Letters - November 3, 1999


Diversity reconsidered

I am writing in response to the letter from Robert H. E. Hein '56 (Letters, September 8), who wrote about Princeton Alumni Weekly's coverage of Commencement '99. As a black female, I was surprised to find myself pictured. Princeton is often thought of as a university comprised exclusively of rich white males, and coverage of various events does tend to reflect that stereotype.

The Princeton that Mr. Hein experienced was undoubtedly different from Princeton today, but Mr. Hein needs to realize that Princeton has changed in remarkable ways in no small part because the blacks, women, and various other groups previously ostracized have taken steps to enrich the university community in unprecedented ways. It is unfortunate that the sarcastic personality that Mr. Hein's letter portrays leads me to believe that he will never realize how Princeton has benefited by their mere presence.

I commend paw for its coverage of my graduation. My memories of that joyous time will continually be enhanced as I glance at that magazine for years to come.

Jacklyn E. Bruce '99

Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

Regarding the April 7 letter from James Cunningham '73: Obviously, I must be mistaken about the quality of Princeton's students and the nonselective eating clubs. As a member of a nonselective club (Campus), the intellectual conversations I had with my fellow club members or, heaven forbid, with students not belonging to an eating club must not have been as intellectual as I thought. Certainly mine was not one of the "above-average minds" on campus, or I would have been a member of those bastions of "Confucian elitism," "intellectual diversity," and "mutual respect"-namely Ivy, Cap and Gown, and Cottage (whose "ethos" I must have misunderstood). I must also be confused about the quality of undergraduates: I had thought that all students admitted to this already elite institution were "the most able," but now I know that only some of us were capable of "leading and serving society." I apologize for doubting that bicker was ever anything less than "serving society" and that only graduates of the aforementioned clubs are capable of leading society.

Thank you, Mr. Cunningham, for demonstrating the necessity of the university's diversity initiative, if only to promote the "equality" you espouse.

Elliott Green '98

Vienna, Austria


A cheer for Peter Singer

I am delighted that my alma mater has the vision and courage to employ Peter Singer; I hope that the storm of controversy (people in wheelchairs chaining themselves outside the building during his first lecture) and the pressure from wealthy and influential alumni such as Steve Forbes '70 do not convince the university to let him go.

I did not read Animal Liberation and Practical Ethics until after I had seen several letters to paw regarding Mr. Singer's work. The strong opinions in those letters made me curious; in addition, I care deeply about Princeton; and finally, as a veterinarian, I have a professional interest in many of the issues he tackles.

After reading his work, I feel strongly that he belongs at Princeton, not so much because compassion suffuses his writings, but because he addresses emotional issues in an analytical way, and arrives at some surprising conclusions. While many obviously disagree with his conclusions, these issues-bioethics, genetic engineering, abortion, euthanasia-need to be discussed within some sort of logical, thoughtful framework, if we are to get beyond the welling emotions that too often cause such discussions to degenerate into a useless screaming match. Peter Singer offers just such a framework, if his critics will take the time to actually read his books.

Angela Hahn '85


Cotuit, Mass.


Hope for campus architecture

The article by Catesby Leigh '79 on Princeton's campus architecture (cover story, May 19) caused a flood of letters. I have to say how proud I am of Princeton for giving paw the editorial independence that gives them the freedom to publish such a critique. My initial reaction reading it was "What terrible timing! Just before Reunions-how will this affect Annual Giving?" Now that I read the letters, I have to acknowledge the liberal arts wisdom of airing such criticism in full faith that the subsequent dialogue will enlighten us all and help us understand and explore the "complexities" of Princeton campus architecture.

Turning to the letter of Bob Venturi '47 *50, author of the seminal book Complexities and Contradictions in Architecture, I would have hoped for a more profound rebuttal. Alan Chimacoff also brushed off the Leigh criticism with a wise- crack. In defense of these architects, we must recognize the fact that they were both mentioned in the article for their work on campus. Understand that this is a very difficult position for an architect, having put considerable creative effort into the design of a building and having lived with that building in their minds, on drafting boards, and at the construction site for three or four years. The emotion behind a response to criticism is akin to the response we would have if someone told us our child is ugly, deformed, or stupid.

