Murder Mystery Book Club - Zoom Meeting 2 - Monday, July 11, 2022 - 2 pm PT/5 pm ET
Bruce Leppla writes:
We had a fun first session of the Yale '71 Monday Murder Mystery Club. Here are the details for the next meeting:
Book: The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
(Also coming, but at a later meeting: Smilla’s Sense of Smell)
Date: July 11, 2022. 2:00pm PT/ 5:00 pm ET
Please contact me if you want to join. (You can directly message me though this site - or use the Contact form here to express interest.) A Zoom invite will be sent in advance of the meeting.
All the best,
Bruce
“I’m So Past Yale...”
Reunion Co-Chair Bob Bruner writes:
Our Yale College Class of 1971 “50th+1” Reunion is fast approaching. Registrations are open for our gathering on June 9-12. It’s time to book your place at the Reunion.
The good news is that when the registrations opened, the volume of Reunion registrations exceeded our expectations -- and is growing. And word-of-mouth encouragement to attend is spreading through dozens of classmates who have volunteered to reach out to everyone. Our splendid class book, co-edited by Dori Zaleznik and Jay Gitlin, yields insights into the deep wealth of talent and life experience of our classmates. The only missing ingredient is YOU! If you haven't already done so, register now for the Reunion here.
In making the hundreds of calls through which Lupi Robinson and I have engaged classmates in this event, we've discovered a genuine interest in renewing acquaintances, an appetite to experience again the conversation with diverse, talented, and interesting classmates, and a curiosity about Yale’s own growth over time.
Once in a while, though, a classmate says something like: “Thanks, but I left Yale behind long ago. I moved away, started a family, got deep into a career, retired, had to deal with health issues...you get the picture. I haven’t thought about Yale in a long time. I’m in a much different place than I was in 1971. Frankly, Bob, I’m just so past Yale…”
I reply, “I hear you...but please consider three questions:
- Are you past your old friends? If they meant a lot to you then, chances are they still do. And they’re probably wondering whatever became of you.
- Are you past what Yale idealized for you? To some extent, we’ve all been 'mugged by reality' in the intervening 50 years. But what about the thrill of self-discovery, the debates over ideas and values, and the mentorship of particular teachers? These and other ideals persist today. Can you re-engage with them?
- Is it about our past -- or about our present and future? A great reunion is mostly not about who we were a half-century ago. It's much more about who we are today, the journey by which we got here, and the outlook we bear for the future. We have all changed. A great reunion can help us all to make sense of that change.”
Do these questions speak to you, as well? Join our milestone reunion by registering here.
PS: Reminder that the Class is also hosting a pre-reunion webinar on May 17th at 5:00 pm ET: Meritocracy: The Debate Over Its Role in Education, Careers, and Modern Life. Register for the webinar here.
Meritocracy: Its Role in Education, Careers, and Modern Life | Debate/Webinar | Tuesday, May 17 5pm ET
Join two leading thinkers, Yale Law School professors Tony Kronman (author, The Assault on American Excellence, 2019) and Daniel Markovits (author, The Meritocracy Trap, 2019) as they present alternative sides of a debate on an issue of significance to contemporary society. They will address themes explored by our late classmate Bill Henry in his 1994 book, In Defense of Elitism. Our classmate Kurt Schmoke will moderate this webinar.
Anthony Kronman is Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Dean of Yale Law School from 1994 to 2004, Professor Kronman currently teaches in the areas of contracts, bankruptcy, jurisprudence, social theory, and professional responsibility. A graduate of Williams College, he earned the Ph.D. in Philosophy from Yale in 1972 and the J.D. from Yale Law School in 1975. In reviewing The Assault on American Excellence, Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy wrote, “An extraordinary book that is sure to launch many impassioned conversations. Kronman brings erudition, eloquence, and candor to bear on the most controversial subjects roiling our campuses. He unflinchingly defends elitism in academia, maintaining that doing so is essential not only to the maintenance of scholarly standards, but to the strengthening of democratic values. His arguments are brilliant, arresting, memorable. Although I do not agree with all that he wrote, I gained instruction on nearly every page.” And reviewing the book in Yale Alumni Magazine, Mary Worthen wrote, “He believes in the ‘rule of the best’ as America’s top universities have long defined it: an unabashed elitism that elevates ‘character, wisdom, and excellence’ over the pursuit of wealth and power… [H]is discussion of free speech is an essential guide for all who work in higher education today. A seminar discussion is not a debate, not a therapy session, but 'a joint enterprise' in which students and teachers seek truth by collaborating 'in the production of something whose authorship they share’… At its best, this ‘conversational ideal’ is the democratic gateway to Kronman's aristocracy of excellence.”
