Law dean David Getches and his wife, Ann Getches

Losing David

Congratulations on your fine remembrance of David Getches [page 23, September Coloradan]. We worked together in the cabinet of Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm, had offices in the same building and spent hours and hours trying to figure out how to get the legislature to see things our way. He was the brains, and I was more of the political operative.

I had been planning to go up and see him when I heard of his illness, but it just happened so fast and suddenly he was gone.

Morgan Smith (Law’66)
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Coloradan highlights

Your great pub just came to the top of my stack — terrific! Just some highlights [from the September Coloradan]:

• Profiles of Coach Embree (Comm’88) [pages 10-13] and David Getches — very informative.
• “Concrete Results” [pages 60-61] on the new Hoover dam bridge — very timely; it’s the cover article for the American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering magazine — near and dear to my heart.
• “Power to the People” [page 19] by Paul Danish (Hist’65) — helpful briefing on the Boulder municipal issue.
• The award for excellence — well deserved.

Thanks to you and staff for an outstanding issue.

John Clark (CivEngr, Mgmt’64)
Boulder

Congratulations on recent changes in the Coloradan. It is colorful, readable, even thought-provoking, and a great asset to the university.

Minor Judd Coon (Chem’43)

Ann Arbor, MI

What exciting news about the [first place] Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) magazine award. That is truly tremendous and richly deserved! The Coloradan magazines are so bright and entertaining, plus edifying in a totally easy-to-enjoy way — the numbers, the colors, the quick bites, the layout. No wonder it’s an award winner! And I read every story this time [September issue]. They all had such human interest while spanning a variety of subjects.

Nancy Rasmussen (Engl’67)

Philadelphia

And yet another great job on the recent Coloradan.

I especially like the photos of the campus in every edition. I like the layout/format of the publication — easy to read and keeps my interest moving. The breadth of topics covered in the array of articles keeps me informed.

And I like the international dimension in at least one article per issue. If CU is to be an international university, it must have an international focus, i.e., Peace Corps, the personal international experiences of former and current students and faculty, etc.

I loved your piece on Old Main [pages 40-41, June Coloradan]. I had Spanish class in that building. I passed.

Bill Kieffer (PolSci’63)
Rock Hill, SC

Providing sustainable food

I am so impressed with Chipotle [pages 4-9] after reading the September Coloradan that I am going to start eating there. I had no idea what a progressive and green effort they are making . . .

Great job!

Gaffney Peglar Barnett (Hum’99)

Manhattan, NY

Remembering Rozek

As political science students at CU in the 1960s, we were introduced to Dr. Edward Rozek [June 2009 Coloradan] and were very impressed with his life story. As a young Polish tank commander he fought in Europe and was wounded and imprisoned during World War II.

Dr. Rozek’s lectures taught us about the greatness of the American system of government and its fight against tyranny throughout the world, especially communism. He was a man of great integrity and listened to both sides of an argument.

When Dr. Rozek passed away in 2009 we thought it fitting to honor him with a plaque on the Boulder campus. Thanks to donations from many of his former students, friends and colleagues, the plaque was dedicated in June 2011 at Hellems.

The plaque is inscribed with his favorite saying, “If I were a rich man I would pay for the privilege of teaching.”

Christina (Vicki) Dickson Godbey (PolSci’61) and H. Gail Godbey (Econ, PolSci’65)
Denver

Embree’s not alone

There is an error in the article “Forever Buff Jon Embree takes charge” [pages 10-13 in the September Coloradan] that states coach Embree (Comm’88) is the only minority head football coach in the Pac-12.

David Shaw is the first-year head football coach at Stanford and also a minority. I can think of five minority coaches that have worked in the Pac-10 or Pac-12. They are Ty Willingham (Stanford), David Shaw (Stanford), Embree (Colorado), Dennis Green (Stanford) and UCLA had Karl Dorrell just before Rick Neuheisel. I am up to five black coaches. There may be more? Should be!

Dick Porter (Econ’51)
Palo Alto, Calif.

Editor’s Note: Thanks, Dick, and my former journalism school classmate John Borstelmann (MJour’99) who took the time to point this error out to us.

Associate athletic director Dave Plati (Jour’82) responds:

Embree became just the fourth African-American head coach in Pac-12 Conference football history (with Stanford’s David Shaw the fifth a month later). Dennis Green was the first when he coached Stanford (1989-91), followed by Ty Willingham, also at Stanford (1995-2001) and then former Colorado assistant Karl Dorrell at UCLA (2003-07); Willingham also was head coach at Washington (2004-08). Nationally, Embree is one of seven African-American head coaches among the 66 BCS schools and one of the 16 at the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs.

So many buildings and so few maps

I’m sure I’m not the only alumna who would love to see a map of the current campus printed in the magazine. Whenever we read of a new building being constructed, it’s very difficult to figure out exactly where it is located. Is the quadrangle filling up or has it been left for greenery?

Margaret McCutcheon Lauterbach (Jour’56)

Boise, Idaho

[Editor’s Note: Rest assured, Margaret, the Quad still is full of greenery. Thanks for the feedback. We will work on including a map in an upcoming issue.]

Paul Ohm

I am planning a deep career change, and you are a constant source of inspiration. Whenever I feel a little down and think my goals are too big, I open up a past issue of the Coloradanfor inspiration and wait for the next issue for yet more examples that inspire me to reach beyond my present circumstances and direct my life where I want it to go.

Here are just a few examples of those who inspire me, all from the pages of this magazine:

• Ruth Helm (Art’78, MA’86, PhDHist’91), actually an old friend of mine: Overcame her divorce and taught life is not for wimps. You teach us to overcome problems and persist.
• Paul Ohm: Got his computer science degree, realized he wanted more and built on his skills. You teach us not to settle for the present but to keep striving.
• The George Norlin Award: You teach us to keep achieving and look beyond ourselves.
• Meredith Baer (Jour’70): Combined journalism and vision to start her own business. You teach us to think outside the box.
• Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano: Encouraged Mel Otero (Edu’83, MBA’89) to stick with his studies. You teach us how to encourage and persist.

These are real-life stories of selflessness and innovation — people who push the borders and think outside the box. You are truly a source of inspiration to me as I make changes and rise above those things that would hold me back.

Thank you, University of Colorado, for providing the environment where all these things are possible.

Stephen Murphy (Fren’77)
Parker, Colo.

Journalism school closes

I shall mourn forever the loss of your journalism program. I was 48 years old when I finally earned my B.S. in journalism following a 26-year hiatus from formal education. My three years at CU opened my eyes to a variety of previously unexplored areas, including religious studies, anthropology, math, logic and the perils of smoking pot.

