The Temporary Detective (An Isobel Spice Novel): Joanne Sydney Lessner: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

This book by a member of the Great Class of 1987 is free, yes free, on the Kindle for the next day.  Click below and check it out!

Think breaking into show business is hard? Try landing a temp job without office skills. That’s the challenge facing aspiring actress Isobel Spice when she arrives in New York City, fresh out of college and deficient in PowerPoint. After being rejected by seven temp agencies for her lack of experience, Isobel sweet-talks recruiter James Cooke into letting her cover a last-minute vacancy at a bank. New to his own job, and recently sober, James takes a chance on Isobel, despite his suspicion that she’s a trouble-magnet. His misgivings are borne out by lunchtime, when she stumbles across a dead secretary in a bathroom stall. With her fingerprints on the murder weapon, Isobel sets out to prove her innocence by investigating the crime herself. While learning to juggle phone lines and auditions, she discovers an untapped talent for detective work—a qualification few other office temps, let alone actresses, can claim.

.The Temporary Detective (An Isobel Spice Novel): Joanne Sydney Lessner: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

Yale Alumni Service Corps -- Ghana

The Great Class of 1987 has arrived in Africa and are filling some of the key leadership roles in the Yale Alumni Service Corps trip there.  Michael Morand is tweeting using the #YASCGhana hash tag.  We are hoping for periodic reports from the projects they are running.  Here are a couple of pictures that show our classmates in action.

Here is a picture of one of the schools where they will be working as well as a picture of some of the kids of Yamoransa, Ghana.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the Yale Alumni Service Corps trip to Ghana!

The Father Is Child of the Man - NYTimes.com

How many of us have been in the situation where we have to take care of aging and ill parents?  I know I have.  Click below to read Bruce Feiler’s latest article, which I think will resonate with many of us.

I HAD flown from New York to my hometown, Savannah, Ga., many times before — to introduce my girlfriend to my parents, to get married, to take my newborn twins for a visit. But this was the first time I was flying for the express purpose of taking care of my aging parents.

The Father Is Child of the Man - NYTimes.com

Update from Celeste Mann

Here is an update just in from Celeste Mann.  Celeste has come out with a new CD.  Here is her description:

These 19 inspirational songs, performed by classically trained mezzo-soprano, Celeste Mann,  and pianist, Gary Madison, feature all 10 of Dvorak's Biblical Songs, based on the Psalms, in English, American spirituals, and a new composition in memory of those that perished on September 11th. For samples, mp3s and CDs:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/celestemann. 

Celeste Mann

Mezzo-Soprano

website: celestemann.tripod.com

Update from Edward Schwartz

Here is an update I received from Edward Schwartz:

After several years running my own jury consulting practice from Boston, I have recently taken a position with TrialGraphix, the nation's leading litigation consulting firm, running the jury consulting practice out of their New York City Office. I'll be living in Westchester and I'll be one of those morning zombies on Metro North every morning, as our offices are right around the corner from Grand Central Terminal. I hope that any classmates who are my neighbors, either residentially or professionally, will feel free to be in touch. I am very excited about starting this new chapter of my life and our awesome reunion provided a great opportunity to reconnect with many classmates who live in the NYC area. While all the old phone numbers and email addresses will work for the foreseeable future, my new email address is ESchwartz@trialgraphix.com. And to answer the first question on everyone's mind, I will definitely remain a loyal Red Sox fan. 

Yale1987 Class (yale1987class) on Pinterest

We have a Class Pinterest account!  Now, what does that mean?  One more thing to take a look at?  In a word, yes.  It is a compilation of pictures, posts and internet sundries all highlighting the Great Yale Class of 1987!  Click below to check it out.

Yale1987 Class (yale1987class) on Pinterest

We would love to know what you think -- Class Survey

Your newly formed Class Council would love to know what you think about class activities we might plan.  Please click here to fill out a short survey.  It's short and it would be a real help in letting us know what classmates are thinking.

Alumni College-Fall 2012 | Association of Yale Alumni

 

Here’s a terrific opportunity for Yalies and their family members for intellectual and social enrichment!

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Yale Alumni College, a post-graduate, non-credit program for Yale alumni and their family members to enjoy the stimulating classroom experience that they remember from their time at Yale. We anticipate strong interest in joining the program as a recently completed survey of Yale alumni in the New York and New Haven areas generated almost 1,000 responses with 70 % of alumni indicating that they were either definitely or probably interested in participating in the program.

