Yale Alumni Magazine Class Notes

                                                     May/June 2008

                                                Robert B. Semple, Jr.

                                             Corresponding Secretary

As mentioned before, Sandy Wiener has nobly consented to
oversee our 50th Reunion Classbook, a huge task. One of these days you
will receive a request for biographical information, a personal
essay, and a questionnaire that will form the basis of a poll on
various issues. In the event, please be sure to take this paperwork
seriously (a Web-based option will also be available) and respond with
some dispatch, so as to minimize editorial angst. The book will have
all sorts of bells and whistles but what you send back is its heart and soul.

Two authors of note. One is Dick Bentley, who sent along a copy
of "A General Theory of Desire, " a collection of wonderful poems
that over the years have appeared in literary publications as
geographically diverse as the Hawaii Review, the Palo Alto Review, the
South Dakota Review and the Chicago Quarterly review. Dave lives in
Amherst and is not only a writer but a writing teacher. He has been
associated for many years with the continuing education department of
the University of Massachusetts. The book was published by Patchwork
Farm Press, 293 Chesterfield Road, Westhampton, MA., 01027. Dick also
has a website, <http://www.dickbentley.com>www.dickbentley.com.

The other author is Kerry Wood, whose "Past Imperfect, Present
Progressive, " can be found and ordered on Amazon.com. The book, part
of which Kerry read aloud at our mini-reunion in Santa Fe, is an
autobiographical recollection of a life that began in the Depression
and continued on through World War II, military boarding school, Yale, the Army and a long and richly satisfying career as a high school English teacher at home and abroad, but chiefly in California, where he now lives. In a recent e-mail, Kerry says that one
collateral benefit of the mini-reunion was that he became acquainted
with Dave Lockton, a classmate whom he hardly knew at all at Yale, if
at all. The two discovered that they were practically neighbors --
Dave is in Carmel, a mere 10 miles away from Kerry's home in Pacific
Grove; they've since become friends and golfing partners.
Kerry also claims to be one of the few lucky owners of a DVD
of the Dave Lockton Trio performing at the Jazz Kitchen in
Indianapolis. Dave, a man of many talents and interests (he was one
of our first multi-media wizards) , decided in 2002 to take up the jazz organ, bought a Hammond and began taking lessons with a goal of
attaining the skills to perform a concert in his home town of
Indianapolis on his 70th birthday. That he did, accompanied by drums
and guitar, with another musically-inclined classmate, the ace
guitarist Alki Scopelitis , in the audience, and by all accounts the evening was a roaring success.

Some retirements: Evan Weisman reports from Atlanta that he
is retiring after more than 37 years of practicing cardiology, and
plans to divide his time between tennis, adult education, travel,
grandparenting and advocating for universal health care. He looks
forward to the 50th. John Huss, silent for many years, reports that
he retired in 2000 after 40 years in marketing and corporate
communications with two major financial institutions, a decision
prompted by prostate cancer (successfully treated), declining interest
in corporate life and a wish to get more deeply involved in civic and
charitable activities in his home town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.
He and Sally get around. They've seen Jim Lineberger on the tennis
courts of Delray Beach, Mike Hard at their 50th reunion at Pomfret,
Dan Walker, Charlie Hoyt and Denny Corcoran at a reunion of former
Camp Monadnock counselors and Dave Patterson on the golf course at
Old Lyme, near which John and Sally have a cottage.

Here's at least one not-at-all retired: Dick Maltby, who's
directing a new musical called "Mask," which opened in March at the
Pasadena Playhouse. This information comes courtesy of John Stickler.

We extend our sympathies to Alexis Barnett and Duke Barnett,
the two children of Joseph W. (Bear) Barnett, Jr., who died in January
after a long, difficult struggle with Parkinson's. Bear had many
friends, to whom he was unfailingly loyal, and they to him in return.
Several classmates attended his funeral service at Christ's Church in
Rye-- where the mischievous Bear had once, improbably, been an acolyte --
and the reception afterwards at the Round Hill Club in Greenwich. Jim
Lineberger was there, and the ushers included Sig Wendin and George
Piroumoff, as well as Sherm Durfee from the class of 1958. Bear
graduated from Hotchkiss, Yale and the University of Virginia Law School.
He was also a lieutenant in the Marines. Bear was a partner at Badger,
Fisher, Cohen and Barnett, and served at various points as general
counsel ,consultant and legal adviser in the commercial real estate industry. Classmates who wish to honor Bear's memory and the joy he
brought to so many people can send memorial contributions to The
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at
<http://www.michaeljfox.org>www.michaeljfox.org. Bear will be greatly missed.

As these notes were being sent to YAM, Sergio Nicolau sent
news of the death from cancer of Fernando Portuondo, on Dec 27, 2007.
The news came to Sergio from Fernando's daughter, Mariana. Fernando
died in Havana, Cuba, where he had a distinguished career as an
engineer and professor and, through ups and downs, remained loyal to Fidel Castro's vision of a better Cuba. I will pull together some more material on Fernando -- who also remained deeply loyal to Yale and our class -- and include it in the next notes.