The following letters from PAW readers were submitted as general responses to the magazine and its editors.
58 Responses
David L. Evans *66
1 Week Ago
In looking at the cover of the latest PAW, I thought about some anagrams of its name and thought you might appreciate the following:
One of the many rearrangements of the 21 letters in “Princeton Alumni Weekly” reveals a commitment to highly regarded investigative journalism via the 21 letters in the phrase: “A truly ink-plow eminence.”
As part of Google’s continuing saga to become the leader of the technology oligopoly, Princeton has subcontracted our email forwarding service to Google. This forces users to operate a separate email account with Google with storage limitations. much smaller than competing services like Yahoo. I wonder if others are as inconvenienced as I have been by this change? I am actively asking my friends to switch my email address to either my Harvard or Columbia forwarding accounts, neither of which has felt the necessity to introduce an extra link in the email process.
As I approach my 88th birthday in a few weeks, I find myself reflecting on the vast changes that have occurred throughout my long lifetime. I was born prior to the outbreak of World War II, during the Great Depression, and before Jackie Robinson’s historic integration into the Brooklyn Dodgers. I have witnessed the evolution of societies, technologies, and ideologies.
In my youth, (what some might call “the good old days”) we didn’t have television, computers, cell phones, and electric cars. We didn’t have choices, options, and preferences. Instead, societal expectations imposed rigid molds upon us, leaving little room for individual exploration and self-expression. Choices were scarce, and the paths we followed were often predetermined by others.
Contrastingly, today’s torchbearers of the future — the Millennials, Generation Z, and subsequent generations — inhabit a world full of possibilities. They engage in relentless experimentation, exploration, and self-discovery, striving to build lives of personal fulfillment and productivity. Unlike previous generations, they navigate a landscape abundant with choices, embracing the fluidity of identity and purpose. Many of them will explore various avenues, to test the waters of different identities, all in their quest for personal fulfillment and happiness.
Yet, amid this landscape of self-discovery, a disconcerting undercurrent of fear and intolerance pervades our society. Many individuals and groups harbor animosity towards that which deviates from their narrow conception of normalcy. That which does not fit into their “molds.” Their apprehension of and intolerance towards self-identity and innovation stems from an inherent inability to understand or manage such diversity.
Who are the targets of their fear? Those whose gender defies convention, whose mental or physical performance is atypical, whose skin is too dark, whose tongues speak unfamiliar languages, whose faith leads them to places of worship foreign to the majority, whose literary preferences includes unpopular themes, and those who believe they have the right to make decisions about their own bodies. These individuals face rejection and persecution merely for daring to exist outside the confines of someone else’s definition of “normal” and “acceptable.”
I want to see American flags, pride flags, and peace flags flying above our edifices, not the hateful symbolism of swastikas. I want a society where our children inherit the unassailable freedom to chart their own destinies, make their own choices, without fear, harm, or prejudice. I want them to be happy!
When our moment arrives to make our mark, let us cast our votes with the future in mind, with the well-being and prosperity of our children at heart. They not only deserve it; they demand it, and it is our duty to ensure that their expectations are met with the resounding affirmation of a society that embraces and celebrates every individual, irrespective of their differences. When it’s our turn to make a choice, with the ballot before us, make sure we cast our votes for our kids.
As much as I enjoyed the articles in the PAW Food Issue, I couldn’t help but notice that the issues covered were circumscribed to Princeton and the U.S. There was nothing about children dying of malnutrition in Gaza, or about North Koreans eating grass to survive. There was no mention about the link between climate change and food insecurity in Africa; for instance, drought in Somalia has led to crop failure and widespread famine. In Mauritius, planters are still recovering from the aftermath of cyclone Belal in January, which devastated crops and sent vegetable prices skyrocketing, turning them into a luxury. Rather than discussing the different options of buying $5 coffees in Princeton, please consider focusing on more pressing issues.
Elena Nikolova *11’s letter struck a chord. Her candid callout is refreshing. As the writer of an article in PAW’s March Food Issue, I felt a responsibility of sorts to justify why I had chosen Princeton’s expanding dining hall options and output as the subject of my reporting. Amid the global food crises that Nikolova notes — of which I am acutely aware as an individual invested in food security work — the stations in a new dining hall, and the elimination of certain academic culinary events, are trivial. But do we need to legitimize, or avoid, writing on such topics?
These are news items one would only read of a highly resourced institution. And we can’t particularly escape them. PAW should address Princetonian involvement in food systems worldwide, but setting the University’s food culture adjacent to articles on global issues offers our privilege context and perspective — more so than simply cutting out local record. Could that risk minimizing the gravity of famine, conflict, and natural disaster? It’s a line that we, as readers and as journalists, have to tread. The issue is not the articles PAW published, but those which it did not.
Editor’s note: The writer is a student contributor to PAW. The views expressed in Inbox do not represent the views of PAW or Princeton University.
I disagree with the perspective in the letter published in the June issue of PAW from Elena Nikolova. She takes the Alumni Weekly to task for focusing on issues related to the campus rather than global problems. I am aware of the problems of starvation and malnutrition across the globe, but that does not prevent my enjoying articles about Commons. Similarly, homelessness is a serious issue, but I can appreciate articles about the dorms on campus. There aren’t other publications who will tackle items of particular interest to alumni, so I am grateful for PAW doing just that.
Princeton Alumni Weekly’s masthead confirms what I long suspected: “The magazine is published monthly with a combined July/August issue.” So isn’t it high time to change the name to Princeton Alumni Monthly?
The wonderful meals prepared by Ms. Becky at Cannon Club.
Freshman year: Making Pizzas, except for the already-made dough, at the Dennis Keller-founded Student Pizza Agency. I continue, 60 years later, to make pizza for my family. Also delivering them with my roommate Frank Morgan in a mid-’50s stick-shift Ford and getting instructions on driving a stick from Frank.
Probably the least-popular meal at Commons: Purported to be lamb stew but believed by many to be mutton. If there was wind from the west, the aroma could be noticed at Chancellor Green.
Your latest edition of food stories (March issue) asks for input from readers. Here is mine:
During my sophomore year in 1955, there used to be a coffee shop (the “fast food” label was not known then) right on Nassau Street, named Renwick’s.
One day they announced a contest, open to any student, to provide the ingredients for a new sandwich. The prize was around $50 credit toward future food orders at Renwick’s. The sandwich would be included on their menu, and it would be named after the prize winner.
I submitted my entry, a combination of ingredients I derived from my younger years at a local restaurant in New Jersey. My sandwich entry was made from Taylor ham (sometimes called pork roll), grilled with melted American cheese, plus lettuce, tomato, mustard, and pickle relish, served on a toasted bun. They named it the Mackenzie ’57.
Evidently it became popular enough that it remained on their menu for several years, but with each rendition of a new menu, the name morphed. At one point, it was the McKinzie ’55, and eventually was dropped. It remained, however, as a fond achievement all my life.
In the February 2024 issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly that I received in the mail, there are no articles or information about Princeton’s major sports — especially basketball, hockey, wrestling, swimming, etc. Princeton Alumni Weekly going back over the years has always given some space to the major sports teams. After all, close to 18% of Princeton undergraduates currently are on varsity sports teams, so the lack of information or coverage is neglectful. Princeton athletes deserve the coverage. If Princeton alumni are informed as they should be about major Princeton University sports activities, then maybe there would be more alumni support and attendance would rise at various sports contests.
Princeton Innovation, the October supplement to PAW, amazed me with the number and variety of cutting-edge projects being undertaken in a wide variety of fields, from making pure oxygen from water to extracting lithium from salt water to reimagining public toilets in the Third World. For a history major who steered very far from engineering, the projects are intriguing and sometimes mind-boggling. Entrepreneurship at Princeton, powered by some impressive minds, is alive and very well.
I just read in Princeton Journeys (supplement to the September issue) about Princetonians visiting the Civil Rights Institute in my hometown of Birmingham.
They may not have seen the names of the eight clergy addressed in Martin Luther King’s fabulous Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The first of those eight names, my father, was Episcopal Bishop Charles C.J. Carpenter, Princeton Class of 1921. He was well known as the Eastern Intercollegiate Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Many of the Civil Rights integrated meetings were held in his office because Andy Young told King and Fred Shuttlesworth that they would be welcome and safe there.
My father did not disagree with King’s letter saying that the local clergy were too slow in promoting integration, but he had been one of those who brought about the election in Birmingham to remove Bull Conner and he had been one of the clergy who had written an article in the Birmingham News urging local citizens to comply with school integration. To give a fuller picture of who Chuck Carpenter was, I wrote his full biography, A Powerful Blessing, 331 pages. I self-published it, and copies are available from me, carpenter.doug7436@att.net, for $20 which includes postage.
I read “A March Through Civil Rights History” in the Princeton Journeys supplement (distributed with the September issue) with great interest since I participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march and two years later worked as the special assistant to the president of Miles College, a Black college just outside Birmingham. I spent almost two years in that role, and, as a young white man, I enjoyed being introduced to both Black and white audiences as the “house honkey in the administration” by the Black president of the college. During my time at Miles, I experienced many disturbing events due to the overt bigotry and racism that were so prevalent in the South at the time, both in Birmingham and in rural Wilcox County, just west of Selma. For example, three of us — my ex-wife and I and a Black colleague — were asked to leave the local Episcopal church by the head usher, even before the service began. When I crossed the town square to meet a Black colleague of mine in Camden, the county seat of Wilcox County, good ole’ boys with shotguns started towards us from all four sides of the square. My colleague and I decided to meet elsewhere. Other incidents like these happened on a weekly basis. My time there was a fascinating, disturbing, and maturing experience, and one I will never forget. I only wish I could have been part of the recent Princeton civil rights history march.
I write in response to the Blockchain supplement to the recent Alumni Weekly (EQuad News, May 2023). The Princeton DeCenter project has altruistic goals, that if achieved in isolation, would create good. But its Blockchain presentation has blind spots — undiscussed questions on the potential for harm.
