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Plans for scheduled class events and reports of past events are found below.
Past: Minireunion Held in Charleston, South Carolina (March 20-26, 2011)
Past: Annual Class Dinner in New York (March 2011)
Past: Class trip to Egypt (October 19-November 4, 2010)
Past: Minireunion Held in Santa Fe, New Mexico (April 26-29, 2010)
Past: Annual Class Dinner in New York (March 2010)
Past: Mini Reunion held at Chautauqua, New York (July 8-11, 2009)
Past: Class Trip to Israel and Jordan (October-November 2008)
Past: Class Trip to Spain (September-October 2007)
Past: Class Trip to Morocco (September-October 2006)
Past: Class Trip to South Africa (September 2005)
Past: Minireunion Held in Charleston, South Carolina (March 20-26, 2011)
Mark Roth had a dream; the Yale class of '57 would meet in Charleston, South
Carolina, for a mini-reunion in the spring. He made contacts and planned the
trip. The announcement was sent out and a good group from the class responded
immediately. Very sadly, Mark died in December. Tom Chittenden stepped in and,
with help from Mark's wife Caren, who had shared in the planning, and the AYA,
the trip proceeded as planned.
John and Pat Brooke, Tom and Wendy Chittenden, Rod and Chloe Correll, Andy
and Eleanor Glass, Lynne Chapman, Bob Hoyt, Colin and Pokey Jensen, Elaine
Joost, Roly Machold, Gil Merritt, Martha Ingram, Ron and Elaine Morris, Tom
Perkins and Sarah Brown, Morris Raker and Jan Wohlberg, Chris and Sally Sonne,
Hugh and Allyn Thompson, Phil and Peggy Weymouth and Dick and Joan Young,
arrived at Middleton Place outside of Charleston in late March. They spent the
first night at the Inn there, and then toured the plantation, dating from the
early 1700's. The house was mostly destroyed by Union troops in 1865, though one
section has been restored and now contains family furniture and objects that
tell the story about life at Middleton. The extensive formal gardens, woods
walks, ponds, lush azaleas and camellias, silvery moss hanging loosely from
giant live oaks, the rice mill and slave quarters, all contributed to the
understanding of a lost way of life. Two other plantations, Drayton Hall and
Boone Hall, were visited during the trip, each one adding another dimension to
the picture.
From there the group settled comfortably at the Mills House in the middle of
historic Charleston. Although it was easy to walk around on the narrow streets
to view the many beautifully restored ante-bellum houses and peep through the
gates at their colorful, lush gardens, a buggy ride and then a bus tour, with
knowledgeable guides who told stories not in the guide books, painted a wider
picture of the beautiful and charming city. A private tour of the Nathaniel
Russell House illustrated the specifics of a major historic home.
Charlestonians are survivors. Although the city itself was mostly spared from
destruction by the Union troops, much of it had been burned in 1861 by a raging
fire. The city was rebuilt after the war. Then, in 1886 an earthquake caused
tremendous damage. More rebuilding. About 100 years later Hurricane Hugo caused
extensive flooding and toppled buildings and trees once again.
Reminders of the Civil War were all around, punctuated by a boat ride to and
tour of Fort Sumter and a trip to Beaufort, which had been occupied early on by
the Union forces and served as a valuable port and headquarters during the war.
For this reason, most of the ante-bellum homes remained intact, best seen once
again by horse and buggy. Pat Conroy's house was pointed out, as well as the
places that served as location sites for the movies The Great Santini and The
Prince of Tides.
The '57 visitors listened and looked and thought and talked, and they also
ate. They enjoyed shrimp and grits and biscuits and key lime pie and lots of it.
Lunch and dinner spots had been carefully chosen. They even had one Gullah lunch
that featured many meat choices and the best ever mashed potatoes and collard
greens.
They were not ordinary tourists. Personal contacts with real Charlestonians
opened doors to provide an inside experience. Martha Rivers Ingram, Gil
Merritt's friend, a born and bred Charlestonian, though now living in Nashville,
still maintains her historic house on Meeting Street. She hosted the group for
cocktails one evening. Charles Duell, class of '60, happens to be a Middleton,
and is now running Middleton Place Foundation, which operates Middleton Place
plus the Edmundston-Alston House, a house museum in Charleston. Charles had
joined the group the first day at Middleton Place. On the last evening of the
tour the Yale group gathered at the Edmundston-Alston House and enjoyed a glass
of champagne with Charles on the piazza.
The AYA had sent Tom Chittenden printed cards with the words to Bright
College Years, but he wasn't sure what to do with them. With little time left,
during the final feast at one of Charleston's finest restaurants, The Peninsula
Grill, in a private room, hopefully sound-proofed from the other diners, Tom
suggested that it would be appropriate to let voices be heard. The group rose to
their feet and did just that, and surely no one mistook them for the Yale Glee
Club.
The mini-reunion in Charleston was a great success! Some old friends were
happy to be reunited; many new friends were made. During five days in Charleston
and the environs they had been transported back to the Civil War, to the South,
to a unique culture, and to a beautiful place. They shared impressions and
jokes. They enjoyed meals, often accompanied by little piles of vitamins and
medications that seem to be a part of life for their ages. Upon departure,
several resolved to start a diet, and even made a bet about it. Many were
returning home to face taxes and other unpleasantness. But on that last evening
they might have said, in the words of Scarlett O'Hara, "Oh Fiddle-Dee-Dee,
I'll think about it tomorrow."
—Sally Sonne
Past: Annual Class Dinner in New York (March 2011)
Dozens of classmates and their spouses, etc. gathered at the Yale Club in New
York on March 17th for the annual Class Dinner of 2011. The speaker was
Professor Scott Strobel, the Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and
Biochemistry recently named vice-president of West Campus Planning and Program
Development who's in charge of implementing that massive project. The dinner was
preceded by a meeting of the Class Council. Others will describe in more detail
the particulars of these events, but here you'll find a few pictures
capturing portions of these events.
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Wendy Chittenden, Judy Hopkins, and Tom Chittenden.
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Rod Correll and Julie and Fred Gaston.
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Entrance to the Yale Club in NYC.
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Secretary Chittenden herding cats; (L/R) Court Haight, Gus Kellogg, Phil Pillsbury, Malcolm Mitchell, Len Katz, and Tom Chittenden.
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Nina and Phil Pillsbury, and Kate Briggs.
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Don and Mary Roberts, Bern Kosto, and Keith McEllicott.
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Alan Hockstader, Hal Hochman, and Tom Perkins.
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Our speaker, Prof. Scott Strobel, and Tom Chittenden.
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Gus Kellogg.
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—Steve Hopkins
Past: Class trip to Egypt (October 19 -November 4, 2010)
Who knew? The view of Egypt we have seen in February as I write
is totally different from what our Y57 Class Tour saw in those same
neighborhoods only a few weeks ago.
Our Y57 magical tour of Egypt in October-November, 2010, was blissfully
undisturbed. Disturbed only slightly by one overambitious, tiring day, a few
representative stomach distress sufferers and very few aggressive street
merchants. In fact, in almost every way, it was a perfect travel dream come
true.
So well organized by Alan Hockstader and Gate 1 Travel, the trip included
archeological wonders, lectures on sociology, religion, history and the
geopolitical ambience (including concern about US Government roles in the
region) and a visit to a working farm. Expert Egyptologists and a former
Ambassador to the U.S. revealed some sustained frustration among the people. But
no one anticipated a full-scale popular revolt. No one imagined civil conflict
around the Egyptian Museum. It never entered our minds. Blindsided? Totally!
Who were our Star Tourists? Most of us met on October 19 at the
New York airport (JFK) before boarding Egypt Air's flight to Cairo. Many of us
had traveled at least once before with the Y57/Hockstader Tours, but newcomers
were totally welcome and became major contributors to the bonding and fun. Who
were we?
Although traveling independently to Cairo, Steve and Judy Hopkins played
special roles. Like the Phantom of the Opera, Steve Hopkins lurked around the
edges of our group with his fantastic camera, snapping up the glory of each site
and personal images. Judy Hopkins was conversational on all things Smithsonian,
and more, especially about the arts and customs of Washington. Birgitta
Hockstader charmed us with her sparkling eyes and interest in Egypt's arts and
fashions. Alan Hockstader was everywhere, keeping the tour on track and making
adjustments in service or schedule as needed. Good Doctor Bill Sheffield
provided us with a medical perspective and a marvelously sardonic sense of
humor, and his Glenn exercised our thinking whenever we discussed matters of
governance, civil management and education.
Why do we single out these three couples? Because they alone have
participated in all eleven of our Y57/Hockstader adventures. They have been
awesome in loyalty and in the size of their contribution to the shifting
memberships of the groups. And, they were really solid, fun people to be with.
We owe them a lot.
The honor is all the more poignant now that the world lost the brilliance of
Dr. Bill Sheffield shortly after he returned home. This wrenching, unexpected,
horrible loss, so soon after returning from Egypt, gripped us all as the sad
words of Jim Banner coursed through the internet, reminding us of Bill's huge
influence and of the gravity of such a loss. Our hearts and prayers are with
Glenn and their family.
Who else were we? Great newcomers were Carol Cimilluca (NYC)
who accompanied veteran Judy Newbold (NYC), Anne Kunkel (Phoenix), first time
trip companion of Paul Wentworth, Reed Taylor (still getting his balance after
losing Glynda the previous year, Williamsville, NY), Steve Weitz and Linda
(DC), and Ted Wood and Betty ("Schy"), Wyndmoor, PA.
Veterans of previous Y57 Tours were Tip Atkeson and Janice (Essex, CT), Anne
Bingham (Greenwich, CT), Merrell Clark and Lynne (Scarsdale, NY), Rod Correll
and Chloe (Johnstown, NY), Jim Cunningham (San Francisco), Fred Gaston and Julie
(Wilton, CT), Bob Kirschner and Sylvia (NYC), Judy Newbold (NYC), Ken Sharp
(Orlando), the Hockstaders (White Plains, NY), Hopkins (DC) and Sheffields,
(Webster Groves, MO), Paul Wentworth (Phoenix), and Doug Wright and Sally
(Sarasota).
For more on members, see the Y57 Website portraits or Online Alumni
Directory.
Good spirits and conviviality prevailed. When we weren't seriously studying
the artifacts or other subjects of Egypt, we sparkled with jokes and pleasant
chit chat. It would be hard to imagine a more congenial group, combining
intellectual and sometimes physical vigor, while being watchful to assist in
places where aging or infirmities required a helping hand. In fact, the people
who really needed help at times were thrilled that strong assistants and helpful
hands always were there.
