Oct. 6: Bill Frist ’74 Defends Elections, Jeff Bezos ’86 Opens a Preschool

Former Republican Sen. Bill Frist ’74 teamed up with Tom Daschle, a former Democratic senator, to help form the bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity to “defend the legitimacy of our elections” in part through a public education campaign. — The Washington Post

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ’86 is opening his first tuition-free “Montessori-inspired” preschool in Washington State in October. — CNN Business
 
James Baker III ’52, whose work as a political operative shaped the Republican Party, wrestled with whether to support President Trump “even if he’s crazy,” but has gone silent on the subject. — The New Yorker

Harvard scholar Randall Kennedy ’77 criticized the anti-racism letter by Princeton faculty this summer, writing that “familiar and heartbreaking forces” outside the University are responsible for the small number of Black faculty, and the focus should be on righting those wrongs. — The Atlantic
 
Tom Duckenfield ’86 helped teach a Zoom course this summer where participants researched who is buried in the Black cemeteries of Georgetown.  — The Washington Post

Hayley Gorenberg ’87, legal director with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, said more contact tracers should come from communities in the city most impacted by the coronavirus. — City & State New York

Author Jodi Picoult ’87 delves into mortality, “heart-wrenching moral choices,” and Egyptology in her latest novel, The Book of Two Ways. — The Washington Post

“Talk about eradicating racism in the academy inspires fear. I wish it didn’t. Fear leads us to focus on the wrong questions. ... We fight about how bad current racism actually is instead of working to eliminate it.”

— Davidson College president Carol Quillen *91 on the federal investigation into Princeton prompted by President Eisgruber ’83’s open letter against systemic racism. — Forbes

 Race, religion, and sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson *93 is leaving Georgetown University for Vanderbilt. — Vanderbilt News

Since the pandemic sent her home early from a fellowship at a Chilean vineyard, Isabel Hirshberg ’19 has been hosting virtual and in-person wine tastings with homemade food pairings. — Chestnut Hill Local

Michelle Obama ’85 and former President Barrack Obama are the most admired man and woman in the world, according to the British data firm YouGov’s annual poll. — The Hill

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