Memorial for Franklin Price Raff, ’96

On Saturday, March 1, 2025 many alumni of the Yale undergraduate singing group  The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus (the SOBs) will be meeting in New Haven for their annual feature concert.  In this last year our organization sadly lost one of our brightest alumni stars, Franklin Price Raff, Branford ’96.  He died far too young, and it was a great shock to years of alumni of the SOBS.  He had befriended, hosted, and mentored decades of Yale students who came after him since the 1990’s, and he was a friend to many members decades older than he.  Even more than music, Franklin’s Jewish identity and life were central to who he was as a person.  I don’t believe Slifka had opened by the time he graduated, but he was certainly active with Jewish life on campus when he was an undergraduate.  The Slifka Center is the natural place to offer this Memorial.   The memorial would include testimonials from alumni who knew him well, appropriate prayers, as well as songs sung by the alumni attending from the SOB repertoire.

I write wondering if your principle meeting room is available for one to two hours on Saturday afternoon, March 1.  I am a staff member at the Yale Library and an alumnus (Pierson ’88), but if it would be preferred for an undergraduate organization to request the space use, the current undergraduate SOBs will be in attendance at this event, too. I would be glad to have them request the use for their registered undergraduate organization.  Please advise.  We will happily cover whatever rentals and other fees might apply.