Wave Weekend: Class of 1965 returns for 60th reunion
Dr. James Bootle (M *65, R *70) had one thing on his mind as he retraced his steps through the building where he studied medicine 60 years ago: he wanted to return to the 6th floor of Hutchinson. That’s where the Department of Pathology is still housed today — the same floor where he completed his medical degree and residency at Tulane University School of Medicine.
It turned out to be the perfect stop. On the 6th floor, Dr. Bootle ran into Corlis Trepagnier, who has worked at Tulane for more than 40 years, nearly 30 of those in Pathology. Together, they visited the Reed Laboratory, a room named for Dr. Richard Reed, who once mentored Bootle. As they walked, Dr. Bootle and Ms. Trepagnier swapped stories about faculty they both remembered from decades past.
Dr. Bootle was one of 15 members of the Class of ’65 who returned to campus for their 60th reunion. The group visited with Dr. Lee Hamm, Sr. Vice President and Dean, and toured the “new” anatomy lab. They proudly note that theirs was the last class to study anatomy in the Richardson Building uptown.
Much has changed in Hutch since 1965. Drs. Louis Escalada (A&S '62, M *65, R *71) and Earl Jones (M *65) wanted to see the original entrance they remembered on Tulane Avenue, now converted into office space. The tour continued through the Matas Library, where the alumni reminisced about studying in what was once a much smaller room. Each one remembered exactly which Hutchinson classroom they were in when they learned President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.
The youngest member of the Class of ’65 is now 84. Several alumni have returned for previous reunions — their 40th, their 50th — but the group's size dwindles with each passing decade. Fifty-seven members of the class have died since their graduation on May 31, 1965.
Their class’s impact at Tulane began not long after that commencement ceremony. The medical students had held a pre-graduation party at the Phi Chi Omicron house, where someone accidentally broke the onyx mantle above the fireplace. As class secretary, Dr. Jones used funds collected from classmates to cover the damages. After paying the bill, $1,200 remained. His faculty advisor suggested donating the leftover amount to the Tulane Medical Alumni Association.
That simple act became the Class of 1965 Endowed Scholarship — now valued at more than $200,000 and supporting today’s medical students.
In all, the Class of 1965 has contributed more than $4 million to Tulane University School of Medicine. And while much has changed in the Hutchinson Building and in New Orleans since these physicians were students here, the mission remains the same:
Non sibi, sed suis — not for oneself, but for one’s own.
