Borrowing from the idea behind the well-known TED Talks, for our 50th Reunion we inaugurated Class of ’74 RED Talks. At Reunion, fifteen [notable] classmates each gave a presentation on a topic about which they are passionate. Many of us wished we could attend more than one Talk. Well stay tuned…we are bringing them back and more, with quarterly RED Talks that will be fun, informative, uplifting and ever so notable. Check this page often for all the latest in our RED Talks Redux Series.
RED Talks Redux #1–A Look Back at Our Time on the Hill
Cornell University’s de facto historian Corey Ryan Earle ’07 did an encore presentation of his lecture from our 50th Reunion in June. One of the highlights of our 50th Reunion was this talk by Corey Earle about Cornell during our time on the Hill. Corey covered Vietnam protests, the draft lottery, streaking, Ed Marinaro, Walter LaFeber, and more. His slides included ads for the North Forty and Triangle Book Shop, posters for campus concerts by Aretha Franklin, Sha Na Na, Jethro Tull & others, Sun articles from our day, and photos of campus buildings, sports teams, and graduation. Our classmates enjoyed this webinar by Corey on Wednesday, February 12th. Corey reprised his 50th Reunion presentation with some new topics included.
Missed the webinar or just want to rewatch it, just click here.
RED Talks Redux #2–Classmate John Williams and Frogs Leap Winery
Classmate John Williams is the owner and winemaker of Napa Valley’s iconic Frog’s Leap Winery which he started by selling his motorcycle and making 500 cases of wine in 1981. His Think Like a Grapevine RED Talk at our 50th Reunion was so popular that he hosteed another talk for our class via Zoom.
This fun event was Tuesday, May 13. Classmates enjoyed the webinar with Frog’s Leap wines they had purchased for the evening.
Enjoy the recording here.
RED Talks Redux #3–Poet Julie Kane
Classmate and poet Julie Kane shared her Cornell journey through creative writing to become Louisiana Poet Laureate from 2011-2013 and the 2025 Louisiana Writer Award winner with wonderful stories of her time at Cornell and her mentor A.A. Ammons. Read more about Julie here.
If you missed Julie’s RED Talk you can watch the recording here.
RED Talks Redux #4–Lawyer and Author Evan Stewart
Evan is the author of the book Myron Taylor: The Man Nobody Knew. To jog your memory, Myron Taylor is one of the giant historical of figures of the first half of the 20th century and a great Cornellian (think Cornell Law School). As one reviewer commented, “The Man Nobody Knew is a tour de force. Not only does it bring to life a remarkable and important person, but also tells a riveting tale—the chapters chronicling the runup to the US entering WWII is the stuff of le Carré. Stewart is an exceptional storyteller and this meticulously researched biography is a delight.” Many classmates joined us for this fascinating talk.
Missed Evan’s talk–watch here.
RED Talks Redux #5–Classmate and CBAA Founder Renee Alexander
Renee is one of the founders of CBAA (celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), and more importantly was a member of the record-breaking and legendary cohort of Black students who matriculated as freshmen at Cornell in Fall 1970. After a career in advertising and publishing, Renee went back to school to get a master’s and PhD degree in education. She then returned to Cornell where she served as the Associate Dean of Students, University Diversity Officer, and Director of Campus Climate Initiatives.
Renee has seen and been a direct participant in the recent half-century arc of diversity at Cornell, which today is one of the University’s defining characteristics. She spoke with us about the founding, the journey, and the future of the Black experience at Cornell.
Don’t miss Renee’s talk! You can watch the recording here.