The Donald K. Walker '26 Scholarship Fund
Music in the Schools
The 1957 Yale Bowl Portal Project (Final Report)
Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships

The Donald K. Walker '26 Scholarship Fund

The Donald K. Walker '26 Scholarship Fund was created at the Class of 1957's 25th reunion, the brain child of classmate Bill Wrean. Don Walker was a senior member of the undergraduate admissions office when our class applied to Yale, and he interviewed many of us as candidates for admission. He was also a resident fellow of Calhoun College and through that tie stayed in touch with many of us during our four years in New Haven.

Early gifts to the Walker Fund and principal appreciation since then have generated enough money so that income from the Fund currently can support full scholarships for four Yale undergraduates. The Fund is part of Yale's permanent endowment, and the Fund will exist in perpetuity. Gifts to the Fund are credited to the amount the class gives to Yale during the five years leading to each reunion.

For the last decade or so, class members have each winter taken Walker Scholarship holders to dinner at Mory's to tell them about Don Walker and why scholarships in his name exist. These dinners are also wonderful opportunities for us to meet several Yale undergraduates in a relaxed setting and to sense how gifted today's Yale students are.

Donald K. Walter Scholarship Recipients, 1983-present

2011-2012
Alexander Saeedy '15
Kathleen Addison '14
Anya Cekauskas '13
Kristopher Harvey '13

2010-2011
Kathleen Addison '14
Anya Cekauskas '13
Kristopher Harvey '13
Chad C. Costello '11

2009-2010
Anya Cekauskas '13
Kristopher Harvey '11
Elizabeth Epstein '11
Chad C. Costello '11

2008-2009
Chad C. Costello '11
Molly J. Kim '09
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09

2007-2008
Chad C. Costello '11
Molly J. Kim '09
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09

2006-2007
Molly J. Kim '09
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09
Michelle Gosselin '07

2005-2006
Andrew Burke '06
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09
Michelle Gosselin '07

2004-2005
Andrew Burke '06
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05
Michelle Gosselin '07

2003-2004
Andrew Burke '06
Matthew Murray '07
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05

2002-2003
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05

2001-2002
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05

2000-2001
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Rashad Bartholomew '01
David Farrell '03

1999-2000
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Rashad Bartholomew '01
David Farrell '03

1998-1999
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1997-1998
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1996-1997
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1995-1996
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1994-1995
Raymond Rast '95

1993-1994
Raymond Rast '95

1992-1993
Raymond Rast '95

1991-1992
Raymond Rast '95

1990-1991
William McSwain '91

1989-1990
William McSwain '91

1988-1989
William McSwain '91

1987-1988
William McSwain '91

1986-1987
Steven Provenzano '90

1985-1986
Ardel McKenna '86

1984-1985
Ardel McKenna '86

1983-1984
Ardel McKenna '86

Following is a copy of the most recent report about recent Walker Scholars from Carol S. Hobbs, Yale's recording secretary, to Don Roberts.

November 22, 2011

Dear Mr. Roberts:

It is an honor to correspond each year with Yale's generous benefactors, especially those who have supported our financial aid program. Today I write on behalf of the University to thank you once again and to provide you with some information about this year's recipients of the Donald K. Walker (B.A. 1926) Scholarship Fund. As you know, it is only through such resources that Yale College can preserve its mission of placing a world-class education within reach of all admitted students, regardless of their financial situation.

For 2011-2012, Yale's financial aid budget rose to $117 million, compared to $109 million last year. More than 55 percent of undergraduates received assistance this year, with the average grant covering $37,700 of the total $52,700 cost of attending Yale. With the continuing economic challenges faced by so many families, financial aid resources like this are all the more important.

This year's returning Walker Scholars are Anya Cekauskas '13, Kristopher Harvey '13, and Kathleen Addison' 14. They are joined in this honor by Alexander Saeedy, a member of the Class of 2015.

