Another product for yak farmers

In response to: In the Republic of Vermont

By John Eliassen ’57

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

As the husband of an avid knitter, I know that yak fur can be spun into a specialty yarn. The lack of any mention of Rob and Kate Williams ’89 taking advantage of this product (feature, June 10) was disappointing. I guess the yak-farming lead is just an attention-getter for the...

Yak story omitted alumnus' name

In response to: In the Republic of Vermont

By Arthur R. Boone ’60

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Robert Coyle Williams was Rob Williams ’89’s father and a member of the Class of 1960; he died several years ago. Sorry he wasn’t mentioned in the article (feature, June 10). Not a big thing, but I’m sure Rob’s mother would have been happy to see her husband’s name in the PAW.

A tale of two justices

In response to: Sotomayor '76 recalled as activist for Latino causes at Princeton

By Charles S. Rockey Jr. ’57

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

All Princetonians should be proud that Judge Sonia Sotomayor ’76 (Notebook, July 15) has been confirmed for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. It is interesting to note that she has received an honorary degree from Princeton and current Justice Samuel Alito ’72 has not. It’s also...

Multicultural events at the Chapel

In response to: Glorifying religious diversity

By Alan D. Franklin ’43 *50

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

I was disturbed by the letter of R.H. van Fossen Jr. ’63 (Feb. 11), with its implied claims to universal Truth. I should, in the interest of full disclosure, state that I am a secular humanist concerned with maintaining religious values but without supernatural claims. As...

Debating Taiwan's independence

In response to: China and Taiwan

By Ronald Chen ’90

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

In response to George Costow ’04 (letters, June 10), I have no idea how his remarks contribute to the discussion of Taiwan’s independence. My original letter was an argument against Thomas Corwin ’62’s statement (letters, March 4) that “Taiwan’s independence can make no sense.”...

Reflecting on pride and gratitude

In response to: Alumni pride

By Argyris Vassiliou *91

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Bob Bender ’71’s letter of July 15 leaves me puzzled. The heading above it proclaims “Alumni pride.” If it has taken two and a half centuries of accumulating greatness to finally inspire pride in an alumnus, perhaps a little reflection – or what the communists used to call...

A better cost-cutting approach

In response to: President's Page

By Bruce Malashevich ’74

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

I read with interest and concern the article concerning the University’s loss of endowment and associated spending cuts (President’s Page, June 10).   The loss of endowment is out of our control, but the spending cuts being implemented are misplaced. As the owner of a small...

Financial future holds plenty of risk

In response to: Seeking financial stability in an uncertain economy

By Paul Hutter ’76

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

I was disappointed to see the headline “Seeking financial stability in an uncertain economy” (Notebook, July 15), because our endowment’s problems are not due to something so common as an “uncertain economy,” which occurs frequently throughout history, but to a new-style...

Don't overlook Princeton's 'immense' borrowing

In response to: President's Page

By Philip E. Coviello ’65

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

I read “The New Normal” by President Tilghman (President’s Page, June 10), and was very surprised to see absolutely no mention of the $1 billion recently borrowed by the University, according to press reports. I would have thought that a discussion regarding a debt incurrence of...

Student signs

In response to: Teaching for America

By Joanna Alexander *88

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Thank you for Christopher Connell ’71’s ’s interesting story, “Teaching for America” (feature, July 15). I was disappointed to hear that fourth-grade teacher Kit Tollerson ’08 hid his quite impressive and possibly inspiring education – St. Ann’s and Princeton – from his...

Good news about PPPL's fusion research

In response to: Firing up fusion

By Stuart G. Hibben ’48

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

The news that the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) is back in full action again (cover story, June 10) is the best from Princeton in recent memory. Despite the lost “mothball” years, I am confident that it will again play a lead role in the development of fusion power. The...

Resolving a clash in ethical standards

In response to: The hookup culture

By Stuart F. Hayes ’50

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

With regard to the question of ethics raised by professors George and Lonregan (letters, March 4 and June 10), let me go to the very base of things. Presently, tension exists between the older and the newer ethical standards. I view the choice as follows: Life is like a great...

Rare support for chastity-center plans

In response to: Respect and consent

By Robert P. George

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

I thank Brian Zack ’72 for his kind words about my teaching (letters, July 15). I’m happy to confirm that we are indeed friends. Dr. Zack is “at a loss” as to why Professor Londregan and I find his support for a campus love and fidelity center “especially impressive in view of...

Course credit for ROTC

In response to: ROTC seeks course credit

By John G. Middleton ’53

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

I was shocked, then outraged, to learn that Princeton does not give course credit for ROTC, and hasn’t for decades (Notebook, May 13.) Since I received my education during four years at Exeter, it should come as no surprise that I deem ROTC to have been the single most important...

Lithium and fusion plasmas

In response to: Firing up fusion

By J. Charles Nickerson ’65

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Having been a student of technical subjects at Princeton (and then Stanford) in the 1960s, I was conversant with, and at least mildly excited by, the promise of nuclear fusion. I am also bipolar, and was amused by the fact that lithium, which has helped me immensely, seems also...

Encourage competition in fusion-energy research

In response to: Firing up fusion

By John Sethian ’72

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Eric Hand ’97’s “Firing up fusion” (cover story, June 10) hits home, having worked on fusion since my senior thesis at Forrestal long ago. Technical and scientific challenges are indeed a factor in the long time to fusion. But another is the need for a policy that...

The battle for Tarawa

In response to: Issue in doubt

By Kenneth E. Scudder ’63

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Thanks to PAW and to Michael Goldstein ’78 for his article (cover story, May 13) on the search for the remains of Alexander Bonnyman ’32, lost in battle on Tarawa atoll in 1943. It’s saddening testament to the senseless futility of war that so many men died fighting over such...

Heroism at Tarawa

In response to: Issue in doubt

By Louis Sanford ’63

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Michael Goldstein’s piece, “Issue in Doubt,” recalling the battle of Tarawa, struck a deep chord. My uncle, Gordon Hildreth ’42, was a Marine lieutenant who was among the first 400 men in the first wave of landing forces in that bloody battle of November 1943. Although he never...

Women at Princeton

In response to: Princeton's feminization

By Roland M. Frye Jr. ’72

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Over the last couple of decades, PAW regularly has received and printed letters protesting, one way or another, that women are taking over Princeton. The most recent example (May 13) is from John Schmid ’45, who objects that “feminization of Princeton seems to be pervasive,...

Alumnae of a 'feminized' Princeton

In response to: Princeton's feminization

By Annette Lamoreaux ’81

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

It never ceases to amaze me that 40 years after coeducation, this magazine still gets letters complaining that since Princeton let in women, it’s been all downhill. It is ironic that PAW has received another such letter when President Obama’s current Supreme Court nominee is...

Experiencing Princeton

In response to: Princeton's feminization

By Laurie Henneman ’90

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

Thank you so much, editors, for making my day by publishing the letter from John H. Schmid Jr. I haven’t had such good laugh in long time. It reminds me of one of the things I liked about Princeton: On relatively small campus, two students could have experiences as varied...

Making ends meet

By Robert W. Koehn ’94

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

While reading President Tilghman’s column (President’s Page, June 10) regarding “The New Normal” and noting our need to overspend our endowment in the “short term” and identify $88 million of cost savings to make ends meet, I couldn’t help but think about how useful the $80...

Fireworks at Reunions

By Dorothy Bedford ’78

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

As the executive producer of the Reunions lawn concert and fireworks, I was very surprised to hear both a buzz around the tent circuit that future fireworks are to be canceled, and outrage that the University would proceed with such an expensive extravagance in a time of dire...

Respect and consent

In response to: Debating sexual ethics

By Brian Zack ’72, M.D.

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

In response to Professors George and Londregan (letters, June 10), I am happy to reiterate my support for their proposal “that Princeton should establish a center to support students who seek to lead chaste lives.” I am at a bit of a loss, however, at their finding my support to...

