Letters to the Editor

Success in Gotham

I knew that I should never have attempted to make a list, in my April "Vox" essay, of the artist-alumni whose work I have admired and enjoyed in New York City; I was bound to miss someone, and I did. Just for the record will you allow me now to include with all the others I mentioned there both David Birney '61, whose performance in The Playboy of the Western World at the Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center was such a delight, and Robert Montgomery '68, two of whose plays I remember in New York productions with pleasure and gratitude.

I promise not to send monthly updates (even if the occasions for them should arise) but hav- ing written about these two omissions, I would like to take the opportunity to mention that one of the very best of all the experiences of this kind that I have encountered, which came my way after the "Vox" piece was written, may be shared by anyone who is lucky enough to be in New York while Tintypes is still running at the Golden Theatre. The accolades which Jerry Zaks '67 received in the Times, The NewYorker, and New York understate the richness of his superb performance.

Hanover, N.H.

[Peter Smith is director of Hopkins Center. Ed.]

Shared Experience

As recently elected chairman of the Native American Alumni Association, I would like to publicly express some of the reasons behind the formation of such an association and to describe the contributions we, as Native American alumni of Dartmouth College, believe this association can make to the College.

The Native American Alumni Association was formed under the logical assumption that people who shared the rather unusual backgrounds of being both Native Americans and graduates of Dartmouth College would have a lot to offer to one another and to those Native Americans who might otherwise express an interest in Dartmouth. While all of us, as alumni, share common memories of and feelings towards our alma mater, many Native Americans have experienced radical cultural transitions in leaving their native communities to come into an environment which is totally different from anything they had previously ex- perienced, and probably from anything previously imagined. The perspective gained by Native Americans in undergoing this common experience finds one outlet for maturation and continuing education in the Native American Alumni Association.

The purpose behind the N.A.A.A. was two- fold: to encourage Native American alumni, to whom the entire concept of an active, concerned alumni body is foreign, to remain involved with Dartmouth through the shared experiences of other Native Americans, and to further the conception of Dartmouth College as a viable educational option for young Native Americans. We hope this will be viewed in much the same way as alumni clubs, class officer associations, or other groups within the general alumni body. The N.A.A.A. is a group of loyal alumni who, having a shared experience which by necessity is quite distinct from any other alumni group but still a part of the Dartmouth experience, have come together to help the College carry its message to this group of alumni who do not come from families where support of private higher education is itself a tradition. The second purpose should by no means be considered secondary; one of the major functions of alumni associations has always been to play an instrumental role in the selection and encouragement (not to mention employment) ■ of Dartmouth students. Hopefully, the N.A.A.A. may be able to function as a kind of substitute for the "old boy" network that is clearly lacking among native peoples.

The Native American Alumni Association will hopefully provide an opportunity for those who are proud to be Native Americans and proud to be graduates of Dartmouth College to synthesize their feelings in an association com- mitted to the further contributions of Native Americans to the educational process at Dart- mouth. We hope to broaden the purpose behind the already existing alumni associations and then seek to expand the audience with whom that group can communicate. It is hoped that all of Dartmouth's sons and daughters will un- derstand and support this undertaking.

Hanover, N.H.

Ivy Respectability

I see that the Ivy League continues to bury its head in the sand as far as athletics goes, by refusing to admit Army and Navy into the league. Ivy League teams compete with both service academies in many sports, and even though they possibly don't meet the league's definition of "student athletes," their addition could be a boost for Ivy League athletic programs and Ivy League respectability.

I also see in his ten-year report that President Kemeny expresses "a concern about Ivy athletics." I am also concerned but in a different way. While in no way do I want or ex- pect the Ivy League to field "professional"-type sports teams, I think the league fools itself when it abides by overly strict rules while attempting to compete with those schools that don't follow the league's philosophy one hun- dred per cent. It's certainly no secret that when Ivy football, basketball, and baseball teams go outside the league, it is generally total disaster even against the likes of "powerhouses" such as New Hampshire, Lafayette, and Rhode Island!

I'm sure the league presidents were em- barrassed recently when Penn made N.C.A.A. basketball's "final four" in 1979 or to a lesser degree when Dartmouth and Cornell did the same in hockey and lacrosse. My point is that there is nothing wrong with competing on an equal basis, and too often Dartmouth and the other Ivies can't even do that. I think we should stop worrying about admitting athletes to our schools providing they meet all qualifications and stop wringing our hands when an Ivy League team wins an athletic event outside the league.

