[No one has been more responsible for creating a class identity than John Boak, a charter member of Bench Nation. His fingerprints are everywhere– books, videos, beer labels, and swag. If you’ve followed the materials leading up to this Reunion you’ve gotten a double dose of Boak via the class (and “classy”) emails and website updates. Here are a couple of classics:
(Image above: John Boak cover design for video made for 1970’s 25th Reunion.)
After taking a break for its 45th reunion, the class of 1970 resumed double-barreled publishing activity in preparation for the 50th. The first volume was Places: Recollections from Yale 70 with Photos of Yale Now. Conceived by Stuart Cohen, with ample assists from Ben Slotznick and John Boak (design), the resulting volume is charming and nostalgic, artfully juxtaposing the old and the new.
The more traditional class yearbook was managed by the now veteran team of Stephen Morris (publisher), Stephen Frankel (copy editing), and John Boak (design). A new member of the publication team was John Robinson, also Class of 1970, who owns nearby GHP Media, the company that provided production and distribution support.
When the Covid shit hit the pandemic fan in March, 2022, the book project was entering the final chute of completion. While the world at large was dealing with universal disruption, the book portion of the 50th reunion was completed with only minor hiccups and a few last minute heroics.
Modeled after after the record albums that great musical artists inevitably produce to chronicle the arc of extended careers this volume testifies to one of the most historic, eclectic, distinguished, and unforgettable classes ever to emerge from Yale’s hallowed halls.
