Y's Men News -- Sunday, March 15, 2026 | | |
Table of Contents
(Scroll Down to Find the Article Behind the Headline. Articles are
in the same order as the Table of Contents)
- Travel Discussion Group: "What's in Your Wallet?"
- Retirement for the Long Haul: 29 Years and Counting
- Staples Stradivarius Chamber Orchestra Enthralls Y's Men
- Mindfulness Group Zoom Meeting Set for Tomorrow
- Y's Men Hoot Owls to Perform at Senior Center
- Y's Men Sponsor VersoFest '26 Event Sunday, March 29
- Jim Marpe to Interview NBC's Craig Melvin April 8
- Shoah Memorial To Be Discussed Sunday, April 12 at Library
- Here's an Opportunity to Strengthen Bonds with Grandchildren
- Trips & Events Lists Outings
- Fairfield County Chorale Performs March 28
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Travel Discussion Group: "What's in Your Wallet?"
The Y’s Men Travel Discussion Group will meet from 9:00 to 10:30 am tomorrow, Monday, March 16, in rooms 203-204 at the Saugatuck Congregational Church.
Leading off the meeting, attendees who have travelled recently will be given an opportunity to talk about their experience.
The meeting’s focus: What’s in Your Wallet?
- We’ll discuss our experiences with the various credit cards
- Do they give us the value (i.e. points) we want?
- Do we use the awards?
Spouses/partners/significant others are always welcome to attend.
For information about the Y’s Men Travel Discussion Group, or to be added to the Group’s email distribution list, please contact Art Mann, mannart03@gmail.com
| Retirement for the Long Haul: 29 Years and Counting | |
Jim Freund
What does retirement really look like a decade in? Two decades? Nearly three?
Jim Freund knows, and he'll tell Y's Men about it as the featured speaker this Thursday, March 19. After a distinguished 30-year legal career as a partner at the legendary M&A firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he advised on landmark deals involving TWA, Federated Department Stores, and several major financial firms, Freund stepped away from practice in 1996. He was 62. He hasn't slowed down since.
In the nearly 30 years that followed, Freund has written 14 books (fiction, essays, memoir, and photography), recorded 35 albums of popular songs, performed for audiences across the city, taught negotiating at Fordham Law School, served as a court-appointed mediator in roughly 50 Lehman Brothers bankruptcy cases, and maintained a rich monthly blog jimfreundblog.com essays, music, and photography.
But this talk isn't a victory lap. It's an honest conversation about what retirement actually involves — the early decisions that shape everything, what has been unexpectedly fulfilling, what hasn't worked as well as expected, and how his perspective, strengths, and energy have evolved over nearly three decades of navigating life after work.
A Princeton magna cum laude, Harvard Law graduate, former Navy officer, lifelong New Yorker, and 40-year Easton weekend resident, Freund brings both intellectual rigor and hard-won personal insight to one of the most universal challenges we face: not just leaving work behind, but building something genuinely meaningful in its place.
Don't miss this rare chance to learn from someone who has truly been there, for the long haul.
Y's Men Thursday morning meetings are in Hoskins Hall downstairs in the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East in Westport. Coffee, donut, and bagel social hour begins at 9:00 am, business meeting at 10:00 am, speaker at 10:30 am. Come early and meet your fellow members. Guests are always welcome.
| Staples Stradivarius Chamber Orchestra Enthralls Y's Men | |
Staples Stradivarius Chamber Orchestra performed for Y's Men last Thursday.
Photo by Ted Horowitz
Led by Musical Director Carrie Mascaro, an elite group of Staples High School musicians performed a varied array of classical and contemporary masterpieces before an SRO audience of Y's Men and their guests at the Saugatuck Congregational Church last Thursday. The range and talents of these young musicians were amply displayed in the diversity of their selections: From the great Dvorak's Carnival Overture; to the soothing lyricism of String of Dolphins by Yukiko Nishimura; to the enchanting Winter, in Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with a superb violin solo by Isabel Jo, '26; to the captivating tango rhythms of Por Una Cabeza, by Carlos Gardel.
Director Mascaro praised the dedication of her musicians, and the skill and dedication of Westport's teachers, whose students begin lessons in the 4th grade, so that they are so well poised and prepared for the challenging programs they perform. And while the gifted Isabel Jo is graduating this year, there are numerous members of the Ensemble, including those in the class of '29, who have three more years to develop their skills under the guidance of dedicated teachers like Carrie Mascaro.
Special thanks to Y's Men Past President and Co-chair of the Y's Men Classical Music Society John Brandt for bringing this wonderful group to the Y's Men.
Click here to listen to the entire concert.
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Mindfulness Group Zoom Meeting Set for Tomorrow
The Y's Men Mindfulness Group offers two distinct gatherings for Y's Men. Both are facilitated by Y's Man Dr. Paul Epstein.
