The Eustace D. Theodore ’63 Fellowship
For Alumni Who Have Taken Roads Less Traveled
Summer 2002
by Grace Profatilov
Grace Profatilov is AYA Assistant Director for Communications.
Sandra Boynton ’74, the witty illustrator of greeting cards and children’s books, and Anthony Williams ’79, the current mayor of Washington, D.C., may not appear to have much in common. But both Boynton and Williams have followed distinct and unusual paths in their pursuit of success.
This has made them perfect recipients of the Eustace D. Theodore ’63 Fellowship. Boynton was the inaugural Fellow last year and Williams was selected to serve as this year’s Fellow. The Fellowship is awarded to an alumnus or alumna who exemplifies the diverse purposes to which alumni put their Yale educations. The Fellows visit the campus to meet with students and faculty, conduct workshops and teas in either Pierson or Calhoun colleges, and make a public appearance open to alumni and the University community.
The Eustace D. Theodore ’63 Fellowship was created and funded by the leadership of the Yale College Class of 1963 to honor their classmate, an alumnus of Pierson College who taught in the departments of American studies and sociology, and served as dean of Calhoun from 1972 to 1981 and as executive director of the Association of Yale Alumni from 1981 to 1997. In these positions he won the friendship and admiration of a wide circle of students, faculty, administrators, and alumni for his dedication to the values of a Yale education.
“I was surprised and humbled by my Class’s desire to honor me in this way,” says Eustace Theodore. “The Class wanted to create a unique Fellowship and asked for my thoughts on the criteria to use in the selection of the Fellows.”
Two things came to mind, Theodore explains. “First, I admired and believed in the strength of Yale’s college system and found that fellowships lodged in a college were among the best managed at Yale,” he says, noting that the program is jointly administered by the AYA and the masters of Pierson and Calhoun colleges.
Theodore’s second notion was based on a reading of his 25th Class Reunion book. “I was quite taken by the surprising variety of uses to which my classmates put their Yale educations,” he notes. “Having worked with undergraduates as a dean and then later at the AYA, I knew that undergraduates often see just a few pathways to success. They believe the myth that everyone graduates and follows a straight, steady path up the ladder in a few well-known fields such as law and medicine. But most graduates end up pursuing a life’s journey with many twists and turns, encountering new and different opportunities on the way.”
To reflect this reality, “I thought the Fellowship should bring to campus people with very unusual occupations, as well as those who may on the surface seem to have more typical careers, but who built them in an unorthodox manner,” says Theodore. “My hope was for undergraduates and others to realize that they should follow their inner vision—and that there were many definitions and pathways to success.”
Sandra Boynton, a member of Yale College’s second graduating class that included women, is best known for the menagerie of sheep, pigs, hippos, and other animals in her greeting cards and children’s books. When Boynton visited campus last year, she talked about “The Curious Misuse of a Yale Education.”
This year’s Fellow, Anthony Williams, has received national attention for his work to restore fiscal probity and health to the troubled city’s administration and for his unusual approach to politics. Mayor Williams spoke at Pierson and at a public event at Battell Chapel about his devotion to public service and his circuitous career path.
After high school, Williams served with distinction in the Air Force for four years. After leaving the military, he worked with handicapped children, and by the time he entered Yale, he was five years older than most of his classmates. While at Yale, he served on the New Haven Board of Aldermen and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in political science. He went on to earn degrees from Harvard’s Law School and Kennedy School of Government.
Mayor Williams shared some lessons he learned on the route to his current position. Emphasizing the importance of giving something back to the community, Williams urged everyone to spend time in public service and in mentoring others. In the spirit of the Eustace D. Theodore '63 Fellowship, the mayor also advised students to allow for “detours” throughout life. Counsels Williams: “Don’t simply take the interstate.” |