Daniel Markovits is Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He works in the philosophical foundations of private law, moral and political philosophy, and behavioral economics. He received the B.A. from Yale in 1991 summa cum laude (with distinction in mathematics), M.Sc. from London School of Economics, B.Phil. (1994) and D.Phil. (1999) from Oxford in Philosophy, and J.D. from Yale Law School in 2000. In reviewing, The Meritocracy Trap, Harvard Law Professor Michael J. Sandel wrote, “Daniel Markovits has written a bold, brave critique of the meritocracy-backed version of inequality that prevails today. He argues persuasively that meritocracy is destructive and demoralizing for winners and losers alike. Challenging conventional wisdom, Markovits shows that technological change is not a fact of nature that happens to increase the value of highly credentialed workers; instead, the prevalence of credentialed elites calls forth technologies that bias the labor market in their favor and hollow out the middle class. This is a splendid book that should prompt soul-searching among meritocrats.” Yale Law Professor James Forman Jr. wrote, “The system is rigged. And the culprit, Daniel Markovits argues, is meritocracy—the same ideal that was supposed to promote fairness.”
Kurt Schmoke will moderate. He has served as President of the University of Baltimore since 2014 and served Howard University as Dean of its School of Law (2003-2012), and as Senior Vice President and then as interim Provost. He has held various appointed and elected positions in local, state, and federal government, notably as Mayor of Baltimore from 1987 to 1999. He received the B.A. from Yale in 1971, Dipl. From Oxford in 1973 (Rhodes Scholar), and J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1976.
Click here to access the Zoom recording.
5Oth Reunion | June 9-12, 2022 | New Haven
Fellow 1971 Classmates -
We write with the good news that (barring unforeseen circumstances) we will convene in New Haven June 9-12 for what is now actually our 51st reunion! Reunion headquarters for the Class of 1971 is Davenport College. Information on registration and attendance requirements (vaccination, etc.) will be forthcoming from the University soon.
The reunion officially kicks off with a welcome buffet dinner and cocktails on Thursday evening under the tent in Davenport. On Friday morning there is breakfast, followed by University lectures and tours. After lunch in Davenport, you can head over to Sprague Hall to hear our classmate Mitch Kapor explore “Tech: The Promise; the Reality; The Way Forward.” Later that afternoon we will reconvene at Sprague for a Class Memorial Service organized by Bliss Williams Browne and Anne Ghory-Goodman. We meet in Beinecke Plaza for cocktails followed by our gala Class Dinner in the newly-renovated Commons.
Saturday there will be a breakfast for women of the Class of ’71 in the Davenport lower courtyard, chaired by Ruth Lansner. General breakfast is in the main courtyard. Saturday’s "Morning at Yale" will be followed by a celebratory lunch barbecue in Davenport. In the afternoon we are presenting “Navigating the Health Care Landscape: Challenges for the Class of ’71,” featuring Stu Brogadir, Andy Weisenthal, Robbie Quinn, David Anderson, and Bill Kerns. After an address to reunion classes by President Salovey in Woolsey Hall, we will meet in the courtyard for cocktails, dinner, and dancing (featuring our own Jay Gitlin and the Bales-Gitlin band). Bring your dancing shoes!
Sunday morning will come all too soon. This year, in place of the traditional brunch in Commons we will have an early farewell breakfast in Davenport beginning at 7:00 to accommodate those with early flights.