Putting warm feelings about this group into words is impossible. We talked
and shared and dined and traveled together for more than two solid weeks, and
loved it. If we knew classmates and spouses beforehand, the new experience
deepened the friendships. Otherwise, it was a joy to find new friends among
people of the same age and Yale class we had not known before. Despite diversity
in professional roles and financial backgrounds, we modeled an easy democracy of
classmates from start to finish. The tour itself was only the frame around these
great principals.
If more classmates are considering the next Y57/Hockstader tour but feel a
little shy about being surrounded by people they don't know or might not feel
comfortable with, it is time to wipe away that fear. Joining this group will be
a highlight of the tour. These are easy friends and fellow travelers, totally
accepting, who are ready to enjoy and help whoever joins the adventure.
How did the trip start? It was a hot, dry, sunny Wednesday when
we arrived in Cairo and initially experienced what would be a comprehensive,
repetitive procedure for airports and other travel. A representative of Gate 1
supervised a team of young workers who gathered all of our bags and transported
them to our waiting bus while we were ushered through the necessary lines for
visas and customs. The bus then transferred us to our hotel for rest, cocktails
and dinner. Time zones and short sleep had wiped us out, so getting overnight
sleep was exactly the right medicine.
We were introduced to our Tour Guide, an Egyptian man of medium height who
instantly won our approval. Continuously thereafter he amazed us with the scope
of his knowledge and balanced judgment. Sherif Samy seemed to know everything
about Egypt, about Islam, about Christianity and Judaism, about US Government
Policy and about managing tours. He counted noses at every departure, carried
stomach remedies in his pocket, gave us detailed directions and comprehensive
interpretations of antiquity. If he weren't the best Tour Guide in Egypt, we
would be astounded. Our admiration dissolved into genuine affection. Sherif's
signature call, "Yale Groooop!", became our mantra as everyone tried to echo his
accent.
What did we see? Highlights of the trip are offered here in condensed form as
we didn't see anything that isn't represented in living color on the internet.
Rather than burden this narrative with photos and detailed descriptions, please
make note of the places and please go to them on Google for color and detail.
Our hotels were among the best in Egypt. Fairmont Towers Hotel in Cairo (new
and spacious), Sofitel Old Winter Palace in Luxor (fabulous gardens, historic
dining rooms), Sonesta Moon Goddess Cruise Hotel on the Nile (fun boat),
Movenpick Resort in Aswan (elegant with ferries across the Nile), Ritz Carlton
in Sharm El Sheikh (posh resort, outstanding food), Helman Palestine at Montazah
Palace, Alexandria (awesome views of the Palace and Mediterranean), and the Mena
House Oberoi on Pyramids Road in Cairo (grand hotel nearest to the Great Pyramid
and Sphinx, final banquet).
After catching up on the 20th at the Fairmont, the sightseeing began with a
vengeance on the 21st at the Egyptian Museum (250,000 artifacts on display,
covering more than 6,000 years, including a collection from Tut-Ankh-Amon
treasures). After lunch, we flew to Luxor in time for dinner at the Winter
Palace.
On the 22nd, a full tour of the east bank of the Nile introduced the Valley
of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the Hatshepsut Temple honoring Egypt's
single ruling Queen, the Valley of the Nobles and the Mortuary Temple of Ramses
II (Ramesseum). After dinner, we sampled Egyptian-style "son et lumiere" at the
Karnak Temple, dramatizing the lifestyles and worship carried out by priests and
people under the Thebian Pharaohs.
At 8:00 AM on the 23rd, we boarded motor boats to cross the Nile to a nearby
village's farm where we enjoyed freshly baked bread and other native food. The
farm owner showed his simple home and family workers and minimal livestock with
pride and pleasure. Clean, simple, adequate. A good example of local farm life.
Returning to the west side, we boarded the Sonesta Moon Goddess for lunch and
to settle ourselves before returning to Karnak Temple for a daylight tour. This
extensive Temple complex revealed the efforts of Ramses Pharaohs to enlarge
their own images and, when feasible, to "borrow" the images of predecessors. The
day was capped by tea at the Moon Goddess, dinner and a nightclub act consisting
of a whirling dervish dancer and a belly dancer who captured one of our men for
an unforgettable dance demonstration.
On the 24th, we visited Luxor Temple and the Museum of Luxor. Before noon,
however, we were back at the Moon Goddess, floating upstream to Edfu. En route,
we enjoyed lunch, tea, Captain's welcome cocktails, a dinner and a dance,
completing the voyage while we slept.
After breakfast aboard Moon Goddess on the 25th, we explored the Temple of
Horus at Edfu. Almost entirely intact, Horus is the best-preserved temple in
Egypt. Horus, the falcon-headed god, was believed to be a protector. Returning
to the boat, we enjoyed lunch and sailed further south to Kom Ombo. Once called
Nubt, or "City of Gold", on account of its trade route location, the village has
brightly colored houses. The Temple of Kom Ombo is unique in Egypt as the only
two-sided temple, one for Sobek, the crocodile god, and the other for Haroeris,
the falcon god. By 5:00 PM, we were sailing toward Aswan on the Moon Goddess,
enjoying tea, cocktails and dinner.
Upon waking in Aswan on the 26th, we disembarked to tour Aswan, the High Dam
and the Philae Temples, among the greatest archeological stories of the 20th
Century. The Philae Temples were flooded every year for six months despite the
Old Dam at Aswan, but the New High Dam would have engulfed them completely. An
international rescue operation, sponsored by UNESCO and supported by several
nations, enabled Egypt to completely dismantle the old Temples and recreate them
exactly as they were but on the high ground of Agilkia Island, between 1972 and
1980. We viewed the High Dam and Lake Nasser to the south. We visited the huge
quarry in Aswan to see the "unfinished obelisk", a huge stone that cracked while
being exhumed from its bed, then abandoned.
After lunch on Moon Goddess, we took a motorboat to the west bank to see the
Monastery of St. Simeon, built in the sixth century. Upon landing, we mounted
camels to finish the trip up the sharp hills and cliffs where no road had been
built. The Monastery was partially disintegrated, but the best-preserved
Christian site outside Cairo (Cairo contains many Coptic churches).
October 27th was one of the high points of the trip, though a very long day.
After breakfast, we drove to the airport for a flight to see the archaeological
complex of Abu Simbel, an UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular
sites in Egypt. The twin temples of these Nubian Monuments were carved from the
mountainside during the reign of Ramses II. After lunch, we sailed on a felucca,
a traditional broad-sailed boat that has been used for ages and is still in use.
We stopped at the 19th Century Botanical Garden on Kitschmer Island. Before
returning to Moon Goddess, we visited the modern Nubian Museum.
We flew to Cairo the morning of the 28th. An enlightening tour of the
religious core of Cairo was the regimen. First, we ascended to The Citadel, a
hilltop medieval fortress built in the 12th Century by Saladin. There we saw the
Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali and sweeping view of the old section of Cairo
with mosques, minarets and bazaars. In the Mosque, we enjoyed an extensive
lecture by Sherif on Muslim prayer and other practices. Then, we visited old
Cairo churches and a synagogue before lunch at El Azhar Park restaurant (the
downtown park is reminiscent of Central Park in Manhattan). At the end of the
day, we flew to Sharm El Sheikh, a Sinai resort town, on the mouth of the Bay of
Aqaba.
October 29th was a free day to rest or try local options, such as a Jeep
tour, nearby coral snorkeling or sit by the pool. October 30th offered a choice
of more relaxation or a tour option. The tour option was a tour to Mount Sinai
and to St. Catherine's Monastery. Built in the 3rd Century, St. Catherine's is
a well-preserved museum and an active monastery with continuing services. It
contains a large collection of valuable manuscripts, frescoes and other
treasures.
On the 31st of October, we flew to Cairo and drove to Alexandria on the Green
Road, avoiding some of the traffic. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C.,
Alexandria is Egypt's Center of culture. November 1st, we visited the Catacombs
of El-Shuggaffah, dated in the 2nd Century. We visited Pompey's Pillar, built in
honor of Emperor Diocletian. We visited the Bibliotheca Alexandria, a new
library with modern technology that was intended to commemorate the famed
Library of Alexandria, which was the ancient center of knowledge in the
Mediterranean world of its day. Our hotel overnight was in the gardens of
Montazah Palace.
On the 2nd of November, we drove back to Cairo on the opposite side of the
Nile, the dessert road, which ends at Giza and the Pyramids. After checking into
our grand hotel, the day was spent close to the Pyramids and Sphinx and the
Valley Temple. Many photo-ops occurred at the Pyramids of Cheops, of Kheften,
and of Mycerinus. A visit to the Sphinx and the Valley Temple in the area drew
us also to visit the Solar Boat Museum, which contains the Solar Boat of the
great King Cheops, discovered in 1954.
November 3rd saw us driving to Memphis, the oldest capitol of Egypt, in order
to see the colossal statue of Ramses II, lying horizontally with partial legs,
and the alabaster sphinx of King Tutmosis III. Then we visited the Sakkara step
pyramids, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser, built by Imhotep, the first named
architect in recorded history. We then proceeded to the American University, an
entirely new campus on the outskirts of Cairo, for lunch and a lecture by Mr.
Nabil Fahmy, formerly Egypt's Ambassador to the United States. Our last touring
event was a visit to the huge bazaar in Cairo, the Khan El-Khalill Bazaar,
believed to be the largest Bazaar in the Middle East.
The day closed with a dinner where we honored Sherif Samy and his wife, took
lots of personal snapshots and celebrated the fabulous two-week experience.
On November 4th, we were transferred to our Egypt Air flight to JFK.
What does it all mean? Basically, we enjoyed a time in Egypt
that may not return for many years, until after the popular uprising and the
government and army resolve their issues. If the reader has not previously seen
the glories of Egyptian antiquities, it still would be good to wait it out and
go. 18% of the Egyptian GNP is accountable to tourism, so it is hard to imagine
that safe tourism will not return.
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Grand finale in Egypt for the Yale Grooop: Kneeling, Alan Hockstader,
Julia Gaston, Anne Kunkel, Janice Atkeson, Birgitta Hockstader, Sally Wright,
Linda Weitz, Glen Sheffield, Judy Newbold, Sheri Samy. First row standing, Doug
Wright, Fred Gaston, Paul Wentworth, Tip Atkeson, Judy Hopkins, Ken Sharp, Bob
Kirschner, Silvia Kirschner, Anne Bingham, Lynne Clark, Schy Wood, Ted Wood.
Behind first row standing, Bill Sheffield, Merrell Clark, Jim Cunningham, Steve
Weitz, Steve Hopkins, Chloe Correll, Rod Correll, Carol Cimillucca. (Click on
image to see a larger version.)
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The economic problems are going to be hard to solve. 95% of the 82 million
Egyptian people live within twelve miles of the Nile on a green strip that runs
between Sudan and the Mediterranean. The rest of Egypt is a dessert the size of
the United States, where humans can't live, enduring one half-inch precipitation
annually. While wheat is an important crop in the green belt, agriculture cannot
employ all of the unemployed people. Whatever government emerges from the
current upheaval, political arrangements cannot change the dismal economic
realities in the foreseeable future.
