Likewise for me who is the only one in our family not to go to Harvard, although I do have an honorary membership in Helen's class of 1992, it was a time of sweet memory and a time to remember friends and to make new ones.
Happy Travelers!
We were met at Quincy House by students who work hard all week catering to our needs and desires.
We had rooms in Lowell House which we enjoyed but happy we don't have to spend all year here.
We walked around seeing places that bring back happy memories. Here is Winthrop where both Kevin and Jake lived.
And the familiar red door of Adams where Helen and Paul lived
Another view of Adams and the Lampoon where Elijah worked.
We saw this plaque about Richard Greener, an African American Harvard graduate who taught at USC!
We were welcomed the first night with an Open Mic in Quincey. Sarge and Kevin listen. On stage is a classmate Betty Block, a potter and talented musician. She played guitar and sang lovely songs. One that I especially enjoyed was her original one about pottery!
We had one free morning and hoped to visit the Harvard Art Museums, recently reopened after years of renovation, uniting the Fogg, the Busch-Reisinger, and the Arthur Sackler under one glass roof. Alas because it was Memorial Day, it was closed.
So a group of us headed over to the Museum of Natural History where we saw this famous and fabulous collection of glass flowers.
So life-like and real
It was fun seeing the commencement day arrangements going up. 20,000 chairs in front of the Tercentary Theatre where Commencement is held (80,000 altogether put up in surrounding areas for this great event). It was fun seeing the view from the stage. Notice the Dalai Lama priest taking a photo with his iPhone!
Flowers--oleandar, rhodendrum and azaleas, peonies all abloom, the grass very green.
The food is amazingly well-prepared and delicious. I was told by someone in catering that over 100,000 meals were served. Students do a lot of the work and get big tips! I remember Helen working at Kevin's 25th.
There is a new site known as "The Plaza" close to the Science Center, on a wide bridge that crosses over street just north of the yard. A big tent was set up for the Class of 65 serving lunches everyday.
Here Sarge Cheever, Hugh Field, and Kevin enjoy conversation after lunch in our tent. Hugh is wearing the hat that we were given. Both Kevin and Hugh sport Harvard ties. Other souvenir gifts were soft tee shirt blankets for our bunk beds (separated for older bodies) and sturdy carrier bags.
Another day, we sat with Rick Hertzburg, to the left of Kevin. He is retired writer from New Yorker whom we followed for many years. He is now writing a book, maybe about Pres. Obama whom he admires. The young woman next to him writes for the Harvard Crimson and had profiled Rick in a special edition of the Crimson about the Class of 65! Rick edited the Crimson when he was a student. Notice dessert trays--dessert assortments changed everyday!
We once heard YoYo Ma play in the auditorium. The acoustics are excellent. This year, we heard music by a classmate Tom Rush, the program billed as "the music of our youth."
Here Harvard President Drew Faust and Dean Michael Smith talk and answer questions from the Class of '65.
Other talks included: Allen Vogel, a gifted oboe player, demonstrated gracefully his daily practice as an art (this has inspired me to go back to my piano practice which was inspired originally by Joel Cohen in this class).
Chris Tanz, an artist who showed photos and explained her magnificent public art in Tucson,
Thomas Kelly, a Harvard Professor who teaches a popular course "First Nights" in which he teaches about music using historical stories about the first nights that classical pieces were performed. His example was Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and the story he told was fascinating, entertaining, and illuminating about music.
Joel Cohen also gave an excellent lecture on the Populations of the World full of amazing stats about the world's population decreasing in western countries and increasing in third world countries and the growing lack of food to support these populations. There was lots of information about the environment as so many of Kevin's class mates are working on ecological issues. In fact there was an entire session called "Planning for the Seventh Generation--Global Meaning," centered on the requirements for long term global sustainability.
Opthalmologist David Abramson talked about a deadly eye cancer found in small children and the cure that he found that is now spreading all over the world. This was especially interesting as a power point illustrated exactly how the chemo was put into the eyes of sick children.
Howard Gardiner also talked about his work with multi intelligence.
A pharmaceutical CEO stressed that we should always ask for generic drugs.
A humorist expressed a common view that he believed Harvard had made a mistake by admitting him and waited to be sent home and then told a very funny story about his first exam at Harvard.
Kevin's Harvard classmates are so accomplished; however I find them to be refreshingly humbled, maybe by their life experience and very wise in their outlook on life. We even had a special symposium about wisdom "The Awakening of Wisdom--How Do We Experience and Practice It" The best idea expressed was that if we have any we should express it now. We are too old to hold back!
Such a happy time at Harvard. The band travels around the campus playing the fight song, "Gaudeamus Igitur," and other energizing music!
We had a sparkling evening at the Boston Pops! Our table enjoyed a big pitcher of Boston Pops Punch. Classmates Ursula Oppens and Phillip Moll performed a piano duet.
Classmates gathered for a group photo. It was so hot that one fainted!
Here is another class photo taken from Kevin's 45th reunion!
And, here is a nice closeup where Kevin is right in center! Kevin knows some of these other faces.
Peonies graced the tables-- the food delicious, perfectly cooked fillet with mixed vegies and garlic potatoes.
Kevin is sitting next to David Evans. He had given the Latin oration for this class in 1965. Now he is an ethnomusicologist and performer of blues and folk music. He performed in the Memorial for us.
The Bo Winiker Bank was excellent and the dancing fun. Here is Maria Tymockko dancing with Alaska poet John Wallace Morgan.
Toasts were made, and songs sung--"Harvardiana," "Soldiers Field," "'Yo Ho The Good Ship Harvard," "Ten Thousand Men of Harvard, " "Radcliffe Now We Rise to Greet Thee," "Fair Harvard," "Gaudeamus Igitur."
On Commencement Day we were wakened at six by a piper! We could see him out of our window.
Kevin had a ticket to march in with his his classmates. As I was walking to breakfast I saw interesting groups. Here the School is government is being piped in. They were carrying little world globes.
I had a nice breakfast at the Faculty Club.
There are three student orations. This is the Latin and lucky for us the subtitles were in English and very witty!
President in chair on high ground gave eloquent remarks, sometimes even rhyming, to all the different groups of graduates.
Here the Education Graduates wave children's books. The Dental students waved giant tooth brushes!
The group receiving honorary degrees were impressive. Here is Patricia Graham, a history professor, Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist who helps women victimized by sexual assault, and Renee Fleming, opera singer. Another recepient was Peter Solovey, President of Yale! Pres. Faust was especially funny in describing this Eli!
We missed the Class Day Exercises where Natalie Portman was speaker. I also missed some Radcliffe discussions which were interesting. But we did march into Alumni Meeting where we were greeted by Pres Faust. She gave a talk as did an honorary degree recipient and former governor of Massachusetts Devel L. Patrick.
Last night dinner cruise on the Charles
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