I trust that good planning and open minds will provide future students an ever-broadening curriculum. Please, please come up with a useful and usable substitute for the journalism school that accommodates the future as well as the past in a balanced and reasoned manner.

I am looking forward to reading future editions of the Coloradan. I like the new format and am enjoying seeing news of all our doings. I lived in Boulder during the period when “Oops-dang” [page 17, “Boulder Beat,” June 2011 issue] was first coming to light. Sad to say we humans still seem to ignore reality so much of the time.

Janet Anne Faucett (Jour’82)
Hendersonville, N.C.

I was the first Ph.D. awarded by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1993. I also earned an M.A. from the school.

The discontinuance of the SJMC is a travesty, caused by bureaucratic sycophants with no vision or responsibility. At a time when professional journalism is struggling with serious changes due to new technology, strong leadership is needed to shore up professional journalism ethics, strengthen the First Amendment and restore the crumbling perception of journalism lost in social media silliness.

University journalism programs should be paragons of virtue and high ethics in the face of the gross ethical violations of tweets, blogs and destruction of the professional journalism sphere driven by profit, greed and the loss of principles. Instead, programs like yours are just making things worse by caving into the morass of mass media dissolution and growing irrelevance. To put it simply, hell will freeze over before I send CU a dime.

Jim Redmond (MJour’89,
PhDComm’93)
Polson, Mont.

 [John Stevenson, graduate dean, responds: Since you have been following the story, you may be aware that the JMC faculty and degree programs have been temporarily relocated to the Graduate School, where I serve as dean.

I certainly hear your anger loud and clear, and you are not alone. Allow me to say that the kind of frustration you express with the administrative and intellectual operations of the SJMC over a number of years are in substantial part what has prompted discontinuance. If we had wanted to end journalism and mass communication education on the Boulder campus, we could have done so — eliminating the degree programs and dismissing the faculty.

Our plan, however, is not to end journalism education but to save it by reimagining it for the world we now live in.

We may or may not succeed. I hope we do from the bottom of my heart. I believe we have the same goals that you do and hope you will give us a chance to prove it.]

Fleeing Vietnam

I wanted to let you know how much I was moved by “Fleeing Vietnam” [pages 46-47] in the June 2011 issue of the Coloradan.

There are many such stories about “survivors” around the world, and I am glad you chose this one to highlight. I would like a copy of her book when it
is ready.

My family went through a similar experience when India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Perhaps, being an alum of Colorado, I may write a personal story to share with other alumni. Thank you.

Suresh Gulati (PhDMechEngr’67)
Elmira, NY

Summit of youth

Dick Jessor was a professor and mentor of mine in my graduate school days [“Summit of youth, pages 60-61, June 2011 Coloradan]. His thinking and insights helped to refine my own and have helped me throughout my career. I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward his e-mail address so I could personally express my gratitude for his guidance.

Allan P. Jones (PhDPsych’71)
Porter, Texas

Alums in the sky

John Meyer (Bus’83), left, and Dan Dobison (Aero’83) carry their Coloradan magazines when they travel.

John Meyer(Bus’83) and I were paired to fly together for the first time on a trip out of Southern California where both of us are based with American Airlines.

Pilots get to talking about their backgrounds while flying together, and my engineering work led him to ask me where I went to school. We discovered we both went to CU and even more coincidental was the fact we graduated the same year. When we both had a copy of the Coloradan with us, we had to set up the camera to take the picture in the cockpit — just wish I had my gold Ralphie-CU flag with me.

Dan Dobison (Aero’83)
Riverside, Calif.

Repression in China

As an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder a few decades ago, I can recall Chinese history professor Earl Swisher reminiscing about his life in China in the early 1920s. He would often regale his students with stories of the fledgling Chinese Communist Party following its establishment in 1921. The professor, who was fluent in Mandarin Chinese, would often scribble his comments on the blackboard in Chinese to the amusement of his inquisitive students.

The CCP celebrated its 90th birthday on July 1. It is the “Beginning of the Great Revival,” according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. However, for the Chinese people who remember the 1949 Communist Revolution under Mao Zedong, there is little to celebrate. The so-called Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution were both dismal failures, and millions perished.

The recent crackdown on Christians and human rights activists in China underscores the need for religious and political reform. A Mao “revival” may be perceived by the party as an elixir for China’s political ills, but there is little evidence the Chinese masses wish to be reminded of the six decades of repression under the CCP.

Brian Stuckey (EAsia’72 )
Denver

Your turn

Coloradan invites you to share your thoughts, story suggestions and news by contacting the editor by e-mail, mail or fax.

Coloradan advisory board
Dave Curtin (Jour’78)
Jefferson Dodge (MJour’02)
Quynh Nguyen Forss (Jour’95)
Frank Gappa (Jour’59)
Malinda Miller-Huey (Engl’92, MJour’98)
Nico Toutenhoofd (Art’91)
Jan Whitt (journalism professor)

Bob Sievers - photo by Glenn Asakawa

Celebrating CU breakthroughs

I found the March 2011 edition of the Coloradan most heartening. My reaction was generated by the articles on professor Bob Sievers’ work to invent an inhalable measles vaccine [“The man fighting measles one breath at a time,” pages 8-13], and distinguished professor Linda Watkins’ discoveries related to pain management [“Closer to a cure?” pages 30-33]. Congratulations and thank you to them and their team members.

While pondering the significance of these breakthroughs, I was disheartened, though, that reports of such efforts and accomplishments seem confined to the pages of a university alumni magazine or obscure scientific journals. Decades ago just about everyone knew that Thomas Edison invented the telephone and Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine. Nowadays most people never hear of these laudable achievements. Indeed, a new product or invention typically reaches the public’s attention only via advertising that is paid for by and credits a corporate manufacturer.

A funding source, undoubtedly, is important if not crucial to many discoveries. We should never forget, however, that individual thought and persistence are the components without which nothing is learned and no public benefit is realized.

Perhaps one of these years the mass media will brighten our days by reporting on the work of a distinguished professor Watkins or professor Sievers. Isn’t such news at least as important to us as today’s stock market report, last night’s hockey scores or tomorrow’s weather?

Larry Burch (PolSci’68, Law’71)
Des Moines, Iowa

---

Eleanor Roosevelt’s last CU visit

Judy Dodge (Mus’62), vice president of the student body, Allen Nossaman (Jour’62), former editor-in-chief of the Colorado Daily, Eleanor Roosevelt, Kathleen Work (A&S’62), ASUC senator and Joe Bell (Math’62), president of the student body, pose for a photo on Nov. 30, 1961. Mrs. Roosevelt was invited to a dinner given by student government that night prior to a lecture she gave, Dodge recalls.

