By Tommy Bourgeois
Two classmates have answered their respective calls to serve: Christopher Kennan e-mailed, “Sorry to be such an infrequent correspondent! But happy to report that in November I was elected to the town board of the Town of North East, New York. The town is centered around the village of Millerton, and is a small but bustling community in eastern Dutchess County, right on the Connecticut border. This was my first run for elective office, and happily I ended up as the high vote-getter in a four-way race. Wondering how many other members of the Class of ’75 are or were elected officials?” Congratulations to Chris, who signs off, “Better late than never!” I invite any and all elected office holders, past and present, to satisfy Chris’s curiosity, but please don’t all write at once.
Mark Capaldini filed this dispatch from Minnetonka, Minnesota: “For several years I have interviewed high school students applying to Yale as a member of the Alumni Schools Committee. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected to Yale and prospective students. For the last two years I’ve used web video-conferencing to interview applicants who live hundreds of miles away from the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area, where I live. I’m glad I can help Yale extend its reach, if only virtually.”
Treasurer Nancy Young posted news on the class Facebook page of what has become the New York contingent’s Chinese New Year tradition: “Our third annual Peking Duck Banquet was attended by 27 hardy souls. This was our largest group ever! The following classmates and spouses occupied three tables in the private room at the midtown Peking Duck House: Michael and Jacqueline Albis from East Haven, Connecticut; Paul Baumgartel and Mona Kosseim ’86 from Riverside, Connecticut; Chris Donnelly from Northford, Connecticut; Michael V. Carlisle, Michael and Kate Farewell, John Friedman, Peter and Theresa Kaufman, Charles Keefe, Anna Hayes Levin, Jeff McAulay and Patricia Bouley, Andrea Miller, Al Moras, BK Munguia, Richard and Susan Reiner, Nancy Ross and Bill Carmean, Michael Stein, Laurie Stevens, Aimee Troyen, Greg Zorthian, and yours truly. Richard and his wife have gone bicoastal, adding a New York City apartment to their other homes. Kudos to Jeff, who sent a container (or more) down to Puerto Rico to help with the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria. Laurie told some great stories about her student days performing surgeries for the first time. I found out that Anna is now a city planning commissioner and, in one of those wonderful small-world stories, was the lawyer at Battle Fowler who drafted the certificate of incorporation of the Mustique Charitable Foundation, which I now head. I had to post a photo of Nancy Ross, BK, and me because we are three-fourths of our freshman room, 28 Vanderbilt Hall. Sadly, our fourth roommate, Elizabeth McCarthy, was not able to travel to NYC. BK organized a call-in to fellow D’porter and recent birthday boy Art Keefe. It was wonderful to hear his voice.”
The Los Angeles chapter had gathered a week earlier for our February class lunch. We got a jump on ushering in the Year of the Dog with—what else?—a deli feast at legendary Beverly Hills eatery Nate & Al’s. Of even greater significance than the New Year’s observance, however, was the chance to extend an “official” SoCal welcome to Fred Cantor and Debbie Silberman, newly relocated from Westport, Connecticut, to Laguna Hills. Joining your intrepid reporter were Bruce Kagan, Eric Weissler, Tim Gustafson, Rob Watson, first-time attendee David Rosman, Seth Walworth, and Arthur Greenwald.
It’s my sad task to report that Gandolfo Vincent DiBlasi ’78JD died on January 14 of complications from pneumonia. A distinguished lawyer, he spent his entire career at Sullivan & Cromwell as a partner in its litigation group and a member of its management committee. Beyond the impressively broad scope of his work as a litigator, Vince was known for his voluntary service, including as a director of the Legal Aid Society, and a trustee of both the Federal Bar Council and the Riverdale County School. He received Yale Law School’s Simon E. Baldwin Award and the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Simon H. Rifkind Award.
Daniel Deudney sent this remembrance: “Vinnie was a force-of-nature kind of guy. I first met him during our senior year of high school on the policy debate circuit. If my memory serves me correctly, he and his partner defeated my partner and me (from Winston-Salem, North Carolina) in the final round of the St. Brendan’s Invitational Tournament in Brooklyn. As is often the case on the debate circuit, adversaries become good friends. Discovering that we were both Yale-bound, we decided that we would spearhead an effort to bring Yale into the world of on-topic policy debating, and then be debate partners, convinced that we would be a powerhouse team destined for forensics glory. Along with two other nationally ranked, not-yet-recovered debate addicts from the class of 1974, Mark Perlis and Everett Rutan, we set about lobbying the relevant administrative powers at Yale. We were completely thwarted in this effort by the unyielding opposition of Yale’s longtime debate coach, history professor Roland Osterweis. His view, shared by the relevant deans, was that the long hours and continuous travel demanded by policy debate was incompatible with receiving the benefits of a Yale undergraduate education. At the time we were very frustrated by this outcome. But as time wore on, Vinnie and I came to recognize the wisdom of Yale’s approach. I believe that Yale to this day does not have a policy debate team, unlike Harvard and Dartmouth, who are perennial debate powers. I continued to hang occasionally with Vinnie across our four years, and also with his two Stiles buddies, John Geanakoplos and Erroll McDonald, whom I considered, along with Vinnie, to be among the coolest guys I had ever met.”
Vince is survived by his wife Roberta, sons Richard and William, brother Rudolph, nephews Christopher and Matthew, and nieces Jennifer and Olivia. To all of them I offer heartfelt condolences. To honor Vince’s memory, the family welcomes contributions to the Independent Group Home Living Foundation (221 North Service Road, Manorville, NY 11419; ighl.org).
Please send me news of your milestones and comings and goings, and I encourage you to cherish and cultivate your ties with classmates.