A tribute to Ritchie '34

In response to: From the Editor

By Joe Bolster ’52

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

PAW editor Marilyn Marks *86’s excellent report (editor’s letter, June 10) on the remarkable work of class secretary Ralph Ritchie ’34 prompts me to tell another story about Ralph. For most of his 21 years in the Princeton administration, he was secretary for class agents in the...

Alumni pride

By Bob Barber ’71

Published in the July 15, 2009, issue

When I first learned, during the campaign, that Michelle Obama ’85 is a Princeton grad, I finally felt I had a reason to be proud of my alma mater. Now that I’ve learned William Greider ’58 (A Moment With, May 13) and Sonia Sotomayor ’76 are also alums, I’ve got two more reasons.

Independent scholars

In response to: Do-it-yourself scholars

By Gene Bruskin ’68

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

Merrell Noden ’78’s cover story, “Do-it-yourself scholars,” in the April 22 issue made me proud to be a member of the Class of ’68. Noden did a great job of placing Jeffrey Perry ’68’s historical breakthrough (Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism) in the context of...

Recognizing alternative academic careers

In response to: Do-it-yourself scholars

By Tzivia Moreen ’02

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

Merrell Noden’s piece on “Do-it-yourself scholars” made me think immediately of my mother-in-law, Vera Basch Moreen ’72, a scholar of Judeo-Persian and Islamic studies. After receiving her Ph.D. from Harvard, she devoted time to her family, and has since been without academic...

An independent thinker

In response to: Do-it-yourself scholars

By R. William Potter ’68

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

What a delight and inspiration to read “Do-it-yourself scholars” by Merrell Noden­, with its focus on the spirited life and work of Jeff Perry ’68 — my onetime roommate — and Jeff’s new career as a biographer of the nearly forgotten African-American public intellectual and...

Isolated at Princeton

In response to: Mrs. Obama goes to Washington

By Sharath Raja ’88

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

While I would never claim to understand African-American student life at Princeton in the 1980s, Michelle Obama ’85’s recollections (cover story, March 18) resonate deeply with my own experiences as an Indian-American undergraduate. She has forced me to confront what it was like...

Isolation and skin color

In response to: Mrs. Obama goes to Washington

By Elizabeth Stevenson Green ’84

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

As I read through “Mrs. Obama Goes to Washington” (cover story, March 18), I remembered my experience during the same time period on the Princeton campus. I had come from fully integrated schools, the first student from my high school in 10 years to attend any Ivy League school...

Debating sexual ethics

In response to: Imposing personal value judgments

By Robert P. George, Professor of politics

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

We are pleased that Brian Zack ’72 agrees that Princeton should establish a center to support students who seek to lead chaste lives (letters, April 22). Dr. Zack’s endorsement is especially impressive in view of his own commitment to an extremely liberal view of sexual...

More on sexual ethics

In response to: The hookup culture

By James MacAleer ’55

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

A March 4 letter by professors Robert P. George and John B. Londregan discussed “the culture of promiscuity known as ‘the hookup culture’ ” (not unique to Princeton) and mentioned a required event as a part of Princeton’s freshman orientation titled “Sex on a Saturday night,”...

Replace aging windows

By Mark Alter ’96

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

I was pleased to read that Princeton is investing in energy-saving technologies (Notebook, April 22). I commend the University on its efforts to achieve the dual benefits of conserving natural resources and saving money. However, I was surprised not to see a lower- technology...

Another golf champion

In response to: History on the links

By ARCH HEWITT ’51

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

Rand Jerris *99’s listing of alumni champions in “History on the links” (sports, April 1) could have included another U.S. Amateur champion, Bill Campbell ’45, who won the event in 1964 in Cleveland. Later, he even became president of the USGA, as well as captain of the Royal...

A tradition of mayhem

In response to: Sex! Mayhem! Students gone awry!

By J. Michael O’Neil ’64

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

I want to compliment W. Barksdale Maynard ’88 for writing a fine piece about Christian Gauss and the dean’s concern over student tumult, and his humane attempts to alleviate it (feature, April 22). It’s my belief, supported by Maynard’s article, that Princeton always has had its...

China and Taiwan

In response to: Keep Taiwan separate

By George Costow ’04

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

In response to Ronald Chen ’90’s April 22 letter in which he defends “the historic and political facts of China and Taiwan’s long separation,” I would like to remind Mr. Chen of the difference between what constitutes a state and what constitutes a region.   Regardless of which...

Divergent messages

By Roger Haight *94

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

My Princeton Alumni Weekly and Virginia Tech alumni magazine both arrived on the same day, and there are interesting parallels and contrasts to be found in both magazines. Both universities have mottoes concerning service: Ut Prosim (That I may serve) for Virginia Tech, and...

Admitting a new class

In response to: Admission rate stirs up students

By Henry R. Whitehouse ’54

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

How can 44.8 percent of those offered admission to Princeton’s Class of 2013 possibly be “U.S. minority students” (Notebook, April 22) out of the total pool of applicants — white, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian — who all are U.S. citizens? Hopefully, this...

Triangle, then and now

By Kendall Crolius ’76

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

I received the brochure “Princeton: Then and Now” in support of the Aspire campaign, and enjoyed seeing a photograph from the Triangle Club illustrating the arts at Princeton “then.” The Triangle Club is justifiably proud of its long heritage and its position as the first...

From the Archives

In response to: From the Archives

By Christina Cragholm ’97

Published in the June 10, 2009, issue

Re the March 18 From the Archives photo: If I had to guess, I’d say this was a residential-college team intramural competition in 1994 or 1995. Karen Lubell ’97 (Mathey) has the clipboard, Ryan LaSalle ’97 (Butler) is in the background in long pants, and I think Vikas Aggarwal...

Deford '61's writings

In response to: More than the game

By Paul Kurzman ’60

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

Thank you for the wonderful article about the extraordinary accomplishments of Frank Deford ’61 (cover story, March 4). Frank is perhaps the most sensitive and sophisticated sportswriter of our generation. I write merely to add what was not mentioned. First, Frank is also the...

A prescient Deford play

By Dale Bell ’60

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

Frank Deford’s first play, Mr. First, was a one-act play we produced as part of a trilogy at Theatre Intime in 1959; naturally, it was about a man who was obsessive about being the first person in line at every major sporting event, probably very autobiographical and prescient!

Deford's 'funniest piece ever'

By Tom Hoster ’72

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

I bet that very few of your readers will recall Frank Deford’s funniest piece ever. It was a letter to PAW about 1970 or so. At the time there was a controversy brewing, principally among older alumni, about “cohabitation.” The presence of women on campus would surely lead to...

Other views of Obamas

In response to: Mrs. Obama goes to Washington

By Webster Griffin Tarpley ’66

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

Joining in the puerile media swoon for the new White House couple with a fawning puff piece (cover story, March 18), Peter Slevin ’78 focuses on the populist deceptions of the Obamas and ignores the preponderance of predatory Wall Street interests in the new administration,...

Bedazzled by fame

In response to: Mrs. Obama goes to Washington

By Amy L. Friedman-Meguira ’79

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

The placement of Michelle Obama’s portrait on the Nassau Inn’s Tap Room wall (Notebook, March 4) betrays society’s focus on fame in lieu of a person’s achievements. While she clearly has supported her husband, permitting him to achieve extreme career success as well as raising a...

The future of news

In response to: Perspective

By John Mason ’66

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

Is there a newspaper in Blade Runner (Perspective, April 1)? Yes, when Deckard is first seen, he is leaning against a wall with the public passing in front of him and he is reading the paper. A little later, he folds it once and holds it over his head to shield him from the...

Morality and respect

In response to: The hookup culture

By Irfan Khawaja ’91

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

In their letter decrying Princeton’s “hookup culture” (March 4), professors Robert P. George and John B. Londregan assert that though morally problematic, this culture “exerts powerful pressure” on Princeton students: “Students, like other human beings, want to fit in. So life...