Anya hails from Birmingham, Michigan, where she attended Seaholm High School. Now in her junior year, she is a member of Branford College, and has formally declared American studies as her major. A talented athlete, Anya competed on our varsity volleyball team her freshman year, and is now a member of the club lacrosse team. In addition, she is the social chair for one of our campus sororities. Devoted to community service, this outstanding student has been involved with numerous volunteer organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Yale Race for the Cure, and Luther House Tutoring. Inspired by her internship with Yale University Properties, Anya is considering a career in marketing, sales, or advertising. She writes: "I love my current position ... It is very interesting, and I enjoy traveling to other cities to recruit businesses to establish a New Haven presence. While it is definitely challenging to balance my academics simultaneously with my job, I am gaining real world experience in sales and marketing, and find it invaluable."

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Kris attended Murrah High School prior to matriculating at Yale. Like Anya, he is a junior this year and is majoring in American studies. Affiliated with Calhoun College, he is also interested in business, chemistry, literature, French, and Italian. Here on campus, Kris has volunteered his time with Community Health Educators and has served as a tutor for and treasurer of Urban Improvement Corps. More recently, he has been performing with the Groove Dance Company and is the hospitality ministry chair for the Black Church at Yale. In addition, Kris is the current president of Runway Inc., which stages charity fashion shows, and is the fashion and style editor for Vita Bella Magazine. He reports that he is eager to work in merchandising or advertising before enrolling in business school to earn an MBA degree.

From Bradenton, Florida, Kathleen prepared for Yale at Saint Stephen's Episcopal School. Among other awards, she was a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, a member of the Cum Laude and National Honor Societies, and the recipient of the Harvard Book Award. A leader in and out of the classroom, Kathleen was the vice president of the student council, a peer tutor, a member of the Key Club, and a student ambassador. A sophomore this year, she resides in Calhoun College and has academic interests in mathematics, psychology, sociology, and physics. Passionate about the arts, Kathleen sings alto in the a cappella group Something Extra and was chosen to serve as the spring tour manager. A member of the Yale Dramatic Association, she worked as an assistant producer for two theatrical shows last year.

Alex was born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Linden, Michigan. He attended Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, where he distinguished himself as an AP Scholar, a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, and the top French student of the year. To complement his studies, Alex spent the summer after his junior year in Montbrison, France, enrolled in a language and culture immersion program. Outside of academics, he honed his leadership skills by serving as secretary and treasurer of the glee club, president of a political club, and editor-in-chief of his school's nationally recognized newspaper, The Crane-Clarion. He is also a talented actor and performed in plays such as The Sound of Music and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Now a Yale freshman, Alex is affiliated with Trumbull College and is continuing to study French, journalism, and theater. In his spare time, this excellent scholar looks forward to acting in, directing, and even producing student productions here on campus.

A Yale education nurtures intellectual curiosity, inspires athletic and artistic pursuits, and engenders a strong sense of leadership. The Walker Scholarship Fund has helped open the door to these and many other opportunities for Anya, Kris, Kathleen, and Alexander. We remain inspired by the loyal alumni and friends like you who share in our mission to make a Yale education accessible for such outstanding students.

With gratitude,

Carol S. Hobbs

Music in the Schools

The Music in the Schools class project has its own website. Click here to enter it.

For a map of the location of all Music in Schools fellows for years 2007, 2009, and 2011, click here.

Project Update Fall 2011

Class of 1957 Music in Schools Committee

Committee members are: Tom Chittenden, Rod Correll, Gus Kellogg, Malcom Mitchel, Tom Perkins, Bob Smith, Phil Richards, Morris Raker, Don Roberts, Nick Tingley, Rob Walker, John Watling and Steve Wittenberg. Committee activities include: (1) semiannual meetings in New Haven with Deans Blocker, Yaffe and the program managers, (2) work on the Music in Schools portion of the class website, (3) attendance at various Music in Schools concerts in New Haven, (4) fund raising to increase the endowment at the 55th reunion, (5) brainstorming and discussing future directions for the program. Clearly this continues to be a team effort!

