BEING A retiree of a national lab and the widow of a Doctor of Philosophy, Chemical Engineering (1964), I read with relish "The Protein Pro, A New Approach to Biology" and "There's Plenty of Zing in String Theory" (Summer 2000 issue). It is uplifting to read that the University of Michigan is playing a vital role in so many new thresholds of science. Further, it is invigorating to realize that while my husband's and my own careers were dedicated to one area. of science (nuclear) that slowly ebbed over the years, new and equally exciting vistas shine before the Michigan students of today. The wonderful aura of the research atmosphere on the Michigan campus will forever be one of my fondest memories.
Virginia Obenchain '59, '62
Idaho Falls, Idaho |
I have very much enjoyed reading Michigan Today. Rather than being full of "fluff" about U-M, it gets into detail about what faculty and alumni are doing in the real world. It is very interesting reading, and makes me feel proud to be associated with U-M. Keep up the great work! I got the summer issue about a week ago, but the online edition is still showing the spring. Can we get the on-line version faster? I wanted to refer some friends to specific articles.
Jeff Lebow'80,'81MS, Ind. & Op. Engng.
Atlanta |
Our online edition at http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/MT/mtfpg.html is created from the material assembled for the print version. It can't be placed on the Web until the materials return from our printer, hence the delay.—Ed.
THE PICTURE of the youthful Frank Robbins in your summer issue (Grace Shackman's "Activities of the Apostles") was a treat to me; Mr. Robbins was one of my life's benefactors. In February 1952, my academic counselor at The College of William and Mary, where I was a sophomore, decided that the place for me was the University of Michigan, with its Hopwood Room and its outstanding English professors (like Marvin Felheim and Clarence Dewitt Thorpe, from each of whom, even though I was a chemistry major, I was indeed able to take an unforgettable course).
This counselor was J. T. Baldwin, who had taught botany at U of M. Professor Baldwin telephoned his friend Frank Robbins and said, "Martha Bennett (Peggy) Wells's courses, campus activities, jobs and grades have been as follows; will the U of M take her, now?" Mr. Robbins promised to find out and soon called back saying, "The Dean of Women says that if your Dean of Women will call and recommend her, we will take her."
Upon that call to Dean Deborah Bacon, I became a sophomore at U of M., with no no written application, no orientation (too late, alas), no dorm room and no winter coat. My gratitude for the education (and jobs and scholarships) I received at Michigan is unceasing. (And my grand roommate, Jo Rohleder, lent me a pea jacket until my parents could send me a winter coat.)
| Martha Bennett (Peggy) Wells Stiles '54 |
The Irish and the British
MANY THANKS for the summer issue. Allow me to comment on the article "Children of War." The caption under the picture of children in Belfast is hardly appropriate for a scholarly publication. The artist, Lin Baum, allows her biases to show through loud and dear. She states that, "British soldiers were everywhere ... training rifles on pedestrians." I wasn't with her to see, but this sounds, to be frank, absurd. Such conduct by a regular patrol would further inflame animosities and precipitate a riot; hardly what the troops are trying to achieve.
Also, "You took your life in your hands if you absentmindedly carried a Catholic newspaper into a Protestant bar." True, but would there be any different response if one walked into an IRA-dominated bar with a Protestant paper? There are thugs on both sides. Finally, the two boys depicted in the photograph, "were living in a Catholic area so dangerous that the bus driver said he wouldn't even charge me for taking me there." Why, I wonder. Had Miss Baum informed the driver that she was going to expose "British oppression," and he liked that slant?
Miss Baum states that she keeps materials and experiences from her trips out of her class work as an art teacher and concluded, "Students don't want an ambush of political statements." Neither do U of M graduates, particularly when the statements are so obviously one-sided.
Henry Kennedy '67 PhD
Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico |
PS. My doctoral dissertation subject was entitled "Politics In Northern Ireland."
