On turning 80

February 10, 2022

Classmates and friends:

Last month, in my email to all classmates and surviving spouses, I reminded everyone that most of us will be turning eighty in 2022. Many responded with their own birthday stories. It’s an event to celebrate. If you want a musical track to help you celebrate, this is my favorite, by Three Dog Night.

My fraternity pledge father, Wally Grant ’63, sent me Henry Miller’s chapbook titled On Turning Eighty. Many will remember Wally for his winning field goal in 1960 over UConn to start Yale’s eventually undefeated football season; Wally is also 1963 60th Reunion Chair in 2023.

Henry Miller wrote On Turning Eighty in 1972, 50 years ago. While I don’t agree with everything in it, I found great wisdom and encouragement. I found these sentences particularly relevant to our friendship as classmates: “Next to love, friendship is the most valuable thing life has to offer. … It is my friends who have kept me alive, who have given me the courage to continue.”

As Miller predicts: “One by one death claims your friends or the great ones you revered. The older you grow, the faster they die off.” We were notified of the deaths of two classmates in recent months: Mark Furcolo and Tom Lovejoy. Obituaries are posted at In Memoriam; please consider donating a Mory’s Memorial Brick. We welcome any donations in the name of a classmate or for the general Brick Fund.

Since the beginning of the year we have posted 20 new articles in Class News that you may find interesting: Tony Lavely on YAA Assembly; Jeremy Scott Wood on Lincoln; Timothy Breen on January 6 and Book Club; Chas Freeman on China, Statecraft, and Chinese Friends; Chris Getman and Jon McBride on Squash Haven; Chris Getman on URI Internship; Dennis Upper on MLK; Joe Lieberman on Centrist Solution and Jewish Tradition; Syd Lea on Governor’s Award; Larry Crutcher on Muhammad Ali; Sam Francis on Class Communications; Waldo Johnston, Sam Callaway, and Tony Lee on Olympic Gold Medal figure skater Nathan Chen ’24; Stephen Greenblatt on NYT Review; Jim Klint on Super Bowls; Timothy Breen on disputed origins of the Revolution; and Edward Massey on Mory’s Zoom luncheon. An earlier story about the wedding of Stan Thomas’ son has been updated. The next issue of Class Notes will be posted next month. Please let me know how 2022 is going for you and who among our Class you’ve seen.

Cheers,

P.S. Remember, we have another minireunion on April 28 — “China: Confrontation or Collaboration?” Registration emails will be sent next month.