Take a wider view

In response to: Hating Uncle Sam

By Richard Lachmann ’77

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

If the students in Sophie Meunier’s Wilson School junior task force hope to “win hearts and minds” (“Hating Uncle Sam,” March 4), they are not going to accomplish that by being trained in the bureaucratic arts of writing two-page memos and splitting the difference, and being...

College, independence, and trust

In response to: The hookup culture

By John Raimo ’08

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

As a recent graduate, I was disturbed to read professors George and Londregan’s recent letter (March 4). Premarital sexual activity seemed an odd topic for   an alumni publication; these culture wars begin and end far beyond the Princeton campus. Indeed, I am not entirely sure...

Princeton's feminization

By John H. Schmid Jr. ’45

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

Many important and long overdue changes have been made in the University since World War II. However, the admission of women was, I think, an unhappy decision. Since the war, most major all-male Ivy colleges have embraced coeducation. Apparently, educators insisted that...

From the archives

By Benjamin Waterhouse ’00

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

Wow. The 1970s? Based on one goatee? Those are the Tigertones from the mid-1990s (From the Archives, April 1). Given the mistletoe and the attempt to look like reindeer, this is probably the holiday arch sing in December 1995. The Tones are, from bottom to top, David Grossman...

For the record

Published in the May 13, 2009, issue

A Notebook story in the April 1 issue incorrectly reported that Campus Club had been purchased by the University. The building was donated by the club’s membership in 2006, with the stipulation that it would continue as a social and academic facility for students. The March 18...

Hookup culture letter 'a ray of sunshine'

In response to: The hookup culture

By Herschel R. Phelps Jr. ’53

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

It was like a small ray of sunshine breaking through very cloudy skies to read the March 4 letter from professors Robert George and John Londregan. I commend them for their fortitude in presenting the subject of the hookup culture so succinctly. It does seem that the University,...

Imposing personal value judgments

In response to: The hookup culture

By Brian Zack ’72, M.D.

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

“The hookup culture” by professors George and Londregan deserves a thoughtful response (particularly their eloquent online letter, rather than the procrustean version required to fit PAW’s 300-word limit). Casual sex in the absence of emotional commitment has become common at...

Oh, to be back on campus

In response to: The hookup culture

By Richard Olson ’65

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

Reading the letter by professors George and Londregan just makes me wish I were a student at Princeton today!

Hating (and liking) us

In response to: Hating Uncle Sam

By The Rev. Kenneth E. Lawson s’81

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

As a career U.S. Army chaplain and as the husband of a Princeton alumna (Vera Jesser ’81), I was fascinated read the March 4 feature, “Hating Uncle Sam.” As a civilian minister and then as a military chaplain, I have been around the world and I have seen much of this hatred...

So why do they hate us?

In response to: Hating Uncle Sam

By Jim Kreder ’60

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

The story on the methodology was quite interesting (“Hating Uncle Sam”). I’d like to see a future article on why we are hated.

Keep Taiwan separate

In response to: Advice for the president

By Ronald Chen ’90

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

In response to Thomas Corwin ’62 (Letters, Mar. 4), I disagree with his advice to President Obama about Taiwan. He writes, “Taiwan is part of China, and it should be part of China. Its independence makes no sense.”   I would like Mr. Corwin to consider not only the historic and...

See photo for what it is

In response to: From The Archives

By Cary M. Mazer ’74

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

Ah, a picture of those darned Princeton undergraduates pretending to be Irish “paddy” policemen back in those quaint old days of 1913 (From the Archives, March 4). I wonder what else can be found in the archives: undergraduate black-face minstrels, perhaps? Undergrads pretending...

Seeking gender equality

By Tatjana Good *04

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

Receiving my first issue of PAW half a world away was exciting. From my new home Down Under, with a nice cuppa by my side, I was transported back to my time as a graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I really enjoyed the range of topics covered...

Problematic polymath

By Martin Schell ’74

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

It is understandable that an inventor would be averse to seeing creativity stymied by nontechnical considerations such as regulations. So I don’t find it surprising to read that Nathan Myhrvold *83 (feature, Jan. 28) has “a strong libertarian streak.” What is a surprise is the...

Support club's staff

By Alison Winfield, Columbia ’05

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

The Columbia Club is in residence at the Princeton Club of New York, and I am a member of both. There have been recent staff layoffs by club management. I suggest that these layoffs demonstrate poor policy. The club is what we make it to be, and perhaps it means something...

Tiger attire tales

By P.G. Sittenfeld ’07

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

Attention Tigers, both spiffy and slovenly! We already know how you dress at Reunions (see: bright and tacky!). Now, for an upcoming PAW story, we want to know how and when and why you wear Princeton attire when you’re away from Old Nassau. For the sake of status on Fifth...

For the record

Published in the Apr. 22, 2009, issue

WPRB is the nation’s oldest commercially licensed student-run radio station. A March 18 Notebook story omitted “student-run” from the description.

The universe's ultimate fate

In response to: The cosmic apocalypse

By Chris Morris *78

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Three cheers for Princeton statistically discerning our universe’s ultimate fate (“The Cosmic Apocalypse” by Mark Alpert ’82, cover story, Feb. 11)!  But while Schrodinger’s cat is still mysteriously boxed, indeed rendering us only 90 percent half-there, why not invoke what...

A modest idea for Annual Giving

By Dick Wythes ’51

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Now, after 20 years of real and pseudo [grad school] Yalies in the White House, we at long last have a Tiger. I propose that we come up with an 800 phone number to be made available to all Princeton alumni … perhaps 1-800 MS OBAMA or 1-800 MICHELE [misspelled] or 1-800 LINCOLN....

Supporting nonbelievers

In response to: Keeping the faith

By Earl B. Byrne ’54

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Anent “Faces of Faith” (cover story, Dec. 17): It would seem that “diversity” has been the holy grail of the University for several decades now, especially with respect to religion as it is depicted in PAW. Indeed, the online University directory of campus activities lists a...

Dislike of Krugman

By Butch Kinnebrew ’59

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

“[Professor Paul Krugman] deadpanned that Nobel Prizes are given to intellectuals, and most intellectuals are anti-Bush” (Notebook, Nov. 5). I have taken Princeton off my resume long ago due to the comments by your hero, Krugman, and have written him many times with copies to...

Making moral distinctions

By John F. Fay *85

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Professor Jonathan D. Cohen’s work on neuroscience and moral reasoning, highlighted in the Fall 2008 brochure of Aspire Princeton, provides a perfect example of why good scientists do not necessarily make good moral philosophers and confirms my decision not to give any money to...

Budgeting for the Lewis Librry

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Charles W. McCutchen ’50

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Does the budget for Frank Gehry’s “Look at me!” Lewis Library (cover story, Oct. 8) include the cost of getting rid of it?

Tales of a thesis

By Mev Good ’46

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

I understand that senior thesis is still alive and well at Princeton. For me senior thesis was very challenging, but had its lighter moments that I would like to share.   It was in fall of 1948 that I asked Professor Walter (Buzzer) Hall if I could write my senior...

An inspiring conference

By Stewart A. Levin ’75

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

In October I attended my first ever Alumni Leadership Assembly on campus, and I believe I am far from alone in raising my hat to the Office of the Alumni Association staff for the magnificent experience they provided. As I said in my personal thank-you note, I came away renewed...

More on the rifle range

In response to:

By Walter Winget ’58

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Thank you for publishing my letter (Nov. 19) regarding the destroyed rifle range. I realize that you cannot engage in endless shots and countershots regarding any issue about which you write, but it would be nice if the University at least had a nodding acquaintance with the...

Distorting the facts

In response to:

By Paul Kolodner ’75

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

The Nov. 19 letter from Charles R. Parmele III ’47 about the attorney-general scandal continues a sorry tradition of excuse-making by conservatives. Whenever a Republican is found to have done something illegal, immoral, or wrong, they search for a Democrat whose actions can be...

