Announcements

Classmates Reed Hundt and Avi Soifer are on the barricades again, this time organizing and advancing a new democracy-reform project called Refounding America. 

You may remember Avi from his leading role in Coed Week (see That Was The Week), and more recently serving as the dean of the Richardson Law School at the University of Hawaii.   You know Reed as the FCC Chairman during the Clinton years (see his recent talk to AEI re: the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Telecom Reform Act) and other democracy-reform efforts like the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

Refounding America is in its early stages of mobilizing a broad civic conversation about what fundamental changes we might need to address the challenges of the 21st century while staying true to our American values.  According to the website, “We intend to produce a compendium of ….

This AEI conference evaluates the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to extract governance lessons for today’s “tsunami” of disruption—from AI and quantum computing to bioengineering and deepfakes. By analyzing the “grand strategy” developed by the Clinton-Gore administration and former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, the event examines how past regulatory successes and failures can inform modern public policy. [In this post, our class is invited to the live stream – Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 9:00 AM Eastern. Register Now

This Labor Day, the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, RI will open With These Hands: Textile Worker Portraits by Steve Dunwell. The exhibit features 21 striking black-and-white images of New England textile workers from the 1970s, part of Dunwell’s larger archive of over 140 photographs.

On September 1, Dunwell will present a slideshow and discussion of his work, followed by a screening of the documentary Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village. The exhibit runs through October 24, offering visitors a rare chance to reflect on the human stories behind New England’s once-dominant textile industry.

The Class Council wants your thoughts about an idea for an 80th birthday bash in 2027 for members of the class and their guests.

We had a great time at our reunion last spring. At our age, why wait five years for our next regular reunion? Two years from now, in 2027, most of us will turn 80, two years before our 2029 reunion. How about we get together then to celebrate our birthdays?

Leave comments below or contact the authors at …

The Boston Public Library recently acquired one of the limited edition portfolios Steve Dunwell recently published, “With These Hands.” Each set contains nine archival silver prints showing New England textile mill workers 1973-1977. There are only 12 sets in this Limited Edition.

This purchase is an excellent start on Steve’s goal of getting all the important archival repositories in New England, plus some key national institutions, to purchase and preserve these silver-process prints of a bygone era that he was able to document shortly after we graduated.

This project began in early 1973 when Steve was invited to visit a textile mill in ….

Eliot Norman recruited Mary Langston, a well-regarded soprano, to sing “Over the Rainbow” as part of a musical program he put together for Dr. Will Streicker a few weeks before he passed away last Spring. Rob Riehle and his wife Byah joined others at Will’s home, where he was confined to home hospice. Owing to his immunocompromised state, Will (who Eliot and others knew as Bill) had to keep his distance, listening from an easy chair at the top of the stairs. 

This performance was captured on an iPhone and is embedded here:

If you’ve been following developments in green banking, you might remember the Inflation Reduction Act that was passed in August 2022. That landmark legislation opened the door for funding Reed Hundt’s Coalition for Green Capital.  See “Reed Hundt’s Coalition For Green Capital Wins Major Victory,” April, 2024.  

Well, the funding finally arrived last month.  $5.1 billion dollars!

Reed has been passionately advocating for this initiative for over 15 years. It’s great to see a successful milestone achieved. Click thru to see how he’ll spend the money and what’s coming next.

As members of the first group of “Fivers,” Tim Weiskel and Mark McCormick are reaching out to any Yalie in the 5-Year B.A. program — or who took a “gap year” of their own design — and inviting them to a Zoom meeting with kindred souls on Thursday, 26 September 2024 at 4 PM Eastern Time.

Register Here

Read the article for details and/or how to stay in touch with the group even if you can’t make the Zoom meeting.

Our Reunion Committee and the YAA did it again! The final program offers many compelling events, often presented in parallel. Scanning the program, I often want to be in two places simultaneously!

There are four separate pages on the University-wide reunion site, linked below, each worth visiting. Schedule of Events – Overview This is a one-page overview…

Woo hoo! Great news. David Friend ‘69 has graciously arranged for a private tour of the newly re-opened Peabody Museum for the Class of 1969. The museum’s director will guide our private tour, highlighting the museum’s recent renovations and exhibits. We will meet at the Peabody and start the tour promptly at 2 pm on Thursday of reunion weekend.

Tickets are free, but registration is required. (Deadline: 5/24, 2 pm.)

The Reunion committee for the Class of ’69 winnowed ideas generated by a steering committee of 18 classmates and then recruited true stars to lead them. The results are extraordinary — a reason to attend all by itself!

Click through to see the final CLASS ONLY PROGRAMS as of May 1st. (See also the full program online for any late-breaking updates.)

Let’s face it.  We are members of a “Last Man’s Club.”   We’ll get no new members.  And time reduces our number every year.

Every five years, at the reunion, we hold a “Memorial Service” to remember those who have died in the last five years.  Traditionally, the Memorial Service was held on Sunday morning.  Because many classmates have to leave early on Sunday, the Reunion Committee moved the Memorial to Saturday afternoon, in Battell Chapel.