Opportunity Hoarding at an Elite Private University -- a recent article of interest

 I read this article recently and found it compelling.  Please take a few minutes to read it.  Is this something we should discuss as a class?  Is this a fair/helpful topic for reunion?

While the author's focus is on Princeton, can the same be said for Yale?

Here is a link to the article:  https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/opportunity-hoarding-elite-private-university#.YWmJvvYBhMg.link

Opportunity Hoarding at an Elite Private University

It’s time to address elite private universities’ role in maintaining social hierarchy and intergenerational inequality.

Latest Podcast Episode -- Emily Greenwald

 Tune in to the latest podcast episode featuring classmate Emily Greenwald.  Emily shares her journey from pre-med to history to grad school to professional historian.  Along the way, she learned a great deal about herself and the world.  One of her biggest lessons came on a tandem bicycle!  So, tune in and enjoy the podcast.  Click here to listen in.

A great report of enduring friendship

 Brian Williams, '87 JE, SOM '97 writes: 

"In early Fall, I had the pleasure of hosting a brunch with four '87 classmates. Yale brought us from different home states to New Haven in August of 1983 for the weeklong Pre-Registration Orientation Program, where we became fast friends. Our educational, career, and life journeys took us all around the country and the world, and we now find ourselves in Los Angeles, adoptive home to all of five of us. It was great to catch up, 38 years after our initial meeting on Old Campus, with Preston Lewis, Vincent Jordan, Steve Harper, and Jon Walls. All of us are doing great and we're looking forward to seeing our '87 classmates next June!"

 "I also am thrilled to announce my marriage, on January 21, 2021, to Kimberly (Clayton) Hershman '87 BK, '92 Law. We got married in a beautiful, COVID-safe backyard ceremony."

Class Podcast

 We have launched a class podcast, which  you can access here.  Every Thursday leading up to our Reunion in June, 2022, we will be posting discussions with classmates.  These are meant to explore how we have lived our lives and how we see our future.  We won't be sauntering through resumes or talking about our successes only.  The whole point is to share our lives and what we've learned since 1987.

We are always looking for guests to give an interview.  Please give some thought about sitting for an interview -- everyone has learned through life and has something to share.  

If you would like to sign up to be a guest on the podcast, you can do so here:

Sign up to be a guest

Latest Podcast Episode -- An Interview with Caprice Young

 In the latest episode of our podcast, we hear from Caprice Young about her life as an educator and how her college classmate saved her life.  

Take a listen to Caprice's interview by clicking here.

You can find the Y87 Podcast on Spotify, Google and Apple.  We are hoping to drop an episode every Thursday.

Reunion Dates -- June 2-5, 2022

 It is that time again -- time for a reunion!  Our 35th Reunion will be live, in person in Pierson College.  The dates are set: June 2-5, 2022.  

Here is a link to the official reunion site, which will have updates periodically:  

https://alumni.yale.edu/reunions/yale-college-reunions#

Stay tuned for more!

Class Podcast

 We've started a new "thing" -- a Class of 1987 Podcast.  

We will be highlighted the lives our classmates and covering topics of interest to the class.  Look for episodes to drop on Thursdays.

Interested in being a guest?  Give us a shout, we'd love to have you join us!  Sign up to be a guest here.

The Podcast is called Y87 and it can be found on Spotify or by clicking here.

A thoughtful piece on Memorial Day by Janet Wu

It was so great to see Janet Wu at our Reunion.  She is a thoughtful and vivacious part of the class.  Last year she wrote a great Op Ed for the Boston Globe, which you should check out.

Click here for the whole article.

Janet does not wish people "Happy Memorial Day" because for many this is a day of somber remembrance.  Instead, she leaves this blessing:

So my wish to you on this Memorial Day weekend:

May you live a long, happy, and peaceful life.

May you have the privilege of time to realize your potential.

May you die gently and old in the embrace of a loved one.

On this Memorial Day weekend, let’s think of all those who did not.

Let’s honor their lost potential by reflecting how precious life is.

The Last Ring Home

During reunion, Minter Dial hosted a screening of his award-winning film The Last Ring Home.

The Last Ring Home is the story of Lt Minter Dial’s Annapolis Naval Academy ring, that miraculously made its way home 17 years after he was killed as a POW of the Japanese in WWII. The Last Ring Home is a tribute to Lt Dial, the producer's grandfather, and all members of the Greatest Generation. It is also a journey of self-discovery, having an impact on the filmmaker, his wider family and many other people in its wake. This story, which took over 25 years of research, illustrates the importance of serendipity and the role of good and bad luck in piecing together a personal history of someone who died 70 years ago. The Last Ring Home is to inspire everyone to uncover their own personal history, to keep a foot in their past and the other in the future, and to be thankful for the tremendous present in which we live, thanks to the sacrifices of the those who fought in WWII. 

Check it out!

What a great reunion

Just got back from our 30th Reunion.  Wow!  What a wonderful time.  We had a terrific crowd and an even better vibe.  Thanks so much to Lisa Vigliotti Harkness, Darcy Troy Pollack and Matthew Homer Mead for organizing such a wonderful weekend.  It was truly special.