Lin Baum replies: British troops began to be seen an occupying force whose objective was to maintain the Unionist status quo by the early '70s. In terms of my experiences in W. Belfast, British soldiers would routinely be three together, each training his rifle on a pedestrian and following them down the street. Your astute observation that such conduct would "inflame animosities" was quite true. The caption regarding the newspaper was incorrect. What occurred when I asked to buy a Catholic/Republican paper in central Belfast was the salesman was extremely uneasy, looking over his shoulder several times and hastily folding the paper to insure the masthead would not show. On the bus trip, the driver waved my money away and volunteered instructions not to walk down "that road" and to take the next bus out of the area, ASAP. Furthermore, being part Anglo-Irish, I did not go to the North to expose "British Oppression" (your words). My focus was and continues to be the welfare of children and the impact of violence and war on them. Lastly, in terms of my respect for my students, I believe there is a difference between enrolling in an art class and turning to an article titled "Children of War," which one may choose to read or not.
Those labels, again!
I'VE FOLLOWED the comments in Michigan Today on spouse names on mailing labels. I recognize this isn't exactly the most important topic you deal with, but there is a downside to only having the alum's name on the label. My spouse was critical in the completion of my degree at Michigan while she worked as a professor at Washtenaw Community College—not only because of her income, but also her encouragement to continue and finish! Beyond that we are partners in making decisions on things like what charities we make gifts to annually and in the future (if statistics are any indication, she will outlive me and make the final determination on where our estate ends up). We enjoy Michigan Today and I, for one, hope you continue to give this recognition to spouses as appropriate. And, if that's not enough to sway you, we both graduated from that other large university south of Ann Arbor in a rival state where they seem to have figured out how to give us both recognition in every contact they have with us!
W. Alan Wentz '76 PhD
Germantown, Tennessee |
AS PARENTS of Michigan alumni who receive Michigan Today, we appreciate this mag very much and even wish for additional info on keeping us updated in regards to the school.
Jim and Mary VanderPloeg
Wyoming, Michigan |
YOU HAVE a very impressive school, this site reflects the accomplishments of the faculty. It also reflects that your alumni put their education to practice. I am interested in receiving your publication if this is possible.
We are happy to provide complimentary subscriptions to Michigan Today to all who are interested in reading about the University of Michigan.—Ed.
I AM writing in response to Ben Ebling '56 (Letters, Summer issue). In my previous letter (Spring 2000) I used the term "people of color" to refer to Hispanics, Blacks or African Americans, and anyone else who is generally considered a minority in this country. I would agree with Mr. Ebling that there are many Hispanics whose skin is as white as his; however. there are just as many whose skin is brown. I would sincerely doubt that any Hispanic would consider themselves to be White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, even if they would classify their race as White.
Vickie Ellison '81
Columbus, Ohio |
Strings and proteins
MY SON, Michael, received today the summer issue. Almost the entire issue was of great interest to me! I found it so exciting because a book club I belong to and another study group are on these topics: string theory, proteins and physically and emotionally healthy children.
How can I get a copy of Michigan Today for me? I send my son's copy to him (he lives and works in China). Could I be so bold as to ask for 20 copies for my reading group? These ladies are just like me, they will just "gobble" it up and be so appreciative.
Maureen S. Gallagher
Winnetka, Illinois |
We are happy to place non-Alumni/ae on our complimentary mailing list and to supply extra copies of Michigan Today, when quantity permits, for educational purposes.—Ed.
I HAVE just finished reading the Summer 2000 issue and wish to express my appreciation for this publication from the University of Michigan. Each issue is like a mini postgraduate course, which supplies interesting continuing education. I learn about things related to my profession and previous University experiences and also about matters totally unrelated but of interest and importance. It has been a long time since 1943!
I was attracted to the lead article "There's Plenty of Zing in String Theory" by Gordon Kane. My undergraduate exposure to chemistry and physics still provides some sense of awe. I often wonder "What Makes Matter Matter." and this essay provokes my curiosity as well as my frustration that we still don't know the answer. I read it several times and noticed what may be an error like one I once made in a paper published in a professional journal. It was overlooked by my proofreader and the editorial staff of the journal as well.
There is an explanatory paragraph beside the illustration of the Standard Model which states: "The neutron is made of protons and neutrons bound together." The body of the paper tells us that the strong force binds quarks into protons and neutrons, which combine into nuclei. I believe that the first "neutron" in the quoted sentence probably should be changed to "nucleus" and that a change should Se made if the paragraph is reprinted.
The typo I mention in no way detracts from the value of the publication and I look forward to the next issue!