We can't help but feel very fortunate that we slipped under the wire to see
Egypt, holding nearly 80% of the world's antiquities. The Y57/Hockstader track
record of avoiding chaos is unimpeachable. We look forward to the next
Y57/Hockstader tour, possibly in the Far East.
In closing, let me share a letter by a Yale founder, Cotton
Mather, to Elihu Yale. It is arguably the most important letter ever written for
Yale. It conjures Egypt to make its key point:
"The colony of Connecticut, having for some years a college at Saybrook
without a collegious way of living for it, has lately begun to erect a large
edifice for it in the town of New Haven. The charge for that expensive building
is not yet all paid nor are there any funds or revenues for salaries to the
Professors and Instructors to this society. Sir, though you have your felicities
in your family, which I pray God continue and multiply, yet certainly, if what
is forming at New Haven might wear the name of Yale College, it would be better
than a name of sons and daughters. And your munificence might easily obtain for
you such a commemoration and perpetuation of your valuable name, which would
indeed be much better than an Egyptian pyramid."
-Cotton Mather to Elihu Yale, February 14, 1718.
—Merrell M. Clark
Past: Minireunion Held in Santa Fe, New Mexico (April 26-29, 2010)
What's not to love? A beautiful place with a rich past and vibrant present.
Reunion with old and good friends. Dry, clear weather with warm days and crisp
nights. And Mark Roth's leadership to plan it all, pull together the loose ends
and make the exercise work. These were some of the major components of Y57's
successful Santa Fe mini reunion.
We trickled into Santa Fe's historic and centrally located La Fonda Hotel
from near and far on the afternoon of Monday, April 26. All assembled, there
were 29 in our group, including 14 classmates, all of whom plus a few wives and
Later, there was a welcoming reception at the hotel and dinner at a nearby
restaurant (complete with singing waiters who extended themselves in celebration
of the retirement that night of the piano accompanist after some 25 years). The
food was good, the wine flowed and the conversation was lively. By the end of
the evening, we had renewed old and started some new friendships. This bond of
friendship was one of the major pleasurable aspects of our visit.
We got serious bright and early on Tuesday with a lecture by a noted local
historian, Dr. Tom Chavez. A few facts got us started. While human habitation
goes back some 10,000 years, there is evidence of permanent settlements in the
Santa Fe area dating back to roughly 1,000 AD. The Santa Fe we know was settled
by the Spanish about 1600. It is not only the capital of New Mexico, but it's
the oldest and the highest (at 7,000+ feet) state capital in the country. Its
population is about 70,000.
Dr. Chavez went on to suggest that the history of Santa Fe and of New Mexico
could be seen as a "blending of cultures" (although it often sounded more like a
"clash of cultures")—brought by waves of Native American, Spanish, American and
other immigrants--out of which evolved, and still evolves, the economy, society
and culture of the region. In turn, this "blending" or evolution can be divided
into several major time periods. This useful, if less than exhaustive, lens will
be used here to better understand what Y 57 did and saw.
Prehistoric Period. The first, longest and least understood period is
the prehistoric or pre-European period which dates back perhaps 10,000 years and
ended when the first Spanish conquistadors and missionaries arrived late in the
16th Century. By the time the Spanish arrived, Native Americans had evolved into
two major groups—farmers in permanent settlements (e.g. the Pueblos and
Navajos—"pueblo" is a Spanish word meaning "village") and the nomadic or
semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers (e.g. Apaches). There were tribal subdivisions
within both major groups and there was more-or-less constant warfare between
tribes within and without the basic groupings.
And then came the Spanish, bringing immense and irreversible change to the
Native Americans of what's now New Mexico.
Spanish Colonial and Mexican Periods (c.1600-1848). The Spanish came
for various and not always mutually exclusive reasons—gold, silver and riches;
glory and honor for extending what was then the world's greatest Empire; and
salvation of the souls of the "heathen". By shortly after 1600:
Santa Fe had been named and settled as the capital of the region,
Franciscan missionaries were building churches nearby, and forcefully
converting to Christianity the inhabitants of almost every pueblo community
(they decided to "let the Jesuits take care of the fierce and nomadic Apaches",
according to Dr. Chavez). They were also determined to stamp out all vestiges
of "heathen" native religions by force if necessary; and
The new Spanish landowners were virtually enslaving the natives to work
in their mines and fields.
The accumulating oppression of this subjugation finally boiled over in the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The Spanish were driven out and, for 13 years, the Native
Americans ruled the area again. But the Spanish came back, first to negotiate
peacefully but ultimately with force, and the Native Americans were routed.
The survivors sought final refuge at the top of Black Mesa, a large volcanic
outcropping 24 miles Northwest of Santa Fe. We visited an overlook where we
could see the winding Rio Grande, home to many pueblos in the 1600's and, in the
distance, the Black Mesa. Our guide said that the Black Mesa legend among
today's Native Americans is roughly equivalent in cultural significance to the
Masada legend for Jews.
By the middle 1690's the Spanish re-established full control for another
century and a half, but with a significant difference: they, and, especially,
the Catholic Church, were less forceful and pursued a more syncretic process,
with greater freedom of religious observance and political governance, which
ultimately led to the evolving melding of cultures described by Dr. Chavez.
Territory and State (1848-present). The arrival of the American was a
rude shock for the people of Santa Fe and the Mexican southwest. Our historian,
Dr. Chavez, described pre-US Nuevo Mexico as "an island", loosely tied to Mexico
and virtually isolated from the US. The Americans came as hostile conquerors
with little regard for local language, religions, customs, property rights and
you-name-it. Martial law prevailed for sometime, with frequent summary hangings
of "traitors". While some semblance of a civil society soon began to appear,
the middle and late 19th Century was not an easy time in Santa Fe and vicinity--
the Civil War; Geronimo; range wars and cowboys and Indians; Billy the Kid;
railroads (which by-passed Santa Fe, leading to its gradual economic decline
until well into the 20th Century); land grabs; and, eventually, statehood in
1912.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (a/k/a Saint Francis
Cathedral) offered some fascinating insights into the eclectic evolution of New
Mexico's culture and society, separate and apart from the main themes of Native
American/Hispanic/American "blending". A new Bishop, Jean Baptiste Lamy, arrived
in the middle 1860's and decided the existing Cathedral just wouldn't do—he
wanted an imposing Romanesque building such as were then popular in his native
France. So he started building such a structure in 1869 (complete with French
workmen) but ran out of money before completion.
What to do? To the rescue came the Jewish community of Santa Fe. And herein
lies another fascinating tale-within-a-tale of "culture blending". When Spain
expelled or forced the conversion of the Jews after 1492, many went to the New
World seeking religious freedom. But the Inquisition followed them to the major
centers such as Mexico City. So some moved on, still seeking freedom, and
settled in Santa Fe where, evidently, the Inquisition didn't follow. Over the
decades, the Jews prospered and, when the new Bishop came up short on funds for
the new Cathedral, the Jewish community volunteered to make up the shortfall.
The Bishop was so grateful, so goes the story, that the capstone over the main
door of the Cathedral contains the word, Yahweh, in Hebrew script.
Following Dr. Chavez's informative lecture, the group boarded open trolleys
for a tour of Santa Fe. Our guides pointed out historically relevant sights
such as the centrally-located Santa Fe Plaza with its Palace of the Governors
and the New Mexico Museum of Art; St. Francis Cathedral; the Cross of the
Martyrs that looms over downtown Santa Fe and honors Franciscan priests who died
during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680; as well as the National Cemetery where
thousands of small, white gravestones stretch across 79 acres memorializing more
than 40,000 U.S. veterans. Our guides infused our two-hour tour with anecdotal
observations relating to Santa Fe's fascinating and distinctive identity
reflected in its 400-year evolution into the premier destination in the American
Southwest. At the end of the tour, our group was free for lunch and to shop in
the many art galleries and jewelry boutiques concentrated on Canyon Road.
Perhaps the best overall symbol of these centuries of "culture blending" is
the Plaza in the middle of down-town Santa Fe. Consider all of these "blending"
elements: The Spanish built Santa Fe according to the "Laws of the Indies" town
planning rules established by Spain in 1573, requiring every town in the New
World to be laid out around a central plaza. The Palace of the Governors is
located adjacent to the Plaza's North side, where the Camino Real passes by,
running to Mexico City. As noted above, scores of Native American craftsmen work
daily right in front of the Palace, just across the street from the Plaza. The
far sides of the other streets bordering the Plaza are taken up by trendy art
galleries and other tourist attractions. The Cathedral is a block or two away,
visible from much of the Plaza. In the middle of the Plaza, is a monument to
those Union soldiers who died in New Mexico during the Civil War. The walkways
and benches in the Plaza are full of locals and tourists, coming and going. Old,
graceful trees, just beginning to leaf out, fill much of the space in the Plaza.
And beyond, visible through the trees and past the Civil War monument on the
horizon, are the snow covered and everlastingly beautiful mountains.
In late Tuesday afternoon, our group reconvened for a visit to the Palace of
the Governors, built beginning in 1610 immediately adjacent to the central Plaza
in Santa Fe. The Palace of the Governors is a prominent, perhaps the most
prominent occupant of the Santa Fe Plaza. Some of the sweep of its historical
involvement is found in the following quote from Wikipedia:
The Palace originally served as the seat of government of the Spanish colony
of Nuevo Mexico which at one time comprised the present states of Texas,
Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, California and New Mexico. After the Mexican
War of Independence [1821], the Mexican Province of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico was
administered from the Palace of Governors. When New Mexico was annexed as a U.S.
territory [1848], the Palace became New Mexico's first territorial capital.
During the American Civil War, the building also briefly served as the
Confederate Army's regional headquarters.
Early in the 20th Century, the Palace became the state historical museum. The
Palace's collection of art and artifacts was living testimony to the theme of
cultural change and blend—prehistoric arrowheads; portraits of Spanish governors
and their wives dressed to the 9's in the latest 16-17th C. European finery;
Native American art and finery; stagecoaches and railroads; memorabilia of
several wars (Mexican-American, Spanish-American, WWI). Three aspects of the
"culture blend" were particularly striking here:
The Native American Craftsmen doing a brisk business selling jewelry,
pottery and textiles under the portal just outside the Palace. Every morning the
available 69 vending locations are allocated by lottery to representatives of 18
area pueblos (mostly Pueblo but with some from the Navajo and Apache tribes).
For some of us, at least, this was something of a downer regarding "culture
blending" because it reminded us that the process has denied Native Americans of
the enjoyment of their native cultures without fully giving them the benefit of
ours.