I know of many outstanding ex-Ivy athletes who today are also outstanding in their field of endeavor, and Dartmouth and the other Ivy in- stitutions certainly need not apologize for their part in making the Ivy League more respected in past years when they were in school than it is today.

Houston, Texas

Rousers

As the crow flies, Hanover and San Diego are just about as far apart as any two places can be in the continental U.S. So, it was a pleasure to spot the names of two Dartmouth alumni on the same sports page of the San Diego Union.

A short, very complimentary article entitled "Uncommon Rookie Takes Unkind Cut with Class" informed San Diegans that, regret- tably, Harry B. Wilson '77 was being waived by the Chargers. (He was probably the only guy in training camp with a degree in law; senior class president and University of Virginia School of Law, too.)

Inches away another headline: "Stenerud Booted as Chiefs Opt for Lowery FGs." Nick Lowery '78 will be kicking for Kansas City this fall.

Both of these guys deserve a rouse, from coast to coast.

San Diego, Calif.

Disappointment

Since my graduation in 1941, my interest in and affection for Dartmouth have continued unabated through the years.

That interest and affection are a combination of several elements: the fond memory of friendships experienced then and continuing to- day, the remembrances of the College itself, the fine men who taught there, the campus, the countryside, and the Dartmouth spirit.

The spirit of Dartmouth, as I experienced it, was a tangible and unique feeling. It was a pride in masculinity, in rugged strength and courage, in closeness to and affinity with nature and the out-of-doors as exemplified by the American Indian. The American Indian (then the symbol of Dartmouth), far from being an object of ridicule, was an individual to be admired for his courage, endurance, stoicism in the face of pain and danger, and many other qualities associated with manliness and rugged in- dividualism.

Since Ernest Martin Hopkins' time, there has been a slow and subtle change in Dart- mouth and her philosophy. The Indian has gone. The women have appeared. The honest masculinity has been tempered by the soften- ing influence of the "weaker" sex. The castra- tion has almost been completed.

Recently, my seventh child, a boy, applied for admission to Dartmouth. His academic record is well above average, his College Boards were high, his character is exemplary, he was highly recommended by his high school principal and the local Dartmouth interview- ing committee, and he is a 235-pound defensive tackle of considerable proficiency. He was re- jected.

Making allowances for a certain amount of parental prejudice on my part, I still consider this boy to be an outstanding candidate. I take his rejection with a considerable amount of resentment, which, of course, will unavoidably spill over into my future feelings about Dartmouth College itself, or at least its present administration.

I'm sure I am not alone in my concern for the changing character of Dartmouth. In my particular case, that concern is sharpened by my personal disappointment at my son's rejection by the College, but it was there in any case as indicated by the fact that my modest contributions ceased when Dartmouth became coeducational.

None of this is indicative of any lessening of my love for Dartmouth as I knew her or for the wonderful men with whom I shared a great four years. It means only that I fear that Dartmouth is no longer the school of my dreams that has for so many years been "miraculously builded in our hearts."

The moral and financial support given to Dartmouth by her loyal alumni has for years been the envy of other colleges and universities. It should be remembered that loyalty is a two- way street. If Dartmouth cannot find it in her heart to give some recognition to the desires of the alumni, can the College truly expect to continue to receive their support in the future?

Sparrow Bush, N. Y.

Bruce Knight

As you point out in your obituary of Bruce W. Knight, professor emeritus of economics, he was the brother of Frank H. Knight, the distinguished economist and philosopher of the University of Chicago. A third brother, M. M. Knight, was a notable economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley. It was not a family without intellectual distinction. Frank H. Knight was fond of saying that in their home Bruce was considered "the one with the brains."

Los Angeles, Calif.

[Bruce Knight died May 28 in Hanover. Hisobituary appeared in the June issue. Ed.]

Declension

The familiar Dartmouth motto, "Vox clamantis in deserto," has suffered a minor but common mistranslation at the hands of Alexander A. McKenzie '32 [Letters, June issue].

Since "vox" is nominative and "clamantis" is genitive, it cannot be the voice itself that is crying, as in "a voice crying in the wilderness," but the person who owns the voice. The King James Version has it right (Mark I:3): "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

If you want to say, in Latin, "a voice crying in the wilderness," you must put it "Vox clamans in deserto."

Hanover, N.H.