The rest of the letters reminded me of the great teachers we had in the School of Architecture in mid century: Labatut, Egbert, Licklider, and Shellman. They would have enjoyed this debate for they taught us among other wonderful lessons that there are no absolutes or universal truths in architecture. The "cycle of tastes" that Venturi remembers Egbert teaching us no longer applies to the chaotic state of the world around us today. We could study past history of architecture with much greater confidence: Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Medieval, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Beaux Arts, Gothic revival, Classic revival, Victorian, Modern, and Postmodern all spiraling down through the ages. The cycles have shortened in frequency so there is now a chaotic blur. Past architecture was guided by powerful tastemakers: popes, bishops, kings, and emperors. It is important to ask; "Who are the tastemakers of today?"

The Great Depression and World War II pretty much closed down construction, leaving our campus frozen in time with the predominantly Gothic revival campus created by Cram, Cope and Stewardson, and Day and Klauder. Many of us remember the buildings and the lovely landscaped spaces in a wonderful nostalgic light. The buildings built since World War II have doubled the number on campus and, to my view, very few of these new buildings measure up in quality of design or popular appeal to their predecessors. Stephen Kliment *57 argues that the old campus contained "pastiches of English and French Gothic," then went on to argue against building "pastiches of pastiches." This sounds to me like a typical battle-cry of modernism with few thoughts to nourish other than the oft quoted and seldom understood slogans like "form follows function" or "less is more." Modernism has failed, in my opinion, to show us how to create a campus that holds together and appeals to the eye and spirit. Modernism, for the most part, has been a revolt against and a denial of any traditional values or standards. Architects have been left to seek their own set of truths resulting in the kind of ego- driven chaos that Leigh describes. But Leigh's implied prescription is flawed. It is a Miniver Cheevy retreat to a past that cannot be replayed.

The good news is that we have a campus for the student pedestrian, unlike many others that must rely on cars or transit systems. Here is where the conflict lies, for we have seen a doubling of buildings on a campus of the same acreage as it was in mid century. As a consequence, many of the wonderful vistas and spaces are now cluttered and congested.

There is some hope in recent construction, however, notably the work of Venturi, who has given us buildings that make us think, and the work of Viñoly. His stadium is beautifully detailed, brilliantly conceived, and functions well. These contribute to a campus that is one of the most beautiful and varied in the world.

Jeremiah Ford III '54 *59

Princeton, N.J.

 

Editor's note: Jeremiah Ford is a principal in the architecture firm Ford Farewell Mills & Gatsch in Princeton.


John Kemeny '46 *49

In paw's Faculty File (Notebook, April 7) Paul Benacerraf '52 *60, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, recalls taking an introductory course in the philosophy of science taught by the late John G. Kemeny '46 *49, later president of Dartmouth.

Kemeny's name rang a bell in my head, but I had to go on the Internet to recall what a huge impact Kemeny has had on today's cyberspace revolution. He had earned the equivalent of a master's degree in philosophy, and his first full-time teaching position, in 1951, was in philosophy at Princeton. But his primary interest was mathematics, having worked as Einstein's mathematical assistant as a graduate student. He coauthored the computer programming language BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), which became for a time the most widely used programming language in the world. In 1963 he and coauthor Thomas Kurtz had wanted to make it easy for students to gain access to computing, but the only computers available cost millions of dollars and used relatively difficult-to-learn languages. First they designed the first "time sharing" system so that a single computer could simultaneously serve many users, and then they wrote BASIC to allow those users to write programs easily.

Brad Bradford '44

Highland Park, Ill.


Traveling for Enlightenment

I was surprised to read on page 10 of the May 19 paw, "The idea of travel as a means of personal enlightenment first emerged in 18th-century England." A century earlier Bacon had written, "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education" (Essay 18, "Of Travel"), and another century earlier Montaigne had written that "travel seems to me a profitable exercise. The mind is continually exercised observing new and unknown things; and I know no better school, as I have often said, for forming one's life, than to set before it constantly the diversity of so many other lives, ideas, and customs, and to make it taste such a perpetual variety of forms of our nature" (Essays, III, 9, "Of Vanity" [trans. Donald M. Frame]).