Krugman, Bush, and intellectuals

By F.P. Brady *60

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

When asked why several recent Nobel prizes have been awarded to critics of the President, Professor Paul Krugman responded that “most intellectuals are anti-Bush” (Notebook, Nov. 5). I am not a Republican or Bush admirer, but he was our president. In his abusive columns, Krugman...

In support of Scottish studies

In response to:

By Andrew Hook *60

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

In an Oct. 8 letter, Ken McCarthy ’81 suggests that Princeton freshmen should be required to learn something of their school’s early history. He’s right. Such a brief introduction could be part of the innovative (for America) program in Scottish studies that some of us have long...

A culture clash at every game

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By John Brittain ’59

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

PAW’s article on the Princeton band incident at The Citadel (Notebook, Oct. 22) suggests that this resulted from a “clash of cultures.” I would like to suggest that we have a clash of cultures on our football field at every game. O n the one hand, you have the culture of the...

Not good enough? Princeton's 'new motto'

In response to: Matching wits at the pub; creating a group identity

By Richard E. LaFond *72

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Re On the Campus Nov. 19 by Isia Jasiewicz ’10, reporting that 700 Princetonians are now calling Old Nassau “Princeton University: Where Your Best Hasn’t Been Good Enough Since 1746”: I was required by the Graduate School to do two years of Princeton work in eight months....

An appreciation in rhyme

By James M. Shea ’57

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

PAUL KRUGMAN, Ph.D. He is Nobel laureate and professor, which mandates that he is the possessor of rationality, objectivity, and lack of bias, when writing or speaking on dais. These attributes are often left behind when he has weekly change of mind to write N.Y. Times...

Seeking a different perspective

By Barry Hart

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

The March 5, 2008, issue featured a Perspective by Jay Katsir ’04 (click to read) on the Writers Guild of America strike of 2007-08. When I first started reading it, I was hoping that, as the title of the column suggested, it would provide a meaningful and informative...

Early days of information retrieval

In response to: A new chapter for libraries

By Robert N. Carpenter ’43

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

“A new chapter for libraries” (features, Jan. 28) brings to mind one of the most foolhardy actions in my job as manager of information services for the American Management Association approximately 40 years ago – attempting to engage in dialogue with the late H.P Luhn, senior...

Basing science on the evidence

By S. Fred Singer *48

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

The Daily Princetonian reported Jan. 12 that “[Professor Michael] Oppenheimer, director of the Wilson School’s Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy, stressed that the preponderance of evidence and majority of expert opinion points to a strong anthropogenic...

More on Professor Conklin

In response to: The Darwin of Guyot Hall

By J. Courtland Robinson ’47

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

I read with much pleasure your article on Professor Conklin (feature, Feb. 11). I arrived at Princeton in February 1944 in an accelerated program and left 10 months later for the U.S.M.C., only to return later and complete my major in biology. I believe I am correct in thinking...

Worrisome investing

In response to: In the News

By Tad LaFountain ’72

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

PAW unfortunately reused the University’s term “sold” when describing the issuance of $1 billion in long-term taxable bonds (Notebook, Feb. 11). While not technically inaccurate, “sold” also could mean that bonds held in the portfolio were redeployed into equities that have...

Promoting global citizenship

By Giuliano Caldo ’91 *94

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

The goals of Aspire are commendable and truly “modern,” in its most positive and lofty connotation. “Global citizenship,” in particular, is focused on making the world accessible to Princeton students. Important though this goal is, however, in my non-U.S. perspective this is...

Communicating Aspire

By Bob Podolsky ’85

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

I was dismayed to see the University misquoting, and thereby misusing, Darwin to kick off its Aspire campaign (with a biologist at the helm, and on Darwin’s 200th birthday to boot). His seminal message about adaptation referred to species (not individuals) that are most...

Curing anti-Americanism

In response to: Hating Uncle Sam

By Randy Hobler ’68

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

Re “Hating Uncle Sam” (feature, March 4) on the causes of anti-Americanism: Of course, the solution is not in words, but in actions. Here’s a starter list: • Require that every U.S. ambassador be at least a 20-year veteran of the Foreign Service and be fluent in the language of...

The astronomer's view

In response to: The cosmic apocalypse

By Axel Kunzmann ’64

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

Although it is not likely that I will be personally affected whether either of the current leading theories about the end of the universe is correct (cover story, Feb. 11), I was interested to read about the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile. In her memoir My Invented...

Enforce drinking rules

In response to: Could a 'social honor code' curb binge drinking?

By John W. Minton Jr. ’50

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

If Princeton University is unwilling to enforce its current rules about alcohol consumption, why should the students be required to do so (Notebook, Jan. 28)? This nifty reversal of in loco parentis, leaving students to do the parenting, is the latest example of an unwavering...

Advice for Obama

In response to: Dear Mr. President

By Lawrence J. Dickson *71

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

I am following up on PAW’s invitation to offer advice to the president (feature, Jan. 28). Don’t chain us to a corpse, Mr. Obama! Since 1973, like clockwork, every eight to 10 years, the financial lemmings have jumped all together off some cliff, taking us with them. (See...

Accepting a non-apology

In response to: Keep playing Citadel

By Gary Oleson ’71

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

Richard Daily ’54’s letter (Feb. 11) added one more round of “blame the victim” in the cadet assault on the Princeton band before the Citadel football game. He is “certain” that the Citadel administration made the perpetrators “pay.” However, one of the perpetrators of the...

For the record

Published in the Apr. 01, 2009, issue

A memorial for Joseph A. Imbrogulio ’47 in the Feb. 11 issue contained several errors. A corrected version appears in this issue on page 53.

More to consider in 'Looking Ahead'

In response to: Features

By Jim Newcomer ’57

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Curious that your focus on the future (special issue, Jan. 28) was based on the same premise as any Buck Rogers dreamscape of the 1930s: Technology will grow ever more clever and continue to amaze us all! Things will be like today, only multiplied exponentially. Progress will...

Tomorrow's libraries

In response to: A new chapter for libraries

By Amelia R. Brown ’99

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Your excellent article about building tomorrow’s library and renovating Firestone (feature, Jan. 28) revealed much about current library culture and the vital need for thoughtful progress, not to an all-digital era, but to a long-term balance of permanent (paper, archival) and...

Remembering Conklin

In response to: The Darwin of Guyot Hall

By James D. Sheppard ’50

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

Thanks for W. Barksdale Maynard ’88’s fine article, “The Darwin of Guyot Hall” (feature, Feb. 11).   On the evening of Feb. 25, 1949, I walked from my dormitory to Broadmead. In one of my courses, Economics 326, the instructor had prepared a survey and told me to choose any...

A life in biology

In response to: The Darwin of Guyot Hall

By Alan J. Kohn ’53

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

I much appreciated W. Barksdale Maynard ’88’s thoughtful and timely article on Professor E. Grant Conklin. I knew well Conklin’s pioneering contributions to embryology, but not of his championing of evolutionary biology during crucial times. The article rekindled pleasant...

Learning perspectives

In response to: Perspective

By Bob VanWagoner ’44

Published in the Mar. 18, 2009, issue

I found the article “Eight Miles” by Susan Danoff ’75 (Perspective, Feb. 11) one of the most remarkable and well-written articles I’ve come across in quite a while. It is a superb story, well told, with the “perspectives” it sought. And I expect it will be a long time before I...

From the Archives

In response to: From The Archives

By Theola Sacha (Labbe) DeBose ’96

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

In the Dec. 17 From the Archives photo, I’m the black woman in the center. To the left with the blonde hair is Jennifer L. Carpenter ’96, and to the right is Leonora Williamson (Zilkha) ’96. We are part of the all-female singing group, the Tigressions. The photo is from our 1994...

Costly legal settlement

In response to: Robertson lawsuit settled

By Richard Houck ’71

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

PAW did a masterful job of summarizing the Robertson v. Princeton settlement in four inches of ink (Notebook, Jan. 28). Both the administration and the Robertson family were “happy” with the settlement, both sides were convinced they were right and knew more than the original...