Fred W. Robinson'43
E-mail |
You are right, thanks. It should have been the "nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons." We made the change in our Web edition.—Ed.
YOUR SUMMER issue is the most informative I have seen. Rather than butcher mine, I could use up to four more copies for family and friends.
M. M. Craig Spitz '42
Marietta, Georgia |
The dashing Buck Dawson
AS AN undergraduate and Phi Gam from 1952-1956, I was completely in awe of Buck Dawson [author of When the Earth Explodes, reviewed in U-M Books, Summer 2000 Michigan Today—Ed.], who occasionally stopped by the fraternity house at 707 Oxford Rd. Buck with a cane and a black patch over his eye overflowed with enthusiasm and charm. He was a delightful raconteur and bon vivant. Being married to U-M swim coach Matt Mann's daughter only added to his mystique. I enjoyed the summer issue of MT.
Casper 0. Grathwohl '64 Law
Niles, Michigan |
Age of Michigamua
I READ with interest the article "Michigamua Protest Ends" in the summer issue. Please be advised that Michigamua was founded in 1902 and is over 95 years old, not "over 70 years" old as reported.
I agree with coach Red Berenson in that our rituals are meant to honor Native Americans for their wisdom, courage and respect for the land.
Richard L. Pinkerton '55, "Pump'um Paw"
Tribe of 1955
Exec. Secy., Michigan Union, 1954-55
Fresno, California |
I VERY much enjoyed your summer issue. It reflected the breadth and depth of intellectual and other activities on the campus. I particularly enjoyed the articles by Gordon Kane ("String Theory") and by Ken Garber ("The Protein Pro"), both of which succeeded marvelously in the difficult task of communicating, in language understandable to a completely nonscientific layman like me, something of the excitement percolating in the fields they discussed.
On a different level, you report on the end of the Michigamua protest stimulated a question on which I hope you can provide me with some information. I am a 1963 LSA graduate, and when a U-M student, I was privileged to have been elected to Druids, an all-campus undergraduate honorary society like Michigamua. (In those days, Druids was considered secondary or junior to Michigamua in prestige and recognition). Like Michigamua, Druids was assigned a private meeting room in the Union Tower. On several visits to the Michigan Union in the years since I graduated, I inquired of staff as to whether Druids still existed and met in the Union and whether I could have access its meeting room but none of the Union staffers to whom I spoke has ever acknowledged having any knowledge of either Druids or Michigamua.
Can you answer my questions about Druids? Is it still active on the Ann Arbor campus? Does it still meet in the Union? If it is no longer active, when did it cease to exist? If it is still active, can you provide me with the name and address of its current officers, whom I may contact to inquire about the organization's current activities?
Robert M. Berger '63
Highland Park, Illinois |
A staff member of the Michigan Student Association reported that MSA records of official student organizations go back to 1997 and that they don't include the Druids nor indicate when they dropped from the rolls. This means, she said, that the group is now "either unofficial, secretive or has ceased."—Ed
"But groups have occasionally re-emerged after dormancy," she said as reassurance, and added that although MSA has no names for Druid contacts, the Bentley Library or the Daily may have source material. Perhaps other ex-Druids among our readers can help you.—Ed
Spelling gene defective
IN YOUR article, What Makes Life Life?, you quote Prof. Andrews's comparison of the Genome Project with a revolutionary moment in history: the invention of the printing press. I would like to bring your attention to the spelling of the name Gutenberg. The man credited with the invention of the moveable type is Johannes Gutenberg, who was born sometime before 1400 and died in 1468. The difficulty in English is that we pronounce the two spellings virtually the same, whereas in German, where the pronunciation and meaning are quite distinct, it is easy to tell the difference. You can show your appreciation of the man who made the publication of your writing possible by remembering how to spell his name.
Nancy Hanson
Royal Oak, Michigan |
The misspelling "Gutenburg" slipped by us. It has been corrected in the Web version. Thanks.—Ed.
Athletics in the Forties
MY COMPLIMENTS for printing John Kautz's ('42 ED) letter in the Summer issue. It was an extremely well written commentary on the coaches' role during that period in U-M athletics and especially their positions in the School of Education.