Blockchain is essentially a private language, understood by a small group of insiders. To most people, Blockchain means cryptocurrency, and crypto means Bitcoin, etc., commonly understood as vehicles for unhinged financial speculation.
When the DeCenter puts forth a thesis based on “trust,” it might be sensible to include a sidebar presentation on, say, FTX and Bankman-Fried assessing whether that behavior will keep happening, and whether it is an acceptable “cost.”
Crypto is attractive to actors who engage in human trafficking, arms sales, and illegal drug trade. Is this just accepted as the “cost” of the economic freedom that crypto might offer people under oppressive regimes?
What is DeCenter policy on “collaboration with industry” — accepting funding from crypto firms and people; conflicts of interest; and influence on research. If SBF hadn’t been arrested, and his bad actions were still mostly unknown, would the DeCenter have accepted a grant from him? Will it accept a grant from Google or Facebook?
Asking “…how do we avoid harms?” is not enough. Perhaps these questions are addressed in the DeCenter website, or in its foundational documents. But they were not well addressed in the Blockchain pamphlet broadcast to alumni.
Years ago, Jaron Lanier discussed the “Siren Song” of AI and social media, its likely consequences, and malign uses, and he was largely correct. It’s appropriate to have similar concerns here as well.
The blockchain gathering report and the agenda for DeCenter (EQuad News, mailed as a supplement to PAW’s May 2023 issue) did not mention a critical item for societal change for the better: providing a way to prove ownership of real property (dirt) in countries that do not have the deed registry system. Here, the road to prosperity goes through the county clerk’s office. In 90% of the world, the landowners (the family has lived there for generations) can’t prove of record it is the “owner” so it can’t use the property as capital, or pass it down with certainty.
Princeton has had many generations of alumni who have served in our country’s armed forces, and many of those in the Army know of Fort Benning; traditionally home of the Infantry, now also of the Armor and Cavalry, and the Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools.
After too many decades honoring a Confederate general, the Department of Defense has approved the Naming Commission’s recommendation to recognize the contributions and values of Lieutenant General Hal and Mrs. Julie Moore, far more current “heroes,” by renaming the Fort in their honor on May 11. Here is a link which provides the rationale: https://www.fortmoore.com/
Movie lovers will remember Moore as portrayed by Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers Once … and Young.
I think it would be fabulous to feature Paula Chow and her incredible contributions to so many international students over the decades. The University already published an article about her, and it would be valuable for more alumni to hear about the story of such a gracious ambassador. Just imagine if she had been in charge of U.S.-China relations when she came to Princeton when her husband began his teaching career so many decades ago. She has been the warmest welcome to so many international students for so many years. She is the only non-student person at the University with whom I have kept in touch. Such an article would touch all international alumni. Thank you.
While nobody wants a “PAM,” might it be worth considering a name change from “Princeton Alumni Weekly” to “Princeton Alumni Witness”? This would retain the “PAW” initials while eliminating the anomaly of a “Weekly” that publishes monthly, and it would connote a publication whose witness of the Princeton campus and community is independent of the University’s administration.
I agree that our alumni magazine needs to get honest with its readers and the world by eliminating the word “Weekly” from its name. But the PAW acronym otherwise fits so well into Princeton culture that we simply need to find the right word to fit the letter “W.” And that word is “Worldwide.”
Princeton Alumni Worldwide is a true statement about where we, the alumni, are found. It reflects the University’s growing interest in and presence on global matters.
PAW forever, everywhere around the planet where Princeton Tigers are found!
I want to thank you for continuing to publish a regular stream of letters to the editor from some of this university’s most crotchety, implacable, condescending, and know-it-all alumni and alumnae. Your December 2022 issue was a gold mine of such letters.
I know that no matter what else comes in the mail, 11 times a year, I can count on a good (and unintentional) laugh thanks to the PAW’s Inbox section.
Having figured out the cure for cancer 15 years ago, I thought my fellow alumni might like to know what it is. Very simply, the tumor of cancer is an effect, not the cause of the disease. The cause of cancer is a failure in the “protective complex” (primarily immunity) which keeps us from forming tumors. More on this can be read in one of the editions of The Key To Cancer or its coming translations.
Someone beside myself may have figured this out also. No matter. Immunotherapy has developed from this concept to the point that it is now the preferred treatment option. See Jimmy Carter’s case. And my thesis has been accepted at the highest levels of clinical oncology. Trouble is, treatment pays more than prevention, maybe making some oncologists reluctant to go this route.
Bottom line: When dealing with something bad, fix the cause as well as the result.
I was appalled to read in The New York Times that Maitland Jones has been fired by New York University, and especially shocked that a major reason for his dismissal was the claim that he was thwarting students’ dreams of going to medical school, because I remember him as someone who went out of his way to help me realize mine.
I entered Princeton planning to be a physics major, but by the end of freshman year, I was questioning that decision and wanted to explore other options. With several chemists in my family, chemistry seemed like a logical option to explore. But that would require taking organic chemistry my sophomore year, and I hadn’t taken freshman chem, which was a prerequisite. So I went to Professor Jones, then the head of the chemistry department, to find out whether that would be possible.
Professor Jones was accessible, friendly, and helpful. After a brief meeting, he said he thought I could handle the course and was willing to sign the necessary permission form. (I had a much harder time persuading the head of my residential college, who also had to sign!)
I did do well in the course, but ultimately decided that chemistry was not for me. Instead, I majored in electrical engineering, then switched professions after graduation and have spent the last 30 years working in journalism. But almost 40 years later, I still remember Professor Jones’ kindness in giving me the option to pursue chemistry if I so chose, and I remain grateful for his help.
The arrival of the latest edition of PAW occasioned a twinge of embarrassment for me for not having realized earlier the school colors were no longer appropriate for its front cover. Of course I have always known that the orange and black represented the toxicity of male dominance pervasive at Princeton prior to coeducation, but given that any color chosen as replacements will offend someone, even the insipid lavender gracing the current issue, I am puzzled you chose any color at all.
To accomplish your goal to banish even the appearance of micro-insult, may I suggest your PAW covers be transparent. Naturally no print could be placed on it, since a color, especially black, would send students and alumni to the nearest safe space. And, since the interior pages would be visible through the cover, they also would have to be likewise transparent and print-free lest a mad rush to the school shrink ensue.
Configuring your magazine in this manner would have many benefits to your readers. First, nobody is offended. Second, there is total transparency. Third, your editors won’t have the impossible, mind-numbing task of satisfying the burden imposed by the intersectionality theory. You editors can know your readers can see through your publication to the individual, the logical end to trait selection.
I have to assume that the irony of receiving a Princeton Innovation supplement to the November PAW wrapped in a plastic bag was not lost on my fellow Tigers. If PAW editors were comforted by the exhortation to recycle the bag after carefully removing the address label (Inbox, November issue), they probably shouldn’t be. According to a recent issue of Consumer Reports, only 8.7 percent of plastic is recycled in the U.S. Plastic film is particularly difficult to recycle.
In a future issue, I would love to learn about innovators in the Princeton community who are working to tackle the world’s enormous plastic problem.
Regarding the “Affiliated Groups” page (Class Notes, July/ August issue), I believe the relevant song title is “It’s Been a Long Time Coming.” Clearly something is broken, and one suspects it will be a while before that same something is fixed. But of course, in the long annals of wisdom: The longest journey begins with a single step. So we keep walking, Tigers collectively, stepping out in motion together. A locomotive here wished to all!
Like most people who read the alumni magazines of various universities, I normally leaf through them to see if anyone I know has died or if anything interesting has happened lately on campus. However, the May 2021 issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly far exceeded my expectations. The article about Albert Einstein, one of the great men of the 20th century, was a fascinating and informative tribute to its subject. Princeton should be proud that Einstein chose to live there after he was forced to flee from his native country.
As an added bonus, I enjoyed the article about James A. Baker III ’52, and I will try to find the new biography of him that is mentioned in the article.
The Class of 1979 wishes to recognize classmates and Princeton trustees Louise (Weezie) Sams and Anthony Lee for their thoughtful, energetic, and courageous support of the University. We applaud your support of its students, faculty and alumni, its legacy of service, and its future, through these times of great change.
The Board of Trustees has faced unanticipated challenges, and together with President Eisgruber ’83, have confronted them with resolve. They include political divides and unrest in the United States and around the world, a global pandemic that has shone a spotlight on inequality of all stripes, and a looming environmental catastrophe. Accompanying these challenges have been devastating economic consequences for individuals, families and all of the institutions on which they rely. We are grateful to their leadership and devotion to the University through these difficult times.
We thank Weezie and Anthony — they give meaning to what it means to be “in the nation’s service.” We want to especially note their leadership on the Board of Trustees in acknowledging the role of racism in our collective legacy and our present, so that we can heal and proceed to a better future. We offer our support as they help guide the University in fulfilling its obligations to its students and the society they will someday lead.
We, the members of the Class of 1979, are proud to call Weezie and Anthony classmates. This letter stands as public recognition and gratitude for all their work.
I wish only to express my appreciation to PAW for its faithful production of a regular, dependable print edition of the magazine. I have been so accustomed to its regular arrival that I would have continued to take it for granted — had it not been for the announcement of the end of the print edition of yet another of the publications I still receive.
It may be that in this digital age I might have to resign myself to relying on a screen and smartphone for the news and edification in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, Locomotives to you for continuing to send me something which I can hold before me, whose pages I can turn back or forward, as I learn about campus issues and classmate news. Please don’t rush to go all-digital!
I notice lately that in the Inbox there is a continual bashing of conservative alumni who can easily be made targets and at same time ignoring the many conservative Republicans that have contributed so much to the University as well as to society. The name I bring up the late Dr. Julian Buxton ’50, who was All-Ivy League in wrestling and football and a graduate of John Hopkins surgery. He established a practice at Roper Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the first doctor, at his insistence, to perform an operation on a black man at Roper Hospital. Has it come to the time now that we ignore an alumnus of such notable accomplishments because he was a Republican? A man who raised huge sums of money for the University as well as encouraging many young people to attend, including some of his own offspring. It was his belief at the time that Princeton was the only University to attend. It is time now for those who knew him and loved him to stand up and be counted among the courageous.