The initial two semesters – one in the fall and one in the spring - will serve as a pilot for a more complete series of courses to be offered in the fall of 2013. Courses will be conducted by Yale professors emeriti in seminar format, including class discussion, for six sessions a semester – one class per week with 12 to 20 participants. The initial class will incorporate an orientation and course introduction, and the last class will include a wrap-up and social activity. A reasonable amount of preparatory reading will be required in advance of each class.

Join us as a founding member for our first semester in New York at the Yale Club (Monday, October 1st – Monday, November 5th), and/or in New Haven at Rose Alumni House (Tuesday, October 2nd – Tuesday, November 6th).

Following are the titles for an exciting, but limited, array of courses offered during the pilot program that will be available in the fall semester with the professor and the course location  noted. The Professors' bios are available by clicking HERE and more extensive course descriptions are available by clicking HERE. Participant applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click Here to Register Now for one or more classes for the Fall Semester.

Course Title & Information

WALT WHITMAN:  POET OF DEMOCRACY
Will focus on the sundry meanings of the key term “democracy” in Whitman’s major poems.  Professor ALAN TRACHTENBERG. (New York and New Haven)

IS THERE A CRISIS IN HIGHER EDUCATION?
Would look at the problem from several perspectives, including the American university as an institution historically, the impact of the 20th century, and the global challenge. Professor MICHAEL HOLQUIST. (New York and New Haven)

THE AGE OF EINSTEIN
Will entail consideration of the fundamental concepts that form the basis of Einstein’s theory of special relativity at a level that requires no more than an understanding of introductory algebra. Professor FRANK FIRK. (New Haven only)

THE CANTERBURY TALES: GENERAL PROLOGUE AND FIVE TALES
Would include the Knight, the Miller, the Wife of Bath, the Nun’s Priest, and the Pardoner. Professor TRAUGOTT LAWLER. (New Haven Only)

PARADISE LOST
Will offer an appreciation of Milton’s masterpiece to participants with a wide variety of relevant background learning. Professor ANNABEL PATTERSON. (New Haven Only)

A HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE

Will entail an exploration of the buildings that most mark the history of the Christian religion. Professor JOHN COOK. (New York Only)

Click Here to Register Now for one or more classes for the Fall Semester.

Registration deadline is Friday August 31, 2012.

Alumni College-Fall 2012 | Association of Yale Alumni

New Haven Open at Yale

. Summer is a terrific time for fun with family and friends, and I write today to make sure you know about a wonderful event on Yale's athletic campus in August: the New Haven Open at Yale This year, the tournament features four of the world's top ten women tennis players – including four-time defending champion Caroline Wozniacki.  2012 also features the return of the New Haven Food & Wine Festival to the tournament, showcasing some of the area’s top chefs and restaurants. Yale alumni once again have special access to some of the best seats in the stadium, thanks to the continued strong partnership between the AYA & the New Haven Open at Yale.  Your AYA benefits include: Complimentary Silver parking with the purchase of weeklong box seats. An exclusive offer of 25% off individual box seats with preferred seating on West sideline of the boxring as well as a 25% discount on all adult middle-tier tickets from Sunday, August 19-Saturday, Ausust 25 (Sessions 1-12). Access to the Racquet Club, a private on-site restaurant overlooking Stadium Court typically reserved for weeklong box seat holders and sponsors. (Seating is limited; reservations are recommended) All orders to access these AYA benefits must be placed via phone, and please mention that you are a Yale Alum. AYA benefits cannot be received on internet orders.  For more information call 1-855-464-8366 or visit New Haven Open at Yale  to learn more about this great opportunity to see the some of the world’s best women’s tennis players and enjoy New Haven’s hospitality at its best!

Cornell professor: investigator, comedian, genius, friend

Rob Raguso is highlighted as one of Cornell’s top professors.  Go Rob!

CALS professor of neurobiology and behavior Robert Raguso collects scents with a student in the Mundy Wildflower Garden.
Robert Raguso, a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and winner of last year's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Young Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, gives an example of the "mutualistic relationship" between classroom teaching and cutting-edge research. Several years ago when he was a junior faculty member at the University of South Carolina, he had to take over the teaching of Introductory Botany for a colleague.
"We were covering the life cycles of primitive plants, and so I was reviewing that chapter in the textbook. I turned the page and there in front of me was the most beautiful plant, a kind of moss, in brilliant, canary yellow. I thought, 'Oh! A moss pretending to be a flower!'" That encounter led Raguso on a global investigative journey and brought him a major grant from the National Geographic Society. "Teaching really empowers your research and requires a mastery of the subject. There's a real synergy," he says.