The March 2011 issue of Coloradan is the best yet in your improved format. I even read the letters. It’s always good to read comments from Paul Danish (Hist’65) [“Jammin’ with The Woz,” page 17], of course, who continues to be wonderfully prickly.

But I must respond to the Eleanor Roosevelt question asked by John Southard (Geog’63). Ms. Roosevelt was on campus Nov. 30, 1961. Joe Bell (Math’62), president of the student body, and I, vice president, hosted a dinner for her and student government delegates prior to her speech that evening. I found her lively, inquisitive and very interested in what students had to say. I do have a picture of the event that I would be happy to send to your offices, if I can find it [see Judy’s photo above].

Judy Dodge (Mus’62)
Washington, D.C.

This is a follow-up to the letter from John Southard (Geog’63) in the March 2011 Coloradan. The Coloradan reported the Heritage Center and Conference on World Affairs staff were unable to confirm any of Eleanor Roosevelt’s visits to Macky Auditorium beyond May 1958. John wondered if she was at CU in the early 1960s. I can attest she delivered an address in Macky between September 1961 and her death in November 1962. I was a freshman in September 1961 and attended her address sometime between those dates. I did not go to summer school in 1962. The big event in the fall 1962 was the Cuban missile crisis.

Frederick W. Obitz (Psych’65)
Phoenix

In reply to John Southard’s (Geog’63) memory of seeing Eleanor Roosevelt at Macky in your March letters, my brother Eric and I recall seeing her there as well in 1961.

Lawrence Chadbourne (A&S’70)
San Francisco

[Editor’s note: Thanks to many of you for writing and calling. Eleanor Roosevelt did visit in November 1961. We have updated our files to reflect this. And thanks to Judy Dodge (Mus’62) for digging up her photo from the occasion and mailing it to us.]

 

---

No business like snow business

I just read the March issue of the Coloradan. I enjoyed the story on Mike Kaplan (IntlAf’86). I also was a member of the CU B Ski Team (1982-84) and C Team (1981) my freshman year and remember Mike well. Congrats to Mike on becoming the CEO of Aspen Skiing Co.

The “A” Team gets most of the press, but some of the “B” Team members move up to the varsity team. We all spent a lot of time on school and on the ski team. We had dry land training in the fall every afternoon and weight training Tuesday and Thursday mornings. By Halloween we started skiing every weekday afternoon at Lake Eldora and racing on the weekends all across the Front Range. This made for quite a challenge for class schedules and selections, not to mention any time for studying, eating and fun.

Andrew Fernandez (Geog’88)
Middletown, R.I.

Casey A. Cass

Young athletes dying of heart disease

Please help me understand how the Coloradan could publish an article about athletes dying suddenly from congestive heart failure [“Why do some athletes die at their peak?” December Coloradan], certainly a worthy study, and not mention James (J. V.) Cain (PE’75), an outstanding tight end and wonderful individual who played for CU and the St. Louis Cardinals and who collapsed during practice and died of that very condition on his birthday in 1979?

Jesse Markow (AmerSt’74)
Madison, Wis.

[Editor’s note: James would have been an excellent person to include in this story. He died quite some time before I arrived at the university and I apologize for being unaware of his story and possibly of others. Thanks for bringing it to our attention and for your close reading of the Coloradan.]

I noticed an error in the December Coloradan. In the article “Why do some athletes die at their peak?” Clay Latimer states Leslie Leinwand is the chair of molecular, cellular and developmental biology. This is incorrect. Tom Blumenthal has been chair of the department for the past four and a half years.

Ruth Covington
Faculty affairs coordinator
Molecular, cellular and developmental biology

Party of 5,500? Your tables are ready

With each successive article I read on the new Center for Community with its nine specialty food stations, I become more disgusted [“Party of 5,500? Your tables are ready,” December Coloradan]. “Dining halls are part of today’s competitive scramble for students,” the article reads. So we no longer compete for a quality education but for food courts? This is a mockery of the purposes of higher education. What’s next? Entertainment complexes? Multiple screens (don’t forget the 3-D), climbing walls and paint ball galleries? Good grief, people. What happened to the values of learning? Too boring? Has the entertainment-consumed society consumed the campus, too?

I believe the dumbing down of our values has reached the “bread and circuses” stage, if there is anyone left that understands that reference.

Dick Field (Fren’72, MPubAf’74)
Aurora, Colo.

[Kambiz Khalili, executive director of Housing & Dining Services, responds: The Center for Community Dining Center is one of five residential dining centers at CU-Boulder that serves over 6,000 on-campus students, as well as many from the campus community, on a daily basis. The dining center was intentionally designed to provide a stronger level of support for the academic community by offering more food options for students, including those with special dietary needs and preferences. The addition of authentic cultural food offerings supports the campus strategic goal of increasing the number of international students and building a global crossroads.

In addition, we are seeing a stronger connection between our student customers and the academic community, as numerous academic groups use the dining center as a meeting location. The number of customers beyond our on-campus student residents has more than doubled. The majority of this traffic is from our faculty and staff. We encourage you to come and visit this dining center and see for yourself the opportunity it provides to our students to learn and be part of our campus community.]

Seeing Eleanor Roosevelt

I really enjoy every issue of the Coloradan. I was a student at CU from September 1959 through graduation in August 1963 and attended several events at Macky Auditorium. So I was very interested in your article “A Century of Macky” [December Coloradan].

One historic event I attended at Macky that I thoroughly enjoyed was cramming my way into the building to stand and listen to Eleanor Roosevelt. That was between fall 1959 and November 1962, as she died in November 1962. It was not 1955 as your article states. Maybe she was at CU in 1955 and again in the early ’60s? I would appreciate knowing if I am correct.

John Southard (Geog’63)
Rockford, Ill.

[Editor’s note: Our 1955 date is correct in the story as Eleanor Roosevelt attended that year’s Conference on World Affairs, during which she wrote a news column from Boulder. We also know she traveled to Meeker, Colo., on Sept. 27, 1956, for a family gathering and on May 18, 1958, she came to campus to give a post-CWA plenary address. Later that evening she had dinner at President Quigg Newton’s home. Unfortunately, the Heritage Center and CWA staff were unable to confirm any of her visits beyond May 1958.]