Princeton alumni have created a new nonprofit organization to support free speech and academic freedom at Princeton. Princetonians for Free Speech (PFS) is nonpartisan and focused exclusively on these core freedoms. It was founded by two members of the Class of 1970 but is supported by an increasing number of alumni from many classes, and its board also includes representatives from a number of classes.
The core of PFS is its website, princetoniansforfreespeech.com. We invite all members of the Princeton community to take a look. On a regular basis, we post articles relating to free speech and academic freedom that are Princeton-focused in one column, and in the other we post articles about other universities and beyond.
In addition, subscribers receive regular email updates from PFS. While we have only recently launched, already hundreds of Princeton alumni, faculty, and students have signed up for the free subscriptions.
In the future, PFS plans to host discussions and speakers on the internet and on campus. We believe that it is vital to our democracy and to the future of Princeton that free speech and academic freedom be strongly defended, and that alumni of Princeton are critical to that defense.
It would be informative if the Princeton Alumni Weekly published a comparison of the policy the University adopted toward tuition relief in light of its policies on presence on campus during the pandemic versus the practices of other Ivy league universities and the various schools’ size of endowments compared to Princeton's. In other words how much “tuition compassion” did Princeton offer versus other wealthy universities during the pandemic?
You are cordially invited to participate in the Conservative Princeton Association.
In December of 2020, conservative and constitutionalist voices are completely absent from TigerNet’s list of online alumni groups. Terri Pauline ’76 and Lindianne Sarno ’76 therefore are initiating the Conservative Princeton Association. Our purpose is to provide a forum for conservatives, libertarians, and constitutionalists to share ideas, articles, news sources, and friendship. Our online discussion group will grow by invitation at first to give our group time to form bonds of friendship and trust. Our online discussion will be open to members only but non-members will be able to view our discussions.
The Conservative Princeton Association is open to alumni, graduate, and undergraduate conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians. To become a member of the discussion group, kindly apply to lindisarno@gmail.com and you will receive a direct link to join the online discussion.
I was disheartened to read the commentaries regarding systemic racism in the PAW Inbox in the November issue. Some opinions from older alumni indicated to me not only that there is a lack of understanding of the issue of systemic racism itself, but that some of these alumni continue to hold racist opinions that they do not know are racist. Embedded racist norms are the definition of institutionalized or systemic racism. The fact that they would write these letters is proof enough that there is still a problem within the larger Princeton community.
President Eisgruber ’83’s discussion of systemic racism is all too important given this lack of understanding. Defending the legacies of long-dead racists, no matter how nuanced the argument, does nothing to advance the University’s goals and only seeks to disclude members of the Princeton community by claiming that Woodrow Wilson’s achievements were somehow greater than the lives of Black people — and people of color everywhere.
Symbols are important because they are representative of our beliefs. I commend the University on its continued work toward inclusion and diversity. Commentary from some of the same alumni reveals that our community continues to struggle with interwoven oppressive beliefs.
On that note, one alumnus wrote that the University should change its mascot to a dove or a chicken, due to their “feminine nature” being more appropriately symbolic of the University’s current tack toward systemic racism. As long as we’re making pejorative analogies, let’s note that such alumni are absolute fossils.
Meaghan Byrne’s letter in the February 2021 issue of PAW regarding systemic racism more than anything else demonstrates her own systemic racism toward the “older alumni” whom she appears to assume do not belong to a minority race. She even stoops to name calling (a tool often used by those who have a weak argument) when she uses her own pejorative analogy to call older alumni absolute fossils. However, the tone and content of her letter demonstrate both her ageism and (to use an analogy which her letter brings to mind) her resemblance to “the pot calling the kettle black,” an analogy which she will undoubtedly mistakenly attribute to my being “systemically racist.”
I read with dismay the last paragraph of the letter sent by Meaghan Byrne ’10 (Inbox, February issue). While the sentiments of previous paragraphs in the letter are well stated, personal attacks toward people who hold other points of view serve only to foment further division in our society and reduce the one making the attacks to a lower level. Further, Ms. Byrne eschews the usual sentiment of calling elder people dinosaurs, preferring the term “absolute fossils.” Compared to dinosaurs, one can infer from the passion and totality of that term that Ms. Byrne wishes elder alums dead. While PAW states the usual disclaimer of Inbox content, PAW remains complicit by publishing personal attacks on others, particularly what appears to be the boundless incivility of wishing death on other alums.
You can learn a lot of things online, but one thing I would have had trouble internalizing if it weren’t for Princeton is that I’m not the best. There are people out there who pick up material faster than I do, people who analyze situations better than I do, people who communicate more clearly than I do. I had thought everyone at Princeton learned that.
I don’t remember the opinions that so disheartened Meaghan Byrne ’10 (Inbox, February issue), and I’m not going to look them up — that isn’t the point. I probably agreed with some parts and disagreed with others. When someone says something, and I disagree, I find it most productive to push until we agree, one of us accepting the other’s side. Ms. Byrne decided who was right and dismissed the “older alumni” as racist. That ends the conversation; you will never listen to someone you consider old and racist, so they have no reason to try to convince you of anything. If you want all people to be respected, a good start is respecting all people.
For the record, some of my professors (indeed, some of my favorite professors) likely fit Ms. Byrne’s definition of “fossils.” I hope none of them read Ms. Byrne’s comments, but if they did, and they read this, they should know I still hold them in very high esteem!
From my perspective, Meaghan Byrne ’10’s characterization of the older alumni who wrote letters about systemic racism as “absolute fossils” showed a lack of understanding, humility, respect, and appreciation for the “Old Tigers” and Princeton alumni who precede her and on whose shoulders younger generations stand. Of course, she is free to express her opinion. However, the use of name calling and generalizing that “such older alumni” are racists closes any civil discussion or debate.
Through the generous financial support from alumni donors given to those accepted but unable to afford it, they are able to attend, study, receive an exceptional education, and earn a prestigious degree. A Princeton degree opens many doors to do, accomplish, and contribute so much to others, our communities, and our nation.
The generosity of Princeton’s older alumni gave my son the opportunity to enroll, attend, and graduate, because as public school educators, my husband and I could not have afforded it. The instruction, encouragement, and guidance of several alumni who supported him to carry on and persevere were also key to his success and completion of his degree.
Whether or not Ms. Byrne received financial support from Princeton alumni or her parents to attend and graduate, like my son, she received a degree and all its benefits from the most prestigious university in the country.
On behalf of our family, we’re eternally grateful for the generosity of “Old Tigers.”
I may be one of the “fossils” referred to in Meaghan Byrne’s letter in the February issue of PAW. Being accused of defending past racists and chastised for not recognizing the systemic racism at Princeton allows me to be a “living fossil.” Archaeologists studying fossils learn the history of their environment and times. So, let’s have a little history lesson.
At Princeton I participated in a precept (instituted by Wilson). I signed the honor pledge (insisted on by Wilson) more than a hundred times. The core courses and electives in my 4-year chemical engineering program followed the curriculum established by Wilson. He originated the phrase “Princeton in the Nation’s Service.” He fought for a graduate school and proposed a college system; they are here today. He proposed adding electrical engineering and other departments and added courses in music, architectural drawing, and mineralogy. He raised money for Lake Carnegie. He transformed Princeton from a country club for the rich into the finest university in this country where students of all races, creeds, and incomes can attend. A. Scott Berg ’71’s biography, Wilson, should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in Wilson. It tells everything about him: the good, the bad, and the ugly, all in an intimate style.
While no Black students were admitted during Wilson’s tenure, few, if any, were admitted in the administrations of presidents Stewart, Hibben, Duffield, and Dodds. Finally, President Goheen, heeding the civil rights movements of the l960s, admitted Black students before women were admitted in 1969. Hayward Gipson ’67, a Black footballer, helped Princeton win two Ivy League championships.
On the topic of social justice: The objective can be achieved if we work together and find the mutual benefit of our collaboration. I am reminded of the man cutting down the tree with a dull axe. A passerby suggests that he sharpen the axe to which he responds that he is in too much of a hurry to do that. We can continue to complain and pursue our own agenda or allow reason to prevail.
I recall my first year at Princeton. We were six sharing a suite. My roommate was of German descent and not happy to share a bunk in an area the size of a walk-in closet (6 feet wide by 10 feet long) with a Puerto Rican. In a moment of physical confrontation, I made it clear to him that I was there for my education and did not need his acceptance. I further clarified that after this moment in time we would probably never have to deal with each other again. That understanding held and maintained the peace.
If we rise above our petty inclinations, which are mostly driven by tradition, upbringing, or hermeneutics, we can achieve a greater purpose. Remember in a game of tug-of-war there is little movement unless a stronger force favors one side. If we pull together we can make a better future for the next generations that follow. It is difficult to see all the trees from within the forest, but step outside and see the abundance and variety. It’s our choice.
Belatedly comes the very sad news of the death in New York City of James Montel Polachek, 75 years old, on April 27, 2020, of COVID-19. Born in New York, Sept. 4, 1944, educated at Harvard and Berkeley, Jim was quite simply brilliant, first as a violinist and pianist, potentially professional; as a linguist; then — his true calling — as an Asianist. An esteemed friend, he was my predecessor as terminal assistant professor (1978–84) of Asian history at Princeton. Harvard University Press published his field-defining magnum opus, The Inner Opium War, in 1992.
Truly a tortured soul, he married first Machiko Ichiura (divorced 1977) and then Elizabeth Allan (married 1981, divorced 1994). They produced two daughters. Sadly his enduring scholarship was paralleled by a fractured career (he turned, again with great accomplishment, to finance) that chillingly demonstrates how heedlessly our universities waste even the greatest talents. His daughter Jen Monroe, with him at the end, takes solace in his final escape from the devils that pursued him. We can only admire the raw courage he showed, wrestling them long and tenaciously enough to produce a truly great book: the supreme gift to his field, to his colleagues, and to his students today, and yet unborn.