In those days, Ray Fisher was not only varsity baseball coach but also freshman basketball coach. Bennie Oosterbaan was not only varsity basketball coach but also the end coach in football and an assistant in baseball. Cliff Kean was varsity wrestling coach and an assistant in football. This was the normal austerity program in keeping athletic budgets low in dire economic times during the student-athlete era.
As a former varsity basketball player on Michigan's '41, '42 and '43 teams, I can relate to Kautz's remark, "Droll and somewhat mechanical presentations seemed to be the pattern of Cliff Kean and Bennie Oosterbaan."
After my sophomore year I had completed my required pre-dental courses but decided to spend one year in the School of Education, take advanced ROTC in case dental school was not a reality and play another year of basketball. I had to take an Introduction to Education course as a requirement along with one other course, so I chose Baseball, in which, as Kautz indicated, class instruction consisted of guest lectures by head coaches and field practice, when weather permitted, with assistant instructors. All other courses were electives in LS&A.
For me, baseball class was a way to learn a little more about Ray Fisher, who had been our frosh basketball coach, and Ernie McCoy, our top assistant to Bennie on the basketball team.
John must have observed Fisher, Kean and Oosterbaan at work at what they did best in Yost Field House: giving group and individual instruction to their athletes. I used to see J. Kenneth Doherty at work with John's track team and Kean with his wrestlers and Fisher with indoor baseball practice in Yost, and recognized their quiet but effective methods of teaching student athletes of the day.
In the '40s student athletes, especially Phys. Ed students who played team sports, would play more than one sport to make their coaching resume look good for hiring purposes. MSU (Michigan Agricultural College in those days) recruited me out of a small Upper Peninsula high school as a basketball player. Michigan did not bother to recruit me for they knew they would have all-around athletes encouraged by alumni to attend the U of M. Michigan athletic alumni in turn received good support in finding good coaching positions in high school, other prep schools and small colleges, as well as in large universities, through the influence of Michigan coaches and administrators. Other athletes had good business connections through influential alumni, so the long hours of practice away from class paid off for many student athletes.
Leo H. Doyle '43 Ed, '45 DDS
Lansing, Michigan |
Control of the car
I WAS alarmed to read the article about UMTRI in the summer issue of your newsletter, touting the benefits of adaptive cruise control (ACC.) I myself am afraid to use ordinary cruise control in my car, since one can easily become mesmerized and drowsy when allowing the car to do its own thing. I often think that some of the wild driving that I see (cars failing to slow down when passing and cars wending in and out of traffic) may be due to drivers whose cars are on cruise control and who don't want to interfere with their speed by breaking.
Since I have read that there may be as many accidents caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel as by those driving while under the influence of alcohol, it seems to me even more perilous to develop a car on which we rely to slow or stop when encountering traffic. (My friend enquires if it will also slow the car which comes up too close behind us?) No longer having to brake or accelerate invites the mind to wander or the driver to relax his attention or reflexes. I would rather be in control of the car, with warnings built in, if need be, but not to have an automated ride with no responsibilities. Cruise control may be all right for the wide-open spaces of the West, but on our crowded highways I think it is "a dangerous experiment," to quote a previous review of your publication.
Harriet R. Meiss
New York City |
A 'noble person' unrecognized
WHEN I was in architecture school in the 1950s. no one had heard of Raoul Wallenberg—his name was never mentioned. We had no idea that such a noble person had walked our hallways and studied in our classrooms. Now, when we think of him, the question, why was he arrested, always comes to mind. It's difficult for us to understand how a Swedish diplomat, whose work was solely humanitarian, could have been imprisoned and never released.
In the NYC Public Library there are 25 books on Raoul Wallenberg. Those that I've read have dealt with this question of his arrest, and some of their answers are presented below.
1. His explanation to the Russians that he was helping the Hungarian Jews would have seemed to them incredible, if not absurd, since they were almost as anti-Semitic as the Germans. Humanitarian programs were completely foreign to Stalin's Russia and would have appeared to them as a "cover" for espionage operations.
2. Finding German and Hungarian Nazis with Swedish passports (probably obtained on the black market) bearing his signature would have figured heavily against him.
