Class Secretary Andy Kaufman writes:
Jeff Harris finished a Masters degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music/Boston Conservatory late last year. “I promise this is my last degree (MD and Masters in Public Health, MBA, undergrad degree in Interdisciplinary Music Studies from Berklee as well as my BS in MBB from Yale). As Yoda said, ‘There is no try, only do.’” He reports that he released two EPs of country originals in the last year, e.Grits by The Egrets Country Cousins, available at your favorite online platform. His country/bluegrass/Americana band, The Fogburners, continues to play around the North Bay and, he wrote, “seems to be getting better.” He invites anyone interested in co-writing or playing a few tunes to contact him at jharrismvl@yahoo.com
Henry Abramovitch sent the following news: “Aging has been good to me. Loving family, dream careers in parallel as Jungian analyst, anthropologist, medical educator, active in Interfaith, author of The First Father (2010); Brothers and Sisters: Myth and Reality (2014); Why Odysseus Came Home as a Stranger and Other Puzzling Moments in the Life of Buddha, Socrates, Jesus, Abraham and other Great Individuals (2020). While at Yale, I was continuously involved in drama ensemble, Stiles Dramat. So it is with great satisfaction, that recently I returned to that passion and with another Yalie, Murray Stein ’65, Div ’69. Together we wrote a play, The Analyst and the Rabbi. The play is based on historic meeting in 1946 between Carl Jung (who gave famous Terry Lectures at Yale) and his old friend Rabbi Leo Baeck (who survived Theresienstadt) who accuses him of antisemitism. Through their conversation, both are transformed. The drama was not only performed in Europe and USA, but it was published as a book by Chiron Publications and made into a movie, available on Youtube. Now two new dramas are in production: a follow up play, Eranos, that will open in Davos, Switzerland, in June 2023, and another play, My Lunch with Thomas, set on a train ride. Both will also appear as films. Always happy to hear from old classmates, especially those who may visit Jerusalem.”
Michael Kline retired in December 2021. He and Hava spent a good portion of 2022 traveling, both internationally and domestically. They traveled by planes, trains, automobiles and ships. He writes that he is grateful that they were able to attend our 50th+1 reunion on campus last June and to participate in the Service of Remembrance. Their travel plans are temporally on hold to accommodate his scheduled hip replacement at the end of May, but they are looking forward to a cruise to the Greek Isles in the fall.
Paul Collier is also “long retired from a corporate life.” He and Jan (his wife of 44 years) followed their sons to California, where they now live in Rancho Santa Fe. They still maintain a home and spend summers in Rye, NH. Paul writes that “in reply to an old post of Harry Levitt,” he remains “an avid golfer at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, though most skill is gone.”
Jim Bullock is still spending most of his time at home on Capitol Hill in DC. Carole goes back and forth to their “pied-a-terre” in France — a bit more often than Jim does (“You can take the girl out of France, but not France out of the girl . . .” he writes). Jim reports that his part-time work at the State Department continues, leaving plenty of time for some travel, plus banjo jams, movies, biking and friends — especially appreciated are the monthly class-wide Zoom calls organized by Andy Kaufman and the Pierson calls organized by Walt Mintkeski and Jo Brooks. Daughter Sybil is still working for the global movement “Break Free from Plastic” and planning a Brazil wedding for early next year. Son Cyprien is back teaching in Nice, France, after a challenging year in the jungles of French Guiana. “Bottom line: despite the usual scheduling and distance issues, we all managed to gather in DC hale and hearty for the holidays again this year, with much to celebrate.”
Rick Merkt reports that Lionheart Classical Academy, the public chartered school in New Hampshire that he and his wife Suzanne helped found last year, has enrolled 184 students in grades K-5. They plan to add grade 6 and expand enrollment to more than 275 students this fall. Rick and Suzanne are particularly proud that the school “offers a high-quality tuition-free classical academic curriculum to students from New Hampshire families, so students are not ‘screened out’ by inability to afford tuition fees, and that the school is already serving as a model for other start-up charter schools in New Hampshire. This has proven to be one of the most rewarding things Suzanne and I have done since moving to the Granite State in 2017.” Rick invites interested classmates to learn more about this innovative educational program at “lionheartclassical.org”.
Charlie Belson reports the publication last February of his new book “REFLECTIONS: An Architect’s Memoir.” Much to his surprise, after the first week of publication, his hardback ranked #2 on Amazon’s list of New Releases in the category of “Individual Architects & Firms.” Charlie notes that editing suggestions he received from classmates Dori Zaleznik, Jay Gitlin, and Patrick Pinnell “made a very big difference in the success of his book.” And, he adds, “So did Jay’s quote on the back cover: ‘Absolutely fantastic…it just draws you right in with its unique voice.’”
Hugh Auchincloss, Anthony Fauci’s long-time deputy at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was appointed acting head of the agency following Fauci’s retirement at the end of last year. Before joining NIAID in 2006, Hugh was a transplant surgeon and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and operated a laboratory in transplantation immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He also previously served as president of the American Society of Transplantation. Classmates will remember that Hugh was one of the Public Service panelists for our virtual 50th Reunion programming in 2021.
Lupi Robinson has succeeded Tom Murrell as our Class’ appointed delegate to the Yale Alumni Association. Tom served from 2019 to 2022, and Lupi’s term will run to June 2025. Thanks to them both for their service.
I am sorry to report that Keath Fetter died on October 24, 2022. After Yale, Keath graduated from Villanova School of Law and was a longtime practicing attorney in West Chester, PA, specializing in litigation and medical malpractice defense. A founding member of the firm Wetzel Gagliardi Fetter & Lavin LLC, Keath served as President of the Chester County Bar Association and was also a longtime member of the Rotary Club of West Chester. Keath was predeceased by his wife, Karen. Our condolences to his children, grandchildren and family.
Finally, we are already receiving interesting submissions from classmates to our “Draft Lottery Night Recollections” project, which I announced in the March/April Class Notes column. Please send your recollections to me (not only your memories of that drama-filled evening, but also your observations of the impact that the lottery had on our lives over the ensuing years), and I will forward them on to Michael Goodman and Jay Gitlin for inclusion in the compilation.
Cheers,
AMK 3-12-23