Cornell professor: investigator, comedian, genius, friend

Your Need to Read: Author Spotlight: Joanne Sydney Lessner

The latest from Classmate Joanne Lessner:

“I Happen to Like New York”

By Joanne Sydney Lessner

I grew up in Newburgh, New York, a Hudson River town 60 miles north of the city, as folks in the tristate area refer to Manhattan. It was close enough for occasional visits to my grandparents, but tantalizingly out of reach for the acting classes and auditions I was dying to go to. After college and graduate school, I finally succeeded in staking out my territory in the city and plunged into the full range of theater-related activities I had only dreamed of.

One thing I never anticipated was how my early years in New York pounding the pavement as an actress would influence my writing. Isobel Spice, the heroine of The Temporary Detective, arrives in the city eager to take Broadway by storm and winds up temping, just as I did. Like Isobel, I was fresh out of school with no office experience, and it took several tries before I convinced a kind-hearted temp agent to take pity on me and give me a chance. Unlike Isobel, however, I never stumbled across a dead body on the job—although I have to confess, there were a few employers I’d have liked to bump off! The Temporary Detective is the first of a series that will follow Isobel as she goes from temp job to temp job (and the occasional theater job) solving mysteries. As fun as it is to devise whodunits, my favorite thing about the series is that I can incorporate my and my friends’ most hilarious and mortifying audition, performance and temping experiences. And, believe me, that well isn’t going to run dry anytime soon!

I’ve lived in the city for over twenty years now and am raising my kids here. They love being born and bred New Yorkers, although ironically, neither of them is inclining towards the theatrical. That’s fine with me—it’s a difficult life. But I can’t help thinking that their experiences living in this propulsive, compulsive, never-sleeping city will inform whatever they do, just as it has for me.

Your Need to Read: Author Spotlight: Joanne Sydney Lessner

Stumble Upon

Like any website, we actually know a bit about those who visit the blog.  We know if you click on a particular story, what country you are visiting from and what website got you to our fine piece of the internet.

Most of you, the huge majority actually, get here from google.  You usually search for "Yale 1987" or the name of one of our classmates.  "Amor Towles" is the most common search that brings people to our site.  The piece we did on Natasha Zupan's underwear a while back also keeps driving views of the blog.  Not sure what that says about humanity, but there it is.  I bet if we do a series of posts about Skull & Bones, Wolfs Head and Scroll & Key, we will get a bunch of visits, too.  (This post itself will be a test.)

Recently, we have had a newcomer to our sources of visits -- a website called stumbleupon.  This site allows you to punch in your interests and then suggests websites you might like.  For some reason, it keeps pointing people here.

If you stumbled upon us, welcome.  If you're here because you want to read about the Class of 1987 (which is, truth be told, secretly plotting to take over the world, or at least Yale), you know you're welcome.  And, if you are looking for information about Natasha Zupan's underwear, click here, and we promise not to tell anyone you did.

YaleNews | Yale builds sustainable partnerships in Ghana

A note:  Yale Class of 87  will be represented in Ghana by Kathy Edersheim, Darcy Troy Pollock, Michael Morand and Andrew Bugie:

