2019 Tree Spread and HAA Annual Meeting
Thursday, May 30, 2019

 

The Harvard & Radcliffe Classes of 1960 had an excellent turnout on Commencement Day Thursday, May 30. Thirty-two (32) of us, some gathering even before 11:00 AM, were nestled at the Tree Spread tables next to Holden Chapel between Mower and Stoughton (where we have been since our 55th). I hope everyone who was looking for us found us. There was certainly lots of great conversation, some amongst those who come every year and know each other well and some amongst those who hadn’t seen each other since graduation in 1960! As is usually the case, the food (not bad) and the wine etc. were incidental, except of course for the “H” ice cream rolls. The weather was quite decent.

After 1:00 P.M. we began to filter out to join the line, organized by class, processing to the Tercentenary Theater for the Harvard Alumni Association (established in 1840) Annual Meeting. Gerry Levenson and Henry Marcy took turns carrying the “1960” sign. President Larry Bacow, celebrating his first anniversary, greeted those who were alert enough to reach out to him as he scooted along the line, accompanied by HAA Executive Director Phil Lovejoy. The procession was somewhat less organized than recollections of past processions; many of us were not seated prior to the beginning of the festivities.

The 2019 Commencement Speaker was Angela Dorothea Merkel, German Chancellor since 2005. She began in English, soon switching to German and, later, summarizing her talk in English. The translations were handled excellently both audially by the translator and visually on the jumbo screens throughout the Theater. After a period of adjustment, the audience soon was applauding at the end of almost every sentence, most notably when she urged us to “take a moment to stop, be still, think, pause. Certainly that takes courage, that requires us not to describe lies as truth and truth as lies”. Indeed, without mentioning our President by name, she warned us of the dangers of building walls and approaching the world’s problems – from climate change and trade to terrorism and forced migration – with an isolationist, go-it-yourself philosophy. “Changes for the better are possible, if we tackle them together.”

The 2019 Harvard medal recipients were Teresita Alvarez-Bjelland AB’76, MBA’79; Dan H. Fenn Jr. AB’44, AM’72; and Tamara Elliott Rogers AB’74. All have been amazing contributors to Harvard.

Tree Spread attendees:

Harris Berman & Ruth Nemzoff
Tom Bertone
Miles & Ann Bradbury
Peter & Shirley Chen
Jim & Nancy Crampton
Sheila Finn Donahue
Ron Goodman
Elisabeth (McSherry) & Howard Green
Hope Rogers Haff
Dorothy Elia Howells
Tim Leland & Julie Hatfield-Leland
Gerry Levenson Patricia Gillingham Lewis
Eugene Lipkowitz
Henry & Jean Marcy
Nancy McMahon
Hank & Karen Morgan
Tare & Sue Newbury
Richard Saval
John Strand
Ed & Suzanne Tarlov
Jaak Vilms (without Liia Annus Vilms, recovering from surgery)

Also seen at the procession and/or the HAA Annual Meeting:

Mel Hodder
Bill & Carole Markus
Joan Peters O’Connor
Jane M. Rabb
Bill & Susan Reid