The architecture: the Spanish brought building techniques tracing to the
Moors, including the use of adobe (which is an Arabic word meaning "brick") and
the Palace is an adobe building. Native Americans had also used adobe, and the
Spanish learned to adapt local materials. The Palace, built in 1610 shortly
after the Pueblo Revolt was put down, was originally designed for defense: the
outer adobe walls are quite thick and originally there were no windows (the
buildings opened to a central court yard) and the few doors were low and narrow.
But, renovations made after US annexation enlarged the doors and put windows
into the outer walls reflecting, presumably, more pacific times.
The exhibition, "Treasures of Devotion," with religious paintings and
carvings done by local artisans from 1700 to 1900. The exhibit was organized by
periods and individual artists and the transformation in style and content was
most interesting. Beginning with very European iconic representations of Jesus
and Saints, etc (e.g. halos, gold background), there was an abrupt shift to the
stark realism of the Counter Reformation (again, purely European) and,
thereafter, a gradual assimilation, over decades, of New Mexican faces and
styles and designs.
We started early Wednesday morning to visit Bandelier National Monument.
Along the way, we stopped briefly at the White Rock Overpass where the views of
the Grand Canyon were spectacular (see above picture of Black Mesa). At
Bandelier, we were able to gain some understanding of the prehistoric society
that inhabited this site.
Our guide, David Grant Noble (Y 61), a noted archeologist and historian,
explained that, early on, the Pueblo people lived in small scattered settlements
occupied by one or two families. But, beginning perhaps 1000 years ago, as the
population increased, the villages grew much larger. These farmers grew corn,
beans and squash. The only domesticated animals were turkeys and dogs. They
supplemented their diets with native plants and by hunting deer, rabbits and the
like. They cultivated cotton and wove it into garments. There is evidence of
trading networks far into Mexico by which these farmers acquired shells,
turquoise and parrot feathers for ceremonial and decorative purposes.
We hiked a short distance up Frijoles Canyon along the banks of the
deceptively docile stream which, over the centuries, has eroded the volcanic
soil to form the canyon. It was a beautiful, early spring day, with yellow/green
budding leaves sunlit to provide a vivid contrast against the canyon's dark
walls.
We visited the site of Tyuonyi village, built toward the end of the
prehistoric period, in the 14th Century AD. This village, at its peak, was one
of the larger pueblos with more than 1,000 inhabitants. It consisted of pueblo
homes, kivas (ceremonial structures), cliff dwellings, rock paintings and
petroglyphs. The pueblo village was built for defense—it was circular, enclosing
an open central plaza used for work as well as sacred and secular ceremonies. It
once stood 1-3 stories tall; the taller structures on the outside and, like a
walled medieval European town, the exterior walls had no windows and only a few
small entrances for defensive reasons. Nearby were cliff dwellings accessible
only by ladders which could be drawn up to deny entry when defense required.
This and neighboring pueblos were abandoned by 1600, perhaps because of a
prolonged drought—before and not because of the Spanish arrival--and the
inhabitants relocated to pueblos near the Rio Grande which are still occupied.
After an appetizing box lunch, we traveled to Los Alamos. And probably
nothing quite so symbolizes the modern era as Los Alamos which gave us the
atomic bomb, ushered in the nuclear age and dramatically posed the question
whether science was to be the friend or foe of humanity. Our visit there was
somewhat underwhelming—it's a scientific/industrial complex with very restricted
access. The Bradbury Science Museum's exhibits are heavily slanted toward a
reassuring message about the peaceful use of atomic energy. We all hoped that
North Korea et al are listening
Thursday, the last day of our mini-reunion, started with a short bus ride to
Museum Hill. Knowledgeable docents guided us through the Museum of
International Folk Art which houses the world's largest collection of folk art
from around the globe. The docents successfully engaged the interest of our
group. We also visited the adjacent Museum of Indian Arts and Culture which
presents the Native arts of the greater Southwest. Once again, the docents
succeeded in demonstrating the relationship between the native art and its
historic and cultural contexts. Before departing Museum Hill, we stormed the
Gift Shops and made our contributions to the local economy.
We had lunch at one of Santa Fe's most popular Mexican/Southwestern
restaurants. Gabriels is recognized for its margharitas and guacamole prepared
at your table. The Mexican fare -burritos, tacos, fajitas – lived up to their
reputation and we all enjoyed this culinary change of pace.
The next and last stop on our return to Hotel La Fonda was the Santa Fe
Opera. Although not in season for performances, the Opera had agreed to a
backstage tour which included the areas where costumes are created and stored.
We were also shown the areas where sets are fabricated and stored. Scheduled
for one hour, we stayed for over two hours asking questions and exploring every
nook and cranny of the Opera House. I misspoke when I said the Opera House was
not open for performances; at one point, two of our intrepid classmates – Reed
Taylor and Rod Correll – mounted the stage and to everyone's delight, delivered
spirited renditions of traditional Yale songs.
Our Class of 1957 Reunion ended on a happy and high note. We gathered for
the last time as a group for dinner at Amavi Restaurant. The ambience was warm
and welcoming and the meal was superlative. However, more important than our
surroundings, was the conviction that all of us had shared an interesting,
educational few days with old and good friends, as well as, new and just-as-good
friends. The Yale Class of 1957 represented by those indicated below, came
together in beautiful Santa Fe, learned a great deal about the history of the
region and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company:
Ron and Kay Bland; John and Patricia Brooke; Lynne Chapman and Bob Hoyt; Rod
and Chloe Correll; Jim Cunningham; Becky Dunn; Hal and Kappie Hochman; Steve and
Judy Hopkins; Elaine Joost; Mike and Sherry O'Hearn; Mark and Caren Roth; Reed
Taylor; Rob Walker; John and Beverly Watling; Paul Wentworth and Anne Kunkel;
John and Greta Westcott; and Richard and Joan Young.
—Steve Hopkins
Past: Annual Class Dinner in New York (March 2010)
The annual class dinner was held in March in New York. Click
here to see pictures by Steve Hopkins.
Past: Mini Reunion held at Chautauqua, New York (July 8-11, 2009)
"Chautauqua's a place where 'I disagree' doesn't end the conversation."
That's how Chautauqua Institution President, Thomas M. Becker, began introducing
us to his famed organization. For 135 years, it has had a major formative
influence on American thinking by encouraging the thoughtful exploration of the
paths where faith and reason lead, in the conviction that such exploration is
the key to progress both for individuals and society at large. "…every man has
the right to be all he can be, to know all he can know…" said founder John Heyl
Vincent in 1888, in support of another basic Chautauqua tenet, lifelong
learning.
But we're getting ahead of our story.
Our mini reunion had its genesis months
ago when Len Katz suggested to Secretary Tom Chittenden and the assembled Class
Council that Chautauqua would be a great place for a Class gathering. This was
greeted with unanimous acclaim so Len and fellow dedicated Chautauquan, Jack
Turben, got to work planning the event.
And did they ever do a good job! In addition to this great leadership, our
mini reunion owed its success to many factors: a beautiful location and several
sunny, dry days in the middle of a very wet summer; the Chautauqua Institution
complex which enriched the mind and nourished the body; an astonishing diversity
of interesting speakers, concerts, and recreational activities; and lots of
quality time to renew some of "the friendships formed at Yale" as well as to
make some new ones.
We assembled on Wednesday, July 8th with some 46 Classmates, wives and widows
in attendance. We came from near and far—Karin and Paul Eisele came from San
Francisco but Jim Cunningham came from London and got "longest trip" award.
Before dinner, Jack and Susie Turben
hosted a reception at their beautiful
home, on the shore of Lake Chautauqua. This got us off to a running start in
several ways. First, of course, was the delightful meet-and-greet
opportunity—it's doubtful that anyone knew everyone, but everyone knew someone
and it wasn't hard to meet the rest.
Second, we better appreciated the physical beauty of the area—the 20 +/-mile
long Lake is located in rolling green farm country at the very western edge of
New York, just south of Buffalo and not far from Pittsburgh and Cleveland. We
watched the Chautauqua Belle sail by (it's steam powered with a rear
paddle-wheel) which recalled the Institution's formative pre-automobile days
when trains brought people to a station near the Lake and triple decked
steamers then took them around the Lake to the Chautauqua Institution or one or
another of the great Victorian hotels that then served the vacationing public.
And, most informative, Jack Turban introduced Tom Becker, mentioned above,
who gave helpful background information regarding the Chautauqua Institution:
- Founded in 1874, the Institution is a not-for-profit, 783-acre educational
center; much of that land is privately owned but improvements must adhere to
Institution standards.
- Although originally focused on Protestant religious education, it's long
since been ecumenical in spirit and practice, offering distinguished leaders of
many faiths, both as preachers and teachers.
- Moreover, Chautauqua soon established itself as a national forum for open
discussion of secular matters ranging from public policy and international
relations, to arts and science.
- The School of Arts is celebrating its 100th anniversary; it offers education
programs in the performing as well as fine arts. There are daily professional
presentations; professional musicians regularly perform. The Chautauqua Symphony
Orchestra, founded in 1929, performs three times each week; and the Chautauqua
Ballet Company and the Chautauqua Opera Company regularly perform. Verdi's Il
Trovatore and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia we're both offered while we were there;
- The list of speakers over the years is a who's who of US and international
leaders from a wide variety of fields. For instance, presidential speakers range
from U.S.Grant to FDR to Bill Clinton. Approximately 100 lecturers appear each
season;
- It now has a 9 week summer schedule and approximately 7500 persons are in
residence on any given day.
Going and coming from the Turben reception,
we began to get a better idea of
the community. It has winding, tree-shaded brick walks; pretty gardens;
ginger-bread Victorian style houses and, as one brochure put it, an atmosphere
"reminiscent of small-town America nearly a century ago." There's a large, green
central square, Bestor Plaza, surrounded by a library, the post office, a book
store, some shops, etc. On Friday and Saturday of our stay, parts of this square
were taken over by a craft fair, with exhibitors setting up small booths to show
their works. Automobile traffic is all but forbidden (and the speed limit for
the few cars admitted is 12 MPH), with nearly all visitors' cars parked on
peripheral lots. Walking is definitely the preferred mode of transport (there
are regular shuttles to take you from here to there, if desired). Everything is
meticulously maintained. It even has its own daily paper, The Chautauquan Daily
(which ran a fairly lengthy story about our mini reunion complete with a picture
of Jack Turben introducing Tom Becker). Truly, it's a world apart--picturesque,
quaint, borderline precious, but it works very well.