Important Events During 2011

(1) The class of 1957 Music in Schools program was selected by the association of Yale Alumni to receive its annual award of excellence for "Class Volunteer Engagement and Leadership". This award honors the many classmates who have been involved in various ways in designing, funding and working with the Yale School of Music to shape our 50th Reunion Endowment. Music in Schools has become a vibrant and growing force in public school music education both in New Haven and nationally.

(2) The Endowment provides for a biennial symposium for talented music educators. 2011 was a Symposium year and 50 educators, chosen to receive the Yale Distinguished Music Educators Award, came from around the nation to participate in 2 days of stimulating workshops, demonstrations and discussions with the hope that they would return to their communities feeling appreciated, stimulated and anxious to lead in the area of public school music education. The feedback has been very positive. To quote from one honoree, "The Symposium was the best professional experience I have had to date in my career."

(3) The fall of 2011 saw the sudden and untimely death of John Miller, Manager of Community Programs for the Yale School of Music. John was devoted to Music in Schools and instrumental in its successful growth. He was beloved by the New Haven students whose lives he touched, as well as by YSM students, faculty and the members of the 1957 Music in Schools committee. The committee suggested that he be made an honorary member of the class and he certainly will be included in the memorial service planned for fallen classmates at the 55th reunion. Those of us who had the privilege of working with John will never forget him.

Activities in the New Haven Schools

Music in Schools continues to have an intensive involvement in two New Haven middle schools, John Daniels and Lincoln Bassett. At John Daniels this is centered around a band program and at Lincoln Bassett, a string program. At both schools this involves private lessons, group lessons, and group rehearsals as well as concerts. Ruben Rodriguez has taken over for John Miller at John Daniels and Brian Lewis, our returning 1957 Visiting Professor will lead at Lincoln Bassett. In addition 14-17 Yale School of Music Students will spend time teaching at these schools.

In each of 8 other New Haven Schools a YSM student will serve as a "teaching artist". Each student will spend approximately 5 hours/week in their respective school. The students will be chosen and mentored by our visiting professor, Brian Lewis.

Music in Schools has also been involved in the formation of an All City Band and, together with the Yale Glee Club, an all City Chorus. These organizations will offer additional musical opportunities to New Haven public school students. Year end music competitions will be held for students as they have been in the past few years.

Music in Schools involvement in the public schools has fostered creative music and literature, music and art as well as music and film programs with a YSM composer working with the public schools students to combine these different arts.

We have seen a surge in public school music students competing in regional events which were formerly dominated by students from affluent communities and private schools. Not infrequently, one hears a public school student say something like, 'getting involved in music saved my life'. They go on to explain how these programs have made the entire school experience more joyful, built self confidence and improved self discipline.

Finally Music in Schools provides one of the strongest links between the University and the city of New Haven. At the same time The New Haven programs serve as a laboratory for innovative projects which are then aired at the biennial national symposium and hopefully make their way far and wide.

2011-2012 Class of 1957 Visiting Professor

We are very fortunate to have Brian Lewis, the David and Mary Winton Green Chair in String and Pedagogy at the University of Texas, Austin return for a second year. In addition to being a nationally recognized violinist, (Brian actually studied with Dr Suzuki in Japan), he has extensive experience in community involvement, having worked with literally thousands of children both in the USA and Japan. Professor Lewis will be at the Yale School of Music three days every other week during both fall and spring semesters. He will mentor YSM students who are involved in the program, teach a course on community engagement involving actual community projects, mentor ensembles that do interactive concerts, choose and mentor the "teaching artists" at 8 schools, and shepherd the string program at Lincoln Bassett. Professor Lewis firmly believes that art and music can save disadvantaged children who might otherwise flounder. Several of us who have seen him in action can attest to the fact that his enthusiasm is truly infectious and his skills a tremendous asset to our program.