More program details and exact times will follow. To say that we are looking forward to welcoming you back to Campus is an understatement. The last two years have brought home the meaning of “tempus fugit." Attendance is the key to a memorable reunion. Finances should not be a barrier to attending; details on that will come when registration opens.
For more information, visit our reunion page.
Boola!
Your Reunion Committee
Bob Bruner and Lupi Robinson (Reunion Chairs)
Andy Kaufman, Class Secretary
Bill Primps, Class Treasurer
ADDENDUM: Thanks to all for a wonderful reunion! Links to session videos are embedded above. We also have still photos, see the first batch in the new Reunion Gallery news item. If you have photos you'd like to share with the Class, please contact us.
Class Notes for March-April 2022
Class Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:
I’m sorry to report that Sheldon Hines died on December 1, 2021. A resident of Berkeley College at Yale, Shelly majored in History and rowed crew. After Yale, Sheldon earned a master’s degree in International Affairs from George Washington University in 1977 and embarked on a career in information technology. Initially with with Coopers & Lybrand in Washington, D.C., Sheldon subsequently worked as a financial analyst and senior project manager in information technology, both domestically and internationally, for the United States Postal Service, ICON Clinical Research, Chiltern International, ASG Inc., and Phase Forward (now a division of Oracle), among others. In his final professional gig, he managed projects for a consortium of service providers exploring the use of bring-your-own-device technology for direct-from-subjects data collection and entry in clinical trials. Sheldon was a long-time board member and treasurer for the EMR Network: Citizens and Professionals for the Responsible Use of Electromagnetic Radiation, a national not-for-profit environmental group, and he was also a member of Concord Safe Technology in Concord, MA. Following his retirement in 2014, Sheldon indulged a life-long love of sailing and wooden boat building on Little Deer Isle, ME, where he and his wife Virginia maintained a summer home. He took boat building classes at the Wooden Boat School in Annapolis, MD, and Brooklin, ME, and built three wooden boats: a dory, a dinghy and a 16’, gaff-rigged sloop. After crossing paths with Sheldon and Virginia in a restaurant in Blue Hill, ME, in 2018, he and I spoke a couple of times, and his enthusiasm for his boat building and sailing were palpable. We send our condolences to Virginia and their children and grandchildren.
In December, Walt Mintkeski sent me his annual holiday letter. As was the case for so many of us, his 2021 was a lot like his 2020: continued heavy reliance on Zoom meetings, socially distanced events, attention to the many “at home” projects that had accumulated over the years and -- COVID-permitting -- visits with children and grandchildren. Walt continued racing his Laser sailboat almost weekly and taught private sailing lessons at the Willamette Sailing Club, and he continued his volunteer work for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), mostly via Zoom meetings. As CCL’s liaison to his Congressional Representative, Walt works for passage of national carbon pricing legislation (H.R. 2307) to move our economy off fossil fuels to renewable energy. Walt, Joe Brooks and Alan Yuspeh have been organizing monthly Pierson ’71 Zoom chats on the first Thursday of each month. Walt notes that as a result, he “[has] seen more of my Pierson classmates this year than I have in the last 50 years.”
In addition to Pierson, Branford and several other residential colleges have been holding their own Zoom meetings during the pandemic. If those of you involved in their organization would like to publicize them in these Class Notes, please let me know. I also remind all classmates of our class-wide monthly Zoom class gatherings. We meet from Noon to 1pm ET on the third Thursday of each month in groups of approximately 10-15, and we shuffle the groups each month so that participants have the opportunity to engage with a different cohort of classmates each time. At our January meeting, we had over 60 participants. Send me an email if you would like to be added to the invitation list.
Bill Porter and Kathy have moved back to the New Haven area from New York and are now living in Hamden. Bill and Kurt Schmoke continue to serve as our class’ principal liaisons to the Calvin Hill Day Care Center and urge classmates to support the Center in its annual campaign again this year. Contributions may be sent to the Center at 150 Highland St. New Haven CT 06511 or made online at www.calvinhilldaycare.org.
Please keep your cards and letters coming with news!