Dinner that night was at the Athenaeum Hotel in a private dining room (all of
our lunches and two of our dinners were in this room, while our breakfasts were
in a reserved area adjacent to the main dining room—all of which togetherness
gave lots of quality time for good fellowship). Most of us stayed at the
Athenaeum, which dates to 1881. It sits on a tree-shaded bluff, in the middle of
the Institution's complex, a "grande dame", an elaborate Victorian wooden
building with 20+ foot ceilings in the first floor lobby and dining areas. It
has a wide veranda cum rocking chairs looking out over the green grounds, toward
the Bell Tower and to the blue Lake. There used to be many similar, great late
19th century hotels populating the Lake but, except for the Athenaeum, they've
nearly all disappeared, victims of "progress".
Dinner began with a rousing rendition of Bright College Years with
leadership from Reed Taylor (music) and Steve Wittenberg (words). The food was
plentiful, the wine flowed, good fellowship abounded, and our mini reunion was
off to a great start.
The entertainment after dinner was
in the huge Amphitheater, which was nearly
full and reportedly seats 5000. The performance was by the Louisiana Repertory
Jazz Ensemble of New Orleans. In addition to the toe-tapping good music, the
leader took care to explain the origin and background of the music played. This
was our first tangible taste of not only the excellent quality of the
presentations at the Institution but also the intellectual rapport between
audience and presenters.
The day dawned clear and bright (praise be!) and we squared away for the
first of two days of immersion in the wonders offered by Chautauqua. It is
impossible to adequately describe all that we did, let alone all that Chautauqua
offered. So, rather, these notes will focus on Chautauqua's signature series,
the Amphitheater Lecture Series, and the two lectures from that Series we were
able to hear.
To begin with, the Series divides up into a new and different group of
lectures for each of Chautauqua's 9 weeks; there's a new and different lecture
every weekday at 10:45 AM followed by Q&A. Each week is organized around a
weekly theme and this week, the 2nd of the series, was devoted to "Exploring
Our World with National Geographic". To illustrate the great variety of
matters addressed in this Series, week 4 is devoted to The Ethics of
Capitalism (there was much merriment regarding what a short week that might
be); week 5's theme is What Makes Us Moral? An Abrahamic Perspective;
while week 6 is On Cinema.
Thursday's lecture, our first, discussed the origins of man and was given by
Donald Johanson, Director of the Institute of Human Origins. He started with
Darwin (this is the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of
the publication of his seminal On the Origin of Species) and took us
through the major discoveries that have produced our current knowledge of human
evolution.
He explained and showed slides detailing his great discovery of "Lucy", a 3.2
million years old fossil hominid he found in 1974 (on the anniversary day of the
publication of On the Origin of Species, no less). Johanson spent two
months a year, for several years, living in a tent and working with a group of
scientists, unsuccessfully searching for a human-type fossil in an area of
Ethiopian Rift Valley rich in animal fossils.
Then, one Sunday, when the temperature was 110 and he was walking to his Land
Rover, he chanced to look to his right and recognized a human-type bone
fragment. This, in turn, soon led to a reasonably complete skeleton eventually
determined, after extensive research, to be new hominid, Australopithecus
Afarensis, or "Lucy" for short. She was an adult, 3-1/2 feet tall who probably
weighed about 60 pounds and had the following salient characteristics:
- bipedal, not quadrupedal like apes;
- terrestrial, not arboreal like apes;
- long arms (like apes) which, Johanson said, were "evolutionary baggage" from
her ancestors' life in the trees; and
- a brain size similar to a chimp's, perhaps half that of a modern human's.
Lucy's discovery was a milestone in understanding human evolution because
she's the oldest known bipedal hominid. She has characteristics somewhere
between and ape and later hominids. She established that bipedalism predated an
enlarged brain (it had been thought that hominids became bipedal to accommodate
their large brain's ability to make and use tools, and their need to have their
hands free). There continues to be debate whether Lucy and her kin are ancestors
of modern humans or just collateral relations.
Johanson took some care to dismiss the notion that Lucy's discovery was a
matter of "luck". While it may have been lucky that Johanson looked right not
left at the crucial moment, it was not luck that he and a team of scientists
(geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists and many other highly trained
specialists) had deliberately selected that region for exploration, had been
working there for years, were able to recognize the importance of that first
bone fragment and find most of the remaining skeleton.
An arresting observation was that Lucy and her kin lived a well-adapted life
in Africa for perhaps 800 M to 1MM years, and then disappeared. By contrast,
modern humans have been around for only about 100-150M years. Johanson did not
speculate why Lucy's tribe vanished, but others have suggested that they were
done in by climate change that caused their congenial savannah homeland to turn
into the uninhabitable Sahara desert.
Turning to Q&A, Johanson was asked where race fits into the story of
evolution. He replied such divisions and distinctions are only a "social
concept" not a scientific fact. Human DNA is identical for all races. "We're all
Africans", he said, descended from a species that first appeared there and,
then, migrated all over the globe. At one time, there were 4 different kinds of
"man" existing simultaneously, including our ancestors and Neanderthals, but
"we're the only one left." Skin pigmentation is a matter of successful
adaptation to the varying intensity of sunlight—those living closer to the
equator need darker skin for protection while those who migrated north adapted
by developing lighter pigmentation to facilitate photo synthesis under those
conditions. To illustrate, nursing black babies just down the road in Ithaca, NY
have been found to develop rickets because their mothers' dark skin prevented
adequate photo synthesis.
When asked about creationism, Johanson basically avoided a direct response
simply by noting the different bases of faith-based and science-based ideas.
"Science has evidence without certainty and faith has certainty without
evidence", he concluded.
Back at the Hotel for lunch, we had a
fascinating preview of Friday's lecture
when the speaker, National Geographic photographer Mattias Klum, regaled
us with stories about his often harrowing adventures photographing nature in the
far corners of the earth. All agreed that Klum stole the show—if he ever wants
to drop photography, he has a promising future as a dramatic actor and/or a
stand-up comedian. That he talked to us at all was further proof, as if more
were needed, of the outstanding job done by Messrs.Turben and Katz in organizing
our mini reunion.
Since there was considerable overlap, there's no point in separating the
discussion here of Klum's luncheon talk and his Friday lecture. His basic goal
as a nature photographer and lecturer is to re-establish "connectivity" between
ourselves and nature. Increasingly urbanized and market driven, we've lost touch
with nature, and are on the verge of destroying much of the natural world.
That's bad for many reasons ranging from aesthetic (the loss of the beauty and
wonder to be found in nature) to the practical (the loss of possible benefits
which might yet be discovered in creatures and habitat we're irrevocably
destroying).
Klum kept us alternately on the edge of our seats and roaring with laughter
as he dead-panned his way through some of his often dangerous adventures (richly
illustrated by many of his award-winning photographs).
He began, playfully, on
Friday by taking a picture of us, the huge audience,
"because otherwise my son will never believe so many people came to hear me."
He told of documenting the endangered Asiatic lion which once roamed from the
Mediterranean to eastern India. Now here are only about 300 living in a small
national park in Gujarat, India (this assignment resulted in a cover photograph
for National Geographic). He was lying face down in the bush taking pictures of
a lioness, when an assistant signaled him that there was another lion right
behind him. Slowly he inched around and there, a few feet away, was a young male
looking like he might attack. "At that age, they are not efficient killers and
they just tear you to pieces."
When photographing meerkats in the Kalahari (another cover picture), he spent
weeks and weeks trying to gain their confidence--with such great success that
the meerkats began marking his legs with their anal scent, showing acceptance.
Klum said "It's almost like getting a medal from the King." At another time, one
meerkat climbed up on his camera. "He was looking for predators and failing to
understand that the world's most dangerous predator was standing right there."
He told of hanging all night in the top of a tree in Panama, "a smorgasbord
for mosquitoes", to photograph an elusive, arboreal nocturnal creature, the
kinkajou.
Klum's pictures and discussion of Borneo ("the island of my dreams" with so
many unique species) was particularly moving. Seventy-five percent of the
island's lowland rainforest is now gone, and he showed pictures of vast,
clear-cut areas turned into plantations to grow oil palms "so we can have potato
chips and shampoo". He described, and showed pictures of an aboriginal man whom
he'd befriended, living "like a hunted animal" with the sound of ever-nearer
chainsaws destroying not only the only home he and his ancestors have ever known
but also the hopes he has for his children and grandchildren. He talked and
showed pictures of orangutans killed as pests by clear-cutting farmers, and an
orangutan rehabilitation center where about 700 babies now live "motherless and
with no place to be." These animals have the intelligence of a 3-5 year old
human and can remember, and for years after suffer from the horror of seeing
their mothers "killed with a machete or clubbed to death."
His words and pictures and made a
powerful case for his basic point—we must
quickly and effectively set sustainability as the goal in dealing with nature
before it's too late.
These two lectures, while just the proverbial tip of the iceberg, give some
idea of the nature and quality of Chautauqua's overall offerings. Here's a
snapshot of a few of the other lectures and events many of us heard and which
are a small fraction of what was available:
- Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, a much published author on Jewish matters, gave a
series of lectures regarding The Jewish Way of Being. We heard the last
of these, Words That Hurt; Words That Heal discussing Jewish teaching
(and his own wisdom) on interpersonal relations, anger management especially;
- Rev. Dr. Peter Story, a Methodist Bishop from South Africa, discussed the
end of apartheid and, especially the church's role. He observed that,
previously, white South Africans had been living in an untenable but affluent
bubble, supported by the exploitation of the black population. He wondered if
America, and the West, might be living in an analogous bubble, untenable in the
long term, supported by exploitation of the 3rd world.
- Dr. Frederick Stowe conducted a Forum on Central Asia, arguing that
US policy regarding Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the like is fundamentally
flawed because it has a basically negative focus (defeat Al Qaeda and the
Taliban); offers no positive benefit for the lives of lives of the generally
impoverished people; and is short term ("we're fixated by an exit strategy")
which also fails to attract support from the people. These peoples have always
related on a tribal and regional basis, not a nation-state basis, but we insist
on ignoring these inter-relationships. This failure is exacerbated by the fact
that the major US agencies (State, DOD, CIA, etc) don't communicate well abut
the area. But, our "friends" such as Russia, China and Japan are making no such
errors and, overall, are dealing much more effectively with the peoples of
central Asia.
- The after-dinner concert on Thursday was by the Chautauqua Symphony
Orchestra (the featured work being a brief but interesting concerto by the late
American composer, Russell Peck, which featured three percussionists scrambling
between instruments—this was in celebration of the 50 year tenure of the
Orchestra's chief percussionist, Ronald Barnett). Friday's concert was given by
country music star (or, at least, that's how he was billed), Josh Turner.
Under the heading of "other" some
played golf, some played tennis; we
explored the craft show and the book store; and we spent some time sitting in
rocking chairs on the Hotel's porch, talking with old friends and watching the
world go by.
Tom and Wendy Chittenden hosted a very pleasant reception on Thursday and, on
Friday, we had a dinner "cruise to nowhere" aboard the (fairly) large and
elegant Summer Wind, complete with a band for listening during coctails and
after-dinner dancing.
