By Tommy Bourgeois
Composer, performing pianist, and teacher David Lopato reports, “My name popped up a couple of times in the May/June class notes due to my having played the recent 70th birthday bash at the NYC Yale Club. I decided it’s time for an update, since I haven’t sent one in decades. I’m currently doing a project that involves the release of two new recordings of my compositions. Part I of ‘Short Stories’ was released digitally on July 14; CDs are also being produced. Part II is still in the creative/production phase and should be released next spring.” To learn more about this ambitious venture, and to hear some examples of David’s richly textured compositions beautifully performed, check out his website at www.davidlopato.com.
Congratulations to my fellow Southern Californian Stuart Schwartz, who was named vice president of unscripted production at Starz in June.
More June news: on June 15 our New York City contingent held a class lunch at the Yale Club. Attendees included Serena Fox, Charles Kaplan, Lisa Kaslow, Andrea Miller, BK Munguia, Richard Reiner, Michael Stein, Laurie Stevens, Greg Zorthian, organizer and class treasurer Nancy Young, and Charlie Keefe’s widow, Lila Locksley. Nancy reported on the class Facebook page, “It was the first time we had our class lunch on the rooftop. It was fun. They limit you to only ten, but we were seated at banquettes, which allowed us to fit in one more.” The photo accompanying her post confirmed Nancy’s description of “a truly good-looking and interesting group!” If you’re in, near, or planning to visit the Big Apple, stay tuned for news of a fall lunch.
A happy announcement from Art Keefe’s widow Lori: “On May 26, our son Ryan and his wife Flora welcomed Carter Hyunwoo Keefe into the world. His first name is after Art, with an ‘art’ in the middle, and his middle name reflects Flora’s Korean heritage and signifies a combination of success, drive, fame, and family unification (all okay with me). Ryan and Flora asked Art for his blessing on baby names last July 5, the day before he died, but they weren’t expecting yet. The miracle happened a month later! We think Art had a nice conversation with the Lord upon his arrival, and his spirit lives on in Carter and the rest of us.”
Finally, this sad news from Susan Gibbs (SY) ’76: “I am so sorry to have to inform you that my husband Walter Lemann (also SY) passed away on May 19 in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was recovering from emergency surgery. It is very hard for his family and friends to learn that someone so full of passion and enthusiasm is finally so quiet.
“At college he was notable for having the most ‘unpreppy’ wardrobe, doing imitations of his professors, and being a dedicated employee of Yankee Doodle, where he originated the split, grilled donut encasing a scoop of ice cream. After marriage, medical school, and training, he settled in St. Louis, where he practiced neurology and neuro-oncology until his retirement. He was an associate professor of clinical neurology at Washington University, as well as a devoted member of the VA staff in later years. His skills of interrogation and gossip led him to know just about everything about his patients, so much so that his colleagues teased him that he probably knew their shoe sizes as well. He was a very compassionate man and went far beyond any usual standard of care in his efforts for his patients, and not infrequently became a close friend for life.
“In his spare time, he was ‘the man of a million hobbies.’ He was a semi-professional photographer, world traveler, glass blower, cigar aficionado, baker, fisherman, brass musician, and could probably have convinced the Dalai Lama to have one of his famous martinis. There was no branch of knowledge that didn’t fascinate him, from Basque studies to geology, Ingmar Bergman, assassinations, medical history, Talmudic law, the history of modern art, Japanese pottery and calligraphy, and Hispanic music.
“He was a loving father and the world’s most indulgent grandfather, entertaining the children with cooking lessons, classes on many topics, tall tales, and taking them out to coffee or Chinese food in a split second. He even convinced one of his granddaughters to take up the trumpet. (His daughter and son-in-law generously still spoke to us.) As time went by, he became an Orthodox Jew and changed his life to adapt to its rules. As he told me during one of his illnesses, ‘At least you can never say I was boring.’”
I extend the class’s thanks to Susan for her beautiful remembrance, as well as our condolences to Walter’s family and many friends.
That’s it for this installment. As always, I welcome—and depend on—your news.