Class News

Gus Speth ’64 joins Boston Zoom call focusing on climate change

June 15, 2022

At the invitation of Jerry Flannelly ’64 and Tony Lee ’64, Gus Speth headlined the monthly Zoom call with the Boston group to discuss Climate Change. In accepting, Gus wrote: “I am delighted to be doing this and appreciate the invitation.  But the quote is wrong!  Clear to all who know me, I am not a scientist.  What I said was ‘We lawyers and scientists don't know how to do that.’ I have written tons but the only thing from me that ever went viral is this quote from a talk I gave, dutifully and somewhat inaccurately transcribed by a minister in the audience.”

Twenty-six classmates and friends attended the 90-minute session. Tony Lee introduced Gus Speth.

Gus opened with a summary of scenarios (not mutually exclusive) about the future:

• A cataclysmic event will destabilize the status quo;
• The climate-change narrative/story will change;
• Major social movements will accelerate;
• Faith communities will become more important;
• Community behaviors will change and become more visible.

Following Gus’ overview, we broke into small discussion groups that were facilitated by Don Leka, Tony Lavely, Nancy Upper, Blaine Krickl, and Bobbie Francis.

The discussion generated a consensus for including climate change as a major topic at our 60th class reunion in 2024.