This is just a belated note of thanks for your appreciative notes on the passing of my onetime dear friend and college roommate Jim Polachek. Though he and I lost touch back in the ’70s, he had an enormous influence on the course of my life, and I had great admiration for his intellectual and also musical abilities. We studied Chinese together at Harvard, graduated together in 1966, and both went to UC Berkeley for graduate school. I was in the oriental languages department while he was in Asian studies and history.
When he wrote me from Japan that he was staying on a second year, I applied for a scholarship to Kyoto University. Arriving in Tokyo he graciously met me at the airport and helped me settle into my year in Japan. Kyoto University was on strike the whole time I was there, a big flag of Che Guevara dominating the campus center. Jim came down from Tokyo and tried to persuade me that the only happy future for us was to leave the academic life behind. He was most persuasive, and in my case, he was probably right. Indeed a year or so later that was the choice I made, throwing my lot in with music — classical guitar, renaissance lute, and the folk music I'd grown up with. I thought it was somewhat ironic that he was the one to persevere as a scholar and teacher. We lost touch in the ’70s after I began a practice of Buddhist meditation — I think seeing me in a monastic setting was somehow unsettlling for him. Over the years I looked for him online, but without success. I wish I'd known he stayed on at Princeton through those years. I am sorry to learn now of his passing.
In 1967 or 1968 an African American Princeton undergraduate stood in front of a group of awestruck Black students at a segregated public school in Wynne, Arkansas. I was one of the wide-eyed students who packed the Childress School’s library that day.
I was a seventh-grader. I don’t remember the undergrad’s name, but the impression he made was an inflection point in my life. I remember the effect he had — a poised, articulate young Black man wearing a black varsity jacket with a big orange letter “P” on the chest coming to our rural hamlet from a thousand miles away, reinforcing that Black kids in the segregated South could have big goals.
His visit has stayed with me over the decades. He empowered me (and I believe others) to imagine beyond our circumstance and societal limitations.
I hope this letter finds him. It would be great to close the circle he started more than 50 years ago and let him know one of the kids he inspired in that classroom went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in urban studies, spending a career in news reporting and public relations. I am fortunate and thankful that at a formative time in my life, fate sent a young Black dream merchant from Princeton to help Black students like me envision new horizons.
It's a tragedy that the cycle of repeated crimes met with increasingly harsh law enforcement has put citizens in urban war zones and the police on a collision course with each other. The reasons for it go deep, deep into our society: racism without a doubt, but there are other factors. My thoughts go back to the findings shared by psychologist James Garbarino in his book Lost Boys. The remedies he suggests to break the cycle are many, reaching far beyond improving community relations between cops and urban Black residents. The boys in question face a cradle-to-grave problem most whites can’t possibly understand. But one of the teenage prisoners Garbarino interviewed put it this way: “If you grew up like I did, you’d be just like me.” Personally, I don’t think my imagination can stretch that far.
On Aug. 19, 1862, my mother’s grandfather was commissioned a major in the Union Army and appointed Surgeon of the 66th Regiment Illinois Volunteers. He participated in the second battle of Corinth in November 1862; the 12 bloody battles of the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman’s March To the Sea in 1864; the Carolinas Campaign and the last action of the Civil War, the Battle of Bentonville, in early 1865. He then accompanied General Sherman to Washington, D.C., marching in the Grand Review of the Armies on May 24, 1865. He was subsequently discharged from Union Army service on July 7, 1865. Almost 50 percent of the 66th Illinois died in action or were taken by disease. He returned to his home in Edwardsville, Illinois, to practice medicine. He died in 1919.
The other side of the story. My father’s grandfather’s heart was in a different place. Living in Newport, Kentucky, he was drafted into the Union Army in 1863, but paid a $300 bounty to a black man to serve in his place, as was so often the custom during the last two years of the Civil War. For four years he refused to walk in the front door of his home under the U.S. flag flown there proudly by his wife. His heart was still in Northern Virginia where he was born.
Those were difficult times. These are difficult times.
Too many of the same issues so prevalent then haunt our country today. Most particularly is our deep divide on issues which we, predominately raised in the long-standing Judeo-Christian tradition with its so simply stated moral code of “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you,” do not share with significant equanimity.
Despite our so nobly stated declarations in 1776, 1787, and 1789 we, the whole body politic of this nation, have failed each other and ourselves in not applying these hallowed principles to our daily life since 1868 when we adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, fully accepting all who are born or naturalized here as citizens of this nation to be guaranteed equal protection under the law.
A significant number of us still, after over 150 years, do not accept the equality of our all of our fellow citizens, much less all humankind, nor do we practice even neighborly tolerance of so many of our fellow citizens, especially those who look different from ourselves or who follow the tenants of a religion different from our own.
Worse yet, many of those in our country’s leadership today and those with significant authority and power to influence and control are not dedicated to uphold and equally enforce the adherence to the principles we espouse as a nation and have codified in the Constitution and its Amendments each of us has accepted and pledged to uphold.
Once and for all, we need to apply ourselves with significantly increased vigor to include all of us together as equals, and to celebrate our diversity as the strength it has always been. This can wait no longer.
Once again, our future as a nation, and especially a great one, is at stake.
William Hayden Smith *66, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University
5 Years Ago
Today, charging the battery in an electric auto is cheaper than the equivalent gasoline, plus there are NO gasoline taxes on electricity. Heavily subsidized Tesla owners fill up cheaply. The Tesla is now “filled up” using electricity from a fossil-fueled or nuclear power plant. That situation is to change as renewable sources replace electricity from fossil-fueled and nuclear power plants across the globe.
The press reports solar and wind electricity now cost less than fossil-fuel electricity, so all is well.
How, then, is it plausible that the countries with the most renewable electrical power are also the countries where electricity is the most expensive? The most advanced countries now produce up to one-third of their electricity by wind and solar, yet prices are TRIPLE those of the USA.
Mandated 100% conversion to electricity from renewables is variously a goal for 2040. The replacement of energy requirements of transport and fixed structures with renewable energy requires a 10-fold increase to meet today’s energy demands. The 10-fold increase in renewables implies that the costs of electricity will soon rise MUCH more, as seen in those countries with high renewable electricity fractions already.
An unintended but critical consequence of renewable electrical power in the EU is energy poverty. In 2017, studies found that 40,000 extra deaths in the UK occurred during the winter since people could either eat or heat, but not both. Millions across Europe are falling into the same energy poverty. That situation will quickly worsen in the years ahead, and will become a concern here in the USA as renewables in California and other states drive electricity prices to similar high levels.
Since production of one-third of the electrical supply by carbon-free, renewable energy has caused electricity to triple in price in Europe and Australia; mandated conversions to 100% production of the present electricity supply plausibly triples the cost again, to $1.50 per KWH. The economy of scale in the cost of PV and wind turbines has already been achieved, so installation and maintenance costs now dominate. An electricity cost of only $0.45 per KWH created ENERGY POVERTY for millions in Europe and the deaths of 40,000 in the UK. Imagine how many will suffer when the cost is $1.50.
Renewable power systems have another social cost which now becomes apparent. The required renewable power system for 100% decarbonization is nearly the size of the USA. Leaving room for people, farms, cities, and roads becomes problematic, especially for the disappearing middle class. This reflects the exceedingly high housing prices in large cities. In the coming decades, as our population swells due to immigration, the energy demand will follow, doubling again by 2040. The realization and cost of this expanded energy system is NOT included in most projections.
Mandating 100% electric autos, as already has happened in Europe, then becomes a major KILLER of human beings, not on the highway, but by creation of vast energy poverty!
Think of that when you proudly plug in your Tesla.
No, electric vehicles are not killing people. They are among the most effective means for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and their associated impacts to human health. I’m not asking you to believe me, but please believe Princeton’s own researchers. In every pathway modeled in a comprehensive study to achieve net-zero U.S. emissions by 2050, electric vehicles feature prominently (https://acee.princeton.edu/rapidswitch/projects/net-zero-america-project/). Furthermore, because internal combustion vehicles convert only ~30 percent of input energy to useful motion, a switch to EVs (which convert ~80 percent) will result in less, not more, energy consumption. Let’s not conflate energy with electricity!
Make no mistake, this is a bad faith attack, and it is important to place it in context; Professor Hayden Smith is a member of a group (CO2 Coalition) that has taken money from fossil fuel companies including Peabody Coal to sow doubt in proven climate solutions. Professor Smith: We are already facing an uphill battle, but please sir don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be by misinforming Princeton alumni.
This member of The Atlantic’s “Word Police” is amused by the cover of the Nov. 7 issue, which portrays perhaps 200 women with the headline “She Roared.”
Isn’t it about time this periodical got a new name? Perhaps with wording that is not overtly masculine? (And perhaps the name change might also recognize the current publication schedule?)
Yes, "alumni" is masculine plural, but all masculine plurals include everyone, masculine or not. I cannot believe anyone would be offended by "alumni" except malcontents.
58 Responses
David L. Evans *66
1 Week AgoIn looking at the cover of the latest PAW, I thought about some anagrams of its name and thought you might appreciate the following:
One of the many rearrangements of the 21 letters in “Princeton Alumni Weekly” reveals a commitment to highly regarded investigative journalism via the 21 letters in the phrase: “A truly ink-plow eminence.”
Does the PAW live up to this assessment?
Michael Otten ’63
3 Weeks AgoAs part of Google’s continuing saga to become the leader of the technology oligopoly, Princeton has subcontracted our email forwarding service to Google. This forces users to operate a separate email account with Google with storage limitations. much smaller than competing services like Yahoo. I wonder if others are as inconvenienced as I have been by this change? I am actively asking my friends to switch my email address to either my Harvard or Columbia forwarding accounts, neither of which has felt the necessity to introduce an extra link in the email process.
Alan Wohlman *66
5 Months AgoAs I approach my 88th birthday in a few weeks, I find myself reflecting on the vast changes that have occurred throughout my long lifetime. I was born prior to the outbreak of World War II, during the Great Depression, and before Jackie Robinson’s historic integration into the Brooklyn Dodgers. I have witnessed the evolution of societies, technologies, and ideologies.
