Letters

QUOTE/UNQUOTE "Brothers such as these men are nearly extinct; there are not enough of them who 'talk the talk and walk the walk —WES PUGH '73

Sisterhood

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR STORY, "The Women of '76" [Sept/Oct], about those who were simultaneously rejected and embraced by the College during the early years of coeducation. I smiled when noticing how many of these women received encouragement from fathers who were Dartmouth alumni.

Rumor has it that upon learning that his first-born (me) was a girl, my father (Ken Kolb '61) exclaimed, "Thank God Dartmouth's coed!"

Washington, D.C.

THE LEADERSHIP AND SPIRIT OF "the women of '76" made it possible for those coeds who followed to have their own life-changing Dartmouth experience. My Dartmouth years prepared me for the business world in a way that no other college at the time could have, and I believe that, like the class of 1976, the women of the class of 1980 were chosen to attend for their combination of intelligence, resiliency and just plain chutzpah.

And yes, I still sing "Men of Dartmouth," and I still wonder about the "granite in their brains."

North Chelmsford,Massachusetts

THE SECOND CLASS OF WOMEN tends to be forgotten as pioneers but we lived a lot of what the '76ers did. For me it was no different than growing up with three brothers; at first we were teased and insulted, then slowly we were admired for what we brought to the campus and then, as our presence matured, we began to make the men of Dartmouth proud. For me, it was just like growing up as a member of my immediate family. For my '04 daughter, it was everything she could wish and dream for in a college experience. As heryoungest sister prepares to apply, I remember how my father (Donald Cox '51, Tu'52) sat in his office at home the night we talked about which college I should attend. My mother had warned me, "Dad wants to talk to you about Dartmouth." I expected him to be sitting there wearing his freshman beanie and waving a Dartmouth pennant. Instead he simply said, "You will never again in life be with the concentration of the kind of people that you will have the privilege of knowing at Dartmouth, nor make such good friends." He was right.

Hollis, New Hampshire

Brotherhood

I WAS SO INTERESTED TO READ "Band of Brothers" in the Sept/Oct issue. The glimpse into the progress of those men to their present drew me deeply.

I came to Dartmouth from Atlantaconsidering myself a good liberal, with parents who were directly involved in the drama of desegregation in the 1960s with Wally Ford '70 and the others. I remember the disconcerting feeling seeing the blacks pretty much all at their own tables in Thayer. They wanted to be here, to be admitted to the world of Dartmouth, but kept to themselves. I began to re-evaluate my thoughts.

I was there that night when George Wallace was to speak. It was very disconcerting. Wally is correct: No one actually mounted the stage. But it was full action, nothing passive about it. Ideas challenged in a way I never encountered before.

Like those profiled I have found paths leading to service. My challenges have been different, but among the many influences in my life I count the Afro-American Society. To read about it again reminded me of a time of change I had not thought about for a long time.

My best wishes and congratulations to all of the Brothers in hope that there will always be that spirit of challenge at Dartmouth.

Sanbornton, New Hampshire

RALPH WIMBISH MAKES MENTION of "a new wave of black students [who] arrived in Hanover." I was one of those brothers, and looking at the picture of the four Brothers and friends I smiled while remembering those times: "Stevio" (Larry Stephens '70) would go over my freshman English papers, Mike Orr '72 traveled to Africa with me and others and imparted his unique brand of wisdom, Wally Ford '70 mentored so many brothers. A special bond formed with "T.P." (Tom Price '71) while playing on championship football teams, and Herschel Johnson '70 always made sure that my roommate "T.W." (Weymouth Crowell '73) and I were on point in our studies.

The camaraderie we shared with the Band of Brothers—upperclassmen who reached back to help us get through Dartmouth—is indescribable. Brothers such as these men are nearly extinct; there are not enough of them who "talk the talk and walk the walk," mentoring and giving back. The Brothers ultimately contributed to making the Dartmouth experience a lifelong memory that can provoke a smile from the recollections.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ed s Reckoning

THE ARTICLE ON ED LORENZ ("ED Reckoning," Sept/Oct] was an excellent piece on an eminent alumnus whose pioneering efforts in weather forecasting have made him something of a living legend. Seven years before Lorenz's discovery Ray Bradbury published a now-famous short story titled "A Sound of Thunder," in which present-day tourists visit the age of dinosaurs via a time machine and in so doing disturb, however slightly, the course of evolution, with disastrous results for the protagonist upon his return to the present. Ironically for Lorenz and us, the disturbed item is an accidentally crushed butterfly! More recently Stephen J. Gould visited the same theme in exquisite detail in his book Wonderful Life, dealing with the randomness of evolution and the unpredictable consequences of apparently minor events.

Tallahassee, Florida

Been There, Done That

I FOUND IT SHOCKING THAT SEVERaI of the students quoted in "Having It All" ["Campus," Sept/Oct] did not believe that caring for children is a form of "participating in society." The comment that a stay-at-home mom is "not giving back to the community and not empowering anyone" made my jaw drop.

I suspect that, like many of us, the students you interviewed may feel differently some day, when they take on the awesome and important role of parent and learn what it means to hold a future in their hands.

That sharing child-care responsibili ties as a dad would mean "more leisure time" was the funniest comment of all.

Manchester,Maine

AH, TO BE A YOUTHFUL, OPTIMISTIC, driven college student again! I remember the "having it all" conversations with my college roommate and how we "knew it all" too. What I know now is that the only way to have parenthood and career is to be flexible and open to the situation of the moment. And if you're not too critical now you won't have to backtrack to explain your sudden change in status later.

Vienna, Virginia

The Gitmo Debate

I AM APPALLED BY THE SENTIMENTS expressed in letters condemning Neal Katyal '91 for defending the rights of Guantanamo prisoners in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld ["Letters," Sept/Oct]—that the prisoners "have no rights." It is precisely the belief that prisoners have rights that distinguishes us from terrorists. Otherwise, it would be more expedient to simply saw off the prisoners' heads. The military commissions' descriptions closely match those of the special council of the U.S.S.R.'s secret police. It would be unfortunate if the United States endorsed a justice system modeled after that of Stalin's Soviet Union.

Brooklyn, New York

HOW DARE STU MAHLIN '63 DESCRIBE Neal Katyal as a traitor! Katyal has upheld the great American tradition of justice and fair play, no matter the identity or the suspected crime of the accused. Whether you believe the Gitmo POWs are innocent or guilty of the worst of capital crimes, our system accords them the right to a fair trial—a principle the Supreme Court upheld in the case Katyal argued. Those who do not get this basic principle are themselves guilty of betraying Americas ideals.

Cold Spring Harbor, New York

Write to Us We welcome letters. The editor reserves the right to determine the suitability of let- ters 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 run no more than 200 words in length, refer to materi- al published in the magazine and include the writer's full name, address and tele- phone number. Write: Letters, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, 7 Allen Street, Suite 201, Hanover, NH 03755 E-mail: DAMIetters@dartmouth.edu Fax: (603) 646-1209