Yale University alumni and students will visit Ghana this summer to develop new partnerships and strengthen existing collaborations.
Alumni and students will join African leaders in Accra on July 13 during the Yale-Ghana Symposium, co-sponsored by the Afro American Cultural Center at Yale and the Association of Yale Alumni (AYA).
The symposium, which is open to the public, will feature a West African alumni panel sponsored by the Yale Black Alumni Association. Titled “Creating Connections & Building Partnerships in the African Diaspora,” the panel will include alumni, students, and industry leaders from several countries, who will explore how Yale can collaborate with African institutions to build sustainable partnerships and support current student and alumni interests in Africa.
Panelists will include His Royal Majesty Drolor Bosso Adamtey I, traditional ruler of the ethnic Shai (Se) people, and chair of First Banc and TV3; Emelia Arthur, an alumna of the Yale World Fellows program and deputy regional minister, Western Regional Coordinating Council; Efe Chantal Ghanney, a Yale student and an alumna of Ghana International School; and Ken Ofori-Atta, chair and co-founder of Databank. The full list of speakers and biographical information is available at: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3783739266
Following the panel, the inaugural Sylvia Ardyn Boone Lecture will be delivered by Bisa Williams, ambassador to the Republic of Niger. The lecture commemorates the late Yale art historian who was among the African-American expatriates who worked in Ghana 50 years ago. Boone earned a doctorate from Yale in 1979, and in 1988 she became the first African-American woman to receive tenure at Yale
For program schedule and registration information visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3783739266
Later in the summer, over 150 Yale alumni, family, and friends will visit the communities of Yamoransa and Accra in Ghana to participate in the Yale Alumni Service Corps' first program in Africa July 27–Aug. 7. The next service trip to Africa is slated for 2013.
“Yale cherishes the rich heritages of its alumni all over the world,” said Nicholas Lewis, director of Shared Interest Groups for AYA. “By engaging faculty, students, and alumni, we anticipate that the University’s collaborations in Ghana and the broader African diaspora will grow substantially in the future.”
Among Yale’s current partnerships with Ghana is the Global Health Leadership Institute Conference (GHLI), which convenes senior health practitioners from around the world to facilitate collaborative solutions in strengthening health systems. Delegates from Ghana have participated GHLI since its inception at Yale in 2009. Vice President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana was honored at Yale during the 2011 conference for the country’s contributions to the program.
Yale is also a partner in the International Training Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, launched with the Noguchi Institute at the University of Ghana in 2007. The collaboration builds research capacity through educating students and postdoctoral fellows in laboratory techniques and principles of research in the field of infectious diseases, and cultivates a community of young scientists dedicated to alleviating the global health burden of infectious diseases. The University of Sao Paolo (Brazil) and King Saud University (Saudi Arabia) are also partners in the program.
Additionally, in 2007, the University established “Bulldogs in Ghana” a summer internship program in Ghana for Yale undergraduates.

YaleNews | Yale builds sustainable partnerships in Ghana

NBC hires Igbokwe to lead drama development - Entertainment News, Top News, Media - Variety

 

NBC has tapped former Showtime veteran Pearlena Igbokwe as its new head of drama development, the network announced Tuesday.
The hire comes less than 24 hours after news of the departure of Laura Lancaster, who held the post since 2009. NBC noted Tuesday that Lancaster will segue into a consultatory role.
As executive VP of drama development, Igbokwe will oversee all drama development.
"Pearlena has forged an impressive track record over her successful career that has earned her the admiration of the creative community," said NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke, to whom Igbokwe will report. "She will bring a unique perspective to development that will help us reach our goal of once again making NBC the home of some of the best and most respected dramas on television."

NBC hires Igbokwe to lead drama development - Entertainment News, Top News, Media - Variety

An Experiment -- News for Yalies of the 80s

Please take a look at a new experiment we are running . . . a virtual newspaper with content from Yalies from the 80s.  Please let us know what you think.

YaleNews | Yale College reunions go green

Check out the story about sustainable reunions by clicking below

 

In line with the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the Association of Yale Alumni, Yale College Reunion chairs, and the 25th reunion class, led by Darcy Troy-Pollack ’87, incorporated a number of environmentally friendly practices for the first time this year.

YaleNews | Yale College reunions go green

How was Reunion?

From: Association of Yale Alumni (reunions@yale.edu) 

To: Everyone who came back for the Class of '87's 25th Reunion  

RE: A way to help us improve 

We loved having you here on campus! Now we hope that you will take a few
minutes to take our web-based survey and give us feedback on your reunion
experience.

Your personal link to the web-based survey is:
http://alumnievents.yale.edu/reunions/survey.asp?id=2139154299. Just click the
link or cut and paste it into your browser. For technical reasons, classmates
who registered jointly receive a
single survey URL or form, and are asked to combine their responses before
submitting the survey.

If you are receiving the survey via regular mail, you can still reply online by
entering the URL into your browser. Or you may return the survey by fax (203)
432-0587, or mail (see address at the end of the survey).

Thank you again for your help. The AYA and your reunion chairs worked hard to
provide a great reunion experience, and hearing from you is the only way we can
know what we did right and what we need to improve!

If you have any difficulty submitting your survey, please be in touch with us
at reunions@yale.edu or (203)432-2110. 

 With all best wishes from the entire Reunion Team. 