Remembering Pete

Dale “Pete” Atkins (A&S’43, MD’45)

I have an observation and a request about an item in “In Memoriam” [in the December issue]. Dale “Pete” Atkins (A&S’43, MD’45) deserves more than a single line. Dale came to CU from Paonia, Colo., and became a star in intercollegiate baseball where he was known as “The Paonia Peach.” He was elected to the Board of Regents in the late 1950s or early 1960s. He was quite prominent in his service on the board.

Al Bartlett
Professor emeritus of physics
Boulder (website)

[Editor’s note: Pete died right before we went to press, so we were unable to feature him in our “A Buff Tribute” section. He was an incredible alum who received the Alumni Association’s George Norlin Award in 2009 for his distinguished career. Read about his life online in the March “A Buff Tribute” at www.coloradanmagazine.org.]

CU Peace Corps connection strong

I enjoyed the article “The World by Road” in the September edition of the Coloradan. The two Steves relay insights and lessons about various peoples of the world that Peace Corps volunteers come to realize while living and working among other cultures.

Just months after graduating from CU in 1963, I went to San Francisco State University and was living in the Haight when [Peace Corps founding director R. Sargent] Shriver came through on a recruiting drive. I took the test and within three weeks I was invited to a training program heading for Nepal. In my group of 55 trainees there were five CU graduates, the most from any university in the United States.

William J. Kieffer (A&S ex’63)
Coral Springs, Fla.

He’s not married

Ahem. In the immortal words of Oliver North: Mistakes were made. Or at least one mistake.

Although it is true Sue Diehl and I have been happily living together since 1990 and have been going together since she made a pass at me on the back steps of the CU president’s office in 1977, we are not now nor have we ever been married — nor do we intend to be. So the editorial change in my December column, “The best meal ever at the Gold Hill Inn,” that has me saying that Sue is my wife ain’t so.

I’m afraid I have to ask for a correction on this for two reasons:

1) Colorado still recognizes common law marriage, which means that if you lead people to believe you’re married, you are, no clergy or judges needed. As worded, the piece has Sue and me saying, in so many words, “I do” (or “We did” as the case may be). Unfortunately, the state of Colorado does not recognize common law divorce, so it’s important the record be set straight.

2) Our friends would start to talk.

Paul Danish (Hist’65)
Longmont, Colo.

[Editor’s note: Sorry, Paul. In a last-minute edit to identify Sue, we incorrectly added “wife” to your story.]

Your turn

Coloradan invites you to share your thoughts, story suggestions and news by contacting the editor by e-mail, mail or fax as listed above right.

Coloradan advisory board
Dave Curtin (Jour’78)
Jefferson Dodge (MJour’02)
Quynh Nguyen Forss (Jour’95)
Frank Gappa (Jour’59)
Malinda Miller-Huey (Engl’92, MJour’98)
Efrem Rodriguez (Jour’07)
Nico Toutenhoofd (Art’91)
Jan Whitt (journalism professor)

Lisa Marshall’s (Jour, PolSci’94) article [“A change is gonna come” on pages 26-30 in the September Coloradan] is insightful and provides a useful picture of the race relations history at CU-Boulder.

Having graduated in 1966 as a sociology major weaned on Howard Higman (Art’31, MSoc’42) and in full memory of Nov. 22, 1963, when I heard of JFK’s death while eating lunch at Baker Hall, I can relate to the feelings of isolation and exclusion a black student could feel at that time.

As a black student from Denver I did have the camaraderie of my fellow varsity basketball players as well as those students with whom I spent time in my senior year as we conducted our honors studies. I moved to Michigan State University in fall 1966 for graduate studies and found that campus to be much more accepting of black students than CU. MSU even had a black starting quarterback on its football team.

Of course, the civil rights movement galvanized students on both campuses. At CU and MSU I hope things are better for black students than when I attended both these fine public universities.

Philip S. Hart (Soc’66)
Los Angeles

However, the progress was neither uniform nor — in my view — consistent with the urgency of redressing centuries of discrimination and repression. I wrote an article for the Colorado Daily in 1967 titled “Colorado’s Lily-White Law School.” It cites some dismal law school recruiting statistics, including two black students out of 307 enrolled students.

I know the law school has made significant efforts in the past several decades to remedy this dismal record. However, my recent visits suggest to me more focused efforts are needed to enroll and graduate minority students.

The situation significantly influenced my own career. After graduation, I joined the U.S. Department of Justice to enforce the nation’s civil rights laws. I am grateful to the Coloradan for illuminating this chapter in CU history, although it is the kind of mixed picture that alumni associations tend to avoid as giving a less than flattering view of the university. Keep up the good work.

Carlton Stoiber (A&S’64, Law’69)
Washington, D.C.

Racism had played a role in the Greek system for years. The article does not mention the “major furor” that took place during 1953-56 when the social fraternities and sororities still had discriminatory clauses despite Associated Students of the University of Colorado resolutions against such clauses. The regents became involved, and eventually, after a huge hearing in Macky Auditorium, passed a resolution prohibiting discrimination by any CU organization. My husband, Roger H. Davidson (Spch’58), covered the regents for the Colorado Daily during 1955-56.

I remember marching in the protest against Woolworths in 1960. People asked us what we had against the local store, and of course we had no real grievance with them, but we were marching against the chain’s treatment of blacks in the South. Little did we know that this was just the beginning of a powerful movement.

About a decade later my husband and I had become co-chairs of the local chapter of the NAACP in Hanover, N.H.

Nancy Dixon Davidson (PolSci’60)
Santa Barbara, Calif.

They planned to include a barbershop in the building, but this led the local barbers to complain that a barbershop in the UMC would be unfair competition because the student center was on state property and did not pay taxes. Earl told the local barbers that black students had to go to Denver because they could not get haircuts in Boulder. As long as this was the case, the new UMC building was going to have a barbershop. This caused the Boulder shops to drop their ban on giving haircuts to black students. As a result, the committee dropped its plans for a barbershop in the UMC. A Boulder barrier had been breached.

Albert A. Bartlett, professor emeritus
Boulder

Remembering professor Nilon

Professor Charles Nilon and his wife, Mildred Nilon

Thank you for Lisa Marshall’s (Jour, PolSci’94) interesting article in the September issue [“A change is gonna come”]. Mildred Nilon, the wife of professor Charles Nilon to whom you referred, was my boss in my very first job as a student assistant in Norlin Library from 1966 to 1970. Now that my working career is more or less over, I look back on that period under her tutelage as my best work experience.

Larry Chadbourne (A&S’70)
San Francisco

[Editor’s note: Thank you to several of you, including Mrs. Nilon, who called to let us know we incorrectly identified the photo on page 30 as professor Charles Nilon, as well as the date he started teaching. He began his CU career as an instructor in 1956 and was appointed assistant professor on July 1, 1957.]

