Class of 1971: 40th reunion

The Class of 1971’s 40th reunion had the largest attendance of any class this year—30 classmates and 18 guests for dinner on Saturday night at the Quinnipiack Club. As part of the reunion effort, and with the help of David Lippman, we assembled individual updates submitted by over 50 classmates and distributed them in booklet form to all classmates. I refer everyone to that booklet as the most complete resource about our current practice status, accomplishments, reflections, and thoughts about their Yale education.

The class members who attended the reunion are: John Mills, Patrick Minihan, Steve Moffic, Richard Moggio, Jorge Motta, Martin Paris, John Patti, Barry Perlman, Stu Phillips, Michael Piercey, Douglas Schmidt, Jon Stewart, Semeon Tsalbins, Yvonne Vaucher, Bob Vranian, Albert Weihl, and Jerry Woodhead.

Conversing with classmates and reading their profiles provide a rich and diverse portrait. Two-thirds continue to work full time in private practice or academics, while fewer are part-time or on the cusp of retirement, about to join another dozen retirees. Here’s a good idea—keep working, but pay your younger and more eager-to-earn associates to WORK FOR YOU on weekends.

Even in retirement, most volunteer for medical causes, teaching, and surgery, internationally and at home. Several have transitioned to non-practicing positions, in business, industry, and academics. Awards and citations over the years are too numerous to list, but include directorships of departments, inner city clinics, international programs, museum collections; journal editors and authors; director of state radiology advisory board, editor of Radiology; and founders of residency programs. Almost everyone appreciates the Yale system for how it allowed them to direct their education; many having followed careers that started with their thesis research. Family and friends, particularly devoted and tolerant spouses, are more important than ever, and a number of grandchildren are now around for a whole new generation of memories.

What stands out is what always stood out during our school years—the tremendous diversity of talent and interests that have been carried and honed through the years, whether music, painting, sports, collecting, travel, cooking, community programs, photography, or wine. Thirty classmates came from across town, across the country, and across oceans to pick up the conversations that started anywhere from 40 to 45 years ago, and we look forward to resuming them in 2016.