A historic election

In response to: Success at the polls

By Robert Gleason ’87

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

The article concerning Jared Polis ’96’s recent election to Congress (Notebook, Dec. 17) understates the historic nature of his victory. Rep. Polis is not only Colorado’s first openly gay congressman, he is the first non-incumbent, openly gay man elected to Congress in our...

Drinking at Princeton

In response to: Could a 'social honor code' curb binge drinking?

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

I am an alcoholic. I took my first drink at Old Nassau, where my drinking progressed rapidly and affected me abnormally. By the time I graduated, I had punched out the wall of an eating club and was briefly hospitalized at McCosh. Somehow I received my degree, but my drinking...

Plaudits for Obama '85

By Paul Mendelson ’62

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

Finally, after several years of keeping score of alumni in the nation’s disservice — Rumsfeld ’54, Alito ’72, Spitzer ’81, and the like — and trying to have PAW recognize my tally, I now feel compelled to change my tack. That is to say, I will try to be politically correct...

Advice for the president

In response to: Dear Mr. President

By Thomas Corwin ’62

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

Re advice for President Obama (feature, Jan. 28), my area of special concern is U.S. foreign policy. Here are my suggestions in five crucial areas: Cuba: Ever since Eisenhower, we have had antagonistic relations with Cuba. During the Cold War this may have made some sense. Since...

Alumni ties to Greenfaith

In response to: Dear Mr. President

By Rabbi Ruth Gais *74

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

I was delighted that my participation in the Greenfaith Fellowship program was acknowledged in PAW (“Dear Mr. President,” Jan. 28). I am also very proud that Greenfaith’s executive director is a fellow alum, the Rev. Fletcher Harper ’85.

The hookup culture

By Robert P. George, Professor of politics

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

Princeton is a wonderful university, but there is a dark side to its social life — the culture of promiscuity known as “the hookup culture.” Many of our students feel deeply ambivalent about it, to say the least, but it exerts powerful pressure on them. Students, like other...

A missed opportunity

By R.B. Lewis II ’63

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

I was surprised and disappointed that not a single Princeton economist joined the group of Nobel laureates, Ivy Leaguers, and other distinguished academicians encouraging true economic stimulus instead of the disjointed and pork-laden government spending being promoted in...

A tribute for Mathey

In response to: Shepherding the endowment through the Great Depression

By William C. McCoy ’45

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

Princeton University should honor Dean Mathey 1912 (Notebook, Nov. 19) in a significant way. No committee, no consultant, just the right man at the right time. It would never happen today. Editor’s note: Mathey College, one of Princeton’s two-year residential colleges, was...

For the record

In response to: Faces of faith

Published in the Mar. 04, 2009, issue

A letter in the Jan. 28 issue from Arvin Anderson ’59 should have read, in part: “the exclusion of recognition of atheists and agnostics as a growing minority by the general American culture still exists.” The letter incorrectly referred to a “growing majority.”

Planning for pandemics

In response to: Why Princeton was spared

By Laura H. Kahn *02, M.D.

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

I read with interest Mark Bernstein ’83’s article on “Why Princeton was Spared” during the 1918 pandemic (feature, Dec. 17). One point that deserves clarification is the definition of quarantine, which the article didn’t get right. Quarantine is the separation of healthy...

Faith and freethinkers

In response to: Keeping the faith

By George A. Johnson ’59

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

I loved reading “Keeping the Faith” in the Dec. 17 issue of PAW, describing the varied religious expressions going on at today’s Princeton. It’s a nice contrast to my years at Princeton during the Eisenhower ’50s, when there was compulsory chapel, overt (and widely condoned)...

Time to lock the Chapel?

By John Brittain '59

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

PAW’s Dec. 17 report on religion at Princeton rejoices in the multicultural aspects of the Opening Exercises conducted in the Chapel. I always thought that the builders of the Chapel intended it as a place to worship the God of Christianity. If the University is unable to limit...

Glorifying religious diversity

In response to: Keeping the faith

By R.H. van Fossen Jr. ’63

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

As a self-described godless heathen wondering if it’s not time to start hedging his bets, Merrell Noden ’78 (“Keeping the faith,” Dec. 17) faithfully represents Princeton University’s glorification of religious “diversity” at expense of the Truth. In ignorance of the Bible and...

A commitment to searching for truth

In response to: Keeping the faith

By William H. Hudnut III ’54

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

As an undergraduate, I wrote my thesis on Samuel Stanhope Smith, Witherspoon’s son-in-law and successor as president of the College of New Jersey. Witherspoon and Smith began the traditions of Princeton in the nation’s service and a more latitudinarian approach to the heavily...

What about the skeptics?

In response to: Keeping the faith

By Jeffrey Shallit '79

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

For the third time in 12 years, the Princeton Alumni Weekly has run a long and positive article about religion at Princeton — despite the fact that many (perhaps even most) Princeton students are not affiliated with a religious organization. I ask the same question I asked four...

Keep playing Citadel

In response to: Citadel game questions

By Richard Daily ’54

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

I read with great interest Reed Benet ’84’s letter about the Citadel football game (Dec. 17). My wife and I, as well, attended the game and agree wholeheartedly with Reed. Perhaps being an ex-Naval officer, with one of my grandsons attending West Point, makes me better...

A campus rifle range

In response to: A student rifle range

By Gordon Batcheller ’60

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

I share Walter Winget ’58’s concern over the loss of the campus rifle range (letters, Nov. 19), but I’m not surprised. ROTC, military service, firearms — like, that’s so 20th-century nationalism. Shirley Tilghman has morphed “in the nation’s service” into “at the service of the...

From the Archives

In response to: From The Archives

By Gordon Bonnyman Jr. ’69

Published in the Feb. 11, 2009, issue

Re From the Archives, Nov. 19: The team member who is second from the left, wearing a cap, is my father, Gordon Bonnyman ’41. I don’t know who won the match that was captured in the photograph. I do know that in 1940 the Princeton team won the Second Annual Lordship...

Faces of faith

In response to: Keeping the faith

By ARVIN ANDERSON ’59

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

I suppose that when I read the very positive article “Faces of Faith” (cover story, Dec. 17), my reaction as a fully fledged atheist (since age 21) was interesting. I sadly note that while the University clearly tolerates nonbelievers as well as believers of   all types, the...

Describing Manna's ministry

In response to: Keeping the faith

By REV. DAVID KIM

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

I was disheartened after reading an otherwise wonderful article on faith in the latest issue of the PAW. I have worked on Princeton’s campus for 14 years as the executive director of Manna Christian Fellowship, one of the religious groups referenced in this article. The sole...

Inviting the 'neighbors' over

In response to: Keeping the faith

By ROBERT TELLANDER ’60

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

As a retired former totemistic figure, the Princeton Tiger, I was amused to learn that the Princeton University Chapel would celebrate Diwali on Nov. 8.   Having been invited to preach by Dean Ernest Gordon on “The Politics of Religion,” a course I taught for several years in...

Looking for female faces

In response to: Keeping the faith

By ERIKA H. GILSON

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

Looking at the Dec. 17 cover and the cover story, “Keeping the Faith,” I missed seeing some female faces. With an almost 50 percent representation at Princeton, why were none visible, in particular in talks with Sohaib Sultan after weekly prayer service?

A missed opportunity

In response to: Singer, D'Souza face off over religion and morality

By BRIAN ZACK ’72

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

Peter Singer and Dinesh D’Souza’s Dec. 3 debate on morality and religion was an extraordinary waste of an extraordinary opportunity (see coverage in Notebook, page 21). Singer, a profound if controversial thinker (these are not mutually exclusive), approached the evening with...