Cheers,
AMK
1-17-22
Class Notes for January-February 2022
Class Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:
Ralph Dawson and Don Roman have been honored by Pierson College, which has established The Ralph Dawson PC ’71 and Don M. Roman, Sr. PC ’71 Prize to be awarded annually to the graduating Pierson senior “who has had the most profound impact on racial justice in Pierson, at Yale, in the City of New Haven, and beyond.” In announcing the award, Head of Pierson Stephen Davis noted the following: “Respected members of the Pierson Class of 1971, Ralph Dawson and Don Roman were pioneers at Yale and in Pierson during the evolution of the civil rights movement in this country. They showed a high measure of moral courage during their four years as students in Pierson and were instrumental in the establishment of both the African American Studies major at Yale and the Afro-American Cultural Center. For these reasons, Ralph Dawson and Don Roman provide a model for the kind of leadership that this prize seeks to identify.” Congratulations to Ralph and Don for this well-deserved honor and recognition.
Adding to their many accolades, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld have been recently honored with The American Lawyer’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” for their work on The Innocence Project. Barry and Peter co-founded The Innocence Project in 1992 to work for the exoneration of the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and to seek reforms to the criminal justice system to prevent future injustices. Barry and Peter continue to serve as Special Counsel to The Innocence Project.
Gail Henry, Bill Henry’s widow, sends news that 10 boxes of Bill’s “papers” are now at the Beinecke Library, where they will be sorted and available for future research. Gail reports that the material “includes notes and ‘foul matter’ from Bill’s books, some of his more obscure freelance work, many letters (including all those I received when he died in ‘94), his many awards and a bunch of other stuff. I’m so pleased I was able to pass this on. Since we had no children, I figured the boxes would sit in my garage loft until someone just threw them out.” Gail is looking forward to joining us at our in-person reunion in June.
Jane Davis Doggett ’56 MFA included a shout-out to Jay Gitlin and Ginny Bales in her recent interview with the Yale Alumni Association. Doggett, described in the interview as “a pioneering graduate of the Arts & Architecture School, a renowned graphic artist and an innovator in her field,” is Ginny’s cousin and is godmother to Jay and Ginny’s son Basie (’10). Doggett noted that Jay “has been teaching courses in American and Canadian history at Yale for more than 30 years and has had a prolific publishing career. He is an engaging ‘personality’ professor with his courses typically filled to the brim, with waitlists.” She also complimented Jay and Ginny’s “lively, diverse band, a Yale ‘fixture,’” which of course will be playing at our in-person reunion in June.
Steve Benson has “stayed active in poetry and related art work in the half-century since leaving Yale, while also working in retail, psychotherapies, and other means.” He has been living in Surry, Maine, and working as a psychologist in Blue Hill since late 1996, serving folks on the Blue Hill Peninsula (including Deer Isle, Stonington, and Mount Desert Island). In the early 1990s, before he moved east for a psychology internship at McLean Hospital outside of Boston, Steve collaborated with the Splatter Trio, a group of improvising musicians in the Bay Area. Steve and the group have recently released a book and accompanying CD that includes 30 of their tracks from a 1992 recording session, recollections and notes, and a 50-page set of Steve’s writing from that period. Titled It's a Stool Pigeon Universe, their project is posted at https://thesplattertrio.bandcamp.com/.
In addition to developing a theory of social causality that he calls “socionomics” (see his entry in our 50th Reunion Class Book for more on this), Bob Prechter has spent 24 years researching the authorship of Elizabethan-era plays, poems, stories and treatises. He reports that “for the 1.5 classmates who may be interested in who wrote what in the time of Shakespeare,” his project is posted at www.oxfordsvoices.com.
On a sad note, Caroline Brettell sent word that Sylvia Hardage Larson died last October. Caroline and Sylvia were classmates and best friends at Smith before transferring to Yale, and they were roommates in JE. After Yale, Sylvia earned a MA degree at Stanford, served for three years as Assistant Director of Admissions at Stanford and then was Director of Admissions at San Francisco College for Women. She married David Larsen in 1972. They subsequently moved to Birmingham, Alabama (where Sylvia grew up), and raised two children. Sylvia had a varied career in medical social work, first in the mental health area and later for Travelers Aid and Visiting Nurses. She left the workforce to concentrate on raising her family and devoting herself to volunteer work. She also became a master gardener. Sylvia and Caroline remained lifelong friends.