In my youth, (what some might call “the good old days”) we didn’t have television, computers, cell phones, and electric cars. We didn’t have choices, options, and preferences. Instead, societal expectations imposed rigid molds upon us, leaving little room for individual exploration and self-expression. Choices were scarce, and the paths we followed were often predetermined by others.
Contrastingly, today’s torchbearers of the future — the Millennials, Generation Z, and subsequent generations — inhabit a world full of possibilities. They engage in relentless experimentation, exploration, and self-discovery, striving to build lives of personal fulfillment and productivity. Unlike previous generations, they navigate a landscape abundant with choices, embracing the fluidity of identity and purpose. Many of them will explore various avenues, to test the waters of different identities, all in their quest for personal fulfillment and happiness.
Yet, amid this landscape of self-discovery, a disconcerting undercurrent of fear and intolerance pervades our society. Many individuals and groups harbor animosity towards that which deviates from their narrow conception of normalcy. That which does not fit into their “molds.” Their apprehension of and intolerance towards self-identity and innovation stems from an inherent inability to understand or manage such diversity.
Who are the targets of their fear? Those whose gender defies convention, whose mental or physical performance is atypical, whose skin is too dark, whose tongues speak unfamiliar languages, whose faith leads them to places of worship foreign to the majority, whose literary preferences includes unpopular themes, and those who believe they have the right to make decisions about their own bodies. These individuals face rejection and persecution merely for daring to exist outside the confines of someone else’s definition of “normal” and “acceptable.”
I want to see American flags, pride flags, and peace flags flying above our edifices, not the hateful symbolism of swastikas. I want a society where our children inherit the unassailable freedom to chart their own destinies, make their own choices, without fear, harm, or prejudice. I want them to be happy!
When our moment arrives to make our mark, let us cast our votes with the future in mind, with the well-being and prosperity of our children at heart. They not only deserve it; they demand it, and it is our duty to ensure that their expectations are met with the resounding affirmation of a society that embraces and celebrates every individual, irrespective of their differences. When it’s our turn to make a choice, with the ballot before us, make sure we cast our votes for our kids.
Elena Nikolova *11
6 Months AgoAs much as I enjoyed the articles in the PAW Food Issue, I couldn’t help but notice that the issues covered were circumscribed to Princeton and the U.S. There was nothing about children dying of malnutrition in Gaza, or about North Koreans eating grass to survive. There was no mention about the link between climate change and food insecurity in Africa; for instance, drought in Somalia has led to crop failure and widespread famine. In Mauritius, planters are still recovering from the aftermath of cyclone Belal in January, which devastated crops and sent vegetable prices skyrocketing, turning them into a luxury. Rather than discussing the different options of buying $5 coffees in Princeton, please consider focusing on more pressing issues.
Rachel Brooks ’25
4 Months AgoElena Nikolova *11’s letter struck a chord. Her candid callout is refreshing. As the writer of an article in PAW’s March Food Issue, I felt a responsibility of sorts to justify why I had chosen Princeton’s expanding dining hall options and output as the subject of my reporting. Amid the global food crises that Nikolova notes — of which I am acutely aware as an individual invested in food security work — the stations in a new dining hall, and the elimination of certain academic culinary events, are trivial. But do we need to legitimize, or avoid, writing on such topics?
These are news items one would only read of a highly resourced institution. And we can’t particularly escape them. PAW should address Princetonian involvement in food systems worldwide, but setting the University’s food culture adjacent to articles on global issues offers our privilege context and perspective — more so than simply cutting out local record. Could that risk minimizing the gravity of famine, conflict, and natural disaster? It’s a line that we, as readers and as journalists, have to tread. The issue is not the articles PAW published, but those which it did not.
Editor’s note: The writer is a student contributor to PAW. The views expressed in Inbox do not represent the views of PAW or Princeton University.
Thomas Drucker ’75
3 Months AgoI disagree with the perspective in the letter published in the June issue of PAW from Elena Nikolova. She takes the Alumni Weekly to task for focusing on issues related to the campus rather than global problems. I am aware of the problems of starvation and malnutrition across the globe, but that does not prevent my enjoying articles about Commons. Similarly, homelessness is a serious issue, but I can appreciate articles about the dorms on campus. There aren’t other publications who will tackle items of particular interest to alumni, so I am grateful for PAW doing just that.
Ed Rybka ’75
6 Months AgoPrinceton Alumni Weekly’s masthead confirms what I long suspected: “The magazine is published monthly with a combined July/August issue.” So isn’t it high time to change the name to Princeton Alumni Monthly?
Bob Nahas ’66
6 Months AgoMy food memories, in no particular order.
Gordon Mackenzie ’57
6 Months AgoYour latest edition of food stories (March issue) asks for input from readers. Here is mine:
During my sophomore year in 1955, there used to be a coffee shop (the “fast food” label was not known then) right on Nassau Street, named Renwick’s.
One day they announced a contest, open to any student, to provide the ingredients for a new sandwich. The prize was around $50 credit toward future food orders at Renwick’s. The sandwich would be included on their menu, and it would be named after the prize winner.
I submitted my entry, a combination of ingredients I derived from my younger years at a local restaurant in New Jersey. My sandwich entry was made from Taylor ham (sometimes called pork roll), grilled with melted American cheese, plus lettuce, tomato, mustard, and pickle relish, served on a toasted bun. They named it the Mackenzie ’57.
Evidently it became popular enough that it remained on their menu for several years, but with each rendition of a new menu, the name morphed. At one point, it was the McKinzie ’55, and eventually was dropped. It remained, however, as a fond achievement all my life.
Steven Jay Feldman ’68
7 Months AgoIn the February 2024 issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly that I received in the mail, there are no articles or information about Princeton’s major sports — especially basketball, hockey, wrestling, swimming, etc. Princeton Alumni Weekly going back over the years has always given some space to the major sports teams. After all, close to 18% of Princeton undergraduates currently are on varsity sports teams, so the lack of information or coverage is neglectful. Princeton athletes deserve the coverage. If Princeton alumni are informed as they should be about major Princeton University sports activities, then maybe there would be more alumni support and attendance would rise at various sports contests.
Jeffrey Marshall ’71
10 Months AgoPrinceton Innovation, the October supplement to PAW, amazed me with the number and variety of cutting-edge projects being undertaken in a wide variety of fields, from making pure oxygen from water to extracting lithium from salt water to reimagining public toilets in the Third World. For a history major who steered very far from engineering, the projects are intriguing and sometimes mind-boggling. Entrepreneurship at Princeton, powered by some impressive minds, is alive and very well.
Doug Carpenter ’55
11 Months AgoI just read in Princeton Journeys (supplement to the September issue) about Princetonians visiting the Civil Rights Institute in my hometown of Birmingham.
They may not have seen the names of the eight clergy addressed in Martin Luther King’s fabulous Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The first of those eight names, my father, was Episcopal Bishop Charles C.J. Carpenter, Princeton Class of 1921. He was well known as the Eastern Intercollegiate Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Many of the Civil Rights integrated meetings were held in his office because Andy Young told King and Fred Shuttlesworth that they would be welcome and safe there.
My father did not disagree with King’s letter saying that the local clergy were too slow in promoting integration, but he had been one of those who brought about the election in Birmingham to remove Bull Conner and he had been one of the clergy who had written an article in the Birmingham News urging local citizens to comply with school integration. To give a fuller picture of who Chuck Carpenter was, I wrote his full biography, A Powerful Blessing, 331 pages. I self-published it, and copies are available from me, carpenter.doug7436@att.net, for $20 which includes postage.
Donald W. Burnes ’63
1 Year AgoI read “A March Through Civil Rights History” in the Princeton Journeys supplement (distributed with the September issue) with great interest since I participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march and two years later worked as the special assistant to the president of Miles College, a Black college just outside Birmingham. I spent almost two years in that role, and, as a young white man, I enjoyed being introduced to both Black and white audiences as the “house honkey in the administration” by the Black president of the college. During my time at Miles, I experienced many disturbing events due to the overt bigotry and racism that were so prevalent in the South at the time, both in Birmingham and in rural Wilcox County, just west of Selma. For example, three of us — my ex-wife and I and a Black colleague — were asked to leave the local Episcopal church by the head usher, even before the service began. When I crossed the town square to meet a Black colleague of mine in Camden, the county seat of Wilcox County, good ole’ boys with shotguns started towards us from all four sides of the square. My colleague and I decided to meet elsewhere. Other incidents like these happened on a weekly basis. My time there was a fascinating, disturbing, and maturing experience, and one I will never forget. I only wish I could have been part of the recent Princeton civil rights history march.
Ezra Mersey *82
1 Year AgoI write in response to the Blockchain supplement to the recent Alumni Weekly (EQuad News, May 2023). The Princeton DeCenter project has altruistic goals, that if achieved in isolation, would create good. But its Blockchain presentation has blind spots — undiscussed questions on the potential for harm.
Blockchain is essentially a private language, understood by a small group of insiders. To most people, Blockchain means cryptocurrency, and crypto means Bitcoin, etc., commonly understood as vehicles for unhinged financial speculation.
When the DeCenter puts forth a thesis based on “trust,” it might be sensible to include a sidebar presentation on, say, FTX and Bankman-Fried assessing whether that behavior will keep happening, and whether it is an acceptable “cost.”
Crypto is attractive to actors who engage in human trafficking, arms sales, and illegal drug trade. Is this just accepted as the “cost” of the economic freedom that crypto might offer people under oppressive regimes?
What is DeCenter policy on “collaboration with industry” — accepting funding from crypto firms and people; conflicts of interest; and influence on research. If SBF hadn’t been arrested, and his bad actions were still mostly unknown, would the DeCenter have accepted a grant from him? Will it accept a grant from Google or Facebook?
Asking “…how do we avoid harms?” is not enough. Perhaps these questions are addressed in the DeCenter website, or in its foundational documents. But they were not well addressed in the Blockchain pamphlet broadcast to alumni.