Food and ethics

In response to: Great Tastes

By OWEN MATHIEU ’66

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

Thank you for your interesting articles on Princetonians and food in PAW’s Food Issue Nov. 19. Eric Schlosser ’81 spoke at Reunions in May 2006. I told him that until I read his book Fast Food Nation, the scariest book I had encountered was Deliverance. Also, though he is not an...

Foreign-policy choices

In response to: Never Again?

By ROBERT EDWARD JOHNSON ’79

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

Because I’ve been a Libertarian since the summer before junior year of high school and thus favored a largely non-interventionist foreign policy since about that time (and even more fervently since the end of the U.S.S.R.), I didn’t know that it was possible to become even less...

Kazmaier one of a kind

In response to: A number like no other

By FRED LAMPARTER ’61

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

I attended Dick Kazmaier ’52’s last football game, noted in the Nov. 19 issue of PAW. As I recall, the rumor   was that a badly outclassed Dartmouth team would try to “get” Kazmaier,   and they did indeed knock him out eventually with a concussion — to   no avail, as far as the...

Covering a scandal

In response to: What about objectivity?

By HANSPETER NIEDERSTRASSER ’98

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

Charles R. Parmele III ’47 completely misses the critical point (letters, Nov. 19) about the story on the U.S. attorney firings by focusing on the   lack of coverage when Clinton fired the U.S. attorneys at the start of his administration and the supposed bias in The New York...

Surprising? Not really

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By G. DANIEL MASSAD ’69

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

Peter B. Lewis ’55’s comment in reference to Frank Gehry’s Lewis Library — “Every building he designs surprises me” (cover story, Oct. 8) — pulled me up short. The only thing surprising about the new library (I’m judging   only from PAW’s photographs) is its immediate site...

Reading Krugman

In response to: Krugman’s views

By KENNETH UTTING ’81

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

I was disappointed to read Charles Babcock ’58’s admission that he canceled his New York Times subscription because the paper publishes Paul Krugman’s column (letters, Dec. 17). If you want to pick a cancellation-worthy Times columnist, how about Thomas Friedman, whose repeated...

Cold fusion’s history

In response to:

By TALBOT A. CHUBB ’45

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

As a scientist who has paid close attention to the cold-fusion controversy, I found the Book Shorts description (Books and Arts, Nov. 5) of Sun in a Bottle by Charles Seife ’93 objectionable. The comment about several researchers announcing “that they had produced fusion in a...

From the Archives

In response to: From The Archives

By JUSTIN WERFEL ’99

Published in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue

In the Oct. 22 From the Archives photo, the jugglers with faces at least partly visible are, clockwise from bottom left, Mike Korn ’00, Daniel Weiss ’01, Justin Werfel ’99, Josh Model ’01, and Eleanor Aversa ’01. Most of us were officers of the club at one time or another. The...

Krugman’s views

In response to: Krugman: Nobel in economics

By Charles Babcock ’58

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

I read with interest your article about Paul Krugman (cover story, Nov. 5). I have seen him on TV a couple of times, and was dismayed to hear him advocating such a redistribution of wealth for our country. It seems to me that individual incentive should be encouraged, not...

Citadel game questions

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By Reed M. Benet ’84

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

I’ve never been a big fan of the Princeton band, nor any of the other so-called “scramble bands” around the country. I do believe I get their fundamental inherent joke, though, which is utilize and stretch the tradition (read: license) of the halftime show as an opportunity...

When the Citadel comes to Princeton

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By William J. Ledger ’54

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

The PAW description of the undisciplined behavior of members of the Corps of The Citadel toward our band members, both on campus and in their home stadium, raises the question of what to expect next fall when these two schools are scheduled to meet on the Princeton gridiron. If...

Why play the Citadel at all?

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By Bill Adams ’53

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

The band’s unfortunate experience at The Citadel prompts this question: With so few non-Ivy dates available, why does football schedule the likes of San Diego, Hampton, and, now, The Citadel, in the first place? In addition to Colgate, Lafayette, and Lehigh, regular non-league...

Top ranking omitted

In response to: A new round of rankings

By José Huizar *94

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

The recent PAW article entitled “A New Round of Rankings” (Notebook, Sept. 24) covered the University’s rankings in various publications. It was great to see that Princeton continues to rank high in publications such as Black Enterprise and Forbes.com, among others.   Princeton...

Memories of Mao

In response to: President's Page

By Tom Gorman ’73

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

In “What We Learned in China” (President’s Page, Oct. 22), Woodrow Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter ’80 reflects on her one-year sabbatical in China with her family. I applaud Dean Slaughter’s choice of sabbatical and appreciate her generally perceptive insights on...

Stevenson '22's work

In response to: Rescuing Stevenson ’22’s name from ‘loserdom’

By Edward A. Woolley ’51

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

The Oct. 22 issue included a Notebook report on a seminar focusing on Adlai Stevenson ’22. One of his influences was on local politics in New York City. Many young people were so inspired by his principled, intellectual, and practical approach to politics that they began a...

PAW's description incomplete

In response to: Rescuing Stevenson ’22’s name from ‘loserdom’

By Dorothy Bedford ’78

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

Your article “Rescuing Stevenson ’22’s name from ‘loserdom’ ” was timely and informative, with one exception: The reference to Adele S. Simmons was offensively incomplete. Please let your readers be aware that she is former president of Hampshire College, former president of the...

For the record

In response to: Never Again?

Published in the Dec. 17, 2008, issue

A profile of Professor Gary Bass in the Nov. 5 issue mistakenly stated that Bass “supported the Iraq war.” In fact, Bass said in an interview that he was deeply ambivalent about the war. It did not qualify as a humanitarian intervention, he believes, because there was no ongoing...

Another book on Reagan

In response to: Rethinking Reagan

By Joe Illick ’56

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

I respect Sean Wilentz, and Mark Bernstein ’83 has written well about him. But the article asserts several times that no one has taken on this project before, and I must point out the well-reviewed book by my late colleague, Jules Tygiel, Ronald Reagan and the Triumph of...

What about objectivity?

In response to: Raking muck in the new public square

By Charles R. Parmele III ’47

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

I think that what Joshua Marshall ’91 did was admirable (feature, Oct. 8). However, how come he was silent when Clinton fired all the U.S. attorneys? How come The New York Times (very faulty reporting) and The Washington Post are the only papers mentioned? What has happened to...

‘Provocative antics’

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By Scott Yost *87

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

As a Citadel faculty member and Princeton graduate alumnus, I was looking forward to the Citadel-Princeton game (Notebook, Oct. 22), although I normally avoid football. In fact, I had just come to The Citadel after teaching at Princeton last year, and went to the game mostly to...

Library pros and cons

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Clinton W. Kemp ’71

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

Is no one willing to say that Frank Gehry’s architecture (cover story, Oct. 8) is intrinsically odious and that, in juxtaposition to Princeton’s Gothic theme, it is particularly hideous? I visit the campus infrequently these days and, when I do, I am struck by the awful...

The Reagan legacy

In response to: Rethinking Reagan

By James M. Guiher ’51

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

I was very surprised to find that Sean Wilentz (cover story, Oct. 22) did not mention the most damaging policy Ronald Reagan launched during his presidency. When President Reagan announced that “government is the problem,” deliberately created a huge deficit to “starve the...

A wonderful gift

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Chris Morris *78

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

Re “Frank Gehry’s Princeton debut: What to make of this architectural alien in the land of collegiate gothic?” we need solace from Matthew 7:8 as it may comparably pertain to Demetri Porphyrios *80’s opposite-end-of-the-universe Whitman College: “Use not vain repetitions, as the...

As if a hurricane hit

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Houghton Hutcheson ’68

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

It’s a darn shame. I’m sure the new Lewis Library was a lovely building before a sudden windstorm apparently blew it over (“The Gehry That Landed on Ivy Lane,” cover story, Oct. 8). I can relate to the pain those on campus must be feeling about this. After Hurricane Ike...

A spark for creativity?

