Letters

The Way It Wasn't

Gary Trudeau in "Doonesbury" recently had two of his major characters reminiscing about college days. One remembered a series of events. The other pointed out that they never had occurred. The reply was something like, "But that's how we remember the good old days." I feel similarly reading in the short biography of me printed in the December issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE that I played varsity basketball at Dartmouth. My basketball career was a short stint with the freshman team. Art Young cut me for two reasons. I was spending too much time in Northampton and missing practices. More important, I was somewhat leaden-footed. Six-foot-five, even then, was too small for center unless you were a well-coordinated jumper. I was not.

Exaggerated remembrances can be delightful, but I thought I should correct the record.

Berkeley, Calif.

{The error appeared in our report of Ira MichaelHeyman's nomination to the Board of Trustees. Ed.}

Contributor

It takes a little longer than usual for the ALUMNI MAGAZINE to reach me in Seoul, Korea, but its arrival always reminds me that Dartmouth is "Round the Girdled Earth." The article on Sung Kook Chung in the November 1981 issue points this out well. I beam with pride that I am associated with an organization which is so able to embrace fine people from all over the world.

Prior to my coming to Seoul last year, I inquired of the Alumni Association if there were any Dartmouth alumni in Korea, and was surprised to find that there were none! As the article on Mr. Chung so charmingly points out, the Koreans are a friendly, sharing, and very hard-working people. Let's hope that in the future Dartmouth is fortunate enough to have more Koreans to share in and to contribute to the richness of the Dartmouth experience.

Seoul, Korea

Doubly Blessed

The class of 1976 has been fortunate enough to see two of its members, Reggie Williams

and Jim Beattie, play for the championships of professional football and baseball, respectively. This is indeed something for a college class of only 1,000 people to be proud of. Have any other Dartmouth classes been blessed with more than one member who has reached the pinnacle of his or her professional sport?

Los Angeles, Calif.

{Jim Beat tie pitched a World Series victory for theNew York Yankees in 1978, and Reggie Williamswas a starting linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengalsin this year's Super Bowl. Ed.}

Realities

As usual, the last issue of this magazine had a letter complaining about the choice of front cover. Wishing to see more pictures of Baker Library, James Parkes '20 concluded that "someone should do something to make the ALUMNI MAGAZINE remind people of Dartmouth."

Well, I would like to thank Mary Ellen Donovan '76 and Rob Eshman '82 for doing just that. In the same issue, Ms. Donovan uncovered the memories of the intense academic pressure which I and many Dartmouth alumni probably repress. Then Mr. Eshman wrote about "The Comparison Game": the collection of impressive-sounding achievements and activities for one's resume. As Mr. Eshman correctly supposed, the pressures to play persist well beyond college.

I hope the editors will continue to show us what the Dartmouth experience is really like for today's students the unpleasant aspects as well as the good times. I believe alumni of all ages will agree that we have shared a common experience with today's students.

La Jolla, Calif.

More Sure

I suspect by now you have received a number of letters in response to Rob Eshman's article on Jamie Newton {November issue}. I fear most wish to debate anew the merit of Newton's speech and, perhaps, of Newton himself. I will pass now, as I did then.

I wish, rather, to commend Mr. Eshman on the quality of his writing. The article had style, organization, and pace. It recaptured accurately an event, a time and, I believe, a man, all with fidelity and balance. None of this is easy.

But beyond this, Mr. Eshman, in writing about Newton, addressed what is a central dilemma for anyone who pursues principle — how to carry ethics beyond an event and into a life. The article is thus about each of us, as well as Jamie Newton. That is fine writing indeed. It is good to learn, with Frost: They would not find me changed fromhim they knewOnly more sure of all I thought was true.

Portland, Me.

Distant View

Recently, I had the good fortune to talk with a current undergraduate student. For me, a resident of a distant area with few ties to Dartmouth, our conversation provided a muchneeded contact with the College, and I took full advantage of the opportunity to acquaint myself with the current academic and social atmosphere. We discussed mutual experiences, similarities and differences in our feelings toward Dartmouth, and the changes that I have experienced in my views as time has passed. It was a wonderful conversation!

To all of the members of the Dartmouth family, I would like to say that with students such as this, the College is in excellent condition. Living in a college town, I have grown somewhat depressed as I view the students currently enrolled here. The lack of vision, the lack of real academic desire, the lack of a sense of value in education for education's sake all have contributed to my depression. I fully realize that at the time of my undergraduate studies I didn't recognize any of the qualities in myself that the local students lack, but in retrospect I see them. More important, I recognize them in today's students at Dartmouth. Despite the many Concerns facing the College, the quality of education provided must still be extremely high. The Dartmouth experience is still providing the opportunities to students that are necessary for the building of the kind of mind that will be required in the near future. While things may not be perfect, Dartmouth continues!

I have always been thankful for what Dartmouth has done for me. I am now also thankful for what Dartmouth is. The College grows, matures, and in some ways changes, yet it still provides a great opportunity and environment for the development of minds.

After my conversation with that student, feel very proud to have been associated wit Dartmouth. It is a tremendous institution.

Brookings, S.D.

The ALUMNI MAGAZINE welcomes comment from its readers.For publication, letters should be signed and addressedspecifically to the Magazine (not copies of communication toother organizations or individuals). Letters exceeding 400words in length will be condensed by the editors.