Years ago, Jaron Lanier discussed the “Siren Song” of AI and social media, its likely consequences, and malign uses, and he was largely correct. It’s appropriate to have similar concerns here as well.
Lewis Gatch ’56
1 Year AgoThe blockchain gathering report and the agenda for DeCenter (EQuad News, mailed as a supplement to PAW’s May 2023 issue) did not mention a critical item for societal change for the better: providing a way to prove ownership of real property (dirt) in countries that do not have the deed registry system. Here, the road to prosperity goes through the county clerk’s office. In 90% of the world, the landowners (the family has lived there for generations) can’t prove of record it is the “owner” so it can’t use the property as capital, or pass it down with certainty.
Bob Kemp ’68, Colonel, U.S. Army (retired)
1 Year AgoPrinceton has had many generations of alumni who have served in our country’s armed forces, and many of those in the Army know of Fort Benning; traditionally home of the Infantry, now also of the Armor and Cavalry, and the Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools.
After too many decades honoring a Confederate general, the Department of Defense has approved the Naming Commission’s recommendation to recognize the contributions and values of Lieutenant General Hal and Mrs. Julie Moore, far more current “heroes,” by renaming the Fort in their honor on May 11. Here is a link which provides the rationale: https://www.fortmoore.com/
Movie lovers will remember Moore as portrayed by Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers Once … and Young.
Mariana Fariña ’89
1 Year AgoI think it would be fabulous to feature Paula Chow and her incredible contributions to so many international students over the decades. The University already published an article about her, and it would be valuable for more alumni to hear about the story of such a gracious ambassador. Just imagine if she had been in charge of U.S.-China relations when she came to Princeton when her husband began his teaching career so many decades ago. She has been the warmest welcome to so many international students for so many years. She is the only non-student person at the University with whom I have kept in touch. Such an article would touch all international alumni. Thank you.
Philip Blackmarr ’67
1 Year AgoWhile nobody wants a “PAM,” might it be worth considering a name change from “Princeton Alumni Weekly” to “Princeton Alumni Witness”? This would retain the “PAW” initials while eliminating the anomaly of a “Weekly” that publishes monthly, and it would connote a publication whose witness of the Princeton campus and community is independent of the University’s administration.
Owen P. Curtis ’72 *75
5 Months AgoI agree that our alumni magazine needs to get honest with its readers and the world by eliminating the word “Weekly” from its name. But the PAW acronym otherwise fits so well into Princeton culture that we simply need to find the right word to fit the letter “W.” And that word is “Worldwide.”
Princeton Alumni Worldwide is a true statement about where we, the alumni, are found. It reflects the University’s growing interest in and presence on global matters.
PAW forever, everywhere around the planet where Princeton Tigers are found!
Jay Geller ’95
1 Year AgoI want to thank you for continuing to publish a regular stream of letters to the editor from some of this university’s most crotchety, implacable, condescending, and know-it-all alumni and alumnae. Your December 2022 issue was a gold mine of such letters.
I know that no matter what else comes in the mail, 11 times a year, I can count on a good (and unintentional) laugh thanks to the PAW’s Inbox section.
Richard Stockton Weeder ’58
1 Year AgoHaving figured out the cure for cancer 15 years ago, I thought my fellow alumni might like to know what it is. Very simply, the tumor of cancer is an effect, not the cause of the disease. The cause of cancer is a failure in the “protective complex” (primarily immunity) which keeps us from forming tumors. More on this can be read in one of the editions of The Key To Cancer or its coming translations.
Someone beside myself may have figured this out also. No matter. Immunotherapy has developed from this concept to the point that it is now the preferred treatment option. See Jimmy Carter’s case. And my thesis has been accepted at the highest levels of clinical oncology. Trouble is, treatment pays more than prevention, maybe making some oncologists reluctant to go this route.
Bottom line: When dealing with something bad, fix the cause as well as the result.
Evelyn Gordon ’87
1 Year AgoI was appalled to read in The New York Times that Maitland Jones has been fired by New York University, and especially shocked that a major reason for his dismissal was the claim that he was thwarting students’ dreams of going to medical school, because I remember him as someone who went out of his way to help me realize mine.
I entered Princeton planning to be a physics major, but by the end of freshman year, I was questioning that decision and wanted to explore other options. With several chemists in my family, chemistry seemed like a logical option to explore. But that would require taking organic chemistry my sophomore year, and I hadn’t taken freshman chem, which was a prerequisite. So I went to Professor Jones, then the head of the chemistry department, to find out whether that would be possible.
Professor Jones was accessible, friendly, and helpful. After a brief meeting, he said he thought I could handle the course and was willing to sign the necessary permission form. (I had a much harder time persuading the head of my residential college, who also had to sign!)
I did do well in the course, but ultimately decided that chemistry was not for me. Instead, I majored in electrical engineering, then switched professions after graduation and have spent the last 30 years working in journalism. But almost 40 years later, I still remember Professor Jones’ kindness in giving me the option to pursue chemistry if I so chose, and I remain grateful for his help.
Lou Allison ’63
2 Years AgoThe arrival of the latest edition of PAW occasioned a twinge of embarrassment for me for not having realized earlier the school colors were no longer appropriate for its front cover. Of course I have always known that the orange and black represented the toxicity of male dominance pervasive at Princeton prior to coeducation, but given that any color chosen as replacements will offend someone, even the insipid lavender gracing the current issue, I am puzzled you chose any color at all.
To accomplish your goal to banish even the appearance of micro-insult, may I suggest your PAW covers be transparent. Naturally no print could be placed on it, since a color, especially black, would send students and alumni to the nearest safe space. And, since the interior pages would be visible through the cover, they also would have to be likewise transparent and print-free lest a mad rush to the school shrink ensue.
Configuring your magazine in this manner would have many benefits to your readers. First, nobody is offended. Second, there is total transparency. Third, your editors won’t have the impossible, mind-numbing task of satisfying the burden imposed by the intersectionality theory. You editors can know your readers can see through your publication to the individual, the logical end to trait selection.
Bill Hunter ’82
2 Years AgoI have to assume that the irony of receiving a Princeton Innovation supplement to the November PAW wrapped in a plastic bag was not lost on my fellow Tigers. If PAW editors were comforted by the exhortation to recycle the bag after carefully removing the address label (Inbox, November issue), they probably shouldn’t be. According to a recent issue of Consumer Reports, only 8.7 percent of plastic is recycled in the U.S. Plastic film is particularly difficult to recycle.
In a future issue, I would love to learn about innovators in the Princeton community who are working to tackle the world’s enormous plastic problem.
Rocky Semmes ’79
3 Years AgoRegarding the “Affiliated Groups” page (Class Notes, July/ August issue), I believe the relevant song title is “It’s Been a Long Time Coming.” Clearly something is broken, and one suspects it will be a while before that same something is fixed. But of course, in the long annals of wisdom: The longest journey begins with a single step. So we keep walking, Tigers collectively, stepping out in motion together. A locomotive here wished to all!
Garth Stevenson *71
3 Years AgoLike most people who read the alumni magazines of various universities, I normally leaf through them to see if anyone I know has died or if anything interesting has happened lately on campus. However, the May 2021 issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly far exceeded my expectations. The article about Albert Einstein, one of the great men of the 20th century, was a fascinating and informative tribute to its subject. Princeton should be proud that Einstein chose to live there after he was forced to flee from his native country.
As an added bonus, I enjoyed the article about James A. Baker III ’52, and I will try to find the new biography of him that is mentioned in the article.
Phil Hueber ’79
3 Years AgoThe Class of 1979 wishes to recognize classmates and Princeton trustees Louise (Weezie) Sams and Anthony Lee for their thoughtful, energetic, and courageous support of the University. We applaud your support of its students, faculty and alumni, its legacy of service, and its future, through these times of great change.
The Board of Trustees has faced unanticipated challenges, and together with President Eisgruber ’83, have confronted them with resolve. They include political divides and unrest in the United States and around the world, a global pandemic that has shone a spotlight on inequality of all stripes, and a looming environmental catastrophe. Accompanying these challenges have been devastating economic consequences for individuals, families and all of the institutions on which they rely. We are grateful to their leadership and devotion to the University through these difficult times.
We thank Weezie and Anthony — they give meaning to what it means to be “in the nation’s service.” We want to especially note their leadership on the Board of Trustees in acknowledging the role of racism in our collective legacy and our present, so that we can heal and proceed to a better future. We offer our support as they help guide the University in fulfilling its obligations to its students and the society they will someday lead.
We, the members of the Class of 1979, are proud to call Weezie and Anthony classmates. This letter stands as public recognition and gratitude for all their work.
James Alley ’69
3 Years AgoI wish only to express my appreciation to PAW for its faithful production of a regular, dependable print edition of the magazine. I have been so accustomed to its regular arrival that I would have continued to take it for granted — had it not been for the announcement of the end of the print edition of yet another of the publications I still receive.
It may be that in this digital age I might have to resign myself to relying on a screen and smartphone for the news and edification in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, Locomotives to you for continuing to send me something which I can hold before me, whose pages I can turn back or forward, as I learn about campus issues and classmate news. Please don’t rush to go all-digital!
Karl A. Gruber ’50
3 Years AgoI notice lately that in the Inbox there is a continual bashing of conservative alumni who can easily be made targets and at same time ignoring the many conservative Republicans that have contributed so much to the University as well as to society. The name I bring up the late Dr. Julian Buxton ’50, who was All-Ivy League in wrestling and football and a graduate of John Hopkins surgery. He established a practice at Roper Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the first doctor, at his insistence, to perform an operation on a black man at Roper Hospital. Has it come to the time now that we ignore an alumnus of such notable accomplishments because he was a Republican? A man who raised huge sums of money for the University as well as encouraging many young people to attend, including some of his own offspring. It was his belief at the time that Princeton was the only University to attend. It is time now for those who knew him and loved him to stand up and be counted among the courageous.