Nicholas P. Barker '59

Lookout Mountain, Ga.


The last chaperone?

Perhaps some alumnus in advanced middle age can answer the question at the end of this letter.

About a century ago it was not unusual for young women who came to Princeton on weekends to bring along a chaperone. For instance, when my uncle invited a Bryn Mawr student to Princeton in 1912, his mother (my grandmother) came along to see that there was no hanky-panky.

Half a century later, in 1952, I invited a high school senior to Princeton for a football weekend. Her mother gave her permission, on condition that her daughter come with a chaperone. So she did. The chaperone kept mostly to herself, and my date and I had a good (and virtuous) time.

Was I the last Princetonian to have a date come to Princeton with a chaperone?

James Davis '52

Philadelphia, Pa.


Sheldon Judson '40

I was an administrator at Princeton for many years and have fond memories of Shel Judson, who died May 19, 1999. David Hughes was the department administrator under Shel for a number of years and decided to leave Princeton. David said he didn't want a departmental send-off. Shel said he wouldn't feel right not having an event to thank David for his service. I agreed.

On the day of the gathering some 50 people from the department came for David's send-off, but no David! After an hour of polite socializing, Shel got up and without a blink of an eye, told everyone how pleased he was to recognize David's contribution to the department and "introduced" David to all. Everyone immediately joined in the show, and we all spent an hour paying tribute to the phantom on the stage.

Shel enchanted us with his comments and his support of those who had prepared and did speak "to" David. We all enjoyed ourselves. Shel had turned a disaster to a triumph.

When the ceremony was over and applause for David had subsided, I said to Shel how wonderful it was, and before I could say how sorry I was that David had missed it, he quickly said, "Yes, it was very nice," and with that wonderful elfin twinkle in his eye that I shall always remember said, "and I think David really enjoyed it!"

Bruce H. Edwards

Bar Harbor, Me.


Stem cell research

I am writing to commend President Shapiro's recent support for stem cell research. As the head of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, he was in a pivotal position to further this important work and did so in the face of some controversy.

It is usually a sign of trouble when politicians try to make scientific or moral decisions. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) proclaimed that "the research being proposed by NIH on human embryonic stem cells is immoral, illegal, and unnecessary." His statement was troubling because this research is among the most promising in finding a cure for a host of diseases. It is also clearly not illegal. The judgment of morality is not his alone to make.

It is ironic that just as breakthroughs in the detection and prevention of Alzheimer's disease were being announced earlier this year, some people were trying to restrict similar research. Surely we can support research that improves and extends life, allows doctors the liberty to pursue the best paths in science, and brings happiness to people suffering from debilitating diseases.

Marco Sorani '91

San Francisco, Calif.


A bacon and egg bun

I never worked very hard in school until after December 1941, when the war started and I found myself taking five courses and auditing a sixth. One of my first discoveries was that to keep going late at night, I needed food.

Luckily, I was living in Blair and it was but a short walk down toward the station to a small building manned by students who quickly served wonderful things to eat. Their specialty was called a Bacon and Egg Bun. Totally delicious, hot, salty, crunchy, perfectly cooked every time. I could go back to my room and put in another hour or two of high pressure work after one of these treats.

Recently, I have lost weight and, trying to bulk up a bit, have taken up cooking a late-night meal for myself. I have tried every trick that I can remember to make a genuine bacon and egg bun, with no success. It never tastes exactly right.

Do any of paw's readers know the magic of how that absolutely delicious object was made? I'm sure that in a small way, it helped win the war. It certainly helped me.

Jim Murphy '44

Santa Fe, N.M.


Admissions query

For a history of admissions to Princeton, Yale, and Harvard in the 20th century, I need to find a key report on Princeton admissions written for the president and trustees by Dean Radcliffe Heermance in 1952 or early 1953. If anyone possesses this document or other documents (including admissions committee meetings minutes) related to Heermance's tenure in office from 1922-50, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Jerome Karabel

510-549-1411 karabel@socrates.berkeley.edu


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