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When the Family Ties are Yale Blue
September/October 2005
by Martha Livingston

Martha Livingston lives in Rhode Island. She is an active volunteer, focusing on services for children, especially the United Way and the Bradley Hospital, a nationally known psychiatric hospital for children. She is proud to have five children, eighteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Even many decades after graduation, large numbers of alumni and their spouses return to campus to attend their 60th, 65th, and Senior reunions. Because the AYA recognizes that families are an important aspect of alumni connections to Yale, we thought it would be interesting to interview the wife of a graduate about her experience of Yale at the 65th reunion. Martha Livingston, spouse of Stanley Livingston Jr. '40, agreed to share her views with us about Yale reunions and traditions.

AYA: Have you come back to reunions often?

ML: I can only think of one that I may not have been at, because we were in Europe.

AYA: What was different about this reunion?

ML: The older one gets the more one appreciates certain parts of the reunion and the affection that one has for those who are there—or are not there.

AYA: Can you talk about that a little bit more?

ML: I’m an emotional soul. Like a lot of people, I have very deep feelings for Yale. My father, two brothers, three sons, and now a grandson have attended Yale. My husband was a classmate and fraternity brother of my brother—which is how I met him. So Yale is quite important to me.

AYA: What do you enjoy most about coming back to campus?

ML: It is such an exceptionally dramatic and beautiful place, especially the renovated colleges and the beautiful plants and trees. Even though you’re in the heart of a city, you feel completely encompassed by Yale.

AYA: Do you feel welcome at reunions?

ML: Oh, definitely. It’s nice to have so many of the young people at every door, who make you feel like you’re not completely antique. We were very impressed with the enthusiasm that Yale students show. And I’m always moved by the beautiful concert at Woolsey Hall and the wonderful people who come back and sing so well—that is always a high point for me. The various programs presented by faculty were good, too. I thought the overview of what Yale is today was wonderful.

AYA: Was there anything especially moving or meaningful to you personally?

ML: I would have to say the memorial services and the women who had returned since losing their husbands. I admire their loyalty to their husbands, their loyalty to Yale; obviously they feel very strongly about Yale and their husbands' classmates. Also, it’s always nice to see old friends who have interesting things to share and to remember the fun times you’ve had in the past.

AYA: What’s the best opportunity for those connections and friendships?

ML: The various meals that we ate together at the college were most enjoyable. They gave us the opportunity to sit next to different people—sometimes people we especially wanted to see again and talk to, but also people we just happened to sit with and didn’t know very well. That was a very interesting experience; the fact that everybody was there because of their connection to Yale makes it rather important. I could say that it is better with a smaller group, but even when we were younger and there were more of us, you could see everybody that you wanted to see, and it was really a very pleasant opportunity to talk with lots of people.

AYA: Would you encourage women who have lost their husbands to return for their reunion?

ML: I certainly would. I hope that if I were ever in that situation I would want to do it, too.

AYA: Does coming back to Yale help you better understand your husband’s past and what made him who he is?

ML: Yale was an important part of his life. I think I truly understand how much Yale meant to him and still does. That’s why he has been so loyal.

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