He was the most wonderful man and teacher. I was happy to read that in later years he had achieved so much and I was there when he started down his extraordinary path to success.

Mary Amerman Weir (A&S’68)
Dallas

The world by road

As a Vietnam vet and CU grad, I was amused by the cavalier attitude of Steve Bouey (PolSci’99, MPubAd’01) and Steve Shoppman (Fin’00) getting in some “quality time” with that group of central African rebels [“The world by road,” September Coloradan]. I couldn’t help but note that one rebel had his right thumb on the trigger and that the AK-47’s safety was off.

And then there’s the other photo of our intrepid duo navigating a minefield. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, not to mention both of your feet. What’s next for Dumb and Dumber, extreme hiking along the North Korean or Iranian border? I forgot — that’s already been done.

Richard Peterson (Anth’71)
Crook, Colo.

Struggling with the college equation

I enjoyed the article, “Struggling with the college equation” [September Coloradan]very much as it brought back memories of January 1958 when I enrolled for a master’s program at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. I had no scholarship or financial aid, just $400, which I borrowed from relatives in Bombay, India, and which was to be repaid with interest upon graduation.

[Valerie Otero’s] story brought tears to my eyes. I am grateful to this great country and many of the guardian angels who showed up at several crossroads in my life.

Suresh Gulati (PhDMechEngr’66)
Elmira, N.Y.

Long live The Sink

I wanted to offer my best on your recent Coloradan. I very much enjoyed it with the exception of a listing in the obituaries of my first love at CU in 1961. We have not been in touch since 1962, but it touched my heart.

The other thing I noticed was the picture showing The Sink on page 64 of the September 2010 issue. It is listed as from the 1950 yearbook and unless I am not getting something, it actually was 1961 or 1962. The fellow sitting up on the bench is Pat Kinsella (Mktg’65). I believe I am sitting across from him.

Stephen P. Smith (Mktg’66)
Columbia, S.C.

[Editor’s note: The Sink photo in our archives was dated “1950s,” so thanks for clarifying this. ]

Campus gun ban

I’m writing in response to the quote attributed to Kristine Gutierrez in “Campus gun ban draws fire” [on page 18 in the September Coloradan]. Ms. Gutierrez comments, “I feel that the constitution and liberty don’t matter when you’re dead . . . It’s not about having rights, it’s about safety.”

I am guessing that Ms. Gutierrez and, unfortunately, many responsible for making this policy have little knowledge of the basic concepts of responsible lawful handgun use, self defense in general and active shooter situations. The old adage, “If guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns” is exactly true. Most mass killings by one or two deranged individuals have occurred in so-called “gun free” zones — Columbine and Virginia Tech — where law-abiding (i.e. non-gun-carrying) citizens present were unable to do anything that might have ended the attacks sooner.

Joseph San Filippo (ElEngr’75)
Las Cruces, N.M.

iStockphoto.com

by Nancy Averett (IntAf’89), which was beautifully written and poignant, expressed a theme consistent to many as we age [page 36, June Coloradan]. Since we can’t put old heads on our own young shoulders, all we can do is pass along to our kids what our parents did for us. I hope Averett’s piece and similar ones by her get more exposure.

Bonnie F. McCune (Psych’66)
Denver

Coloradan kudos

The Coloradan is one of the best-written, best-looking magazines I get. You’re doing a terrific job. I congratulate you. I majored in English literature and seriously loved every minute I was at Boulder. I had wonderful professors and worked in the summer for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.

Linda Urbach (Engl’62)
Bridgeport, Conn.

Kennedy assassination

As with countless other alumni I was struck by the beauty and serenity of the photograph of Old Main, with the snow-covered campus and Flatirons in the background, that appeared on pages 34 and 35 of the March 2010 Coloradan. In viewing it I was immediately drawn back to my days at CU, and most specifically the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963. Along with my roommate “Rebel,” I stood on the roof of Old Main and we lowered the flag to half mast. This was an event I will always remember, and the exceptional photograph by Casey A. Cass brought me back to campus and that horrific day when we lost a president.

Michael H. Logan (Anth’67)
Knoxville, Tenn.

From baseball to immigration

Many of us here at Sewall loved reading the wonderful article in the June 2010 edition of the Coloradan that featured faculty member Tom Zeiler and his “American History through Baseball” course. The course is offered at Sewall every spring and it is a huge hit with the undergraduates.

The Sewall Residential Academic Program offers residents wonderful programmatic opportunities, including the Dialogues on Immigrant Integration program. It facilitates conversations between immigrant housing and dining staff and students to promote an honest and respectful conversation about immigration and immigrant integration. Since it began three years ago, Dialogues has fostered new respect and understanding among participants.

Martha Dunne Shernick
Sewall Residential Academic Program assistant

Most every kid in 1940s and 1950s America knew that, in the majors, Robinson played only for the team that called Ebbets Field home in Flatbush, N.Y., a bit east of Los Angeles. Some may even recall the bums moved to Los Angeles in 1958, two years after Robinson retired.

Word in the dugout is that you’ve received a near-record number of letters on this one. Right?

Franklin Bell (Jour’70)
Bluemont, Va.

After playing for Montreal, Jackie Robinson enjoyed a successful career as a Los Angeles Dodger, breaking baseball’s color barrier at age 28 in 1947. Major League Baseball retired his number, 42, in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of Robinson joining the major leagues but allowed players who already had it to wear the number until they finished their career.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson never played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (whoever they are). He played only for the Brooklyn Dodgers and retired before the team moved West. The photo of Jackie on page 26 of the June Coloradan shows him in front of the Brooklyn clubhouse.

Marshall Brodsky (Law’78)
Denver

[Editor’s Note: We goofed! We heard from several of you who caught this error in the photo cutline regarding Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. We are deeply embarrassed but glad our alums are reading the Coloradan very mindfully. Thanks for taking the time to write and set the record straight.]

Higman memories

Your March 2010 issue of the Coloradan featuring Howard Higman (Art’37, MSoc’42) revived a long-cherished memory for me and I thank you [“Dialing for dignitaries,” pages 28-32].

While working on one of his committees I met R. Buckminster Fuller and Mrs. Fuller standing alone in the deserted hallway in front of the room where he was to speak. Following proper courtesies between us, he reached down and picked up two programs, carefully handing one to his wife. Whereupon she looked at him and softly said, “We should get some more of those for the grandchildren.” And they did.

I was immediately moved by the common thread of humanity that weaves among the celebrated and the ordinary alike.