Stuart Taylor Jr. ’70, Edward L. Yingling ’70
3 Years AgoPrinceton alumni have created a new nonprofit organization to support free speech and academic freedom at Princeton. Princetonians for Free Speech (PFS) is nonpartisan and focused exclusively on these core freedoms. It was founded by two members of the Class of 1970 but is supported by an increasing number of alumni from many classes, and its board also includes representatives from a number of classes.
The core of PFS is its website, princetoniansforfreespeech.com. We invite all members of the Princeton community to take a look. On a regular basis, we post articles relating to free speech and academic freedom that are Princeton-focused in one column, and in the other we post articles about other universities and beyond.
In addition, subscribers receive regular email updates from PFS. While we have only recently launched, already hundreds of Princeton alumni, faculty, and students have signed up for the free subscriptions.
In the future, PFS plans to host discussions and speakers on the internet and on campus. We believe that it is vital to our democracy and to the future of Princeton that free speech and academic freedom be strongly defended, and that alumni of Princeton are critical to that defense.
Paul Firstenberg ’55
3 Years AgoIt would be informative if the Princeton Alumni Weekly published a comparison of the policy the University adopted toward tuition relief in light of its policies on presence on campus during the pandemic versus the practices of other Ivy league universities and the various schools’ size of endowments compared to Princeton's. In other words how much “tuition compassion” did Princeton offer versus other wealthy universities during the pandemic?
Lindianne Sarno ’76
3 Years AgoYou are cordially invited to participate in the Conservative Princeton Association.
In December of 2020, conservative and constitutionalist voices are completely absent from TigerNet’s list of online alumni groups. Terri Pauline ’76 and Lindianne Sarno ’76 therefore are initiating the Conservative Princeton Association. Our purpose is to provide a forum for conservatives, libertarians, and constitutionalists to share ideas, articles, news sources, and friendship. Our online discussion group will grow by invitation at first to give our group time to form bonds of friendship and trust. Our online discussion will be open to members only but non-members will be able to view our discussions.
The Conservative Princeton Association is open to alumni, graduate, and undergraduate conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians. To become a member of the discussion group, kindly apply to lindisarno@gmail.com and you will receive a direct link to join the online discussion.
William W. Emley ’67
3 Years AgoGreat idea. Tired of the lack of any conservative viewpoints in PAW. Embarrassing. Almost want to disavow my association with PU.
Meaghan Byrne ’10
3 Years AgoI was disheartened to read the commentaries regarding systemic racism in the PAW Inbox in the November issue. Some opinions from older alumni indicated to me not only that there is a lack of understanding of the issue of systemic racism itself, but that some of these alumni continue to hold racist opinions that they do not know are racist. Embedded racist norms are the definition of institutionalized or systemic racism. The fact that they would write these letters is proof enough that there is still a problem within the larger Princeton community.
President Eisgruber ’83’s discussion of systemic racism is all too important given this lack of understanding. Defending the legacies of long-dead racists, no matter how nuanced the argument, does nothing to advance the University’s goals and only seeks to disclude members of the Princeton community by claiming that Woodrow Wilson’s achievements were somehow greater than the lives of Black people — and people of color everywhere.
Symbols are important because they are representative of our beliefs. I commend the University on its continued work toward inclusion and diversity. Commentary from some of the same alumni reveals that our community continues to struggle with interwoven oppressive beliefs.
On that note, one alumnus wrote that the University should change its mascot to a dove or a chicken, due to their “feminine nature” being more appropriately symbolic of the University’s current tack toward systemic racism. As long as we’re making pejorative analogies, let’s note that such alumni are absolute fossils.
Mike Freedberg ’62
3 Years AgoI take issue with Ms. Byrne’s view that alumni “hold racist opinions that they do not know are racist.”
1. How dare a person judge people she has never met?
2. Just because she thinks an opinion is racist, does that make it so? Who appointed her Pope of racial catechisms?
I am quite fed up with the condescending judgmentalism so common among the young of today.
Stephen R. Dartt ’72
3 Years AgoMeaghan Byrne’s letter in the February 2021 issue of PAW regarding systemic racism more than anything else demonstrates her own systemic racism toward the “older alumni” whom she appears to assume do not belong to a minority race. She even stoops to name calling (a tool often used by those who have a weak argument) when she uses her own pejorative analogy to call older alumni absolute fossils. However, the tone and content of her letter demonstrate both her ageism and (to use an analogy which her letter brings to mind) her resemblance to “the pot calling the kettle black,” an analogy which she will undoubtedly mistakenly attribute to my being “systemically racist.”
Doug Hensler ’69
3 Years AgoI read with dismay the last paragraph of the letter sent by Meaghan Byrne ’10 (Inbox, February issue). While the sentiments of previous paragraphs in the letter are well stated, personal attacks toward people who hold other points of view serve only to foment further division in our society and reduce the one making the attacks to a lower level. Further, Ms. Byrne eschews the usual sentiment of calling elder people dinosaurs, preferring the term “absolute fossils.” Compared to dinosaurs, one can infer from the passion and totality of that term that Ms. Byrne wishes elder alums dead. While PAW states the usual disclaimer of Inbox content, PAW remains complicit by publishing personal attacks on others, particularly what appears to be the boundless incivility of wishing death on other alums.
Nathan Mytelka ’19
3 Years AgoYou can learn a lot of things online, but one thing I would have had trouble internalizing if it weren’t for Princeton is that I’m not the best. There are people out there who pick up material faster than I do, people who analyze situations better than I do, people who communicate more clearly than I do. I had thought everyone at Princeton learned that.
I don’t remember the opinions that so disheartened Meaghan Byrne ’10 (Inbox, February issue), and I’m not going to look them up — that isn’t the point. I probably agreed with some parts and disagreed with others. When someone says something, and I disagree, I find it most productive to push until we agree, one of us accepting the other’s side. Ms. Byrne decided who was right and dismissed the “older alumni” as racist. That ends the conversation; you will never listen to someone you consider old and racist, so they have no reason to try to convince you of anything. If you want all people to be respected, a good start is respecting all people.
For the record, some of my professors (indeed, some of my favorite professors) likely fit Ms. Byrne’s definition of “fossils.” I hope none of them read Ms. Byrne’s comments, but if they did, and they read this, they should know I still hold them in very high esteem!
Vicki Ross p’07
3 Years AgoFrom my perspective, Meaghan Byrne ’10’s characterization of the older alumni who wrote letters about systemic racism as “absolute fossils” showed a lack of understanding, humility, respect, and appreciation for the “Old Tigers” and Princeton alumni who precede her and on whose shoulders younger generations stand. Of course, she is free to express her opinion. However, the use of name calling and generalizing that “such older alumni” are racists closes any civil discussion or debate.
Through the generous financial support from alumni donors given to those accepted but unable to afford it, they are able to attend, study, receive an exceptional education, and earn a prestigious degree. A Princeton degree opens many doors to do, accomplish, and contribute so much to others, our communities, and our nation.
The generosity of Princeton’s older alumni gave my son the opportunity to enroll, attend, and graduate, because as public school educators, my husband and I could not have afforded it. The instruction, encouragement, and guidance of several alumni who supported him to carry on and persevere were also key to his success and completion of his degree.
Whether or not Ms. Byrne received financial support from Princeton alumni or her parents to attend and graduate, like my son, she received a degree and all its benefits from the most prestigious university in the country.
On behalf of our family, we’re eternally grateful for the generosity of “Old Tigers.”
Robert Givey ’58
2 Years AgoI may be one of the “fossils” referred to in Meaghan Byrne’s letter in the February issue of PAW. Being accused of defending past racists and chastised for not recognizing the systemic racism at Princeton allows me to be a “living fossil.” Archaeologists studying fossils learn the history of their environment and times. So, let’s have a little history lesson.
At Princeton I participated in a precept (instituted by Wilson). I signed the honor pledge (insisted on by Wilson) more than a hundred times. The core courses and electives in my 4-year chemical engineering program followed the curriculum established by Wilson. He originated the phrase “Princeton in the Nation’s Service.” He fought for a graduate school and proposed a college system; they are here today. He proposed adding electrical engineering and other departments and added courses in music, architectural drawing, and mineralogy. He raised money for Lake Carnegie. He transformed Princeton from a country club for the rich into the finest university in this country where students of all races, creeds, and incomes can attend. A. Scott Berg ’71’s biography, Wilson, should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in Wilson. It tells everything about him: the good, the bad, and the ugly, all in an intimate style.
While no Black students were admitted during Wilson’s tenure, few, if any, were admitted in the administrations of presidents Stewart, Hibben, Duffield, and Dodds. Finally, President Goheen, heeding the civil rights movements of the l960s, admitted Black students before women were admitted in 1969. Hayward Gipson ’67, a Black footballer, helped Princeton win two Ivy League championships.
Anibal Diaz ’76
3 Years AgoOn the topic of social justice: The objective can be achieved if we work together and find the mutual benefit of our collaboration. I am reminded of the man cutting down the tree with a dull axe. A passerby suggests that he sharpen the axe to which he responds that he is in too much of a hurry to do that. We can continue to complain and pursue our own agenda or allow reason to prevail.
I recall my first year at Princeton. We were six sharing a suite. My roommate was of German descent and not happy to share a bunk in an area the size of a walk-in closet (6 feet wide by 10 feet long) with a Puerto Rican. In a moment of physical confrontation, I made it clear to him that I was there for my education and did not need his acceptance. I further clarified that after this moment in time we would probably never have to deal with each other again. That understanding held and maintained the peace.
If we rise above our petty inclinations, which are mostly driven by tradition, upbringing, or hermeneutics, we can achieve a greater purpose. Remember in a game of tug-of-war there is little movement unless a stronger force favors one side. If we pull together we can make a better future for the next generations that follow. It is difficult to see all the trees from within the forest, but step outside and see the abundance and variety. It’s our choice.
Arthur Waldron
4 Years AgoBelatedly comes the very sad news of the death in New York City of James Montel Polachek, 75 years old, on April 27, 2020, of COVID-19. Born in New York, Sept. 4, 1944, educated at Harvard and Berkeley, Jim was quite simply brilliant, first as a violinist and pianist, potentially professional; as a linguist; then — his true calling — as an Asianist. An esteemed friend, he was my predecessor as terminal assistant professor (1978–84) of Asian history at Princeton. Harvard University Press published his field-defining magnum opus, The Inner Opium War, in 1992.