A Mindfulness Group Zoom session explores mindfulness practices and emotional resilience on the third Monday of each month. The next meeting is tomorrow, Monday, March 16 from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
Just for Men is an in-person discussion group that meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Westport Center for Senior Activities.
For further information, or to obtain the Zoom link, contact Paul Epstein or Jeff Rubin at, respectively, epsteinmb@aol.com and jeffrubinwpt11@gmail.com
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Y's Men Hoot Owls at Senior Center on St. Patrick's Day
Continuing an annual tradition, The Hoot Owls, the Y's Men glee club, will be the featured entertainment at the Westport Center for Senior Activities St. Patrick's Day luncheon this Tuesday, March 17. They will appear at 12:45 pm at the end of the luncheon which begins at noon
Space is limited for the luncheon so registration in advance is required. WCSA is located at 21 Imperial Avenue. .
| Y's Men Sponsor VersoFest '26 Event Sunday, March 29 | |
Renowned music entrepreneur Peter Shapiro will be in conversation with Dean Budnick, editor of Relix Magazine, on Sunday, March 29 from noon to 1:30 pm in a VersoFest '26 event sponsored by the Y's Men.
Shapiro has owned and operated concert venues like Brooklyn Bowl and The Capitol Theatre and has produced a wide array of music festivals. Budnick is a rock author, writer and documentarian.
They will be discussing the legacy of The Grateful Dead and the development of the jam band scene over the decades. The conversation will be followed by a screening of the Grateful Dead movie "Dead Ahead," a concert video by The Grateful Dead recorded at Radio City Music Hall and released in 1981 containing acoustic as well as electric song performances.
Event tickets are free and there will be a VIP room with coffee and donuts for the Y's Men beginning at 10:00 am before the conversation begins in the Trefz Forum.
| | Jim Marpe to Interview NBC's Craig Melvin April 8 | | |
Craig Melvin
An evening with Craig Melvin, co-sponsored by the Y's Men and the The Westport Library, will be held Wednesday, April 8, at 7:00 pm at the Library. Melvin is Co-Anchor of NBC’s “Today” and Co-Host of “3rd Hour of TODAY.” He will be interviewed by good friend Y's Man Jim Marpe,
A Westport resident along with his wife, award-winning sportscaster Lindsay Czarniak, Melvin will share stories from his career at the NBC News desk and transition into his current role as a Co-Host of "Today."
He will offer a "behind-the-scenes" glimpse into his most memorable interviews and global events such as the Olympics, various Super Bowls, as well as his perspective on the future of news.
A Westport resident, Melvin will discuss his life here and experiences that shape his work. Join us on April 8 for an unforgettable night of storytelling, and an opportunity to spend an evening with one of the country’s most respected broadcasters.
| | Shoah Memorial To Be Discussed Sunday, April 12 at Library | | |
"She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots," a sculpture that will be discussed at The Westport Library on Sunday, April 12.
The Shoah Memorial Fairfield Connecticut, a program that was rescheduled from January 25 because of snow, will be discussed and presented Sunday, April 12 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm at The Westport Library.
Y’s Man Paul F. Burger is Chairman and primary sponsor of the project, a nonprofit dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, education, and interfaith civic engagement. It revolves around a sculpture entitled "She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots" that will be installed as a memorial at Fairfield University.
The sculpture will be the centerpiece of the Sunday program entitled "Fighting Antisemitism and Celebrating Community: An Introduction to the Shoah Memorial."
The memorial is being created as a permanent educational resource—honoring Holocaust victims and survivors while fostering dialogue about human dignity, moral courage, and the consequences of hatred for future generations.
For additional information on the program and to obtain free admission click here.
| | Here's an Opportunity to Strengthen Bonds with Grandchildren | | |
Y's Men pilot program provides a platform to better know your grandchildren.
Sign up now for a new pilot program: Grand Play Day, coming to Y’s Men of Westport/Weston. It’s an afternoon where you and a grandchild (ages 5–12) play together, face‑to‑face and screen‑free. Using simple tools — question cards, paper‑and‑pencil table games, storytelling dice and cards, and easy, low‑impact activities — you’ll share laughs, swap stories, and likely discover something new about each other.
Why it matters: Grand Play Day is built on “Connections Thru Play,” created by Playocracy founder Lynn Campanella in partnership with the National Institute for Play, where Y’s Man Joe Miller serves as a volunteer executive.
Research highlighted by the Institute shows that play supports our health, our brains, our learning, our creativity, and our emotional resilience. It is as essential as sleep and nutrition. This Y’s Men pilot, planned for the week of April 24–30, 2026 to coincide with Global Intergenerational Week, will involve 15 to 20 Y’s Men families, be facilitated by Lynn and Joe, and include academic input from Eastern Connecticut State University’s Center for Early Childhood Education and Fordham University’s Center on Aging and Intergenerational Studies as a potential model for other community groups.
To participate with a grandchild ages 5–12, contact Joe Miller at josephamiller@yahoo.com.
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