Sonia S. Smith (Engl’59)
La Jolla, Calif.

Conference on World Affairs

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of “HH” [Howard Higman (Art’31, MSoc’42)] is there is hardly a day when I do not think about him — something he said or something he did. The reason he had such a profound effect on my young life is he put into words what I thought and lacked words to say.

Here I was, a young Jewish boy from Denver with a businessman father and a Southern Belle mother, suddenly exposed to a powerful, iconic radical who spoke fearlessly in golden tones and let the arrows fall where they may.

Read Maxwell’s entire letter.

Maxwell D. Epstein (Soc’54)
Santa Monica, Calif.

Rita T. McGreevy (A&S ex’51)
Los Angeles

I went to school when the Conference on World Affairs was going on [“Dialing for dignitaries,” March 2010 Coloradan], but I never went as a student. Now, as an alum, I would love to go, but I coach tennis in the spring, which makes it hard to get away.

Ralph Herbst (Bus, MechEngr’61)
East Falmouth, Mass.

Big oil in

I read through the recent issue of the March Coloradan today and was disappointed to note an inaccuracy and omission of information in the article titled “Big Oil In, Big Science Out,” by Paul Danish (Hist’65).

Danish’s text states inaccurately that a $5 million dollar contract from ConocoPhillips is a research agreement among CU, CSU, Colorado School of Mines and NREL.

It would have been accurate for Danish to specify that this is a sponsored research agreement between ConocoPhillips and the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2). C2B2 is a research and education center that enables collaboration among researchers at CU, CSU, CSM and NREL. The administrative headquarters of C2B2 is housed at CU-Boulder.  In particular, the ConocoPhillips-C2B2 agreement only pertains to researchers at CU, CSU and CSM. By not mentioning C2B2, this article inaccurately portrays this research agreement and moreover omits mention of ConocoPhillip’s relationship with C2B2 and the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory.

Frannie Ray-Earle,Colorado Center for Biorefining & Biofuels coordinator

Boulder

[Paul Danish (Hist’65) responds:
My apologies for not accurately stating the relationship. I stand corrected.]

Remembering campus

Thank you for a fine publication bringing interesting news about CU. I am very proud to be an alumna of such a fine university. The [March 2010] issue brings back fond memories of Norlin Library, Old Main in the snow and Howard Higman (Art’31, MSoc’42), among others. In the winter leaving Sewall for 8 a.m. classes looked just like the photo of snow-covered trees on page 3, but there were far fewer students on the walk at that time. When we left Hellems at noon to return to the dorm for lunch, the sky was bright blue and the sun had melted much of the snow.

As a freshman in the l954-55 school year, I didn’t realize Norlin was only 14 years old [“Norlin gets a face lift for 70th birthday,” page 20]. It was so big and challenging that I felt like it had been there forever. It was an important place in our lives and people inside helped us a lot.

Thanks for the article on professor Higman and his conference — a highlight of my CU years [“Dialing for dignitaries,” pages 28-33]. And thanks also for the float picture marking CU Days in the spring [page 45]. I remember the chicken wire and crepe paper very well and the excitement and happiness of the occasion. Lastly, many thanks for the article about Laurie Mathews (EBio’75) and her work in Nepal [“Brushing with destiny”]. She motivates me to visit.

Suzanne Root (Hist’58, MEngl’59)
Merion Station, Pa.

Al Bartlett’s legacy

Regarding the “Open space” article in the December 2009 Coloradan, I was an undergraduate physics student of professor Al Bartlett in 1982-3. I see he still wears his trademark bolo tie. I don’t recall being aware of his involvement with open space, but on a related issue, exponential (population) growth, I carry his remarks on the topic to this day.

Read Chuck’s entire letter at CUAlum.org.

Michael Charles “Chuck” Hursch
(CompSci’88)
Larkspur,Calif.

Breathtaking Old Main photo

Our daughter is a sophomore and we receive every Coloradan issue and really enjoy each one of them. In the March issue there was a photo of the CU campus that is truly fantastic [“Breathtaking campus,” page 34]. It really makes us realize how fortunate our daughter is to go to college in such a beautiful part of our country and we are so happy that she is embracing both the university and the region’s offerings — not to mention we truly love our visits.

John Huff
Ocean City, N.J.

Photo by Casey A. Cass

After reading the December 2009 Coloradan and the “Open space” article, which included information about my former art professor Lynn Wolfe (MFA’48), I figured it was about time to let him know how influential he was in my life as a sculptor and thank him for all his insight and direction during sculpture classes leading to my bachelor’s in fine arts in 1962 and a MFA several years later.

While currently sculpting full time in Tucson and planning to move to Maryland, I am focused on packing up my studio “stuff,” as my wife [Bonnie Weber Walvoord (A&S’60)] calls it. During the editing phase of what to take to Maryland, I ran across school records and photos of sculptures I had completed at CU in Lynn’s class and remembered that he asked us to write down what our motivations in sculpture were and he would be interested in knowing if these motivations would remain the same in the future.

Please let Lynn know my motivations are the same and I would appreciate it if he still had my original submission to forward a copy to me. Or better yet, if you could get him to e-mail me I would be delighted to communicate with him personally.

Gary Walvoord (Art’62)
Tucson, Ariz.

Open space ramifications

It’s remarkable that people in Boulder still remember the [land preservation] events half a century ago [“Open space,” December 2009 Coloradan].

In retrospect, what we did then has had far wider ramifications for the Boulder community than any of us had anticipated, but only because of the continuing vision and efforts of the many Boulder citizens who, in the years since, have worked to make it happen.

Congratulations to you all.

Bob McKelvey
Missoula, Mont.

Scott Roland Wilson (EngrPhys’86)
Silver Spring, Md.

Greening the campus

We were all so excited to see our suggestion for being more “green” [by requesting 10 copies of the Coloradan for our office rather than a magazine for each staff member] become a reality.

I’ve been suggesting this to departments all over campus for well over two years and to see it finally respected just flat-out made my day!

Thank you so much for your willingness to work with us on this idea for how CU can do less lip-service and more actual conservation.

Jude Cass de Laubenfel
Psychology

Recycling what we read

Aloha, congratulations on a great December issue! Loved many of the features, especially the piece on Boulder’s greenbelt [“Open space,” pages 58-61]. I saw on page 65 that the Coloradan is printed on paper from mixed sources, but I do not see that it is actually recyclable paper and it appears to be glossy. If it is recyclable paper, it should be noted. If not, can it be changed to recyclable paper?

