LETTERS

Gay Valedictorian

The 1990 Commencement at Dartmouth College, with its first acknowledged homosexual Valedictorian, reminded me of the Commencement of 1942. The Valedictorian that year was Charles Milton "Stubby" Pearson, president of his class, captain of football and basketball, Phi Beta Kappa, senior fellow, Casque & Gauntlet, Palaeopitus, Green Key, recipient of the William Churchill Award and other honors.

Stubby left Dartmouth for service in the U.S. Navy as a dive-bomber pilot. In a raid on the Palau Islands on March 30, 1944, his plane was seen to receive a direct hit from Japanese anti-aircraft fire and continue its dive into the ocean. No survivors.

The comparison drawn between the traditions of Dartmouth College in 1990 and those of the 19405, by this latest Valedictorian, reminded me of how, indeed, the old traditions have failed.

Hanover, New Hampshire

The excitement over the announcement by Michael F. Lowenthal during his valedictorian speech that he is a homosexual has shrouded the very real objections to his ideas. Whether he is or is not a homosexual is a private matter; it did not affect his election as valedictorian nor should it have any bearing on the very legitimate opposition which Mr. Lowenthal's views arouse.

Mr. Lowenthal, in the words of the Valley News, "singled out the College's 5 Oth reunion class whose members were seated near the front" for his primary target. By extension, of course, the burden of his criticism fell upon Dartmouth College and all of us. Because he finds that "the bonds of camaraderie and tradition...do not hold fast for me" he feels that these bonds and traditions must be abandoned. He looks at the class of 1940 and can only see the repression and homogeneity that holds them.

Why does he not say, "Here is the class of 1940, which for 50 years has supported Dartmouth loyally?" Why does he not say that it has just raised almost $900,000 as a reunion gift? Why does he not acknowledge his debt, both financial and psychological, to the people who for more than half a century have supported the school to his benefit? Why does he not see a class such as 1940, or my own of 1937, and others of the same vintage that laid down their careers, their families, and in about ten percent of my class, at least, their very lives, to go off to war? He mentioned several times that he is Jewish, as I am, so I can say to him as a Jewish warrior, "If we had not gone off to war you would not be Valedictorian or a homosexual you would be a smart cake of soap."

Mr. Lowenthal does not appreciate the sorority and fraternity system. Therefore, his order has gone out that Dartmouth must abolish them. For that matter, any tradition or song that impinges upon Mr. Lowenthal's sensitivity must be prohibited. It was very pointed that he did not stand up during the singing of the Alma Mater. Let us not let the homosexuality issue, which really has nothing to do with the centrality of his ideas, obscure the rage that Mr. Lowenthal has at Dartmouth. Why did he go there if he dislikes so much about it? Why must we obey his faddish commands?

Kansas City, Missouri

Greatest Class?

I was wrong when I wrote you that the Class of '53 had won more Davis Alumni Fund Trophies than any other class in the history of the College. That, as Ron Lazar '53 pointed out to me, is simply not true. The Great Class of '25 has that honor, having won the trophy an amazing ten times! It is almost certain that no class will ever again achieve that record. The class has the kind of solid grasp on the future that I ascribe to that other heavy hitter, Joe DiMaggio!

Hanover, New Hampshire

Inept Smear

The Dartmouth Review got more than it bargained for—and apparently it will bargain for anything when it chose to libel Associate Professor Deborah King of Dartmouth's Department of Sociology on the occasion of what should have been her celebratory moment of achievement and recognition, her recommendation for tenure and her receiving the Huntington Distinguished Teaching Award.

The sorry saga spun around editorials in the May 16 and 23 issues. Among other lowlights the increasingly sorry Review insinuated, implied, and alleged that Professor King had the previous year been "turned down for tenure" and had now been recommended for tenure not on the basis of merit but solely because Dartmouth College was worried that it had "no minority female professors." Despite a declaration that no staff member had ever taken a course with Professor King, the Review claimed that Professor King was "not one of the best professors at the College." Employing its by now familiar gutterspeak, the paper called her among other things a "rabble rouser," a "wacko," and a "freaked-out idealogue."

In a pathetic and ludicrous attempt to justify its smear campaign, the Review said that it had talked with"one stu- dent" who had informed that paper that Professor King was "biased in a racial sense" and "graded unfairly," favoring black students over all other students. The paper's conclusion was that she "should be kicked out on her keister" from the "Psychology Department." Yes, the Review placed sociologist King in the Psychology Department the Review could not even get that fact straight.

