Boston College professor Cathleen Kaveny ’84 suspects Princeton dropped its language requirement for classics majors in part because critics tie the discipline to Western thinking, “inseparable from” racism, sexism, and structural injustice. “I don’t buy this argument either — even on its own terms,” she wrote. — Commonweal
Electronics component distributor Smith, co-founded 37 years ago by Leland Ackerley ’83 and his brother, fared unusually well when the pandemic disrupted supply chains and customers turned to them for parts. — The Houston Chronicle
Harvard business professor Michael Porter ’69 discussed ways the business world can help the broken U.S. political system and step up to meet social needs when government fails. — Harvard Magazine
Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller ’95 went public with his autism diagnosis, posting on Instagram that “being autistic is central to who I am. To everything I’ve achieved/articulated.” — CNN
The choice of “Guardians” as the new name for the Cleveland Indians upholds three pillars, said Brian Barren ’89, the team’s president of business operations: connecting to Cleveland, honoring baseball history, and uniting the community. — CBS Sports
Time-management guru Laura Vanderkam ’01 noted on Twitter that at a rate of 50 books a year, readers will only get through 2,500 books in 50 years. “Worth asking if any title is worth being in that,” she wrote. — Book Riot
Discussing the imperfection of literary awards, author Daniel Mendelsohn *94 said rather than serving as “clear markers of excellence,” they demonstrate “that there are no absolute standards for judging aesthetic matters.” — The Sydney Morning Herald
“You need to put critical race theory in quotation marks as it’s used in different ways by different people.”
— Randall Kennedy ’77, a Harvard Law School professor and expert on issues of race and the legal system, explaining how politicians are using critical race theory as a campaign weapon — “a stalking horse for race.” — The Hill
President Joe Biden nominated federal government attorney Thea Kendler ’96 to be assistant secretary for export administration in the Department of Commerce. — The White House
Epidemiologist Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo ’87, who studies health equity at UC San Francisco, said that vaccine mandates aren’t ideal, but are nevertheless becoming necessary. — Wired
Former sports reporter Lester Munson ’62, now board chairman of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, discussed the foundation’s video series aimed at the emotional challenges of working at the Tokyo Olympics. — RobertFeder.com
Fox released its first trailer for a new drama series based on the late Lawrence Otis Graham ’83’s book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, set to premiere Sept. 21. — Deadline
Former Disney+ executive Chanel Pysnik ’10 is joining Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell Productions to oversee nonfiction series and documentary films. — Yahoo! Entertainment
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Lawrence W. Leighton ’56
3 Years AgoAlumni Making Princeton Proud
In the short space of one month, July, a handful of Princeton alumni have overcome extraordinary challenges, defended democracy, broken barriers, and pioneered space travel under great pressure, in the face of grave danger, and all in the glare of the global spotlight. And all have stepped up with amazing courage, strength, and grace. They have made Princeton proud and we should salute them.
Gen. Mark Milley ’80, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended democracy and stared down a challenge from former President Donald Trump that arguably protected the country and the Constitution (according to reporting from a new book). Gen. Milley, an avid student of history, saw a strong similarity between how Trump was rallying his followers and how Adolf Hitler courted his own, and organized a counter plan among other military leaders and administration officials to thwart any potential coup. He urged them to resign en masse should Trump give them illegal orders. He also explained his insightful rationale in riveting testimony before Congressional committees, and outlined why knowledge of history is so critical.
Jeff Bezos ’86 is blazing a new trail by blasting into space in his Blue Origin rocket and capsule, and taking one of the first trips himself. His groundbreaking space program, his reusable rockets, and his willingness to donate $2 billion to help NASA rejoin the global space race shows his unparalleled ingenuity, innovation, and commitment to conservation. He also contributed $100 million each to two recipients for courage with civility.
Ashleigh Johnson ’17, the goalie for the U.S. women’s water polo team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (and now a two-time gold medalist), is one of the first African American members to succeed in the sport’s highest levels and has broken many barriers on her road to success. She also was recently featured in full page ads for Ralph Lauren’s Polo line of fashion.