By Rich Banbury
His last course was a seminar on the Gilded Age in the United States, after which Ted Stebbins retired from the Harvard faculty. Ted is now working on a memoir of his 50 years in the art world, including his associations with art museums and advising private collectors. Reaching out to classmates, Ted would like to hear from others who enjoyed Literature and Art II at Yale with Professors John McCoubrey and Tom Greene. If you recall that intellectual experience, reach Ted at tedart1@gmail.com. During senior year, when Ted and Susan were already married, Jack Heinz lent them an abstract painting. When Jack came for dinner one night, he had to advise Ted that the painting was hung upside down. Although Ted rose to the top levels of the art world, he had not yet taken that first step.
While remembering Jack, last year the John Heinz Fellowship committee awarded a grant to Andi Peng (Berkeley, 2018). Out of that fellowship, Andi published a research paper for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She had helped design the first-ever first-system engineering model of the Hyperloop. The Hyperloop concept is based on a faster and more economic high-speed rail and traditional short-haul aircraft. It consists of a passenger pod traveling through a tube while being propelled and levitated by a combination of permanent and electro-magnets. Perhaps a look at the distant future. Subsequently, Andi presented her research in Dallas before a conference of the largest community of aerospace scholars and engineers in the country, assisted by an additional grant from her Heinz fellowship. The Heinz committee includes Peter Knudsen (chair), Al Durfee, Rob Hanke, and Tom Yamin. As we know, the 1960 fellowships consist of three different protocols. All three do great and parallel work on behalf of Yale undergraduates. The Leslie Aspin Fellowship includes Chuck Schmitz (chair), Owen Cylke, Doug Guiler, Harry Mazadoorian, Fred Stele, and Jim Trowbridge. The Branford Fellowship includes Mike Griffin (chair), Clinton Brooks, Emory Clark, and Peter Dickinson. Each of the committees relies on additional membership from the Class of 1986, with the concept that ’86 will eventually inherit these three gifts to Yale. There is much more information about the individual grantees, many with photographs and reports, on our website at Yale60.org, under the heading of class projects and fellowships.
The number of our international classmates, finding the Old Campus in September 1956 like all of us, was 14, including three from Cuba. By the time of our 50th reunion, there were 21 with international addresses. When the new class arrives in New Haven next September there will be about 150 freshmen from distant lands.
We can all remember William Buckley ’50 for his eloquence and strength of character. God and Man at Yale (1951), in some ways, went beyond his National Review. Buckley’s Saving the Queen (1976), a novel centered on a Davenport guy, is good fun. In his name, the recently created William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale will bring a healthy conservative breeze through the campus. Academic and political visitors will present their beliefs, and there also will be attempts to mobilize Yale students. The 12 members of the board include Dick West from Sun City West, Arizona.
While visiting from Jacksonville to the Republic of Texas, Lillian and Bruce Dugger arranged a class banquet. So a very nice dinner joined the Duggers with Connie and Chris Seger, Jamie and Clem Barrere, and Jackie and Jim Colthart.
Lew Lehrman has published on a new subject, displaying his great breadth and depth of the American story. The title is Churchill, Roosevelt & Company, with a subtitle of Studies in Character and Statecraft. Those two great leaders “had the difficult task, not always well-performed, of managing their subordinates. Churchill and Roosevelt frequently chose to conduct foreign policy directly between themselves, and with Stalin.” Individuals of their own strong character include Joseph Kennedy, as our ambassador to England, General George Marshall, General Dwight Eisenhower, Cordell Hull, and many others. Available on Amazon.com in hardcover or Kindle.
Don’t forget the class website is Yale60.org.
Stayoung.