By Tommy Bourgeois
It’s time to start planning for our 50th reunion, which is scheduled for Thursday, May 29, through Sunday, June 1. By now you should have received a Save the Date email, and you can expect to see hotel information soon. On-campus housing will be available at our headquarters in Davenport. Please feel free to send me any ideas you may have about programming or especially about your willingness to help get the word out to classmates.
As I file these notes, I’ve just returned home from the annual YAA Assembly and Alumni Fund Convocation, where I connected with Alumni Service Corps representative Roy Carlson, class at-large representative Robert Cole, Alumni Fund volunteer Greg Zorthian and Alumni Schools Committee volunteer Elaine Piraino-Holevoet. Along with her fellow New Haven–based interviewers Timothy Bertacinni ’77 and Brian Tippy ’02, Elaine received the committee’s Excellence Award. In presenting the honor, Undergraduate Admissions Dean Jeremiah Quinlan recited a remarkable fact attesting to the trio’s extraordinary work: Yale admitted 21 New Haven students into the Class of ’28, and all of them accepted Yale’s offer.
At Alumni Village before the Elis’ 42–28 victory over Princeton, I saw Fred Cantor, Sidney Davidson, Al Palitz, and Pam King ’76, and the aforementioned Messrs. Cole and Zorthian. Also stopping by were ’76ers Terry Dunn and Class Secretary Joyce Levy, and my fellow Piersonians Ellen Levy Ryan and Robert Lemothe of the Class of ’77.
During my three-day stay on Manhattan before heading to New Haven, I caught up with BK Munguia and Jon Mark, Michael Stein, Tim Kalliches, and Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance founder Ken Inadomi ’76. On my way home, I was hosted in Stamford by Paul Baumgartel and Mona Kosseim ’86.
Updates are always welcome, and I’m happy to present three recent arrivals, all written with our landmark reunion in mind.
From Peter Glazer: “It’s been some decades since I’ve contributed to alumni notes. Our upcoming reunion coupled with some big life changes have provided inspiration. Last January I retired from 22 years of teaching in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC–Berkeley. It was an incredibly fulfilling and gratifying career, allowing me to pursue my passion for theater on a daily basis, which began at the Yale Dramat and in dining halls and squash courts around the campus. While at Berkeley I maintained my professional profile as a director and playwright. In addition to my classroom teaching, I directed about a dozen plays for the department, including three originals, and mentored dozens of student directors. I miss my Berkeley colleagues and the incredible students but am enjoying a less pressured daily life. Upon retiring, my wife Amy and I moved across the country from the Bay Area to the Berkshires. We now live in North Adams, Massachusetts, and love it here, especially now with fall colors beginning to show. I continue to pursue theater projects, and my musical Woody Guthrie’s American Song is still produced once or twice a year at theaters around the country. Over the years I have stayed in touch with Mike Radow, Marilyn Jason, Paula Olsiewski, Susan Smulyan, and a range of others on social media. I’ve been good friends with Joey Parnes and Rick Pappas, Class of ’76, ever since graduation, thanks to various theater projects. Clark Kee ’74 is a Berkshire neighbor; I was lucky to have his daughter as a student. I look forward to seeing many of you at our reunion! Feel free to reach out: Peterglazer1@gmail.com.”
From Jeff Brenzel: “In 2017, I retired from 20 years of work at Yale as alumni director, admissions dean, master of Timothy Dwight, and lecturer in humanities. I’m still living near campus, advising students and doing some guest teaching, while happily working pro bono with other education projects. I chair the board of a challenging K–12 school in South Sudan, founded by my former student Loren Aminathia TD ’15. I also work as a trustee for Morehouse College, the men’s HBCU in Atlanta, focusing on admissions operations and fundraising for financial aid. Underappreciated fact: Morehouse educates more accomplished Black men than the 40 top-ranked liberal arts colleges combined. Anyone interested in either cause is welcome to ring me up. Meanwhile, my Whiff group is prepping for the 50th—we’ll be gathering at my house for fellowship and rehearsal in May, a few days before joining the rest of you on campus. Here’s to a massive showing from ’75!”
From Leonard Hoenig MD: “Congratulations to my classmates on the upcoming 50th class reunion! We also remember those classmates who have passed on. The last time I wrote something for class notes was 25 years ago. I’ve been meaning to write sooner, but time slipped by. Better late than never.
“Our 50th reunion is a major milestone. To me, the term ‘jubilee’ comes to mind. It’s a Biblical term marking a 50th sabbatical year. You can find a verse about it (Leviticus 25:10) etched on the Liberty Bell: ‘Proclaim Liberty Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof.’ A jubilee was a time for reflection on the past and a new beginning for the future.
“As I reflect on my years at Yale, I am thankful for learning so much from my roommates and dear college friends. I remember you all! The great education I received helped me in my medical career as an internist in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines, Florida. I was able to relate to patients from all walks of life on many subjects. I am also a section editor of the medical journal Clinics in Dermatology and write about medical humanities and the history of medicine, something I could never do without my Yale background.
“I am blessed with my wife Ellen, who also serves as my longtime business manager. We have four grown children and between them 27 grandchildren. We took a bunch of them recently to Yale’s Peabody Museum and enjoyed a delightful visit. I enjoy life’s small pleasures: family events, daily Synagogue prayers, learning a page of Talmud each day, and going to the gym. That’s my story. I’d love to hear yours!
“As for the future, may we all continue to be inspired by the words on Yale’s insignia meaning ‘light and truth.’ Light represents knowledge. So keep learning, reading, and writing. Truth also encompasses honesty and integrity, worthy guideposts in life.
“May everyone have a happy 2025, with good health and happiness for us and our loved ones. May we have many more reunions together.”
I send my own best wishes for the New Year, and, as always, I welcome your news.