3. Arrests were common in Hungary—even innocent Jews liberated by the Russians were sent to Siberia. The Swiss legation had a similar humanitarian program, and their secretary was also sent to Russia. The head of the Red Cross was held for months in Budapest.
4. It would have gone against him with the Russians that the Wallenberg family had owned property in Russia before the Revolution and had been accused of backing the White Russian forces.
5. Working for and obtaining funds from US agencies would not have been in his favor, even though the United States was one of their allies. They may have known that Iver Olsen. the man who recruited Wallenberg to work in Budapest, had been a member of a US security agency.
6. It's unlikely that they would have believed that a rich Swede from one of the most famous capitalist families in Europe would have spent war years in Budapest saving Jews, when he could have enjoyed a safe life in a neutral country.
7. They may have considered him an"big fish" that they could mold into a spy or use for an important prisoner exchange.
After his arrest, most reports claim that he was moved from prison and eventually died in the mid 1960s, a broken man. But newly released prison documents indicated that the notorious interrogator Lt. Col. Koppelyansky had control of Wallenberg from the time of his arrest in 1945, and after two years failed to get what he wanted (possibly to turn Wallenberg into a Soviet agent or to obtain information regarding his alleged spying activities).
These documents also tend to indicate that Wallenberg did not die of natural causes, as the Russians have claimed, but was murdered in 1947 by his tormentors. More information regarding Wallenberg's imprisonment is to be released later this year by the Swedish government.
Roy A. Euker '58
New York City |
A Daily type
MY FIRST attempt to work on the Michigan Daily was instantly vetoed. I did not know how to type! Only a temporary setback. I enrolled in Hamilton Business College until my typing skills measured up to the requirements of the Women's Department. Back then women were not eligible to become managing editor of the Daily or to work in the so-called Men's Departments such as the sports section.
In 1936 I became the women's editor, which entitled me to such interesting assignments as interviewinig Lily Pons backstage at Hill Auditorium and entertaining Leopold Stokowski at the Pretzel Bell. The Pretzel Bell was THE gathering place for Daily staff, and I will never forget the wild, wild night at the Pretzel Bell when Prohibition ended and we drank REAL beer.
My experience on the Daily led to a PR job in New York and later to freelance job the Detroit News, and finally to a three-year stint in the women's department of the Detroit Free Press.
Marriage, three children, and I kept on writing. My first sale—you guessed it—a diaper-wash magazine. Later. sales such as McCalls and Yachting and finally 10 young adult books in a permanent collection of Michigan Literature at Grand Valley State College. Also one adult suspense novel in collaboration with Virginia Sloan Gillette, who attended U of M, as well as Elmira College.
For me, it all started back then at the Michigan Daily, among my happiest memories in a long happy life.
Josephine M. Wunsch
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan |
Dishwasher to The Apostles
I REALLY enjoyed Grace Shackman's "Acts of the Apostles" in the summer issue. I hope you will find some of my memories of interest.
In the fall, of 1934, three fraduates of Jackson Junior College enrolled as Juniors at U-M. We had rooms with a Mrs. Parks, who was the cook at the Apostles Club. Mrs. Parks gave us board jobs at the club; one of us took care of the heating plant, and the other two were dishwashers. I was one of the dishwashers for the next two years.
During this time I knew all of the Apostles (about 20 in number), but the years have diminished my memory of their names. I do, however, remember Drs. Case, Cross and Robbins and Professors Cuncannon, Halford and VanderDelde. Each member always sat in the same place for meals, and Dr. Case had the honor of sitting at the head of the table.
Mrs. Parks was a very good cook, and at a time when area restaurants offered meal tickets to students for four or five dollars a week the Apostles paid nine dollars a week. As a result the meals were excellent, and we, as kitchen help, enjoyed the same food as that prepared for the Apostles. Each Apostle had his own preference for breakfast, served from 7:30 to 9:00, and Mrs. Parks knew what each one wanted. The only meal not served was Sunday night.
The house on Church St. had rooms for six Apostles. Professor Halford, who was the treasurer, occupied one of them. Mrs. Parks's sister,. Mrs. Judson, took care of the rooms and the house.
