Virtual Reunion 2020

The Virtual Reunion, May 25-31, 2020

Classmate Attendance 325+

65-70 Survey

Panel on this ground-breaking survey moderated by some of the Survey Team. Attendance 210+, including 125 from Yale70. | Click here for video (41 min). | Click here for the Survey Report.

Thurs, May, 2pm EDT

The World

How Ya Gonna Save the World NOW, Bulldog? Panel introduced by Ed Landler. Attendance 100+. | Click here for video of panel discussion (80 min). | Click here for copy of Zoom chat comments.

Sat, May 30, 1pm EDT

Zoom Songs & Stories

Live Music / Open Mic with emcee Mark Pines. Attendance 36. | Click here for video sampler (25 min).

Sat, May 30 , 4pm EDT

Memorial

A Memorial Service led by the Memorial Service Team. Attendance 115+. | Click here for video of the Service (34 min). | Click here for the program.

Sun, May 31, 4pm EDT

Places

Places | This is a photo-based collection about spaces and places at Yale. Ben Slotznick and Stuart Cohen gathered remembrances of campus architecture and how it affected us, as well as memories of events grounded in the specific places on campus in which they occurred. All the photos were shot by Stuart in the past two years, specifically for this book. 4-color throughout. 112 pages. Click here for a pdf of Places.

Places at Yale / Discussion

Two sessions moderated by Stuart Cohen: a continuation of thoughts, topics, and architectural recollections begun in the first-of-it’s-kind “Places” reunion book. Attendance 100+.

Tues, May 26, 7:30pm EDT (62 classmates)
Fri, May 29, noon EDT (53 classmates)

Greatest Hits 1970-2020

Greatest Hits 1970-2020 | Led by Stephen Morris and John Boak this book was shipped to classmates. It has chapters on our brand, our blog, our class notes, the arrival of women, reunions, and memories of the deceased. It also has a directory with photos and essays, which were collected by classmate submission on the web. 4-color throughout. 506 pages. Printed by John Robinson.

College Get-Togethers

Berkeley
hosts: Mark Johnson & Tom Weil
Tues, May 26, 6:30pm EDT
Sat, May 30, 7:00pm EDT
Attendance 34

Branford
host: Joel Bard
Weds, May 27, 5:00pm EDT
Attendance 22

Calhoun
host: Jeff Stern
Tues, May 26, 4:30pm EDT
Attendance 19

Davenport
hosts: Tap Taplin & Reid Detchon
Fri, May 29, 5:00pm EDT
Attendance 26

Jonathan Edwards
host: Terry Finn
Sat, May 30, 4:30pm
Attendance 13

Morse
hosts: Stuart Cohen & Stephen Morris
Thurs, May 28, 5:00pm EDT
Attendance 23

Pierson
hosts: David Nix, Jon Deveau, Paul Chapman, Bill Schultz, Greg Abbott, & Zach Paris
Fri, May 29, 6:30pm
Attendance 35

Saybrook
host: Dave Johnson
Wed, May 27, 6:30pm
Attendance 21

Silliman
host: Jim Conroy
Friday, May 29, 7:30pm EDT
Attendance 32

Stiles
hosts: Michael Kane, John Gahan, & Steve Broadley
Thurs, May 28, 6:30pm
Attendance 11

Timothy Dwight
host: Rob Morgan
Sun, May 31, 2:00pm
Attendance 37

Trumbull
hosts: Dave Poppel,
Rich Bowen, & Alex McNeil
Fri, May 29, 8:00pm EDT
Sun, May 31, 2:00pm EDT
Attendance 23

May 2020 | Zoom Events

3+ Events a Week in May

Zoom Lunch

Every Wednesday / noon EDT
May 6, 13, 20, 27

Zoom Practice

Every Wednesday afternoon / 4pm EDT
May 6, 13, 20, 27

Hang out with classmates. Learn more Lessons in Zoomology. Classmates practiced Zoom basics in a friendly setting. Hosts included Jim Conroy and Ben Slotznick).

Classmates learned about views, virtual backgrounds, muting, chat functions, silent reactions, and raising hands in a meeting, with an introduction to share screen and breakout rooms. It included all the info needed to enjoy Yale70 Zoom Reunion events!

Zoom Music Nite

Every Thursday / 8:00pm EDT
May 7, 14, 21, 28: continuing through June & July

In April, classmate Dave Larkin (who used to DJ for WYBC) played/zoomed classic rock and Motown from the late 60s. In addition, we held a Zoom Cabaret (like a “live mic” night) with live music from Norm Zamcheck, Mark Pines, Mat Kastner, Rick & Karen Blum, and others. Music Night continued in May, June, and July.

Cabaret/Live Mic
May 7, 21, 28
June 4, 18
July 2, 16, 30

Spinning Golden Oldies with Dave Larkin
May 14, 28
June 11

Zoom Yoga

Zoom Boola Boola Yoga led by Jim Weber
Every Wednesday morning
May 27
June 3, 10, 17, 24
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Zoom Reunions

Lessons from the Yale Class of 1970 Reunion in May 2020 | a guide for alumni relations professionals and volunteers | 100 pages of how-we-did-it from Ben Slotznick. An ebook on Amazon — Click to get it.

Two Awards for Yale70

Board of Governors Excellence Award

Forced to pivot to a virtual format, the Yale College Class of 1970 nonetheless staged a 50th reunion that was remarkable in its creativity, depth, and breadth. Hundreds of classmates were trained to Zoom over the course of two dozen sessions in the two months leading up to their reunion. During reunion week, 24 Zoom sessions were held, ranging from large webinar events, discussion sessions, and a memorial service to music nights, a dance party, and a cabaret night. The class also created a survey of its members in conjunction with the Class of 1965 to examine shifts in social attitudes over time, revealing fascinating trends in two of the last of the all-male classes. Finally, it created and published two beautiful hard copy reunion books, one of which was a book of recollections of the Yale campus in 1970 along with images of the same places today, using original material collected from classmates.

Executive Director’s Special Award for Extraordinary Reunion Resilience.

Awarded to all classes who held their own reunion events.