Caroline is completing a second term as Chair of the Department of Anthropology at SMU and is working on the 4th edition of Migration Theory; Talking Across Disciplines, a book that she has co-edited with a Political Science colleague. She plans to retire soon, “once she gets her final graduate students through their programs.” Caroline was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017, and she was recognized recently by SMU with a Faculty Career Achievement Award. Caroline’s late husband, Richard Brettell, a world-renowned art historian and museum director, was elected to the Academy in the spring of 2020, shortly before he died. Caroline is hoping to go to Boston this spring to accept his honor for him by signing his name in the book.
We are pleased to announce that our Class Service of Remembrance, which we presented last May as part of our virtual 50th Reunion program, was recently recognized with an Award of Excellence from the YAA. We congratulate Bliss Williams Browne and Anne Ghory-Goodman for their leadership and thank all classmates who participated. The award ceremony will be presented virtually on January 24, and we encourage classmates to join the celebration. YAA will post the link to the ceremony on its site.
Planning for our in-person Reunion is falling nicely into place. Bob Bruner and Lupi Robinson are putting together an exciting combination of social and thought-provoking events, Bill Porter is coordinating a 12-college attendance campaign, and we are looking forward to a terrific weekend: June 9-12, Davenport College. The key factor in a successful reunion is strong attendance. Please visit the reunion website and indicate your intention to attend. Knowing you will be there will influence your friends to do so as well. Final registration, as well as the opportunity to sign up for on campus housing, will open in the Spring.
Cheers,
AMK
11-20-21
Yale Boom Hosts Dementia Discussion
Wayne Willis, Editor of Yale1969.org, writes:
The video recording, the transcript, and the chat log of the recent zoominar on Alzheimers, Dementia and Palliative Care are now available on YaleBoom.org.
While you're at YaleBoom, check out the other excellent online programs archived there. Sign up for their mailing list to be notified of future productions.
Thanks to the Yale '69ers who periodically produce these informative events, and to Andy Kaufman and Bill Primps for getting us '71ers involved.
Class Notes for November-December 2021
Class Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:
Kudos to Ralph Dawson, one of this year’s Yale Medal award winners. As Yale’s announcement of Ralph’s award reminded us, Ralph has been a leader for both our class and the broader university community from our earliest days on campus. During our first year, he was one of the organizers of a groundbreaking symposium, “Black Studies in the University.” He subsequently played instrumental roles in the creation of the African American Studies Department at Yale and, as moderator (president) of the Black Student Alliance at Yale, in the establishment of the Afro American Cultural Center (“the House”). He lobbied for coeducation at Yale, and his leadership in maintaining calm on campus during the 1970 May Day demonstrations was evident to all. Ralph has remained active in alumni matters since graduation, organizing mini reunions for Black alumni, participating in student recruiting efforts, providing continuing support for the House, and regularly joining in our Class’ activities (including his very thoughtful essay in our 50th Reunion Class Book). Ralph joins eight other classmates who have previously been recognized as Yale Medal winners: Frances Beinecke, Bob Bonds, Phil Boyle, Roslyn Meyer, Don Nakanishi, Kurt Schmoke, Vera Wells and Alice Young.
Richard Skolnik and Gregg Gonsalves (an AIDS activist, MacArthur Fellow and an associate professor in both the Yale School of Public Health and the Yale Law School (adjunct)) are spearheading an initiative urging Yale to make a transformative commitment to the Yale School of Public Health. In September 2020, Richard and Gregg sent a letter to Yale to this effect, which was signed by more than 100 university alumni involved in medicine and public health. This was reported in the Yale Daily News. Richard and Gregg recently had an op-ed piece in the Yale Daily News, further "pushing" Yale to invest urgently in the School of Public Health. The value of public health research and training is certainly underscored by the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, and Richard hopes that classmates and other alumni will consider directing their Yale contributions to benefit the YSPH. Richard previously served as the Director for Health in South Asia at the World Bank and an instructor of global health at The George Washington University and Yale. In addition, he directed a Harvard AIDS treatment program for three countries in Africa, authored the 4th edition of “Global Health 101,” and is the instructor for the Yale/Coursera course Essentials of Global Health.
