Yale college

School Notes: Yale College
March/April 2016

Pericles Lewis | http://yalecollege.yale.edu

Five alumni receive Yale Medal

The Association of Yale Alumni (AYA) presented its highest award, the Yale Medal, to five individuals in honor of their outstanding service to the university, at a ceremony held during the AYA Assembly LXXV last November. The honorees are Steve Scher ’56, ’66PhD; Theodore (Ted) Shen ’66; Barbara Wagner ’73, R. Kemerer (Kem) Edwards ’49, and Melanie A. Ginter ’78, ’81MS. Citations for all honorees are available on news.yale.edu.

Yale Musical Theater of the Air returns

Alumni joined students, faculty, and staff onstage at the University Theatre in January for three performances of a new production of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. This was the third production by the Yale Musical Theater of the Air (YMTA), a group of alumni who came together in 2013 to stage Kiss Me Kate as part of the celebration of the Cole Porter (Class of 1913) centennial. The Music Man featured Broadway’s David Loud ’83 leading a 37-piece orchestra of Yalies past and present, and Tony nominee Reg Rogers ’93MFA as Harold Hill. Anita Stewart ’83, ’88MFA, directed the musical, which was produced by Amber Edwards ’82, the founding artistic director of YMTA and producer of its previous shows. 

Jonathan Edwards master to retire

Penelope Laurans, master of Jonathan Edwards College (JE) since 2009, special assistant to the president since 1993, and a teacher in the English department for 43 years, will step down from her posts at the end of the academic term. Laurans began her Yale career in 1973 as an assistant professor of English and has held many roles at the university. She served as senior staff to, and a member of, numerous university advisory groups; as a senior counselor to the last three deans of undergraduate admissions and to two directors of athletics; and as an adviser to such organizations as the Opera Theater of Yale College, Yaledancers, and the Shen Musical Theater Curriculum. In addition, for nearly a decade, she was the secretary of the Alpha of Connecticut chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

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