May 16: Adam Gussow ’79 *00 Teaches the Blues at Mississippi Penitentiary

University of Mississippi English professor Adam Gussow ’79 *00 is teaching his “Blues Tradition in American Literature” course at the state penitentiary, part of a program called the Prison-to-College Pipeline. — NPR
 
As Charles III was coronated, Harvard historian Caroline Elkins ’91 discussed her research into violence perpetuated by Britain and said that while the new king could modernize the Commonwealth, he won’t. — The Irish Times
 
Journalist Lisa Belkin ’82 credited “mommy blogger” Heather Armstrong, who died last week, with building “a brief but golden age of women making themselves heard on the internet.” — The New York Times
 
Union Theological Seminary philosopher Cornel West *80 and Jeremy Wayne Tate, CEO of the Classic Learning Test, wrote that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is right to support classical education, but as a universal good, not a Republican talking point. — The Wall Street Journal
 
As countries try to rely less on the U.S. dollar, Bridgewater Associates co-CIO Karen Karniol-Tambour ’06 said gold could be having its moment. — Business Insider India
 
North Carolina district attorney Satana Deberry ’91 and her daughter, Zora Deberry, a high school activist, spoke about how they inspire each other. —  Girls United

Science writer Elizabeth Landau ’06 and economist Ben Klemens wrote a story for the New York Times’ Overlooked series about James Sakoda, who died in 2005. He was interned in a camp for Japanese Americans during WWII and never got proper credit for his pioneering work in computational modeling. — The New York Times
 
Maggie Sajak ’16 filled in for Vanna White when White competed on an episode hosted by her father, “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.” Sajak has been working on the show’s social media presence since 2021. — CNN
 
Prosecutors in Peru on Friday are seeking a sentence of 35 years for former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski *61, who faces charges of corruption related to Odebrecht, a company that’s admitted to paying bribes for public contracts in Latin America. —El País
 
After moving the Worcester Red Sox from Rhode Island to Worcester, Massachusetts, a few years ago, team owner Larry Lucchino ’67 has been vindicated: Voters said his Polar Park is the best Triple-A ballpark in America. — Barstool Sports

“The feminist movement was — and is — an opportunity to create a culture that values something other than complete autonomy and economic success — one that valorizes things like relationship, emotion, love, and care instead of downgrading them because they are traditionally seen as female concerns.”

— Christine Emba ’13, Washington Post columnist and the author of Rethinking Sex, in an essay for Public Discourse.

Washington Commanders owner Dan Synder has agreed to sell the franchise to a group including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt ’76. — CNBC
 
Actor and author David Duchovny ’82 is co-starring with Meg Ryan in her first film since 2015, a romance titled What Happens Later that’s currently in post-production. — People magazine

Michael Meese *90 *00, a retired Army brigadier general who is president of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association, explained how military families can revise their Survivor Benefit Plan decisions during an “SBP open season.” — Military Times

Subscribe to PAW’s twice-monthly Alumni in the News newsletters at paw.princeton.edu/email.