When I entered the Business School in the fall of 1936 I realized graduate school and five hours a day at the Apostles Club did not go together, and I gave up the board job except for occasional fill-ins. In spite of my association with the Club I did not know much about its beginning and past history so that part of your article was of great interest. I am the only one left of the three I mentioned and probably one of a few who might have had similar experiences with the Apostles Club.
Norman B. Davey '36, '38 MBA
Jackson, Michigan |
I WAS pleased to find "Activities of the Apostles" in the summer issue. I notice that my brother, Dr. H. Mark Hildebrandt, is quoted and I wish to add my "two cents worth": As children growing up in a faculty family we often heard references to the Apostles and became acquainted with many of them. We played with their children, saw them entertained in our home, recognized them as friends of our parents, knew them as neighbors. For example, Wilfred Shaw lived on Hill Street, just around the corner from our house on Cambridge Road. His daughter, Penelope, was a contemporary and classmate of mine. Joseph Hayden and his family lived on Onondaga, a block away. Our brother Paul played with his son Ralston both before and after their stay in the Philippines. The Bursley house was a little farther out on Hill Street and there were occasions when we played in their yard.
Alexander Ziwet (whose name is pronounced "zee-vet") was a guest at Sunday dinners in our house; he was already retired as professor of mathematics. I have the impression that our father, Theophil H. Hildebrandt, who came to the University as an instructor in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Engineering in 1909, was something of a protege of Ziwet's. (There was a separate Department of Mathematics in LS&A until 1934, when THH became chairman of the combined departments.) In the illustration entitled "Apostles at card play," the man identified as "C. A. Hibbert" was probably Vibbert, a professor of philosophy, I believe. His daughter, Madeleine, was also a contemporary of mine. Perhaps sometime you can publish a complete, preferably annotated, list of all the Apostles through the years of the club's existence. I am sure that my contemporaries and I would find it enlightening.
Theodore W. Hildebrandt '42, '47 MA, '56 PhD
Greensboro, North Carolina |
I CERTAINLY enjoyed the entire Summer issue. The "String Theory" and "Protein" articles were intriguing, and it was nostalgic to read about the Michigan Daily, where I worked at the Women's Desk as headline writer and night editor in the mid-1940s.
What caught my eye and curiosity. However, was the photo of the 1915 Apostles" with the name "Bursley" in the caption. I connected it with Joseph A. Bursley, who was Dean of Students during my years at Michigan (1943-1947). I immediately looked up Dean Bursley in my 1947 Ensian yearbook. His photo on p. 15 looks remarkably like the young man in the 1915 Apostles photo wearing a gray suit and looking directly at the camera. Could the names be out of order? Is the Bursley mentioned any relation to Dean Bursley? I remember Dean Bursley and Dean of Women Alice C. Lloyd with respect and affection.
Another Apostle mentioned in your article was Prof. Preston Slosson, who truly was an amazing and memorable teacher of history. How wise the University was to share this exceptionally gifted man with freshman students. He lectured without notes and made European History come alive. His classes were packed. During World War II Professor Slosson also had a 15-minute radio program during which he analyzed the war news. Observers reported that he would arrive about 20 minutes before airtime, look over the day's newspapers and then proceed to comment on the political and historical ramifications of the day's events, again with no notes.
If you haven't featured Preston Slosson recently in your publication, I think readers would appreciate your doing so.
Ellen (Hill) Taylor
Grand Junction, Colorado |
Grace Shackman replies: There were in fact two Bursleys who were members of the,Apostles—Joseph, a professor of mechanical engineering who became the first dean of men, and Philip, a professor of French, who was identified as the Bursley in the photo in the document I copied. They may well have been related, but I didn't come across any information on that point. I copied the names for the picture exactly as the Bentley Library had them. It is possible, of course, that whoever originally ID'd them made a mistake.
Michigan Today Online
I AM writing from the Alumni and Development office at the University of Ottawa. I found that the online version of your alumni magazine was extremely well done. We are in the process of putting ours up online, and if you could give me any information as to problems you encountered (or any other helpful hints) it would be greatly appreciated.
Elizabeth Wylie
Research and Communications Assistant
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
Our online edition at http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/MT/mtfpg.html is designed and composed by Roger Sutton, manager of broadcasting media and information technology, News and Information Services, and his staff—Ed.
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. . . Fall 2000