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Robert Sturtz ’78

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

Responding to comments at PAW Online about the new Lewis Library: It’s inspired — by Jadwin Gym on the right, by classroom boxes on the left, and tilting/slanting where they meet, like all faux old towers should. Cf. heavy-handed fakes, or pedestrian cost-conscious things at...

(Un)sustainable architecture

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Catesby Leigh ’79

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

Barksdale Maynard ’88 says Whitman College was constructed with “archaic technology.” Actually, Whitman features a variant of the modern cavity-wall system. A load-bearing interior envelope of concrete block, with horizontal and vertical steel reinforcement, supports...

A student rifle range

In response to: Beaming in Beijing

By Walter Winget ’58

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

I note in the Sept. 24 issue of PAW that there are three Princeton undergraduates who achieved the distinction of being Olympians, two in swimming and one in rifle shooting. I will not comment further on the two swimmers, except to congratulate them, because I assume they still...

Turkish connections

In response to:

By Robert B. Dodd ’49

Published in the Nov. 19, 2008, issue

The letter in the Oct. 8 issue from Allen W. Lukens ’46 regarding Princeton and Turkey prompted me to connect my family and our life in Turkey. My great-grandfather Edward Mills Dodd, Princeton Class of 1846, went to Turkey in 1849 as a minister and died there from cholera....

The new Lewis Library

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Gordon H. Hart '70

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

The Oct. 8 issue of PAW has a beautiful photo of the new Frank Gehry-designed Lewis Library on the front cover. The article within the magazine has more photos and descriptions of this building, as well as people’s reactions to it. There is no mention of its energy efficiency,...

The new Lewis Library #2

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Walter Gamble '53

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

About this new Lewis Library: What is it with Princeton architecture? Haven’t you learned a lesson from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and its Gehry building? Ask them about the usefulness of odd-angled inside space. How about maintenance costs? I understand MIT is suing...

Adding another eyesore

In response to: The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane

By Clinton W. Kemp ’71

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

Is no one willing to say that Frank Gehry’s architecture is intrinsically odious and that, in juxtaposition to Princeton’s Gothic theme, it is particularly hideous? I visit the campus infrequently these days and, when I do, I am struck by the awful accumulation of truly ugly...

Praising the Pre-rade

In response to: Get out and vote, Tilghman urges freshmen

By John Barnard '69

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

Pre-rade (Notebook, Oct. 8)? What a brilliant idea! What incredible symbolism! Every time I march in the P-rade, I am thrilled, and the biggest thrill is passing through the senior class, because of the emotional rush they exchange with the alumni. Starting the frosh off with...

Not-so-foolish idea

In response to: The Brutus of the conspiracy

By Robert R. Cullinane ’70

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

May I take issue with my friend Barksdale Maynard ’88’s characterization of Woodrow Wilson 1879’s quad plan as “a foolish, pet scheme” (feature, Sept. 24)? Though the idea of residential colleges may have been regarded as radical by certain influential men on the Board of...

Appreciating the band

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By Thomas G. Meeker ’56

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

We have read the Charlotte, N.C., newspaper account castigating our band for its performance and appearance Sept. 20 at The Citadel, when the members were harassed and taunted by large number of unruly cadets (Notebook, Oct. 22). Aside from there being little apology for this...

Proud of the band's behavior

In response to: Band’s visit to The Citadel draws a frosty reception

By Robert Wright ’97

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

As a Southerner (born in Alabama, raised in Texas), I was saddened to learn the details of the recent football game at The Citadel in South Carolina. In particular, the cadets’ treatment of the Princeton University Band failed to live up to traditions of Southern hospitality. I...

American education

By Adrian Woodhouse ’59

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

Looking at the current news on the Alumni Association Web site, one must wonder about the condition of secondary education in the United States. A couple of years ago, we were amazed that while we got two Nevada high school students accepted to the Class of 2011, the class ended...

Butler’s architecture

In response to: New residential college rising

By Leonard S. Thomsen ’56

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

Re “New residential college rising” (Notebook, Sept. 24): Butler College  — what a dreadful-looking building! Did the donor want his legacy to resemble a prison? Surely more than $50 million a year (Annual Giving, FY ’08) can create better-looking architecture.  

First-year assistance

In response to: Meeting their match

By PHILIP D. DIGGDON ’54

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

As the son of immigrants and the first of either family to attend college, I relate to Chip McCorkle ’09’s observation (On the Campus, Sept. 24) that one feels lost and out of place during one’s first year at Princeton. Add to that the presence of many prep-school classmates and...

At 114, aging gracefully

By David Scott Foster Jr. ’58

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

In the fall of 1894, Howard Crosby Foster entered Princeton as a freshman and soon adorned his room with the 1898 pennant, shown above. He kept it for about 30 years until, in the fall of 1928, his son David Scott Foster entered Princeton in the Class of ’32, and the pennant...

Wanted: Fairfax tales

By Gregg Lange '70

Published in the Nov. 05, 2008, issue

For an upcoming Rally ’Round the Cannon column for PAW Online, I’m seeking reminiscences of the legendary campus Valentine perpetrator Henry Fairfax. (Come on, you know who you are.) Please send to glange@alumni.princeton.edu or mail to PAW’s office at 194 Nassau St., Suite 38,...

Vindictive, or wounded?

In response to: The Brutus of the conspiracy

By Edward F. Duffy

Published in the Oct. 22, 2008, issue

In “The Brutus of the Conspiracy” (feature, Sept. 24), W. Barksdale Maynard ’88 chronicles the sad demise of the close friendship between two of Princeton University’s former presidents, Woodrow Wilson 1879 and John Grier Hibben 1882. He points largely to the undeniably dramatic...

A lack of hospitality

By Robert Wright ’97

Published in the Oct. 22, 2008, issue

As a Southerner (born in Alabama, raised in Texas), I was saddened to learn the details of the recent football game at The Citadel in South Carolina. In particular, the cadets’ treatment of the Princeton University Band failed to live up to traditions of Southern hospitality. I...

A Citadel apology

By Clarence C. Hutto

Published in the Oct. 22, 2008, issue

I would like to pass on my sincerest apologies to everyone associated with Princeton University for the dishonorable treatment you received while visiting The Citadel campus for the football game between our two schools. The actions of the individual cadets, alumni, and Citadel...

Kudos for ‘Final Scene’

By Richard Weed ’59

Published in the Oct. 22, 2008, issue

The “Final Scene” (Sept. 24) in the Alumni Weekly is a great idea! Please continue it.  

Tokamak vs. stellerator

In response to: Major fusion project gets the ax

By Daniel Jassby *70

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

The recent cancellation of the National Compact Stellerator Experiment (Notebook, July 16) reminds us that exactly 40 years ago the amazing Russian T-3 tokamak results burst upon the world and blindsided the U.S. stellerator program. The ensuing shutdown of stellerator work at...

Teach school’s history

In response to: A moment with...John Murrin

By Ken McCarthy ’81

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

I enjoyed the interview with professor emeritus John Murrin (A Moment With, July 16) about Princeton’s role in our now-distant revolution. It makes me think that a brief course, even if it were just a few hours long, on the early history of the school should be mandatory for all...

It’s orange and black

In response to: Commencement 2008

By George Hackney ’57

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

Valedictorian Zachary Squire ’08 is quoted in the July 16 issue as saying, “When the black and orange horde of alumni descends upon the Princeton campus,” etc. It is always said as “orange and black.” There’s no rule, it’s not in the handbook, it is simply tradition. We even...

Risking one’s life

In response to: Behind a badge

By Col. Bob Schwarze ’84

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

I’d like to comment on Peter Moskos ’94’s Perspective, “Behind a Badge” (June 11). Having been serving our country for 24 years, a combat vet, and currently a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, I’m shocked that Princeton has no or very few police-officer grads. I know the number of...

Life in ‘The Project’

In response to: The end is in sight for Butler apartments

By “Petey” Funk s’50 *52

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

You have had several articles and letters related to the Tract (Notebook, April 2; letters, June 11); however, I have not seen one from any of the original occupants, so you might be interested in our experience. My husband, Harley Funk ’50 *52, and I moved into the...