Fortunately, the Review has ended up in full view by choking on its own garbage. The facts are that Professor Deborah King has been a respected, admired, cherished, and valued friend and leader of the Dartmouth community for many years. Contrary to the false statements of the Review, Professor King was never denied tenure. She was initially promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with the stipulation that she be evaluated for tenure in two years. This is a well-known procedure in tenure evaluations. A number of Dartmouth's most distinguished teachers and scholars have gone through exactly that procedure. Subsequently, Professor King's work was evaluated by scholars from eight different colleges and universities and she was judged to be one of the outstanding young sociologists in the United States.

From the outset Professor King was recognized to be a truly outstanding teacher on the basis of not only faculty evaluations but of at least 60 evaluations from former Dartmouth students. The fact that those evaluations were so exceptional and of such high quality led directly to her receiving the Huntington Distinguished Teaching Award. Dartmouth is truly blessed to have such a gifted teacher on its faculty.

Lastly, most embarrassing to the Review is an article it published on March 1, 1989. In response to the fact that Professor King had not been granted tenure immediately, the Review stated that she was an "outstanding member of her department, both in teaching and research." The piece added, "Deborah King is far too good of [sic] a professor in both teaching and scholarly aspects for Dartmouth to lose."

In short, the Review has become a joke. But it is a joke that still causes pain and damage as it spews venom and hatred into the Dartmouth community. Previous supporters should either withdraw their support or work to change the Review into a respectable, fair, and decent conservative journal that can serve Dartmouth honorably.

West Lebanon, New Hampshire

Rebound

Last year I took the liberty of criticizing an October 1987 comment in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, which credited Doggie Julian with the most successful varsity basketball coaching record in the history of the College. While I accurately pointed out that Ozzie Cowles, who coached from 1936 until 1943 and again in 1944-45 and 1945-46 after navy service during World War II, possessed that distinction, I erred in stating that Ozzie coached the 1943-44 club which lost to Utah in overtime in the NCAA finals. Sharp-eyed Gus Gillaugh '46 has corrected me privately. I consider it my obligation to confess error: the 1943-44 team, which won 19 and lost but two games, was coached by Earl Brown, a Notre Dame graduate, who doubled as varsity football coach in the same World War II year. That team, incidentally, was captained by the late (and great) Audley Brindley, class of 1946.

Thank you, Gus.

San Francisco, California

The Real Story

Does April's "Dr. Wheelock's Journal" signal that controversial actions of the Dartmouth administration are now to be reported under anonymous authorship? After reading about the Committee on Standards proceedings against Andrew Baker '93, I can understand that the author might not wish to be identified with a report that omits crucial facts.

For the benefit of your readers, here they are. At the hearing, Baker presented clear evidence he had written the paper alleged to have been plagiarized. When the COS shifted the complaint to a failure to footnote, Baker offered to introduce papers without footnotes that had been submitted for the same assignment by his course classmates. This was to support his claim that Professor Sedgwick had asked for a general discussion and not a research paper. The COS told Baker if he submitted these papers, his classmates would be prosecuted as well. Baker then withdrew his offer in order to protect them.

A COS member from the faculty stated "off the record" after the proceedings that the decision had been "political." Baker's Deerfield Academy writing teacher has stated in a letter that he will no longer recommend students to Dartmouth.

I have read Baker's paper (which is a pretty good one for a 17-year-old firstterm freshman), the COS statement, and all media coverage of the incident. I have talked with Baker's father, Prof. Sedgwick, and others. Andrew's prosecution appears to be inexplicable on any other basis than animosity toward the Dartmouth Review, where Baker worked as a staff writer. If the COS approach were to be generally applied, there would be no student body left at Dartmouth.

Contrary to the Wheelock column, the problem is not that "[William F.] Buckley beat the Committee on Standards to the rhetorical punch," but what in fact occurred. Once again the administration appears to be abusing academic integrity for political ends, and in the case of both the COS statement and the Wheelock column, failing to tell the whole story.