Paul J. Carry (MCDBio’ 77, MD’82)
Kailua, Hawaii

[Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the fine print, Paul! All Coloradans are recyclable with other magazines. Your letter drew attention to the fact that our sentence at the bottom of our masthead that reads, “Please recycle with magazines” disappeared in the December 2009 edition. We will put this back. Please pass this issue on to a friend or recycle it with other magazines.]

Finding Stephen Romine

I did not know Stephen Romine (MEdu’40, PhD’47) [A Buff Tribute, December 2009 Coloradan] until a moment ago. I am researching a biographical history of Lawrence (Lawrie) William Shears who met him on Nov. 30, 1960. Lawrie was a Harkness Fellow and in his exploration of teacher education in the United States the two men met. It is important for me to know the influences Stephen and others had on Lawrie and how they were implemented in the Victorian education system. I am sorry to hear of Stephen passing but what a rich life he led and what a wonderful contribution he made through his life in education.

Eleanor Peeler
University of Melbourne, Australia

Rozek’s lasting legacy

I read about the passing of professor Rozek [June 2009 Coloradan] with great sadness. I did not take any of his courses during my years at CU but met him many times and remember him as the person who helped me and the other Hungarian students adjust to life as American college students.

I escaped from Hungary after the revolution in October 1956 and came to CU as one of the scholarship students in April 1957. I never found out but always felt that professor Rozek was instrumental in establishing these scholarships for our group of Hungarian refugees. He understood what we experienced growing up during the communist regime and our appreciation for living as free people in the United States.

Anna Yvette Sole Kaplan (Hist’61)
Boston

Casey A. Cass

There are courses you just take and pass and courses that actually teach you something. Some even compel you to completely change.

I was a student in professor Michael Radelet’s criminology course in 2001. I walked into his class with a pro-death-penalty stance, although I had never really questioned why. Professor Radelet never asked me to agree that the death penalty should be abolished — he taught me why it should.

There are a handful of professors and courses that I still remember. But professor Radelet changed my life forever. Not only do I oppose the death penalty (how could I continue to support a system that doesn’t deter crime, is arbitrary, puts innocent people to death, is more of a burden on taxpayers and completes the vicious cycle of killing?), I find my mind is more open to other viewpoints. If my belief system could be challenged and changed on one topic, then I must remain open to the possibility of change on other ideas.

Thank you for writing [September 2009 Coloradan] about such an important person in my life! I’m grateful he’s still making such an impact at CU.

Brittany Conklin (Comm’01)

Phoenix, Ariz.

Setting the Record straight

I read with disbelief your story [September 2009 Coloradan] about discontinuing the Silver & Gold Record after “almost 40 years.” I was on the Silver & Gold staff in 1945 and ’46 when Les “Laz” Perlmutter (DistSt’48) was editor. That was over 60 years ago.

I had the same experience a few years ago when a date was mentioned for starting the Shakespeare Festival in the amphitheater. I don’t remember the year mentioned, but it was similarly “recent.” When I complained that there was a Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 1945 producing The Merchant of Venice, I was told it didn’t count because it wasn’t sponsored by the same current sponsorship.

How can actual history be discarded and ignored because of some difference in sponsorship that no one knows about anyway? There was a Silver & Gold newspaper and there was a Shakespeare Festival in 1945 and 1946 and denying it doesn’t change the fact.

Pauline Moore Weaver Craig (A&S ex’45, Psych’65)
Centennial, Colo.

[Editor’s note: Coloradan staff wrote the Silver & Gold Record existed as CU’s faculty and staff weekly newspaper. But Pauline is correct that it existed as a student newspaper for years, beginning in 1892. In Feb. 5, 1953, the Colorado Daily replaced the Silver & Gold as the student newspaper. In 1970 Silver & Gold became the faculty/staff newspaper.]

Remembering professor Rozek

It was with great sadness that I read the tribute article on the passing of professor Edward Rozek [June 2009 Coloradan] as I had the distinct and memorable pleasure of not only knowing him well but working under him as he was my graduate thesis adviser. His courses were outstanding learning experiences because he added a personal aspect to almost every topic based on his own life and strong personal convictions.

Many on campus during those turbulent ’60s frequently protested outside his office, but I knew they were misguided because Rozek was not the man they thought he was. He would have fought for their right to differ. It was difficult, as now, to be a conservative professor at CU and Rozek was always proud to defend his positions with intellectual honesty, which he did on numerous occasions.

My thesis examined the communist takeover of Eastern European satellite countries after World War II using democratic means such as elections with Hungary as a case study. Former Hungarian Premier Ferenc Nagy read my final draft as he was Rozek’s friend and visited him in Boulder. I mention this only because Rozek was internationally distinguished and well-respected.

His influence on my intellectual development was profound and provided a firm foundation upon which I built a successful career in international banking in New York, London and Dallas. He imparted to me and other students over the years the immeasurable gift of demanding the best of yourself and appreciation for the freedoms and opportunities of living in these United States of America.

Jack A. Barrett (MPolSci’66)
Taos, N.M.

Chase murder case closed

I just received my September 2009 alumni magazine in the mail. Happy to open and read it as always, the first thing I read was that the Susannah Chase murder that took place while I attended CU has been solved. I sat down and read it twice and honestly started to cry. I remember the incident and want to thank you for letting us know her murderer has been caught and convicted. I honestly have wondered about it through the years (whenever someone mentions the Jon Benet Ramsey case I would think, “What about that other girl?”).

And I’m happy to know the Boulder police collected and maintained the evidence needed and then patiently yet diligently kept working to solve this case. I am a forensic anthropologist teaching at San Diego State University, and I plan on sharing this story with my class next week.

Arion Mayes (PhDAnth’01)
San Diego, Calif.

CU in Vienna

The article about soprano Cynthia Lawrence (MMus’87) in the June 2009 issue brought back a very pleasant memory. In 1990 we were on a tour called “Mozart’s Europe,” attending music events in Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Munich and Salzburg. One of the highlights was attending a singing competition for young singers from around the world at the famed Staatsoper in Vienna, Austria. We were thrilled when the announcer named the winner of this competition and mentioned that she had attended the University of Colorado. The winner was, of course, Cynthia Lawrence.

Roger H. Davidson (Spch’58)
Nancy Dixon Davidson (PolSci’60)
Santa Barbara, Calif.

Proud CU is green

The most recent [Buffalum Notes e-newsletter] had me responding, “WE’RE NUMBER ONE; WE’RE NUMBER ONE [see page 14 in this issue].” It is gratifying to see CU was chosen by Sierra Club magazine for actively doing something about making a greener world. For me, this is even more important than the Buffs making the top 25 in NCAA football, much as I would like to see that ranking.