Writing for the viola

In response to: Going Solo

By Mihailo Voukitchevitch ’55

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

I very much enjoyed Katherine Greenwood’s article on David Carpenter ’08 (cover story, April 23). I was, however, somewhat disheartened to note the absence of mention of “Harold in Italy,” surely one of the greatest viola concertos written by that still-not-quite-respectable...

Princeton and Turkey

In response to: Marking time

By Alan W. Lukens ’46

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

Princetonians’ roots and attachment to Turkey (cover story, Sept. 24) go way back to the early missionaries of the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these missionaries were teachers at Robert College in Istanbul, which was, for many years, the only English-language university in...

Defining architecture

In response to: Perspective

By Stephen E. Silver ’58

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

Re: “Something Old, Something New” by W. Barksdale Maynard ’88 (Perspective, Feb. 13): I am surprised that so many people, including Princetonians, harbor the mistaken idea that “Oxonian architecture” is somehow Protestant. It most certainly is not. At the time when the great...

From the Archives

In response to: From The Archives

By Amy Benton Haemel ’93

Published in the Oct. 08, 2008, issue

I can help you with at least one of the couples in the April 23 From the Archives photo. The couple on the far right are my grandparents, William “Bill” Burwell ’42 *49 and his wife, Harriett “Toni” Burwell. Since this was taken in 1946, it would be during the time that my...

Citadel alumnus offers an apology

By Clarence C. Hutto

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

I would like to pass on my sincerest apologies to everyone associated with Princeton University for the dishonorable treatment you received while visiting The Citadel campus for the football game between our two schools. The actions of the individual cadets, alumni, and Citadel...

Providing dedication and levity

By Charlie Bergen ’07

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

“Recent incidents at the Citadel have reminded us yet again of what an awful institution that the Princeton University Band is.  All they do is irritate and incite others to violence, and I for one think it should be stopped.” Admittedly, I made up that statement, but I have...

The band deserves respect

By Joel Thompson ’08

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

The band deserves congratulation and commendation, not censure, for the way it handled itself in response to verbal and physical harassment at the hands of The Citadel cadets the weekend of Sept. 20. It is important to remember three key things. First, everything the band did...

A lack of Southern hospitality

By Robert Wright ’97

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

As a Southerner (born in Alabama, raised in Texas), I was saddened to learn the details of the recent football game at The Citadel in South Carolina. In particular, the cadets’ treatment of the Princeton University Band failed to live up to traditions of Southern hospitality. I...

Shocking intimidation at The Citadel

By Amelia R. Brown ’99

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

As a proud alumna of Princeton and the Princeton University Band, and an enthusiastic football fan, I was saddened to hear recently about the shocking intimidation and disrespect that the Princeton football team, its fans, and particularly its band encountered at the game at The...

The University should support the band

By Sharon Keld ’80

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

The Princeton University Band supports the athletic teams through thick and thin, and should get the support of the University and the community. The band performs a vital function of entertainment and provides an outlet of both music and fun for its members.   A friend of mine...

Farrand's campus

In response to: Growing the campus

By Paul F. Jacobs *66

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

I found your article “Growing the campus” in the June 11 PAW absolutely splendid! The cover photograph, as well as those on pages 21, 23, and 25, invokes memories from long ago as well as the existing beauty resulting from the extraordinary work of Beatrix Jones Farrand and her...

Preserving Farrand's ideas

In response to: Growing the campus

By Judith B. Tankard

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

Dr. James Fuchs ’60, co-founder of the Beatrix Farrand Society with his wife, Emily Nuttle Fuchs, gave me a copy of “Growing the Campus.” I was delighted to read such a glowing appreciation of Beatrix Farrand’s important contribution to the beauty of Princeton’s campus but...

The artist in all of us

In response to: Growing the campus

By Rocky Semmes ’79

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

Beatrix Farrand was the University’s first consulting landscape architect, and according to your thorough and thoughtful article, she sought to “stimulate latent sensitiveness to artistic expression” in the student body through surroundings of fitness and beauty. Her design...

The seniors’ Step Sing

In response to: A farewell song

By Sean Edwards ’92 h’72

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

It was disappointing to hear members of the Class of 2008 criticize the spontaneous rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Senior Step Sing (On the Campus, July 16). That they would describe the singing of the national anthem as “cliché” or “fratty” would suggest to me a...

Credit for starting the song

In response to: A farewell song

By Nick Hermandorfer ’08

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

I read the July 16 On the Campus column describing how our class “started a tradition” of singing the national anthem at the end of the arch sing. I don’t know if it is worth getting credit for, but I was the person who started the song. I thought it would be entertaining to...

Unearthing a 'very catchy' song

In response to: A farewell song

By Steve Reed ’96

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

In Laura Fitzpatrick ’08’s On the Campus column in the July 16 issue, she references a letter received by PAW editors from Herbert S. Bailey Jr. ’42. Mr. Bailey refers to a World War II-era song composed for Theatre Intime ending with the lyric, “America is okay.” While I do not...

A caricature of the world

In response to: A farewell song

By Christopher C. (Kit) Binns ’69

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

In her thoughtful essay on seniors’ reaction to an impromptu singing of the national anthem at step singing at Blair Arch, Laura Fitzpatrick quotes senior class president Tom Haine ’08 as saying that “the great American spirit will regain its indomitable nature in the face of a...

Milton, the Bard, Bluto

In response to: A moment with...Nigel Smith

By Terry Vance ’77

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

I very much enjoyed reading Merrell Noden ’78’s interview with Nigel Smith (A Moment With, June 11) and returning to the issue of Milton’s “unpopularity” despite undeniable genius, which was the subject of courses I took both as an undergraduate and as an alumnus. And many...

Celebrating the 25th

By Herman Field Froeb ’46

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

The photo on the July 16 PAW cover is the best photo you have ever had of a reunion. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and full of chuckles, and reminds me that I felt on my 25th in 1971 just as David Simon ’83 looks at his 25th in 2008 — on top of the world!  

Remembering 1968

In response to: Princeton spring

By Bill Swan ’68

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

The year 1968 was not all gracious accommodation of differing opinions (feature, July 16), although we do well to emphasize such behavior. I was one of three members of the Class of 1968 with “facial hair,” and I recall being thrown out of the Class of 1947 reunion site at the...

Attacking alcohol abuse

In response to: President's page

By Archie Conn ’62

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

The President’s Page description (June 11) of the Alcohol Coalition Committee presents a long-needed response to a problem affecting campus life and individual students for years. Professor Sanjeev Kulkarni and the co-chairwoman, Agatha Offorjebe ’09, took courageous steps in...

Dealing with alcohol abuse, addiction

In response to: President's page

By John W. Minton Jr. ’50

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

In 1946 I arrived on the Princeton campus, carrying one suitcase and my golf clubs. By 10 p.m., I was well on my way to getting drunk. I doubt that the drinking environment at Princeton, after a dozen hours in residence, had anything to do with this. My point is that 62 years...

A false contrast

In response to: Identity Politics

By James P. Mayes ’74

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

It was refreshing to see the article on Randall Kennedy ’77 (cover story, April 2). I have a few observations. I recently wrote an entry on the identity of African-Americans for the Encyclopedia on Race and Crime. African-American identity is even more complex than Kennedy...

From the archives: 1946

In response to: From The Archives

By Henry Fish ’48

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

Having started in Princeton in September 1945 and graduated in June 1948, I believe I recognize two persons in the June 11 From the Archives photo. The man drinking the beer in the left foreground has to be Connie Hunter ’48, the ubiquitous trumpet player around sporting events,...

For the record

Published in the Sept. 24, 2008, issue

A memorial for Joseph A. Fischer ’48 in the May 14 issue of PAW omitted a survivor. He is survived by his daughter, Marianne Fischer, as well as his wife, Irene, and his son, Joseph ’73.