Trumbull Notes 2-22-16

February 22, 2016

Trumbull Skiing

I’ve often planned Trumbull trips that center around the arts – trips to the Metropolitan Museum, to MoMA, to Goodspeed Opera House and to the New York City Ballet, but I know it’s good to sponsor a variety of sorts of trips and events which is why Trumbull goes sailing each fall and why we sponsor massage study breaks. 

Know that I’m always up for suggestions for new sorts of trips. 

In that regard you can thank Cindy Zheng and my own spouse for suggesting that we go skiing (after not having done so in my first two years in Trumbull.) They each suggested this and they each did some preliminary research necessary to make it happen.  Deb Bellmore then followed through and made all the arrangements for tickets, rentals, and food.  Forty-nine people signed up to go and forty-eight of us were up and on the bus at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.  (Amazing!  Our Trumbull group came through.)  We went to Mount Snow on Saturday.   I had anxiously watched the weather all week and worried about the predicted gray skies (which would have been O.K.) and drizzle (which would not have been so O.K.)    In fact, Mt. Snow got 3-4” of snow the night before we went, it rained as we drove up there but didn’t rain on the mountain or after we arrived, the skies were blue, not gray for most of the day, the weather was warm and even at the top of the mountain wind was light.  People were smiling.   I’m glad we went.  I thank the entire group for their good cheer, good skiing and help carrying things to the bus in the morning (thanks Austin Jaspers), help collecting trash off the bus at the very end (thanks Brandon Boyer) and help carrying a variety of things back into the college at the end (thanks to the many people who helped or offered to help at the end.)

This week!  A competition (on Tuesday) and a Tea on Thursday

Tuesday,  Feb. 23, The Final Cut:  Come out and support Trumbull (and have a chance to eat well.

Trumbull’s Final Cut team (Zachary Wilson, Sara Seymour, & Matthew Chisholm) have been practicing their cooking for the final cut final competition which will take place in Commons tomorrow night.  They need our support.  Come cheer them on.

(I’ll be there.  Our flag will be there.  Our Bull will be there.)

There are prizes for the top three colleges’ cooking (money!) and, separately, cheering (food for the entire college!).  We hope to take one (or more) home. 

The criterion for cooking is that…the cooking is good and the judges like it.  (Go Zach, Sara and Matthew!)  The criteria for the College Spirit Award are:  a) Number of supporters, 30 points (we can do this), b) Consistency of support throughout the competition, 30 points (we can do this), c) Enthusiasm and volume of cheering, 30 points (we can do this),  d) Display of college regalia, 30 points (TCC will hand out foam hats/horns and cow bells, get out the rest of your Trum-Gear and put it on), e) Overuse of obscenities, -10  (we can be restrained!)

The event will kick off at 5pm.  The first College in Culinary Competition will start at 5:15pm.  The estimated time of the last college finishing is 7:45pm.  The winners announced by 8pm. 

The order of cooking starts and finishes is random and we don’t know when we’ll be “on.”  The first team to present presents at 6:15, the last at 7:15.  So it’s important to be there during that hour.  (Keep in mind that there will be lots of food to eat at Commons during this.  There will be food you can take away to.  The TCC has sent out an announcement in this regard.  You need not be there at 5; 6:10 and thereafter would be perfect.  When our team presents its good for the judges to see us, we need you there cheering loudly and ringing those bells.

Thursday, Feb. 25th,  7:15 P.M.  Thefts at Yale

Tea with Michael Blanding, Investigative Journalist, book author who will tell the tale of thefts from our Beinecke Library.

Trumbull is hosting a joint fellows and student “tea” in the Common Room at 7:15  (Note that this is after dinner NOT at the typical tea time of 4:00).    Eat your dinner in the Dining Hall then join us in the Common Room (dessert, coffee and tea will be served.) 

Here’s the story that Blanding will tell (and it’s an interesting and sad one):  On June 8, 2005 the librarians in Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book Library discovered an X-Acto blade on the floor of the reading room.  They alerted the Yale police.  The police followed E. Forbes Smiley of Martha’s Vineyard  (and a graduate of the Derryfield School in New Hampshire) out of the library and across campus and arrested him for theft of rare maps.  (He had three in his possession). 

It turns out that Smiley had stolen many maps from Yale, from Columbia, from Harvard, from the NYC Public Library and from the London Public Library, maps worth well over $3 million dollars.  He was convicted of the thefts and sentenced to 42 months in prison.  Many of the maps were recovered; but, sadly, many were not.   

Some of the librarians involved will be joining us for the talk.  The Yale Police officer who actually arrested Smiley is now retired but we are inviting him to join us. 

Michael Blanding’s two books are:

The Map Thief:  The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare Map Dealer who made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps

The Coke Machine:  The Dirty Truth Behind the World’s Favorite Soft Drink

…..And then on Monday, February29th, at 4:00 at the House with Ludwig Willisch CEO of BMW North America

There will be a Tea featuring Ludwig Willisch, CEO BMW North American “On Leadership”

I’ll send more information before the tea but this will come up quickly.

Ludwig Willisch is the CEO and President of BMW North America. Being responsible for BMW cars, motorcycles, MINI and Rolls Royce in one of BMW’s biggest markets as
well as his previous managing of BMW Germany and of BMW’s sporty brand BMW M
are all part of his strong track record on leadership.
­
We have limited space for a dinner immediately following the tea in the house.  E-mail deborah.bellmore@yale.edu if you would like to join in.  Spaces will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Return all dishes you have removed from the dining hall to the dining hall!!!!

The dining hall is missing an enormous number of dishes – cups, bowls, plates and silverware. They are responsible for replacing the dishes and it’s expensive.  They do a good job for us.  Please be responsible.   Don’t remove dishes from the dining hall and bring back dishes that have already been removed.  I assure you that the dining hall managers will be grateful.  Besides, it is the right thing to do.