press) -- was published at the end of 2021. It's written for non-lawyers and lawyers alike and available at the usual places. Last year she was appointed Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law at George Washington University where she has been teaching since 1996, while still living in Larchmont NY.

On May 17, as part of the run-up to our Reunion, the Class hosted a well-attended webinar addressing “Meritocracy: The Debate Over Its Role in Education, Careers and Modern Life.” In an hour-long session, Yale Law Professors Tony Kronman and Daniel Markovits -- who have each written and spoken extensively on the subject -- explored the impact that meritocracy has had on Yale and similar institutions and on our culture and society more generally. Kurt Schmoke masterfully moderated the discussion. We recorded the webinar, and classmates who were unable to join the live program may view the recording on the class website (yale71.org). Thanks to Kurt and to Bob Bruner for organizing this fascinating and provocative event.

In preparing material for our Reunion Memorial Service, we learned that Mark Kreitman died on August 30, 2018, after a long illness. After Yale, Mark graduated from Harvard Law School and worked as a federal prosecutor with the Securities and Exchange Commission for more than 35 years. Mark was survived by his sister Lenore, to whom we send our condolences.

Geoff Provo died on September 26, 2021, after an 18-month battle with cancer. Geoff graduated from Yale with a degree in economics, intending to become a stockbroker. However, he shifted gears during a post-graduation summer job at a Lamborghini dealership. After several years working as a mechanic and semi-professional race car driver, Geoff founded GP Enterprises in Redwood City, CA, in the 1980s, and he spent the next 40 years servicing, repairing and restoring Ferraris and Lamborghinis, specializing in older models. Geoff built a national and international reputation for his work. His obituary notes that he regularly traveled to work with restoration specialists in Italy and that vehicles came to his shop from all over the country. Geoff enjoyed go-kart racing at Sonoma Raceway and was a loyal San Jose Sharks ice hockey season-ticket holder for more than twenty years. He was devoted to his daughter, Alexandra, coaching her soccer teams, supporting her in her competitive figure skating career, and encouraging her in her academic pursuits and professional endeavors. We send our condolences to Alexandra and to Geoff’s fiancée, Helen Sirica, and to his extended family.

We have also learned that Bryce Ahlstrom died on October 23, 2021. On-line searches indicate that Bryce had been living for many years in British Columbia, where he was involved in the construction industry and achieved acclaim as a bee-keeper, but we otherwise have been unable to learn more about Bryce’s life after Yale. If you have information to share, please let me know and I will update this memorial to Bryce in a future column.

We are continuing to hold our monthly class Zoom sessions on the third Thursday of each month, from Noon-1pm ET, and they continue to grow in popularity. If you would like to be added to the invitation list, please let me know at andrew.kaufman@maine.edu.

Stay well,
AMK

7-13-22

by Tim Powell

Class Notes for July-August 2022

Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:

By the time you read this column, which I am writing in mid-May, our on-campus “50+1” Reunion weekend will have come and gone.  Given the YAM publication deadlines, there was not time to include a report on our Reunion in this edition, but I will include the Reunion report in the September/October YAM.  Here’s some news in the meantime.

Karl Fields continues working full time as a professor of medicine for UNC.  In addition, he is an editor in chief for “UpTo Date” (providing evidence-based clinical decision support for healthcare professionals), and he continues to teach, see patients and particularly to train people in using diagnostic ultrasound in clinical care.  Karl says that what keeps him from retiring are the young doctors who are such enthusiastic learners.  He also enjoys teaching internationally, and with COVID waning he has a couple of international visiting professor trips scheduled.  Karl’s children are bicoastal, in Wilmington NC and Portland OR, and he and Deb try to travel to both coasts as often as time allows.

Alexis Krasilovsky has recently published a new book, “Watermelon Linguistics: New and Selected Poems,” and released a new film, “The Parking Lot of Dreams.”  Her film won the Outstanding Achievement Award in Experimental Film at the Tagore International Film Festival in March of this year and has been named an Official Selection at several upcoming festivals.  Alexis retired in May from her position as Professor of Screenwriting at California State University, Northridge, after teaching there for 35 years.

Catherine Ross reports that her latest book -- “A Right to Lie: Presidents, Other Liars, and the First Amendment” (University of Pennsylvania Press) -- was published at the end of 2021.  It's written for non-lawyers and lawyers alike and available at the usual places. Last year she was appointed Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law at George Washington University where she has been teaching since 1996, while still living in Larchmont NY.

On May 17, as part of the run-up to our Reunion, the Class hosted a well-attended webinar addressing “Meritocracy:  The Debate Over Its Role in Education, Careers and Modern Life.”  In an hour-long session, Yale Law Professors Tony Kronman and Daniel Markovits -- who have each written and spoken extensively on the subject -- explored the impact that meritocracy has had on Yale and similar institutions and on our culture and society more generally.  Kurt Schmoke masterfully moderated the discussion.  We recorded the webinar, and classmates who were unable to join the live program may view the recording on the class website (yale71.org).  Thanks to Kurt and to Bob Bruner for organizing this fascinating and provocative event.

In preparing material for our Reunion Memorial Service, we learned that Mark Kreitman died on August 30, 2018, after a long illness.  After Yale, Mark graduated from Harvard Law School and worked as a federal prosecutor with the Securities and Exchange Commission for more than 35 years.  Mark was survived by his sister Lenore, to whom we send our condolences.

Geoff Provo died on September 26, 2021, after an 18-month battle with cancer.  Geoff graduated from Yale with a degree in economics, intending to become a stockbroker.  However, he shifted gears during a post-graduation summer job at a Lamborghini dealership.  After several years working as a mechanic and semi-professional race car driver, Geoff founded GP Enterprises in Redwood City, CA, in the 1980s, and he spent the next 40 years servicing, repairing and restoring Ferraris and Lamborghinis, specializing in older models.  Geoff built a national and international reputation for his work.  His obituary notes that he regularly traveled to work with restoration specialists in Italy and that vehicles came to his shop from all over the country.  Geoff enjoyed go-kart racing at Sonoma Raceway and was a loyal San Jose Sharks ice hockey season-ticket holder for more than twenty years.  He was devoted to his daughter, Alexandra, coaching her soccer teams, supporting her in her competitive figure skating career, and encouraging her in her academic pursuits and professional endeavors.  We send our condolences to Alexandra and to Geoff’s fiancée, Helen Sirica, and to his extended family.

We have also learned that Bryce Ahlstrom died on October 23, 2021.  On-line searches indicate that Bryce had been living for many years in British Columbia, where he was involved in the construction industry and achieved acclaim as a bee-keeper, but we otherwise have been unable to learn more about Bryce’s life after Yale.  If you have information to share, please let me know and I will update this memorial to Bryce in a future column.

Have a good summer,

AMK

5-18-22

by Tim Powell