2000-01 HEAA Year in Review

by Dean Christopher Queen, Director of Alumni(ae) Relations

When the confetti and balloons were cleared from last year's joyful celebration of the Extension School's nintieth birthday and Dean Michael Shinagel's twenty-fifth anniversary, the Harvard Extension Alumni Association (HEAA) returned to a schedule of intellectual and social gatherings more typical of HEAA today. Ruth Gove's memoir gives testimony to the intimacy and informality of HEAA gatherings in the early years, when graduates numbered in the hundreds, knew each others' names, and lived within walking and driving distance of the school. But today, as each year adds nearly 500 new graduates in fields as diverse as information technology and museology--many from distant parts of the United States and the world--the Extension Alumni Association sponsors a rich array of lectures, arts performances, and thematic social events worthy of its Harvard pedigree and its adventurous members.

On October 12, 2000, the Grossman Common Room was transformed into a virtual aquarium as George Buckley, Extension lecturer, biologist, and underwater photographer, introduced the audience to coral reef ecology. Mr. Buckley, a longtime associate of the late Jacques Cousteau and the Cousteau Society--founded to preserve ocean habitats around the world--offered a dazzling slide presentation of the beauty and acute vulnerability of the reefs, fragile home to many endangered plant and animal species. Questions from the audience reflected the scientific and ethical sophistication of many Extension alumni and alumnae, and recalled the evening many shared two years ago at the Museum of Science, when alumnus Mark Plotkin took us on a cinematic tour of the Amazon rain forests.

The December 13 meeting of the Alumni Association found the Grossman Common Room transformed again, this time to a cabaret, as the Opportunes, Harvard's first co-ed a cappella ensemble, serenaded the gathering. The group, which has won widespread acclaim for its intricate six-to-eight-part harmonies and has been featured on NBC's Today Show, performed holiday and traditional favorites. The evening ended with a spirited ovation and an encore rendition of the ever-creepy Zombie Jamboree.

Our annual Valentine's Day Dinner, held again on February 14 in the Library Room of the Harvard Faculty Club, featured a film presentation, titled "The Little Prince Teacher," by Dean Raymond Comeau, Director of the Certificate of Special Programs in Administration and Management Program and of language instruction at the Extension School. As a lifelong admirer of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novelette, Le Petit Prince, and an astute observer and practitioner of the art of teaching, Dean Comeau artfully joined the two in an evening of reflection and advice--at turns challenging, humorous, and heart-warming--on the meaning of education and life itself. Alumni(ae) and their guests helped to extend the discussion of princely qualities far beyond the classroom--to the arts of romance, parenting, and professional success.

This year's Sunset Cruise on May 18 offered a special treat, aside from its signature barbecue feast and warm fellowship. Once again, we sailed up the Charles River and back, then out through the locks into Boston Harbor, marveling at the changing skyline of our city. But this year we had the unique opportunity to view from all angles the new Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, still under construction. Indeed we sailed under the web of white cables suspended from Bunker-Hill-monument-shaped spires, observing from below the extraordinary design of the world's widest cable-stayed bridge. Some Extension alumni(ae) commented on the symbolism of Boston's newest landmark, honoring the late Lennie Zakim, director of the Anti-Defamation League, and his vision of a society that bridged the religious and cultural diversity of its citizens with tolerance and respect.

The traditional pleasures of the Alumni Banquet on June 5--the commanding view of Harvard and the Charles River from Dean Shinagel's Quincy House Masters' Residence roof garden and the sumptuous dinner in the House dining hall--were intensified this year by the sad awareness that the Quincy House era of alumni(ae) banquets was over. As Dean Shinagel and his wife, Marjorie North, step down from their duties as co-masters of Quincy House, the HEAA will find a new venue for its annual observance of Commencement and the privileges Harvard alumni membership.

This year's banquet featured a thoughtful address by 25-year honorand, Dr. Leonard Kopelman, and the introduction of the new officers of the HEAA. The gathering was adjourned as outgoing president Larry Sheehan presented incoming president Santo Joseph Aurelio with an old wooden mallet that Sheehan had found in his garage in Wellesley, explaining that no gavel had ever been passed in the 33 years of the Harvard Extension Alumni Association. Dr. Aurelio thanked Mr. Sheehan for his skillful leadership of the Association over the past two years and adjourned the meeting with three decisive strokes of the new HEAA ceremonial mallet.

As in past years, Extension alumni(ae) were generous in their response to our appeal for gifts to the Michael Shinagel Scholarship Fund, with more than 400 gifts totalling more than $47,000. Likewise, we are grateful to those loyal alumni(ae) who stepped forward to run in our bi-annual election of new officers, and to the hundreds of members who took the time to read about them and then vote their preferences. I think you will agree that our new leadership-- Dr. Santo J. Aurelio, ALB '83, ALM '85, president; Anthony Lorizio, AA '99, ALB '01, vice president; Grace Scheibner, ALB '90, recording secretary; David I. Finnegan, ALM '99, treasurer; and Paul A. Finn, ALM '90, corresponding secretary--represents a high standard in academic and professional achievement. We look forward to working with them over the next two years.

Finally, the Alumni Relations Office is pleased to announce the launch of its new HEAA website. In the coming months, this new resource will make it possible to read about upcoming HEAA events, alumni(ae) achievements or transitions, and news of the Extension School, Harvard University, and the world of ideas beyond. We thank Kay Jones, web designer, and Kathy Clancy, assistant director of promotions, for their expert assistance in producing this exciting resource.