YOUR TURN

YOUR TURN

readers react

Puppy Love

I enjoyed the articles about the Hanover dogs [“A Breed Apart,” March/April]. They reminded me of a large setter we called Snowball—his real name was Fritz. We would throw a snowball at a snowbank, and he would dig to find it. He never succeeded! One spring I regularly played six holes of golf before my 9 a.m. class, and Snowball showed up to retrieve my golf ball and dared me to take it from him. I gave up, left the ball for him, and pedaled off to class without it.

Another time, my roommate put a dog in our room as a joke when I had a late morning class. The dog ate my sociology textbook. I didn’t like that class anyway.

I guess the town still has lots of dogs around. A town without a pet is missing an element of pleasure.

JERRY GREENFIELD ’61, TH’62, TU’65

Richland, Washington

The stories of dogs on campus put me in mind of my own campus dogs back in the day. As a freshman living in a dorm in 1968, my friends and I just had to adopt a puppy. With our newly minted radical poses, we named him Che.

Of course, keeping a dog in a dorm was against all kinds of rules, but nevertheless we managed to keep him for months. Even the dorm custodian cooperated. When I asked him carefully if he was going to report us, he allowed as how dogs were certainly illegal in dorms, but quickly added “But that little #!&*# could run right between my legs and I’d never see him!”

Eventually, we had to give Che up and he was adopted by a fraternity, becoming a campus fixture for several years. He was most famous for his ability to beg or steal food from the dining hall, capable of snatching a donut or a pork chop from shoulder height in a single bound. He was skittish around people in uniform (wonder where that came from?) and to my knowledge he was never apprehended.

“The simple notion of a dog brings joy and promise.”

-MARIANNE HRAIBI, ADV’08 A BREED APART | MAR/APR 2023

FIND MORE LETTERS ON THE DAM WEBSITE

After that, I remained dogless until my senior year. Living far off-campus, I adopted the dog I would have for another 12 years. As my sensibilities had changed a bit since freshman year, I named him Zappa. He rode with me on my commute and sometimes came to class. That ended right after he attended a senior bio seminar and jumped up and licked the balding head of the department chair. Zappa stayed in the car from then on.

Here’s to always having dogs on campus, in class or out.

DON MEALS ’72 Burlington, Vermont

What a concept! Glorious photographs! And what a joy to read! Don’t we all need some kind pleasure that we know exists simply from pure love. Dogs are indeed all our best friends—even if we do not know them. The simple notion of a dog brings j oy and promise. Each photograph of these precious pets was so uplifting. One need not know the dogs to feel their loving presence. What a glorious way to start my day!

MARIANNE HRAIBI, ADV’08 Saint Johnsbury, Vermont

Bad Dog

I have no idea who decided the feature article in the March/ April edition should be about dogs, but the editor should have had the sense to know better. Methinks it may be time to get a different editor.

P.R. SCHENCK ’54 Wilmington, North Carolina

I’m disappointed with DAM’s stories, including the latest issue about professors’ dogs. I love dogs, but dogs and humans alike are now endangered by nuclear war.

With World War III at the threshold, it’s extremely troubling that the magazine buries its head in the sand and churns up articles that effectively deny the seriousness of this situation. It’s not that we can’t have articles about sports and Hollywood, but the magazine seems to be deliberately running away from an extremely serious issue.

Why not have an in-depth series featuring a range of perspectives on the Ukraine crisis? Why not take advantage of the intelligence of alumni to take leadership steps forward in paving the way for cooperative dialogue both among Americans and between the United States and Russia? Let’s be examples of open-mindedness and push past the prej udiced rivalry that limits our potential for peace and justice.

KRISTIN YOUNG CHRISTMAN ’90

Clifton Park, New York

Unknown Hero

I was deeply touched by Deron Snyder’s article profiling the great civil rights leader, Lester B. Granger, class of 1918 [“Underappreciated Giant,” March/April].

I must confess that I had not fully fathomed Granger’s pioneering contribution to the civil rights movement when I received the Lester B. Granger ’18 Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2009. As I got the Granger Award simultaneously with the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award, there had been much more publicity about the latter. I now wish I had known and more fully appreciated that MLK’s towering achievement was built on the foundation of Granger’s exemplary leadership in ending systemic racial segregation in the citadel of the powerful U.S. Navy and boldly challenging the

“Methinks it may be time to get a different editor”

—P.R. SCHENCK ’54 A BREED APART | MAR/APR 2023

nefarious legacy of Jim Crow in an earlier era during much tougher times.

When the names of two great leaders are juxtaposed, there is a risk of one of them being overshadowed by the aura of the more high-profile contemporary leader. But we must never forget that most great leaders stand on the shoulders of their giant predecessors.

KUL CHANDRA GAUTAM ’72 Irvine, California

I so appreciated your article about Lester B. Granger. There are so many Black heroes and patriots who have been largely forgotten and their stories and legacies deserve to be uplifted. We have so much to learn from their courage and accomplishments.

I am several years into producing a documentary about the athlete, actor, producer, and civil rights activist Canada Lee, another brilliant American hero who has been forgotten. I wonder if Granger and Lee ever met each other while working toward integrated armed forces. I imagine they did, and as we continue our research, I hope to find proof.

JONATHAN SKURNIK ’86

South Pasadena, California

Right On!

I loved the even-handed assessment of current campus culture by Peter Slovenski ’79 [“Mutual Respect” Web Extras, November/ December 2022]. My sense is that DAM and the College are becoming increasingly intolerant of conservatives’ viewpoints, so it was great to see some intellectual diversity.

LEX MCCUSKER ’74 Washington, D.C.

WRITE TO US

DAM welcomes letters. The editor reserves the right to determine their suitability and edit them for accuracy and length. Letters must be limited to 200 words and refer to material published in the magazine.

Write:

Letters, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine,

7 Lebanon Street, Suite 107,

Hanover, NH 03755

Email: DAMLetters@dartmouth.edu

Online: dartmouthalumnimagazine.com