By Gregory A. Weiss
The 21st annual class “Winterfest,” held at the end of January in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was a great success. Almost 30 classmates, spouses, and guests were treated to more than 25 inches of new snow over the three-and-a-half-day gathering. Yes, it was dumping! But the interesting question is what keeps everyone coming back year after year in the face of, shall we say, diminishing physical capabilities? The universal answer is the camaraderie. It is a true mini-reunion and simply a lot of fun. Several attendees have been to all, or almost all, of the 21 gatherings, but, notably, the group was augmented this year by two first timers: Ed Crotty and Roger Putzel, who had a wonderful time. Of course every successful event like this has a strong leader. In this case it was Ben Liptzin, ably assisted by two classmate wives, Nancy Jones (Ted) and Nancy Crocker (Larry). Join us next year in late January in Vail, Colorado!
One of ’66’s most active supporters of Yale is Fred Berg. A Saybrook alumnus and fellow, Fred backed the renovation of the Saybrook Dining Hall and the construction of Saybrook’s music studio and gym expansion. He also interviews applicants to Yale and is an active member of the University Library Council and the University Development Council. Fred is a “regular” on campus for Saybrook fellows meetings and other Yale events. In addition, Fred is an enthusiastic and engaged supporter of Yale baseball and Yale football. The main driver of his support for Yale football is his cousin Jaeden Graham (YC ’18), the starting tight end on Yale’s 2017 Ivy League Championship football team, who earned First Team All-Ivy and All-ECAC honors. Ten days after graduation Jaeden was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons and spent the 2018 season on their practice squad. On December 31 he was re-signed by the Falcons to a reserve/futures contract and is spending the off-season hard at work training for the 2019 season. Those of us who know Fred and Jaeden still marvel that they came out of the same gene pool: Fred is five feet nine (at best) and a compact 165 pounds. Jaeden is six feet four and weighs in at 250 pounds!