2011 National Symposium

The Symposium took place from June 8-10 2011 at the Yale School of Music. Attendees were housed in Silliman College and had opportunities to tour the Yale Campus. The application process this time was very rigorous, involving not only nomination from a Yale Class of 1957 member or a school superintendent and/or a recommendation from their music supervisor, but also an essay demonstrating how the particular applicant would add to such a Symposium. 50 honorees were chosen out of the 250 completed applications. They were of very high caliber and represented 28 states. As before, New Haven public school teachers, our partners in this venture, were also invited to attend.

The Symposium focused on the role of "teaching artists" (e.g. graduate music students, community orchestra or ensemble members) in a collaboration with public school music teachers. In addition, newer technologies allowing program-to-program live communication from different locations were introduced. This was topped off by a live demonstration combining a Rhode Island public school ensemble with a New Haven public school ensemble via satellite. The New Haven group was on the stage of Sprague Hall and the Rhode Island group projected on to a large screen. The children played music for one another and comments were exchanged all in real time. The idea was to demonstrate how distance learning can be used to bring music education from venues with more to venues with fewer resources or simply to collaborate across distances. All Symposium honorees were offered the opportunity to submit possible projects, which, if chosen, could use the Yale technology to carry out their projects.

The Symposium closed with an impressive dinner honoring each of the 50 teachers. Dean Yaffe told us something about each of the honorees. Then They then received a certificate which read "Yale Distinguished Music Educator" and had their pictures taken with Dean Blocker. John Merrow, Education Correspondent of the PBS News hour gave a keynote address.

Funding

As of June 30, 2011, actual contributions to the Endowment totaled $4,679,487.77, and the market value was $4,902,407.89. There was $390,000 in outstanding commitments.

Fundraising for the 55th has the aim of adding 1 million dollars to the endowment in order to allow Music in Schools to hire two music school graduates to supervise, extend and create further innovations in the "teaching artist " program in the New Haven public schools, as well as to fund a Class of 1957 media room which could use technology for long distance teaching both nationally and internationally.

Summary

The Class of 1957 Music Endowment has seen steady growth both in concept and achievement. Involvement in the New Haven public schools has strengthened the relationship between the city and Yale as well as serving as an incubator for pilot programs. The initiative is reaching around the country through Yale School of Music graduates, the biennial symposium attendees and both the YSM and Class of 1957 websites.

Jim Banner was kind enough to send me the following quotation from Robert Blocker, Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of the Yale School of Music, " I was thrilled to learn that the AYA will honor the Class of '57 for the Music in Schools program support. I can say unequivocally that working with all of you has been one of the high points of my tenure at Yale. Together we are making a difference in the lives of children."

Respectfully Submitted
Stephen M. Wittenberg, MD
Chairman Class of '57 Music in Schools Committee
November 13, 2011

The 1957 Yale Bowl Portal Project (Final Report)

At half time of the Harvard Game, on November 17, 2007, a Portal Plaque was unveiled at Yale Bowl honoring the extraordinary athletic achievements of the Class of 1957 during senior year. The plaque is the result of the generous contributions of nearly one hundred classmates who raised in excess of $250,000, as part of our 50th Reunion gift, to help with the much-needed renovation of Yale Bowl. The plaque reads

It is displayed among plaques honoring the 1934 Iron Man Team, Levi Jackson, Carm Cozza, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Football Championship Teams of 1960, 1968, and 1989 among others. It is notable company, but company in which the Class of 1957 belongs.

As an integral part of the fund-raising effort, memorial gifts were received in honor of the following deceased classmates:

Memorial Gifts were also received in honor of the following deceased friends and mentors:

May they all rest in peace.

This magnificent effort would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the committee made up of Don Bab, Bill Clinton, Colin Gracey, Don Griffith, Ev Hedeen, Colin Jensen, Dick Jones, Ted Jones, Jim King, Ed Meyer, Mike Oberlin, Jack Pendergast, Ed Robinson, Bide Thomas, and the late Pete Fritzsche.

Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships

The Class of 1957 supports summer fellowships in Dwight Hall in memory of Frank Mongillo and Howie Gillis.

Started in 1968, Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships give Yale students the opportunity to spend their vacations in New Haven working full-time on projects they have themselves designed in response to community needs. In addition to working with community or student groups or other not-for-profit organizations to implement their projects, the fellows meet for weekly dinner seminars with New Haven community leaders to gather advice and learn more about pertinent city issues.

During the summer of 2005, Class of 1957 summer fellowships will support Hannah Yoon (Saybrook, '05) to head up an initiative in conjunction with Advanced Strategies for Healthcare Access Inc. to research and publicize eye care resources available to the uninsured in New Haven. In addition, Benjamin Staub (Saybrook, '06) will work directly with those enrolled in Connecticut Voices for Children's newly launched foster youth-transition program in helping the young people to create self-governing Youth Leadership Boards and raise their own voices in area and state legislative debates on foster care issues.

Below is a letter from Tess Wheelwright, Student Coordinator of Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships, to Steve Hopkins, dated 16 May 2005:

Dear Mr. Hopkins,

It comes as great news that the class of 1957 intends to sponsor two of our Dwight Hall Summer Fellows this year! A thrilled thanks to you and your classmates for such generosity, from all of us here in Dwight Hall.

I am Tess Wheelwright, Yale College class of 2006, and this year's coordinator of the Dwight Hall Summer Fellowship. During the academic year, I co-coordinate the Dwight Hall-affiliated Urban Fellows Program, which similarly places students as interns in city and community agencies, and like the Summer Fellowship involves a group component of weekly discussion meetings. I'm very much looking forward to extending my experience in that role to the more in-depth Dwight Hall Summer Fellowship.

Kathrine Burdick passed along to me your email address; it is my pleasure to present to you Summer Fellows Ben Staub, Saybrook '06, and Hannah Yoon, Saybrook '05, for Class of 1957 sponsorship.

Hannah will be interning at Student Health OUTreach, a recently founded (2000) New Haven nonprofit organization that calls itself a "project of advanced strategies for healthcare access." SHOUT works to reach out to the city's uninsured families and enroll them in Connecticut's Healthcare for Uninsured Kids and Youth (HUSKY) program, as well as research and advocate on their behalf for improved access to medical and dental resources. Hannah's interest in health and medicine, and her year's experience already as an organizer of outreach at SHOUT, make her a great candidate for her summer project of coordinating a new SHOUT initiative concerning eye care, specifically. Hannah will be researching, compiling, and publicizing information about existing eye care resources for families in New Haven without insurance, while directing attention to the problem as part of a larger SHOUT advocacy project to document "Stories of the City's Uninsured."

Ben' focus will also be on children and will also combine direct service with research and advocacy but will concern itself specifically with youth in the foster care system. His project is with Connecticut Voices for Children, a respected organization committed to improving the lives of youth through high-quality research and public policy analysis, and promoting youth voice and leadership through citizen education and organizing. CT Voices recently received a grant to look at the issues facing youth "aging out" of the foster care system, and it is in conjunction with this larger project that Ben will be researching this population in New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, as well as working with the youth directly to help them form boards to organize discussions and events, empowering them to add their own youth voice to the legislative debates. Besides being a Summer Fellow, Ben is also the current Co-Coordinator of Dwight Hall's student Executive Committee, a Dwight Hall Early Childhood Education Fellow, and generally an invaluable member and representative of the Dwight Hall effort. He would be happy for the opportunity to share more about his summer project, and welcomes contact at benjamin.staub@yale.edu.

Thank-you again, Mr. Hopkins, for your generous support. Only with it are we able to provide the deserving Ben and Hannah and the equally deserving organizations they'll be serving with such a valuable summer opportunity!

Tess Wheelwright