The Ozark Bear

Your April issue contained a fine article on Jeff Tesreau and the apt description of him as one of nature's gentlemen. Edward D. Gruen '3l has given us an excellent portrait of a lovable individual. I first met Jeff along with Harry Hillman at the Inn in the spring of 1920 when I was deciding between Amherst and Dartmouth. To meet with such sports-page luminaries was real heady for a small-town boy from Brattleboro High.

While the article cites a number of Jeffs feats as a big leaguer, I think his incredible earned run average of 1.96 in his first year as a Giant stands out particularly at a time when there were a number of .300 hitters in the league. I like to think Jeff became interested in Dartmouth through his battery mate on the Giants, Chief Myers, who spent two years as a Dartmouth undergraduate and years later in an interview described them as the best two years of his life.

When asked at the end of 25 years of coach- ing to name an all-Dartmouth squad covering those years, he mentioned around 30 players, with 13 more than a third having played for him in a single college generation, 1923- 1926. He called Hank Bjorkman '25 the best college player he had coached. Hank also was an all-America end in 1924. And, of course, there was Red Rolfe '31, who starred on the great Yankee teams of the 1930s.

The Hanover scene of the 1920s had an unusual number of personalities faculty, administration, and athletic among whom Jeff soon found a niche and had little time to miss his former companions on the Giants. It must have been frustrating at times for one accustomed to the expertise of the big leaguers to watch the sins of omission and commission of his charges on the college diamond. It was characteristic of the man that he seldom displayed emotion. The quotation "all he asked was his share of the close ones" reveals the philosophy by which he lived. Dartmouth was fortunate, as Prexy Hopkins said, that such a fine man had come among us.

Melrose, Mass.

The Hovey Murals

The June ALUMNI MAGAZINE repeats a story mentioned some time ago, a story which baffles me now as it did then.

It seems when the battle first began over those Hovey Grill murals, President Kemeny "made it clear that [he] would, under no circumstances, agree to censorship of art." So what happened to the murals?

"During last fall and winter terms the murals were covered with painted wallboard. . . . This spring, the wallboard was removed and the murals were exposed, but the Hovey Grill was locked except for 'special events.' "

It was explained earlier that the murals would be shown only as part of art exhibits. Personally, I found them far more appropriate as mere backdrops for drinking this "solution" seemed rather like saying Muzak could only be heard in Carnegie Hall.

But my main curiosity now is: What is the definition of "censorship" in Hanover? If something is not actually burned but simply covered with painted wallboard, is this freedom in action?

Intellectually, I'd prefer an honest admission of censorship to this curious waffling.

Weston, Conn.

Elementary Statistics

The decision against a mathematics requirement [in the faculty's curriculum recommendations] may not have been wise. Such a requirement might have educated Jack Herpel '28 to the point where he realized that the FADDIS experiment, whatever it might have been, did not remotely approximate a surve

I am a professional statistician who has worked predicting elections. As Mr. Herpel notes, we do attempt to make predictions from early returns, and these are not a scientifically selected random sample. For that reason, we take extensive precautions to predict and adjust for the likely biases hence our "uncannily accurate predictions." These biases occur in natural and predictable ways that can be understood through extensive sample surveys before the election (using statistical sampling methods) and from previous elections.

By contrast, the FADDIS advertising was so one-sided that it was likely to attract only respondents with a particular point of view. If we try to allow for this bias, we might well be more accurate to estimate that the "nearly two per cent" of the alumni responding to the FADDIS advertisement were the only alumni not offended by Herpel's blatant one-sidedness.

There can be little doubt that the responses to FADDIS are strongly biased, but there is no reasonable way to estimate the bias. In effect, the FADDIS results are completely meaningless.

Because I find it hard to believe that Mr. Herpel could be so terribly ignorant of elementary statistics and so devoid of common sense as to think that the responses to his advertising are representative (could 91 per cent of the alumni agree on anything besides whom to root for at the Harvard game?), I am forced to conclude that he has deliberately attempted to misrepresent alumni opinion.

Ithaca, N.Y.

[Under the sponsorship of Jack Herpel 28,FADDIS (For a Dignified Dartmouth IndianSymbol) published an advertisement in theMay 1979 issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE seeking opinion on the question of restoring theIndian symbol. According to Herpel, "over 500votes" were received, indicating that an"overwhelming 90.5 per cent want the Indiansymbol restored." Ed.]

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