Finding a new purpose

Noel Valero ’82 *86 is raising awareness for a little-known disease

Published in the Apr. 7, 2010, issue

When Noel Valero ’82 *86 was diagnosed in 2007 with dystonia — a movement disorder whose symptoms and excruciating pain eventually prevented him from working — he thought his chance to make a difference in the world had passed him by. Doctors told him at the...Read more

Wordplay winners

In PAW’s contest, a Scrabble entry takes the prize

Published in the Apr. 7, 2010, issue

Justin Werfel ’99 is a man of many talents. He spends his days as a scientist in “bioinspired robotics” at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. At Princeton, he was a juggler and a member of the University Band. And now he adds...Read more

The king of crosswords

Published in the Apr. 7, 2010, issue

Solving a difficult crossword puzzle is challenging enough. Try doing it on stage, in front of hundreds of spectators — in less than eight minutes. Impossible? Not for Dan Feyer ’99, the 2010 Ameri­can Crossword Puzzle Tourna­ment champion. Feyer, a musician...Read more

Observing America

Leo Damrosch *68 chronicles the adventures of Tocqueville

Published in the Apr. 7, 2010, issue

In 1831 a pair of French 20-somethings set off on a road trip through the young United States. Alexis de Tocqueville was the sensitive, introspective, and brilliant son of an aristocratic family that could trace its heritage back to the time of William the...Read more

Newsmakers

Published in the Apr. 7, 2010, issue

Author ROBERT CARO ’57 and artist FRANK STELLA ’58 were among the 20 National Medal of the Arts and National Humanities Medal recipients honored by President Barack Obama at the White House Feb. 25. Caro, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, received the...Read more