Sincerely,
Karen Jahn
Director, Yale College Classes 

www.aya.yale.edu/reunions
Reunion Information: (203) 432-2110 Mon - Fri 8:30am - 5pm Eastern

Next New York Class Lunch

We have a New York class lunch on Thursday, July 12, from 12:30 to 2:00 at the Yale Club of New York.  These are great fun, so we hope you can attend.  You do not have to be a Yale Club member to attend.

For more information, please e-mail Paul Sarkozi at sarkozi@thshlaw.com.

New Haven offers an education in eating - Boston.com

The restaurant scene in New Haven has been improving for years.  Here is a recent article on the latest . . .

Innovative cuisine is not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of New Haven. For many Bostonians, the city is a pit stop on the way to Manhattan, the place to down a white clam pizza at Frank Pepe’s or Sally’s on Wooster Street. But thanks to a trio of chefs who have taken full advantage of Connecticut’s bounty of seafood and farms, New Haven has quietly blossomed into a foodie mecca. This has pleasantly surprised transplants like Jessica Bloom, who moved here two years ago from Boston’s South End.

“When I told people in Boston that I was moving to New Haven, the standard response was: ‘Oh, well at least they have good pizza!’ However, I have been blown away by some truly amazing meals here, especially when it comes to restaurants where the chefs create their menus based on food they found at the local farmers’ market or that they foraged themselves,” says Bloom, who will be attending the food studies program at New York University in the fall.

As chef and co-owner of the restaurants Zinc and Kitchen Zinc, Denise Appel has led the farm-to-table movement in the city. On any given Wednesday in summer and fall, she can be found loading up on fresh produce and locally raised meat at the downtown farmer’s market. Depending on the week, this might include beets and radicchio from Urban Oaks organic farm in New Britain, strawberries from Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury, and sausage from Eagle Wood Farms in Barkhamsted.

New Haven offers an education in eating - Boston.com

Yale AIDS Memorial Project

We lost classmates to AIDS, so many of you might be interested to know about the Yale AIDS Memorial Project.  If anyone you remember from our class died of AIDS,you should click below.  The tributes are moving and well worth the time it takes to read them.

The Yale AIDS Memorial Project (YAMP) is an alumni-led initiative to honor and document the lives of hundreds of men and women from the University who perished during the AIDS epidemic. YAMP will pay homage to the deceased—students, faculty, and staff—by building a memorial website with their biographies, photos, and reminiscences from friends and family. By telling the story of AIDS through the lens of a single institution, YAMP will make the epidemic palpable for a younger generation and help stimulate an AIDS memory boom.

To provide a preview of what the online memorial aims to accomplish, YAMP has published a Journal featuring a small set of profiles.

We've taken excerpts from the Journal and created a 2MB PDF that you can download by clicking the icon below. The PDF also contains information about the Project, as well as information on how to receive a print copy of the full, unabridged Journal. We plan to produce more volumes of the Journal. This is our first one.

Yale AIDS Memorial Project

Yale Educational Travel is heading to Cuba

 Join

 in Cuba

Yale Educational Travel is pleased to offer, to a select group of alumni and Yale friends, the opportunity to experience a people-to-people exchange in Cuba, a tropical island with a rich history and a unique culture unlike any other in the Caribbean. 

   

EXPLORING CUBA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE
November 8-15, 2012

with Hon. Jose A. Cabranes '65 JD
and Professor Kate Stith, Yale Law School

Cuba is a country of picturesque colonial towns and stunning 20th-century architecture, of lush landscapes and an intriguing Afro-Cuban culture. This highly customized 8-day, people-to-people program based in Havana promises to be a rare opportunity for in-depth insight into Cuba, including a number of day excursions into towns outside of the capital. Meet with economists, foreign policy experts, dancers and artists while at the same time being immersed in the rich local culture and rhythms of daily life. The program includes plans for a full day excursion to the western part of Cuba for travelers to experience its jungle-covered summits dropping down limestone cliffs to verdant valleys. Discover the elegance of Cuba’s colonial architecture in Matanzas where a private visit has been arranged to Ediciones Vigia which produces hand-made first edition books on a range of topics.

A second Cuba departure is scheduled for January 12-19, 2013, featuring Yale Professor of Architecture Alan Plattus. Details forthcoming.

Yale has received the appropriate license required by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for Yale Educational Travel.

To register and learn more about
our upcoming program in Cuba
CLICK HERE

Yale 1987 and Social Media

We are trying to link the class virtually.  It worked really well for Reunion, so we hope it can for the next five years.

You can "like" our facebook page  or follow us on Twitter -- @YaleCollege1987.  It's that simple.