Finally, it was inappropriate for the column's anonymous author to adopt a tone of sarcastic derision (alumni receiving "tear-stained clippings" from "hand-wringing classmates") toward Dartmouth graduates treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves. It was in part through their efforts that Baker was restored to his classes and given a passing grade as well as a complete refund of all moneys paid for his ruined term. I take this as a pretty clear acknowledgment of the administration's culpability in the matter, rather than evidence of a sudden magnanimity on the part of Dean Shanahan, as depicted in your account.

Lexington, Massachusetts

Charmed

My husband, Walter Petke, is a member of the class of 1935 of Dartmouth College. In the autumn of 1988 I noticed an advertisement in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine for Dartmouth charms, pendants, and other items in gold and silver. Andrea Crashy Zacher, one of the owners of the firm advertising these items, was listed in the advertisement as a member of the Class of 1982 of Dartmouth College. One day I decided to order the charm.

I asked that the company use our Master Charge for payment. Before too long a package arrived and it contained the beautiful Dartmouth charm in 18K gold. I couldn't have been better pleased.

I suppose the real reason for sending this note to you is to share with you the fact that apparently there are a few people left in this world who trust their fellow man regardless of what is said to the contrary. Or could it be that Dartmouth people are truly "extra special?" I will leave that up to you, but today we are warned not to be too trusting because the consequences can be disastrous but not so with Andrea's company, and in New York no less.

Walt thought we should share this experience with the readers of the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Hopefully you will find space for it.

Bristol, Connecticut

Readerly Reader

I want to recommend A Dartmouth Reader to alums and friends of Dartmouth who like to know or remember how it was in "the good old days." I missed it back when; the College published it in 1969, and just now I have it as a gift. It is a collection of short quotations, from Eleazar to Robert Frost. I especially enjoyed two student diaries (1878 and 1936); all of Part I is focused on campus life.

I'd also like to invite more alumni, pre-1930, to contribute their "mem books" to Baker Library Archives. There are about 150 now, up to 1927, including mine. I've written about these treasures recently in the Library Bulletin. Let me help you.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Fellow Laughingstock

We were disappointed with Todd Zywicki's letter to the editor (February) in which he maligned the quality of The Dartmouth.

Todd pointed out that Michael Reynolds '90, the author of your October piece on The Dartmouth, is a former editor-in-chief of the paper. But Todd chose not to dilute his own apparently objective argument by noting that he was the paper's advertising manager on the 1988 directorate. He is also a former sportswriter. If the paper was, as he put it, "a laughingstock," why did he bother to be a part of it?

More importantly, we believe that Todd's charge that The D is "nothing more than a pathetic left-wing rag with little or no credibility" is erroneous and unfair. The D's greatest asset is the laboratory it provides for students seriously interested in learning responsible journalism. It does not purport to be perfect, and its readers understand that its writers and editors are "journalistsin-training." Still, during our four years at the College it was the only publication on campus dedicated to pursuing the highest tenets of objective journalism. Its continuing impact on campus is exemplified by its delivery each morning to so many Hinman boxes, professors' desks, and administrators' offices.

New York, New York

Mr. Garcia is a fomier managing editor of The Dartmou th. Mr. Steinberg, a former editor-in-chief, now works for The New York Times.—Ed.

Nobel Causes

Over the years men of Dartmouth have attained high honor in business, politics, education, literature, etc. Only two have won the Nobel Prize: Owen Chamberlain '41 and George Snell '26.

Owen Chamberlain and Emilio G. Segre shared the Nobel Prize in 1959 for work in physics. George Snell shared the award with Banuj Benaceraff and France's Jean Dausset for work in physiology in 1980. In 1974 Dartmouth made Snell an honorary doctor of science. In his citation, President John G. Kemeny hailed Snell as "the world's leading authority on the genetics of transplant reactions."

Surprising that the College has not given the same recognition to Owen Chamberlain as to George Snell.

Sarasota, Florida

Save Wheelock!

Wonderful old Wheelock Mansion is teeming with the very earliest reminders of the historical Dartmouth. Alas, far from being a museum and final resting place for Wheelock mementos, it has been up for sale twice since 1975, and now contains business offices. It is to be hoped that next time it is on the market there will be a fund available with which to restore this unique place as part of the Dartmouth legacy.

One of the saddest aspects of this tale is that it is now the oldest of the three remaining 18th-century houses of the many built in Hanover circa 1775. All the Main Street houses have been destroyed. The Dave Storrs house and Mrs. Pierce Crosby's were razed to make way for the post office. The star beauty of the brick tavern on the corner of Main and West South Street disappeared to make room for the Dartmouth National Bank. The Gate House at 68 South Main (built in 1775 where Wilson Hall stands today, but moved in 1875) remains, but so maltreated by protruding storefronts and advertising gimmicks as to be scarcely recognizable.