Most of us gathered for a bitter/sweet farewell breakfast on Saturday before
heading back on our separate paths. We were delighted by the many blessing of
the mini reunion—particularly "the friendships formed at Yale"—but sorry to see
it end.
Those who attended included: Walt and Antje Benenson; Kurt and Myrna Bloch;
Tom and Wendy Chittenden; Merrell and Lynne Clark; Rod and Chloe Correll; Jim
Cunningham; Becky Dunn; Paul and Karin Eisele; Charlie and Barbara Gold; Fred
and Olivia Guggenheim; John and Anne Herrmann; Steve and Judy Hopkins; Len and
Judy Katz; Ted and Karen Meyer; Ron and Elaine Morris; Dick Munn and Holley
Eaton; Vic Norton; Mike and Marianne Oberlin; Don and Mary Roberts; Sandy
Schocket; Ken Sharp; Joel and Winnie Sharp; Reed Taylor; Jack and Susie Turben;
Steve and Sally Wittenberg; and Jim and Ann Ziegler.
—Steve Hopkins
Click here to see more photos of the mini-reunion.
Past: Class Trip to Israel and Jordan (October-November 2008)
In trying to write a summary of the Y57 trip to Israel and Jordan, I'm reminded
of the joke about the flustered speaker who said, "There is so much to discuss,
I just don't know where to begin" and someone in the audience piped up, "Start
near the end."
I reject that probably sound advice
and will begin at the beginning. After
months of planning and preparation (Alan Hockstader was, as always, THE
ORGANIZER), 35 classmates, wives, widows and significant others gathered for a
welcoming reception and dinner in Tel Aviv on October 24th, the kick-off of the
two week tour of Israel and Jordan. Many had been on Y57 trips before but
nearly a quarter of them were first-timers.
Next day, we began exploring and learning. Our route was something of a
circle. After a day in the Tel Aviv area, we headed north along the beautiful
coast of the blue Mediterranean to Haifa and, then, inland to the Golan Heights
bordering Syria. Then, we headed south to the Sea of Galilee (with its many
early Christian sites) and crossed into Jordan (the Roman ruins at Jerash and
the layer-upon-layers of history at Petra were the star focal points). Crossing
back into Israel near Elat, we went north to the Dead Sea and visited the great
Herodian fortress at Masada, among other places. Our final destination was
Jerusalem, one of the world's great cities. And two weeks after we started, on
November 6th, we were back in Tel Aviv to catch planes home.
This was a truly great trip.
Many if not most felt it was the best ever (and
Hockstader has taken us to the four corners of the earth over the last decade).
The welcoming reception nicely underscored one of the cardinal aspects of the
tour, namely, the bond of friendship and affection, in the context of a
challenging and rewarding learning experience. Beyond that, there were many
reasons why this trip was so successful and, first and foremost, was the rich
history, and historical remains, of the two countries.
The truth of the adage that "geography is destiny" quickly became clear to
us. A great land bridge between three continents, with its open Mediterranean
coast, the area has seen traders and invaders come and go since the beginning of
time. Reminders and remainders of them all are there to see and touch; layer
upon layer of archaeological wonders left by successive waves—Canaanites,
ancient Jews, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, British and, now,
modern Jews and Arabs. (Michener wrote of 15 archaeological layers or eras
dating to 10,000 BC in one valley in his classic, The Source.)
One intriguing surprise was the role of Herod the Great as the builder of
colossal, sophisticated projects. Most of us were familiar with Herod only
through the Biblical accounts of the nativity where he comes across as cruel and
treacherous. Apparently he was all of that and worse (he killed his wife and
several sons when he thought they might be trying to over-throw him).
But even paranoids have enemies and Herod had some real problems stemming
largely from the fact that he was a puppet, named King by Rome in 37 BC, not
very long after the Romans annexed the area (64 BC) ending Jewish independence.
First, he had to keep on the good side of the Emperors at a time of instability
(Octavian and Mark Anthony were struggling for control). Second, he had to
struggle to keep the locals obedient to Rome. As a questionable convert, Herod's
credentials as a Jew were suspect (or, at the very least, he wasn't from the
Jewish elite that usually ruled). He had nothing like a popular mandate or
effective local power base. Roman rule was still relatively new and resented in
many places.
One of his main strategies to solve both problems was a massive building
program (economic stimulus—sound familiar?). For example, Israel had no natural
deep-water port so Herod took on the challenging engineering task of building
one, Caesarea Maritima, which became a great city and capital of the Roman
province. Not only did this building increase the wealth of Israel, but also by
dedicating it to Caesar, he placated the Emperor (Octavian was Caesar Augustus
by this time). This was one of our first stops and there are still magnificent
Roman ruins—a theater and a hippodrome—plus Crusader fortifications and a lot
more.
Probably Herod's most spectacular and important accomplishment was rebuilding
the Second Temple in Jerusalem, largely to placate the Jews. Herod doubled the
size of the Temple Mount (a huge project involving complex design, massive
stones and thousands of workers) and, about 10 BC, erected a grand limestone
temple in the center. The Temple Mount has a rich history: it's traditionally
identified as Mount Moriah where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
King Solomon built the First Temple there in the 10th century BC, which was
destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC when the Jews were forced into captivity
and exile in Babylon. The Second Temple was built here in 516 BC, after the
Jews returned from exile, facilitated by King Cyrus of Persia who had
conquered Babylon. Jesus taught there in the last week of his life (c. 30 AD).
The Romans crushed a revolt and destroyed the temple in 70 AD (some of the
rubble—huge stones strewn around helter-skelter where the Romans left them—is
still visible). This is the third most holy place for Muslims who believe that
Mohammed left from here on his mystical journey to heaven; now sheltering that
spot is the octagonal, gold topped Dome of the Rock built in 691 AD and richly
decorated in Arabic script and colorful geometric designs; and, nearby, Al-Aqsa
Mosque, built in 715. The Crusaders fought over it and the Ottomans controlled
it for centuries. Jordan took control of the Temple Mount in 1948 and Israel
took it back in 1967.
The Temple Mount is the holiest of Jewish sites, where the Western Wall or
Wailing Wall survives from the Second Temple. There were faithful filling the
space in prayer on both of our visits. Some idea of the importance of the Temple
Mount and the Wailing Wall to Jews was captured on a plaque near it:
Jewish tradition teaches that the Temple
Mount is the focal point of all Creation...
The Sages said about it: "The Divine Presence
Never moves from the Western Wall,"
The Temple Mount continues to be the focus
Of prayer for Jews from all over the world.
Bottom line, possession of the Temple Mount is one of the most difficult--and
emotional--issues today separating the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Temple
Mount was one of the last
But, for some of us, perhaps the most riveting of Herod's works were the
extensive remains of Masada, a seemingly impregnable fortress cum palace, where
one can vividly see and almost feel just what it was like to be on the receiving
end of Roman imperialism. The action took place after Herod's death. The First
Jewish Revolt started in 66 AD led by an extreme sect, the Zealots (now we know
where that word comes from). In response, the Romans captured Jerusalem and
destroyed the Second Temple, as noted above.
Then the Romans
began a mopping up action, tracking down the last handful of
rebels holed-up in the fortress of Masada in 72 AD. The fortress is located on a
plateau atop an isolated rock with nearly vertical sides, some as high as 1200
feet above the nearby Dead Sea (there's a wonderful view across the Sea into
Jordan). The aptly named "snake path" up the cliff is wide enough for only a few
men at a time and the fortress itself consists of a maze of defensive stone
walls. There was no way the Romans could successfully storm the fortress, so the
Roman general, Silva, began a siege. Looking down from the west wall, we could
see the neat, square outline of one of the deadly efficient Roman camps. And,
near it, the remains of the siege ramp Silva built starting nearly 500 feet
below and many hundred yards from the fortress. Slowly but steadily, day-by-day,
the Romans built the ramp, a remarkable feat, especially under the
circumstances. Vastly out-numbered,
The Zealots fought back as best they could and the Romans used spear-throwers
and stone-throwers to drive the defenders away from the wall. The defenders were
further hampered because the workers building the ramp were Jewish slaves whom
the defenders didn't want to kill. The battle went on for months but the ramp
kept climbing and the Romans kept coming. Finally, the Romans were able to set
up a great ram which swung continuously against the fortress wall until, at
last, it was breached early in 73 AD.
By this time, there were only a few Zealots left (around 1000). Choosing to
die as free men rather than live as Roman slaves, they set fire to their
buildings and systematically killed one another (Jewish law forbids suicide) so
that, finally, only one defender, Eleazar, died by his own sword. Masada today
is understandably one of Israel's greatest symbols; Israeli soldiers take an
oath there, "Masada shall not fall again".
And this is a good segue to another major reason why our learning experience
was so rich—increased knowledge of Judaism and Islam as well as Christianity. .
It was a moving experience to visit holy places we've heard about since
childhood—Bethlehem, Galilee, Calvary, the Wailing Wall, and more.
Regarding Judaism, those of us untutored in it were most fortunate to have
with us Alan Lovins, a rabbi for years, and knowledgeable others including Len
Katz. Our Israeli guide was also most helpful in this regard. One of our most
moving incidents came atop Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah is said to
have triumphed over the priests of Baal thousands of years ago. Alan Lovins read
aloud the relevant passage (1 Kings 18) describing just what is said to have
happened that fateful day when God created the miracle of the fire at the very
place we were standing. ("So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the
prophets at Mount Carmel….")
Regarding Islam, we heard less
about the religion per se than the problems of
Israeli Arabs and Jordanians, both versus Israel and intra Arab. For example,
our Jordanian guide, a Bedouin, lived as a pastoral nomad for his first 18
years; now, he's educated and pursuing an occupation far different from his
ancestors'. This gives rise to a clash of values not unique to him as he and
much of the population try to reconcile traditional tribal and nomadic customs
(the law of the desert) with modernity. For example, some years ago, he fell in
love with and married and Italian girl, a no-no in traditional Bedouin society.
Family pressure forced a divorce and, some years later, family pressure forced a
traditional, arranged marriage. But, bottom line, he's now happily married with
kids and reunited with his family/tribe.
All of this calls for the observation that the three great monotheistic
religions have outlasted all of the empires. Each of us can draw his/her own
lessons about the durability of spiritual v. temporal (military, economic,
whatever). But, at least, the transience of the great empires reminds us of
Shelly's Ozymandias condemnation of mankind's hubris when a traveler "from and
antique land" came across the remains of an ancient emperor's statue ("Two vast
and trunkless legs of stone/Stand in the desert."):
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sand stretch far away."
