Letters

QUOTE/UNQUOTE "At least come out and say what you really think, Dinesh: that Lefties are bogus! It would, have been funnier.... Instead, the article comes off with an air of erudite paranoia." —ANDREW W.J. TOLER '93

The Forgotten War

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE EXCEL- lent article on the Korean conflict as seen by Dartmouth men ["Remembering America's Forgotten War," Mar/Apr], It was a good combination of individual stories and a thorough summary.

Two minor points: First, the 1948 election was probably not a "landslide." Truman got 49.8 percent and Dewey got 45.4 percent (Thurmond and Wallace were in the race). It certainly was a surprise. Second, the beanie may have been laughed off the Green in 1946, but in 1949 it was back again.

Like Hank Fry 53, I was in NROTC and, like him, I found the navigation course to be an obstacle. Instead of flunking it, I sidestepped it. I took the Marine Corps option at the end of my sophomore year. At least that is the way I remember it. Fry's story of minimizing his time in captivity is outstanding.

Framingham, Massachusetts

WHAT A GREAT ARTICLE! [WRITER] Bob Shnayerson '50 was always out- standing to those of us who knew him on campus. But even among his many friends from Wheeler and the SAE house (where he was elected president), few really knew how truly unique he is. That soft-spoken, modest guy had fascinating accomplishments in boxing. And the experiences surrounding the stories he wrote and submitted for sale to the pulp press were almost not to be believed. It was great to read him again.

Indian River Shores, Florida

Remarkable Women

HOW WONDERFUL TO SEE Musicians Jeannie Lee '99 and Carmen Flores '00 among the women of the College featured in "Women on the Verge" [Mar/Apr]. I would like to call to the attention of your readers some additional outstanding alumnae in music who have also distinguished themselves splendidly. Elizabeth Roberts '00 recently sang the leading role of the Countess in Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where she is finishing her master's degree. Laura Stuart '01 will perform with the New England Conservatory Orchestra this spring. She too is completing her master's degree in vocal performance. Sarah Craft '01 is a member of the professional early music ensemble Pomerium, based in New York City. Reynolds Scholar Deirdre Brenner '01 began her masters degree in piano at London's Royal Academy of Music last fall.

And just so the men do not feel slighted, Reynolds Scholar Steven Fox '00 is completing his master's degree in conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. His first recording—with his period-instrument orchestra, Musika Antiqua of St. Petersburg—will be released this year on the Naxos label. And last fall Robert Mirakian '01 began his masters in conducting at the University of Illinois.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Canon Fodder

DINESH D'SOUZA'S ATTACK ON Stanford ["Loaded Canon," Mar/Apr] hinges on one fragile opinion: that teaching I, Rigoberta Menchu in an introductory course is a poor representation of multiculturalism, and shame on Stanford for thinking that the text might be useful in some way. I don't intend to read Rigoberta, I don't know Stanford and I have no idea what else is on the reading list. But I think I get D'Souza's drift: Multicultural courses that don't stick to the warhorses of world history, religion and literature are a bogus agenda of "leftist politics."

Typically, I find that polarizing opinions, especially those that are published, are to be regarded as suspect. At least come out and say what you really think, Dinesh: that Lefties are bogus! It would have been funnier. I might have just laughed and not bothered to write a letter. Instead, the article comes off with an air of erudite paranoia. I believe there are better ways to treat the subject matter. And yes, you do make some good points, but they are obfuscated by your need to politicize everything. Some things just aren't vast left-wing conspiracies.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Town-Gown Relations

COMPLIMENTS TO DAM FOR A cover story that not all at the College might like to share with alumni ['A Delicate Balance," Jan/Feb]. I hope Dartmouth doesn't sacrifice Hanover's environmental charm just to play the higher education ratings game.

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

PRESIDENT WRIGHT'S NOTION THAT an outstanding, selective smallish liberal arts college must grow in size in order to remain a high-quality, selective institution is uninformed. Ask the friends and supporters of schools such as Williams, Amherst, Washington and Lee, Smith, Kenyon, Grinnell and a dozen other firstclass small liberal arts colleges. They were outstanding and small in the 1950s and still are.

Ashland, Virginia

Gorton's Record

YOUR FEATURE STORY ON FORMER Senator Slade Gorton ["Whatever Happened to Slade Gorton '49?" Jan/Feb] was far too kind to one of history's most notorious enemies of the environment. By focusing on efforts such as his "highway beautification bill," you ignore the ugly truth. According to the League of Conservation Voters, between 1995 and 2000 Gorton supported only two out of 51 key environmental votes. Gorton even voted to limit citizens' right to know what toxins are released into their neighborhoods. I am truly embarrassed that Gorton is a Dartmouth graduate, and I hope that none of my classmates follow in his sordid footsteps.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Write to Us We welcome letters. The editor reserves the right to determine the suitability of letters for publication and to edit them for accuracy and length. We regret that all letters cannot be published, nor can they be returned. Letters should refer to material published in the magazine and include the writer's full name, address and telephone number. Write: Letters, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, 80 South Main St., Hanover, NH 03755 E-mail: DAMletters@dartmouth.edu Fax: (603) 646-1209