Hanover, New Hampshire

The Wheelock House offices are occupied by its owner, the South-North News Service, by Peter Martin 'SI (one of the Summer issue's "Voices Crying in the Wilderness') The other occupants are the editors of this magazine. We can understand why Ms. Frey could wish for more respectable tenants.—Ed.

Man Handled

I was enjoying President Freedman's "Confessions of a Book Lover" in the March Syllabus until I came to his discussion of The Plague. In that paragraph the president poses several rhetorical questions. After starting well, using humanistic language ("human existence," "person"), his construction degenerated with a series of masculine pronouns. Did the president mean to imply that only men are capable of ascertaining moral worth or handling daunting tasks? I was puzzled and then troubled by his sexist choice of words because it seemed to me that the indefinite pronoun "one" would have been a more powerful and appropriate selection. Sexual stereotyping is all too common in our society and is, I believe, damaging to the cause of equality. I urge President Freedman (and his editors) to be more sensitive.

Casco, Maine

Still Green

In receiving the Alumni Magazine since 1958, I have noticed two things that run through its pages and through the life of the women and men of Dartmouth. mouth.

One: the word "change" (is there a need for it? Shall we let things stand?). The way the school faces the serious challenges—wins some, loses a few but continues to grow for its young men and women and its worldwide community is admirable.

Which comes to Two: Dartmouth Undying, Dartmouth Forever. For a man like myself high hopes but a "C" average, a loner among gregarious classmates, a lackluster football player, a dropout after three semesters, a small fish in a pond of high achievers for me, I am still accepted, wanted, aided, I'm still Dartmouth Green and forever will be.

Every issue of the Alumni Magazine, every class newsletter tells me that I am still a part of the Dartmouth scene. My life is and always has been enriched by being a small part of Hanover and Dartmouth College. I ask for nothing more.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Dynamic

Congratulations on your new dynamic and colorful format. Smashing!

Norwich, Vermont

Got It

Dick Dunham's confusion between "got" and "gotten" (February Letters) derives, I believe, from the difference between British and American usage. The Brits have long since dropped the conjugated form in the past perfect, saying "have got," whereas American usage clings to the longer, and I believe older, form, "have gotten." Mr. Dunham Sr. seems to have preferred the British form.

The folks at Sanborn may have another or more detailed explanation. I offer this as something learned from several years of association with British friends and their eternal curiosity about our "common language."

Arlington, Virginia

Post Hoc...

I hope our alumni malcontents will note that, despite the fulminations of the Hopkins agitators, the courageous "full divestment" action of the Dartmouth Trustees swiftly resulted in the South African government freeing Mandela, demonstrating once and for all that busy student activists and a constantly caring faculty can change the world.

Los Angeles, California

Brain Matter

We think the quality of the Alumni Magazine is improvingmore intellectual content. We would be happier paying for it if it would continue that trend. When we compare it to like magazines, we are not usually impressed with the intellectual vigor. It is better, but...

Weston, Massachusetts

William F. Yalie

I have been teaching at Dartmouth for more than 30 years, so that the phrase "Dartmouth family" does not sound exaggerated to me. My mother used to say that a family doesn't involve outsiders in a family quarrel. Those alumni who claim to love Dartmouth and yet support those who send distorted material to an irresponsible Yale alumnus so that he can trash Dartmouth publicly seem to me to be involved in a massive self-deception.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Bernard Gert is Dartmouth's Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy.—Ed.

"Dr. Wheelock's Journal" has never been signed. It is the editors who are responsible; the administration would likely be horrified to hear it shares responsibility. Most of the column is written by a Hanover-dwelling alumnus who begs anonymity.—Ed.

Michael Lowenthal did Cabin & Trail, Forestry Team, Barbary Coast, and a Senior Fellowship. Was he a good Valedictorian?

Credit Where Credit is Due April Issue: The credit for the photograph of Lowell Thomas Jr. (supplied by Thomas Meacham '65) should have been given to David P.Johnson. Summer Issue: Credit was mistakenly given to Jon Gilbert Fox for Stephanie Wolff's fine image of John Piane and Len Matless.