The final major learning experience to be mentioned had to do with the
present and future of the region. It's a relatively small area and we traveled
extensively, covering many if not most of the important sections. There's some
topographical diversity—the hills of Galilee, as compared to the flat coast and
deserts; water is the be-all and end-all—from the lush Mediterranean coast to
the green hills of Galilee to the barren Negev and deserts of Jordan. We visited
thoroughly modern, bustling urban areas, like Tel Aviv and far different
life-styles in a Druze village, two kibbutzim and third-world Bedouin villages
in Jordan. One of the kibbutzim is in the shadow of the Golan Heights and, prior
to 1967, its tractors had to have armor to protect from Syrian bullets.
The visit to the Druze
village, located in the hilly north, was a most
interesting example of the ethnic diversity existing within Israel. The Druze
number about 1 million world wide, with most living in Syria, Lebanon and Israel
(perhaps 100,000+ in Israel). The sect's origins are not clear but it seems to
be an offshoot of Shi'a Islam (some Muslims deny that the Druze are Muslims)
dating to the 11th C.
We met with Mr. Zaydan Atshi, a leader of the community who, among other
accomplishments, served for 8 years in the Israeli Knesset, Israel's parliament,
and in NYC as part of Israel's UN delegation. Among the points he made: the
Druze have historically lived in remote places, such as mountain pockets like
this, seeking to avoid persecution whether by Crusaders, Muslims, Jews or
whatever. Since 1121, the Druze do not allow conversions or mixed marriages
(anyone marrying outside the sect is physically expelled). Not all Druze are
religious; he just became actively religious for the first time (and had his
head shaved in the process). They have no aspiration for autonomy or
independence; indeed, for thousands of years and still continuing in this part
of the world, only might prevails and the Druze know perfectly well they can't
successfully challenge the ruling power (whoever that might be). Rather, they
seek active co-existence; the Druze here recognize Israel as "their" state, just
as Druze in Syria or Lebanon identify with the nations where they live. This
particular village is 40% Christian and they've "always gotten along". The Druze
serve in the Israeli army, for example, and, as noted, he's been active in the
Israel government. Druze do not get "equal treatment" in this Jewish state but
they can live with that, recognizing there never has been and never will be
truly "equal" treatment anywhere, let alone here. There'll never be lasting
peace in this region—there's been one war after another for 5+ thousand years
and that won't stop now.
The last thought
is a good segue to the broader issues we explored regarding
the political future of the region. This topic was thrown into sharpest relief
by several excellent speakers arranged by Bob Pelletreau, Alan Lovins, Len Katz,
and John Herrmann.
A prominent Jordanian businessman said Israel was not yet willing to be
"just" in dealing with the Arabs; he gave examples from his personal experience
showing why, although he tried to work with Israeli businessmen, he thinks Arabs
can't trust Jews in business dealings or otherwise. Drawing comparisons to the
centuries of conflict it's taken to get France and Germany to live in peace, he
concluded a war between Arabs and Israelis is inevitable.
An Israeli professor and advisor to various Israeli leaders, Moshe Maoz, said
the Bush Administration, and many in America, seem to think that all that's
needed is to keep Israel strong and let nature take its course. Peace here is
much more complicated; the status quo could lead to war but there's no military
solution. True, Israel has to be strong because strength is the only thing
respected in this part of the world. Too many Arabs (Israeli, Palestinian and
otherwise) still regard Israel as "illegitimate"—there has to be an acceptance
of Israel, a re-education of the Arabs.
Beyond that basic,
there are complex issues between Israel and the
Palestinians (refugees, borders, security and, probably most emotional of all,
control of Jerusalem and, particularly, the Temple Mount), between Israel and
Syria, and between Israel and the overall Arab/Muslim community (where the rise
of Iran poses new threats and opportunities: the Sunni Moslems seem to regard
Iran as a bigger threat than Israel and, under the heading of "the enemy of my
enemy is my friend", this may present some opportunities for Israel to gain
acceptance). The speaker went on to discuss each of the problem areas but, to
mention just one salient dilemma for Israel: "the right of return" (UN
Resolution 194) for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. To agree
would jeopardize the Jewish nature of Israel. Even granting full rights to
existing Israeli Arabs is a problem, but to do otherwise would result in some
sort of untenable apartheid system (the one-liner is that "Israel is democratic
for the Jews and Jewish for the Muslims.").
We heard a very thoughtful analysis
from Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, an Israeli Arab
who's President of Al-Quds University. He believes a majority of Arabs and Jews
want peace; that they favor a two state solution but that the leadership of both
groups is divided and/or comes from the more extreme elements of both group who
tend to see relations with "the other" as a zero-sum game. Meanwhile, back on
the ground where actions speak louder than words, Israel is slowly but
surely building the wall that segregates the Arabs, and filling the West Bank
with settlements; the two combine, all things remaining equal, to make a viable
Palestinian state all but impossible. Bottom line, Prof. Nusseibeh fears that
time is running out for a reasonable two-state solution and the likely
alternative, one state with Arabs oppressed and denied full rights, will lead to
great problems in the long and short run.
All agreed that the status quo is
not tenable, the Bush Administration's
relatively passive role has not been helpful, that US prestige and influence are
at a low ebb, but that the new Administration could play a needed and vital role
in bringing about constructive change. The current weak, divided and often
extreme leadership of both Israel and Palestine, standing alone, just doesn't
have what's needed to achieve peace. A strong and trusted external guiding
influence will be needed, in the short term at least, to bring the parties
together for serious negotiations. There was concern that the demands of
domestic issues, notably the economy, and the intractability of the
disagreements between Israel and Palestine (and all the others), may deter the
new Obama Administration from prompt and active involvement.
Two experiences vividly captured the competing pressures. It's a very short
trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem (which is in the Palestinian section or
occupied West Bank) but, to get there, we had to get off our bus, go through
security, pass through the new, ominous and bleak 20' high cold concrete wall
into the Palestinian section and, then, take another bus (with a different guide
and driver) to our destination. And all of this had to be done in reverse to go
back to Jerusalem.
The next day, we visited Hand-in-Hand Center
for Jewish-Arab Education in
Israel (John Herrmann is a active member of the board of this organization)
located in Jerusalem. Almost every other school in Israel is segregated but this
school has equal numbers of Arab and Jewish pupils in each class and offers
bilingual, multicultural education. When we were there, a very energetic Arab
was teaching the attentive and responsive first graders the Arabic alphabet
while her Jewish co-teacher looked on, waiting her turn. We spoke with several
bright and enthusiastic older kids and some teachers who agree that getting to
know "the other" is absolutely unique in today's segregated and polarized
country. And this experience works, at least for the relatively small number of
parents and kids so far involved.
The odds against a viable two state
solution and a viable multicultural
single state alternative seem daunting but at least someone is trying.
Parenthetically, we were so impressed that our group jointly gave the
Hand-in-Hand school $1000 to help its good work and to honor Alan and Birgitta
Hockstader for all they did to make the overall trip possible.
Those who went on this trip are: Tip and Janice Atkeson; Anne Bingham; Tom
and Wendy Chittenden; Susan Christian; Rod and Chloe Correll; Jim Cunningham;
Becky Dunn; John and Anne Herrmann; Alan and Birgitta Hockstader; Steve and Judy
Hopkins; Len and Judy Katz; Bob and Sylvia Kirschner; Alan Lovins; Dick and
Holley Munn; Hal and Margo Russell; Ken Sharp; Bill and Glenn Sheffield; Dean
and Jacquie Waters; Paul Wentworth; Bill and Wendy Wrean; and Doug and Sally
Wright.
—Steve Hopkins
Past: Class Trip to Spain (September-October 2007)
|
The Plaza D'Espana, Seville.
|
Alan Hockstader organized and implemented the 10th of our Class'
international mini-reunions in Spain in late September and early
October. Steve Hopkins reports on this trip as follows:
There were 22 classmates and wives who participated. We started in
Madrid where we marveled at Valezquez and the other Spanish artists in
the Prado, went on day trips to Toledo and other historic centers, and
exchanged thoughts over good wine and food during late (for us)
dinners. A bullet train took us to Cordoba to see a mosque that had
been converted into a cathedral, followed by a bus to Seville and
Granada for glimpses of imperial grandeur, flamenco dancers, and the
indescribable beauty of the Alhambra. Then we flew to Barcelona with
its commercial and cultural vibrancy before the optional extension to
Bilbao, with the unforgettable Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank
Gehry, and, finally, to several cities in northern Spain along the
Pilgrims' route, ending in Santiago de Compostela.
We could reach out and touch the sweep of Western civilization.
Roman aqueducts. Medieval castles perched defensively atop steep hills
and soaring Gothic cathedrals. Mosques and synagogues from a time of
greater tolerance and diversity, converted into Christian churches.
Seville, from which Columbus sailed and to which treasure-fleets
returned. Imperial palaces which governed the greatest empire the
world has known. Goya's Execution of the Rioters on 3 May 1808 and
Napoleon; Picasso's Gurenica and Hitler. Farmers carefully tending
wheat fields, vineyards, and seemingly countless rows of straight and
evenly spaced olive trees. Bullet trains, wind farms and Starbucks.
The favorite for many was Barcelona which combines pride of
tradition with thoroughly modern cosmopolitan flair. We found the many
buildings designed by Antonio Gaudi to be fascinating with his often
curving surfaces, bright colors and rich textures. In particular,
Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family) was riveting. Gaudi worked
on this enormous project over 40 years; construction was frequently
halted when money ran out; it was no where near completion when Gaudi
died in 1926 (and it's still not completed now) but his plans were
known and have been followed. Its exterior is marked by soaring
towers, one façade dedicated to the nativity and another to the
crucifixion. Its interior is planned to look like a forest of columns.
We were so impressed that we passed the hat and donated a few hundred
dollars to the construction fund in honor of Alan and Birgitta
Hockstader to recognize all their hard work which made it possible for
us to see Barcelona and all the other wonderful sites we visited.
Overall, there were so many wonderful dimensions of the trip
friendship and fellowship; perspective on history, economics and
culture; and, even, gastronomic. But we were left with several
conundrums: after centuries of "unity", why are there four official
languages and three major regions pressing for greater autonomy, at
least, and, perhaps, independence? After centuries of authoritarian
monarchs and church, repressive dictatorship and very little self
government, why has democracy seemingly taken firm root here when it's
failed so often elsewhere? Why has the Spanish economy, so long a
basket case, taken off; and does it have a sustainable base? And
what's the future given the uncertainties suggested by the foregoing
paradoxes, immigrants pouring in from Africa and South America and
altering whatever social homogeneity Spain had, terrorists bombing
Madrid's trains, and "Al Qa'ida [urging] North African Muslims to
restore the Iberian Peninsula to the Islamic world…" according to one
English language paper printed while we were there?