Rick Merkt reports that his semi-retirement along the Connecticut River continues quite nicely, even in the "Age of Covid-19." “I ran for the New Hampshire House last year, but the district leans the other way. At least I don't have to drive to Concord in the winter. Then I was drafted to be Republican County Chairman here in Cheshire. It's a good position, because it keeps one informed as to what is going on politically in the Granite State. Better active than bored.” Along with a group of civic leaders, Rick’s wife Suzanne and he have co-founded Lionheart Classical Academy, a new public charter school in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The school will offer a “classical education reminiscent of what students received in public and private schools many years ago.” They expect the school’s application for a state charter will be approved late this year. Beginning with grades kindergarten through 5 and then expanding to 12th grade over the next few years, the school will afford every student in the Monadnock region an opportunity to receive the benefits of a classical education on a tuition-free basis. This feature, plus recent school-choice legislation in New Hampshire, will expand the range of educational options for families, regardless of ability to pay. Suzanne, Rick and the other co-founders “recognize that survival of a free and responsible society depends upon a sound educational system to produce well-rounded citizens accustomed to critical thinking. It is our aspiration that Lionheart Classical Academy will not only provide such education to young people, but also serve as a model of educational reform for others throughout New Hampshire and all of New England.”
On a sad note, Hugh Scott sent word that Larry Goldfarb died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack on August 24. Larry was a member of Ezra Stiles College, and he graduated with our class in 1971. Before Yale, Larry attended St. Louis Country Day School where he played football, basketball, and baseball and served as editor in chief of the school newspaper and class president (Larry, Hugh and George Guernsey were classmates there). At Yale, Larry rowed on the freshman crew and participated in several of the Ezra Stiles College intramural teams throughout our college years. After Yale, he spent a year as a producer/director (with Max Baer, Jr.) making a full-length film about a boys camp. Hugh recalls that while the movie was not a commercial success, Larry was very proud of it. Larry spent his subsequent career in the family real estate development business with his father and older brother in St. Louis. In addition to his family, his many passions included music (he was a bassist, classical pianist and composer), writing, fishing, travel, politics and sports. We send our condolences to Debbie (his wife of 41 years), their 5 children and 10 grandchildren.
Rich Kenney submitted a note addressed to “The Class of 1971” expressing “much appreciation for the efforts of many.” He specifically mentioned Phil Boyle, Stu Brogadir, Chris Conty, John Dancewicz, Harry Levitt, Ellen Marshall, Dick Caples, Karl Fields, Bob Bruner, Kurt Schmoke, Eric Schned, Andy Sherman and Bill Primps.
Planning continues for our on-campus, in person 50th Reunion celebration, to be held in Davenport College next June 9-12. Reunion co-chairs Lupi Robinson and Bob Bruner and Attendance Recruiting chair Bill Porter are coordinating a terrific program (including our traditional dancing to the Bales-Gitlin Band). In lieu of formal class panel presentations (we did that already in our virtual reunion programming last spring), we want to offer opportunities for classmates to gather and engage in small discussion groups to explore topics that you would find of particular interest. To that end, Lupi and Bob are soliciting suggestions for discussion. If you have ideas, please send them to Lupi, Bob or me.
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 for the upcoming Reunion activities, so your support is very important to us. Please contribute if you can.
I close again with my open invitation to join our monthly Zoom class gatherings if you have not already been participating. We meet from Noon to 1pm ET on the third Thursday of each month in groups of approximately 12-15, and we shuffle the groups each month so that participants have the opportunity to engage with a different cohort of classmates each time. These informal sessions are a terrific opportunity to connect and reconnect with classmates and to discuss issues of interest to the groups, both weighty and mundane, and -- based on the enthusiasm of our participants over the past 18 months -- we are confident that they will contribute momentum for our in-person gathering next June. Please send me an email if you would like to participate, and I will add you to the invitation list.