Truly a tortured soul, he married first Machiko Ichiura (divorced 1977) and then Elizabeth Allan (married 1981, divorced 1994). They produced two daughters. Sadly his enduring scholarship was paralleled by a fractured career (he turned, again with great accomplishment, to finance) that chillingly demonstrates how heedlessly our universities waste even the greatest talents. His daughter Jen Monroe, with him at the end, takes solace in his final escape from the devils that pursued him. We can only admire the raw courage he showed, wrestling them long and tenaciously enough to produce a truly great book: the supreme gift to his field, to his colleagues, and to his students today, and yet unborn.
Steve Berman
3 Years AgoDear Professor Waldron,
This is just a belated note of thanks for your appreciative notes on the passing of my onetime dear friend and college roommate Jim Polachek. Though he and I lost touch back in the ’70s, he had an enormous influence on the course of my life, and I had great admiration for his intellectual and also musical abilities. We studied Chinese together at Harvard, graduated together in 1966, and both went to UC Berkeley for graduate school. I was in the oriental languages department while he was in Asian studies and history.
When he wrote me from Japan that he was staying on a second year, I applied for a scholarship to Kyoto University. Arriving in Tokyo he graciously met me at the airport and helped me settle into my year in Japan. Kyoto University was on strike the whole time I was there, a big flag of Che Guevara dominating the campus center. Jim came down from Tokyo and tried to persuade me that the only happy future for us was to leave the academic life behind. He was most persuasive, and in my case, he was probably right. Indeed a year or so later that was the choice I made, throwing my lot in with music — classical guitar, renaissance lute, and the folk music I'd grown up with. I thought it was somewhat ironic that he was the one to persevere as a scholar and teacher. We lost touch in the ’70s after I began a practice of Buddhist meditation — I think seeing me in a monastic setting was somehow unsettlling for him. Over the years I looked for him online, but without success. I wish I'd known he stayed on at Princeton through those years. I am sorry to learn now of his passing.
Again thank you for your kind words,
Anthony Hicks
4 Years AgoIn 1967 or 1968 an African American Princeton undergraduate stood in front of a group of awestruck Black students at a segregated public school in Wynne, Arkansas. I was one of the wide-eyed students who packed the Childress School’s library that day.
I was a seventh-grader. I don’t remember the undergrad’s name, but the impression he made was an inflection point in my life. I remember the effect he had — a poised, articulate young Black man wearing a black varsity jacket with a big orange letter “P” on the chest coming to our rural hamlet from a thousand miles away, reinforcing that Black kids in the segregated South could have big goals.
His visit has stayed with me over the decades. He empowered me (and I believe others) to imagine beyond our circumstance and societal limitations.
I hope this letter finds him. It would be great to close the circle he started more than 50 years ago and let him know one of the kids he inspired in that classroom went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in urban studies, spending a career in news reporting and public relations. I am fortunate and thankful that at a formative time in my life, fate sent a young Black dream merchant from Princeton to help Black students like me envision new horizons.
E.E. Norris ’72
4 Years AgoIt's a tragedy that the cycle of repeated crimes met with increasingly harsh law enforcement has put citizens in urban war zones and the police on a collision course with each other. The reasons for it go deep, deep into our society: racism without a doubt, but there are other factors. My thoughts go back to the findings shared by psychologist James Garbarino in his book Lost Boys. The remedies he suggests to break the cycle are many, reaching far beyond improving community relations between cops and urban Black residents. The boys in question face a cradle-to-grave problem most whites can’t possibly understand. But one of the teenage prisoners Garbarino interviewed put it this way: “If you grew up like I did, you’d be just like me.” Personally, I don’t think my imagination can stretch that far.
Hilton Smith ’63
4 Years AgoOn Aug. 19, 1862, my mother’s grandfather was commissioned a major in the Union Army and appointed Surgeon of the 66th Regiment Illinois Volunteers. He participated in the second battle of Corinth in November 1862; the 12 bloody battles of the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman’s March To the Sea in 1864; the Carolinas Campaign and the last action of the Civil War, the Battle of Bentonville, in early 1865. He then accompanied General Sherman to Washington, D.C., marching in the Grand Review of the Armies on May 24, 1865. He was subsequently discharged from Union Army service on July 7, 1865. Almost 50 percent of the 66th Illinois died in action or were taken by disease. He returned to his home in Edwardsville, Illinois, to practice medicine. He died in 1919.
The other side of the story. My father’s grandfather’s heart was in a different place. Living in Newport, Kentucky, he was drafted into the Union Army in 1863, but paid a $300 bounty to a black man to serve in his place, as was so often the custom during the last two years of the Civil War. For four years he refused to walk in the front door of his home under the U.S. flag flown there proudly by his wife. His heart was still in Northern Virginia where he was born.
Those were difficult times. These are difficult times.
Too many of the same issues so prevalent then haunt our country today. Most particularly is our deep divide on issues which we, predominately raised in the long-standing Judeo-Christian tradition with its so simply stated moral code of “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you,” do not share with significant equanimity.
Despite our so nobly stated declarations in 1776, 1787, and 1789 we, the whole body politic of this nation, have failed each other and ourselves in not applying these hallowed principles to our daily life since 1868 when we adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, fully accepting all who are born or naturalized here as citizens of this nation to be guaranteed equal protection under the law.
A significant number of us still, after over 150 years, do not accept the equality of our all of our fellow citizens, much less all humankind, nor do we practice even neighborly tolerance of so many of our fellow citizens, especially those who look different from ourselves or who follow the tenants of a religion different from our own.
Worse yet, many of those in our country’s leadership today and those with significant authority and power to influence and control are not dedicated to uphold and equally enforce the adherence to the principles we espouse as a nation and have codified in the Constitution and its Amendments each of us has accepted and pledged to uphold.
Once and for all, we need to apply ourselves with significantly increased vigor to include all of us together as equals, and to celebrate our diversity as the strength it has always been. This can wait no longer.
Once again, our future as a nation, and especially a great one, is at stake.
William Hayden Smith *66, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University
5 Years AgoToday, charging the battery in an electric auto is cheaper than the equivalent gasoline, plus there are NO gasoline taxes on electricity. Heavily subsidized Tesla owners fill up cheaply. The Tesla is now “filled up” using electricity from a fossil-fueled or nuclear power plant. That situation is to change as renewable sources replace electricity from fossil-fueled and nuclear power plants across the globe.
The press reports solar and wind electricity now cost less than fossil-fuel electricity, so all is well.
How, then, is it plausible that the countries with the most renewable electrical power are also the countries where electricity is the most expensive? The most advanced countries now produce up to one-third of their electricity by wind and solar, yet prices are TRIPLE those of the USA.
Mandated 100% conversion to electricity from renewables is variously a goal for 2040. The replacement of energy requirements of transport and fixed structures with renewable energy requires a 10-fold increase to meet today’s energy demands. The 10-fold increase in renewables implies that the costs of electricity will soon rise MUCH more, as seen in those countries with high renewable electricity fractions already.
An unintended but critical consequence of renewable electrical power in the EU is energy poverty. In 2017, studies found that 40,000 extra deaths in the UK occurred during the winter since people could either eat or heat, but not both. Millions across Europe are falling into the same energy poverty. That situation will quickly worsen in the years ahead, and will become a concern here in the USA as renewables in California and other states drive electricity prices to similar high levels.
Since production of one-third of the electrical supply by carbon-free, renewable energy has caused electricity to triple in price in Europe and Australia; mandated conversions to 100% production of the present electricity supply plausibly triples the cost again, to $1.50 per KWH. The economy of scale in the cost of PV and wind turbines has already been achieved, so installation and maintenance costs now dominate. An electricity cost of only $0.45 per KWH created ENERGY POVERTY for millions in Europe and the deaths of 40,000 in the UK. Imagine how many will suffer when the cost is $1.50.
Renewable power systems have another social cost which now becomes apparent. The required renewable power system for 100% decarbonization is nearly the size of the USA. Leaving room for people, farms, cities, and roads becomes problematic, especially for the disappearing middle class. This reflects the exceedingly high housing prices in large cities. In the coming decades, as our population swells due to immigration, the energy demand will follow, doubling again by 2040. The realization and cost of this expanded energy system is NOT included in most projections.
Mandating 100% electric autos, as already has happened in Europe, then becomes a major KILLER of human beings, not on the highway, but by creation of vast energy poverty!
Think of that when you proudly plug in your Tesla.
Graham Turk ’17
3 Years AgoNo, electric vehicles are not killing people. They are among the most effective means for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and their associated impacts to human health. I’m not asking you to believe me, but please believe Princeton’s own researchers. In every pathway modeled in a comprehensive study to achieve net-zero U.S. emissions by 2050, electric vehicles feature prominently (https://acee.princeton.edu/rapidswitch/projects/net-zero-america-project/). Furthermore, because internal combustion vehicles convert only ~30 percent of input energy to useful motion, a switch to EVs (which convert ~80 percent) will result in less, not more, energy consumption. Let’s not conflate energy with electricity!
Make no mistake, this is a bad faith attack, and it is important to place it in context; Professor Hayden Smith is a member of a group (CO2 Coalition) that has taken money from fossil fuel companies including Peabody Coal to sow doubt in proven climate solutions. Professor Smith: We are already facing an uphill battle, but please sir don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be by misinforming Princeton alumni.
Jerrod Mason *63
5 Years AgoThis member of The Atlantic’s “Word Police” is amused by the cover of the Nov. 7 issue, which portrays perhaps 200 women with the headline “She Roared.”
Isn’t it about time this periodical got a new name? Perhaps with wording that is not overtly masculine? (And perhaps the name change might also recognize the current publication schedule?)
Norman Ravitch *62
5 Years AgoYes, "alumni" is masculine plural, but all masculine plurals include everyone, masculine or not. I cannot believe anyone would be offended by "alumni" except malcontents.