Here's the list of those who participated: Jim Cunningham; Fred and
Julie Gaston; John Herrmann; Alan and Birgitta Hockstader; Steve and
Judy Hopkins; Ron and Elaine Morris; Phil and Anne Richards; Hal and
Margo Russell; Joel and Winnie Sharp; Bill and Glenn Sheffield; Phil
and Peggy Weymouth; and Bob and Ida Wrenn.
Past: Class Trip to Morocco (September-October 2006)
Wait 'til Marrakech!
Imagine three weeks with classmates and companions under
the deep blue Moroccan sky. Imagine a university educated
Berber guide who speaks five languages including perfect
English, who is highly informed on his country's history,
customs and gardens and has lectured at Harvard on its
architecture. Imagine sleeping in tents in the Sahara and
rising at 4AM to ride your camel to the top of a sand dune
to see the Saharan sunrise.
Marrakech certainly was the jewel worth waiting for as we
journeyed throughout Morocco. As the wonders of each city
unfolded, our guide, Mohammed, (what else) assured us that
Marrakech would be more and better. It was.
But, we did not start there. We started from the fabled
city of Casablanca, briefly seeing it through the eyes of
Humphrey Bogart and the many colonial powers who sought to
extend their empires in a country that uniquely belongs to
the indigenous tribal people.
Portuguese, Spanish and French have left their marks as
seen in the architecture and heard on the tongue. But, it
is the Arabs who have changed the people with their
religion; first by force, and then over the centuries, by
conviction of faith. There is no mistaking that this is a
Muslim country. Should you be in that half awake state at
5AM you will hear the first call to prayer followed by the
sounds of the city slowly awakening. The day starts and ends
with the clip clop of the horse, mule or donkey as it echoes
on the cobblestones of the narrow alley ways in the Medina.
During Ramadan the rhythm of life changes. The breaking
of the daily fast, when, in the evening darkness you can no
longer distinguish a black thread from a white thread, means
that the vitality of the people is renewed as night
approaches. Thus, for a month, night time meals replace
those of the day. As Joan and I were in one of the souks at
dusk, the owners invited us to share their breakfast: highly
sweetened mint tea, sweet pastries, dates and soup. Does
the invitation mean that we paid too much for our
merchandise?
The Medinas, defined by the original walled city within
the present city area, are varied depending on the century
in which they were built. Picture narrow (five to ten feet
wide) cobblestone streets bordered by tiny shops (souks) one
after another in the street level of ancient three, four or
five story residential buildings. But always the Medinas
are the center of life and commerce for the people. They
can be crowded and noisy, especially in the food souks.
There are the smells of spices and olives, the sounds of
live animals, the sights of small vendors with their mounds
of mint, honey drenched confections, fresh dates, figs,
olives, fish, meat and oddities of animal parts: heads,
hoofs etc. You are pushed along, your eye darting from the
pleasantness of color to the alarm of a heavily laden donkey
fast approaching, wanting your space in the narrow street.
This is Morocco!
Our eyes were almost always on the person in front of us
who was wearing a blue denim "Yale 1957 Morocco" hat.
Often, while we were in the Medinas, we had a local guide in
the front of our group and our trusted Mohammed in the back
watching out for the photo or shopper straggler. Mohammed
had the task of making sure that the same number came out of
the labyrinth as had gone in.
Everything is for sale and the price is whatever buyer
and seller can agree on. Many of us discovered multiple
unanticipated necessities.
The residential areas within the Medinas provide some
relief from the noise, heavy traffic and slippery
cobblestones. It is in this sector that you become aware of
high stark walls and a multiplicity of doors. There could
be a restaurant behind massive wooden doors opening into a
breathtaking palace atmosphere as found in Marrakech or the
brilliant blue doors of the coastal city of Essaouira or the
sight of a lovely young Arab girl standing in her doorway in
Fes, wondering at the sight of yet another group of tourists
invading her quiet street.
Our guide Mohammed was invaluable as a teacher and as a
friend opening up to us the thinking and culture of the
people. Hospitality is a practiced belief. We were
privileged to meet Mohammed's family; first his father, the
retired imam of his village, and his mother at their home in
the Draa Valley and later his wife and children in
Marrakech. We were fortunate to be the guests for dinner of
a wonderful family in Fes in their newly built beautiful
large home and a few days later of the Governor of the
"State" of Marrakech where we were joined by many of his
distinguished government colleagues. Morocco is a
constitutional monarchy with a written constitution
providing many features of democracy. As we met with
various people, we were reminded over and over that it is a
society and culture that allows for the peaceful
co-existence of different ethnic groups. Once trusted,
friendships are forever joined.
Yet disturbing questions remain. Why is it that the one
influential person whom I asked is adamantly against the
state of Israel's right to exist? Why is it that Jews are
less than one percent of the population and Christian
residents are almost non existent when each has been more
numerous in earlier centuries? And, why is the Berber
majority dominated by the Arab minority?
Morocco stimulates the senses as few countries can. The
detail of the architecture inside and out was refined
centuries ago and remains vibrantly beautiful. We
experienced the Sahara by sleeping there in tents and
viewing it from camel back at sunrise. The arid Atlas
Mountains dominated our view as mile after mile we marveled
that sheep and goats could survive. The goats have become
adept at climbing trees to gain moisture from the succulent
leaves. Amaaaazing! We savored the glory of the oasis as
date, orange and olive groves flourished.
Something else happened in those 21 days. A group of
miscellaneous 1957 graduates became a family; one caring for
another. Most had various travel ailments but we survived.
One could even say we flourished. Just as the date, orange
and olive groves flourished because of an abundant water
supply, we flourished in the atmosphere of loving
relationships. As first timers, we thank you one and all
for the welcome you extended to us. Thank you, Alan and
Birgitta Hockstader for starting this odyssey.
Wait Till Next Year!
—Dick and Joan Young
Click here to see pictures of the trip.
Past: Class Trip to South Africa (September 2005)
Having just returned from a wonderful trip to South Africa,
I thought it might be worthwhile to make other members of
the class of '57 more aware of an idea that one of our
classmates had some six years ago and how that initial
concept has led to eight highly enjoyable and rewarding —
and, frequently, adventurous – trips to foreign shores. Alan
Hockstader proposed the idea of a Class trip to China in
1999 and as Alan stated in an e-mail he sent to all the
participants on this most recent trip:
When I proposed the first trip to China, I thought it
would be fun to go there with a bunch of my Classmates and
their wives for the purpose of sightseeing and learning
something about the country and its people that couldn't be
learned by reading newspapers, magazine articles or books.
Fortunately, the trip was a great success and I was asked to
do it again. We have now had a total of 8 trips (2 in 2005)
and after the second one, I began to realize that the trips
had an additional and even more important dimension that I
had not thought about previously. That dimension was about
renewing and creating warm and lasting relationships with a
few of our Classmates and their wives some 43 plus years
after we had shared the experience of attending , with
utmost pride, one of the world's greatest universities.
I'm sure that many of you have taken some of the Yale
University Educational trips open to all graduates; but the
unique aspect of Alan's excursions is that they are only for
our class. As "first-timers" and Californians, my wife,
Sheila, and I were delighted to join Alan and his wife,
Birgitta, and 11 other members of our class and their
spouses on a remarkable three week trip this past September.
Yes, many of the 25 people were from the East Coast and 14
of them had been on earlier Hockstader trips but it surely
didn't take long to find that all of us had so much in
common and the conversations flowed smoothly – perhaps, even
constantly – and a congenial atmosphere persisted throughout
the journey.
Alan's experience in setting up these adventures was
certainly in evidence since the entire trip was well
planned, comfortably paced – although those 5:00 am wake-up
calls some 6 days in a row in the game reserves took a
little getting used to — and covered much of the history
and highly diverse culture of South Africa. We had excellent
local guides on each segment – Alan is quick to point out
that he is only the organizer and not "the" guide – and they
were effectively in-house professors as they related their
versions of so many fascinating aspects as to how the
country was developed and has changed throughout its long
history. As a matter of fact, Louis Willemse (our guide
during the southern half of the trip) just sent all of us a
detailed report of some 25 pages on just about everything we
had seen and heard! And one other point before outlining
some of the highlights, the cost of the entire trip was very
competitive – perhaps even some 20-25% below very similar
trips run by the commercial companies such as Tauck, Travcoa
et al. for similar levels of travel – a good deal indeed!
For any classmate who might be interested in seeing the
complete itinerary – since we stuck to it very closely – I'm
sure Alan still has a few copies. I'm sure that each of us
on the trip will have different thoughts as to the
highlights, but I'll just mention a few of ours:
Jo'burg area: Apartheid Museum, dinner at Wandie's Place
in Soweto, Voortrekker Monument and Union Building in
Pretoria.
Victoria Falls: Royal Livingston Hotel, elephants
frolicking in the river next to the hotel and, of course,
the Falls.
The Game Reserves: Seeing the Big Five (minus the elusive
leopard!), the excellent guides, the abundance of giraffes,
elephants, zebras, etc.
The Garden Route and the wine country: Whale watching,
lunch at Parkes Manor, the incredible Cango Caves, the view
from the mountain road looking down on Franschhoek and
Stellenbosch.
Cape Town: Table Mountain, the vibrant Victoria and
Alfred Waterfront, champagne at sunset on the top of another
mountain, Cape of Good Hope, drinks at the Mount Nelson
Hotel.
All of the above was, of course, accompanied by some
excellent lunches and dinners — and discussions that showed
clearly that we old Yalies had the right answers as to how
to solve the problems of the world if only some of the
younger Yalies and Princetonians who are currently running
the country would listen! It made for some interesting
debates that seemed to prove that a Yale education doesn't
lead to any uniformity of thinking on political, social and
cultural issues – and certainly all the spouses were lively
participants in all the exchanges!
Just for the record I should mention who were the
energetic and enthusiastic members of our class who made the
sojourn. Merrell Clark (Lynne), Jim Cunningham – our London
representative —, Ammon Dunton (Kathy), Fred Gaston
(Julie), John Herrman (Anne), Steve Hopkins (Judy), Ron
Morris (Elaine), Joel Sharp (Winnie), Bill Sheffield
(Glenn), Phil Weymouth (Peggy), Bob Wrenn (Ida) and, of
course, Alan and Birgitta. It was a congenial and gregarious
group — with no shrinking violets among us — and I would
hope that several will write something about the trip for
our class's Web Site as well.
One last item, Alan is already hard at work in preparing
for the next voyage – and perhaps the last one before the
Big 50th. It looks like the Class trip for 2006 will be to
Morocco, probably in mid to late September or early October
and should be about 21 days. It might also include some
areas of Southern Spain. Alan will be filling all of you in
on the details before too long – so start working on your
French and Spanish!!
That's it for now — but stay tuned!!
—Joe Mark
Click here to see pictures of the trip.
Site designed and maintained by Christopher
Bates.
This Page Last Updated: July 4, 2011.
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