Cheers,
AMK
Ralph Dawson Honored by Yale
Excerpted from YAA press release:
Since its inception, the Yale Medal, the highest honor presented by the Yale Alumni Association, has been presented to more than 300 individuals who have shown extraordinary devotion to Yale’s ideals and demonstrated their support through extensive, exemplary service to the university and its schools, institutes, and programs.
Like their predecessors, this year’s recipients have made significant and lasting contributions to Yale – as volunteers, fundraisers, trailblazers, and difference-makers, rallying the alumni community to support the university, supporting students to achieve their very best, and guiding a new generation of alumni leaders to continue Yale’s tradition of service.
The 2021 Yale Medalists are Ralph Dawson ’71, Thomas S. Leatherbury ’76, ’79 JD, Neil A. Mazzella ’78 MFA, Kevin P. Nelson ’92 MPH, and Lise Strickler ’82. They will be officially honored in a special ceremony to be held virtually later this year.
Ralph Dawson ’71
Dawson is a seminal figure in Yale’s history, a student activist who transitioned to alumni leader, working tirelessly to create a better, more inclusive university and blazing a trail for all who came after him. His work began early, when as a first-year student he teamed with upperclassmen to organize Yale’s groundbreaking symposium, “Black Studies in the University.” Subsequently, he played a pivotal role in the creation of Yale’s African American Studies Department and became a key member in – and the eventual moderator (president) of – the Black Student Alliance at Yale, working with BSAY’s leadership to push for the creation of the Afro American Cultural Center (“the House”) and lobbying the university to allow women as undergraduates. He also was instrumental in maintaining calm on campus during the 1970 May Day demonstrations. Dawson has extended his involvement as an alumnus, organizing mini reunions for Black alumni, staying active in Class of 1971 events, and participating on alumni panels to inform admitted students about the benefits of attending Yale. Notably, he raised money and awareness to spur the landmark renovation of the House in the early 2000s and has been a regular contributor at House events. A loyal friend and dedicated mentor, he has remained active in both the alumni and undergraduate communities, supporting students to make the most of their Yale experience and working to ensure that Yale is its very best as an institution.
Your Yale classmates congratulate you, Ralph!
Yale 1971 Reunion Gift Sets High Mark
Our 1971 Class gift agents write:
Our Class made history fifty years ago as the first coeducation Class in Yale College, and today we announce the legacy we have created in honor of our 50th Reunion. When we began this campaign, we set our sights on raising $9 million in honor of our 50th Reunion. At the time, we weren’t really sure what to expect, having embarked on this campaign while still in the throes of the pandemic and before the rollout of vaccines. But spurred on by your tremendous generosity, we exceeded our $9 million Reunion gift goal, and as a result, our Class has cumulatively raised over $100 million for Yale since graduation! Since we exceeded our goal so early on, we set our sights on a new goal: raising $26.1 million, which would exceed our Class’s largest previous Reunion gift to Yale. We are delighted to share that our Class raised $28,431,437 – our Class’s largest Reunion gift to Yale, in honor of our 50th Reunion!
The celebration does not end there. In addition to raising our Class's largest Reunion gift to Yale, we exceeded our $710,000 Alumni Fund goal, raising $1,120,225 in unrestricted giving for our 50th, joining only six other Classes that have reached the $1 million milestone, and placing our Class third for the highest 50th Reunion Alumni Fund Class Gift
These remarkable achievements reflect our shared devotion to Yale and the strength of the friendships forged there. You have helped to ensure that our Yale will play a formative role in the lives of students for many years to come. We are extremely grateful for your continued support of the university, and our class.
We look forward to properly celebrating our shared history and shared legacy on campus next spring. In the meantime, best wishes for a healthy and happy summer.
Ruth Jarmul, Kurt Schmoke, Hugh Scott, and Alan Seget
50th Reunion Gift Co-Chairs
Kathy Murphy
50th Reunion Gift Co-Chair & Alumni Fund Co-Chair of Agents
Dick Caples
Alumni Fund Co-Chair of Agents