I thought of my family’s green journey, which started shortly after I changed careers from petroleum geology to teaching geology at Elbert Covell College, the Spanish-speaking division of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. The college featured an experiment wherein Latin American students could enter the U.S. higher education system. Half of our students came from strong four-year Spanish high school programs. The education took place in the classrooms, dining hall and dormitories.

Interestingly enough, CU-Boulder is installing residential colleges, which seem to parallel our Covell program. I hope that activities promoting cultural understanding as well as language learning will be a strong focus. Buena suerte.

Clark M. Shimeall (Geol’43)
Borrego Springs, Calif.

Coloradan kudos

Thanks so much for sending the Coloradan. I have just started receiving it and really appreciate all the information you put forth. I graduated in ’57 and have lost touch with most of my friends from those days, so you can imagine how much the news of the campus and what is happening at CU means to me.

At this point in my life I appreciate more than ever the wonderful days I spent at CU. Thanks again for putting out this form of communication.

Vicki Shill McConnell (A&S’57)
Palm Desert, Calif.

Ruess results wrong

While CU-Boulder researchers concluded that remains found in Utah were those of Southwest artist and poet Everett Ruess [September 2009 Coloradan], they were proved incorrect. Another analysis revealed the remains may be Native American. Go here for details.

It is very rare in life to meet an intellectual giant. It is even rarer when that intellectual giant is also a person of tremendous character and integrity. I was fortunate enough to meet such a man. The saying goes when the student is ready the teacher will appear. For me that teacher was professor Edward Rozek [page 65, June Coloradan].

At the start of every semester, Rozek appeared in his signature uniform — a stripped French-cuffed dress shirt, bow tie and sport coat. He explained the course syllabus and then said, “You can have a Harvard education here at CU. Our library has the same books as theirs; all you need to do is read. You see, when you read a book your mind travels the intellectual journey of the author. And once you finish the book, you are transformed.”

He brought in speakers who were living documents of history, such as Polish Col. Ryszard Kukliski, a Cold War spy who passed top-secret Warsaw Pact documents to the CIA from 1971-81, Sam Zakhem (CivEngr’80), U.S. ambassador to Bahrain from 1986-89 and Ahmad Ghoreishi (IntAf’57, PhDPolSci’65), a former adviser to the Iranian Foreign Ministry (both were Rozek’s students), among others.

Rozek was strong and at times intimidating, but underneath that exterior was a compassionate heart. Every year, he invited students stuck in Boulder for Thanksgiving to his house for dinner. For me that captures the true essence of a great man.

Rev. Bruce E. Pratt (PolSci’95)
Flower Mound, Texas

Painting the “U” in CU

Since Frank Ellis (CivEngr’56) has confessed to being the principal culprit in what would now be called the environmental crime of painting the “U” on the Third Flatiron [page 55, June Coloradan, CU People profile of Ellis], I feel I should also admit I was one of the gang who helped him get the paint and other equipment up there in the dead of night.

I won’t name the other miscreants but will say they were mostly “hashers” at Sewall dormitory. Luckily our misdeeds were not discovered at the time or we would have had to face the wrath of Capt. Bly (Mrs. Bly Curtis was the strict head of food service in the dorms at the time).

Glad to see Frank has maintained his irreverent attitude after all these years.

Leo H. Smith (Bus, EngrPhys’57)
Denver

Boulder’s birthday victim of typo

Mary Alice Cook Munger (DistSt’50) of Surprise, Ariz., called to note Boulder was founded in 1859, not 1849, as noted on page 20 in “Celebrating 150 years of Broadway construction” [June Coloradan]. She reports her 89-year-old sister Grace Cook Bond (A&S’42) of Denver also caught the typo.

Going nuclear

The article by Paul Danish (Hist’65) [“Boulder should go nuclear” on page 16, June Coloradan] finally inspired this old pile of buffalo chips to respond. My response: when pigs fly. I cannot imagine Boulder ever generating the guts to do something this imaginative. They might talk about it.

I do give Sir Paul (he will be knighted by King William of England prior to Boulder going nuclear) explicit permission to graffiti my headstone with “I told you so” in Day-Glo orange, if the event ever occurs.

Bob Heller (MechEngr’58)
Omaha, Neb.

Paul Danish (Hist’65) writes that Boulder should go nuclear to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His simplistic arguments neglect most of the nuclear problem. There has been a moratorium on new nuclear plants in the U.S. since the Carter administration for good reason.

Nuclear plants are very expensive to build, there is not enough U-235 to supply significant power for the U.S. for many years and the technology for recycling nuclear waste has not yet been sufficiently developed.

France recycles most of the U-235 and plutonium in spent nuclear fuel but they (and all other countries) have no good solution for what to do with the very dangerous fission products and the other long-lived actinides. Fast neutron reactors could use the actinides (including the abundant U-238) but the technology will probably not be available for many years, if ever. The plan for the radioactive waste has been to let it sit near the reactor for 20 or so years to let much of the fission products decay and then ship the rest to a long-term repository. Yucca Mountain in Nevada was supposed to be such a site.

However, Yucca Mountain and all other proposed sites have not proven to be safe for the thousands of years necessary to keep the long-lived waste and so recently have lost funding. There is now a great deal of highly radioactive waste (which could make many “dirty bombs”) stored in the U.S and nobody knows what to do with it.

Nuclear may have some short-term advantages but is not the answer to our long-term energy needs. Boulder should look ahead and be a leader in renewable energy generation.

John Woolum (Phys’60)
Pasadena, Calif.

Where are the club sports?

I wanted to comment on the articles about athletics in this most current issue [June Coloradan]. Most of the NCAA sports are represented, but nothing was mentioned about some of the excellent club sports teams at CU. There were national championships won by some teams, and the women’s lacrosse team made it to the national championship in one of the most competitive lacrosse leagues in the nation. I know that club sports aren’t all that interesting to some alumni, but for others it defined their time at CU. Thanks for listening.

Kaitlin Jennie Moore (Mktg’08)
Lakewood, Colo.

Editor’s note: While we wrestle with trying to fit all of the news of varsity sports on five and a half pages, we agree with Kaitlin that club sports deserve some space in the Coloradan. Read about club sports highlights in this issue on page 48.

Remembering Vetsville

Just now I looked again at my [March] issue of the Coloradan, as revisiting each issue is my habit. As always, I was transported to my halcyon days at CU and Edenic life in Boulder from 1949-57.

The snapshot on page 57 of the Quonset huts at 24th and Arapahoe stirred memories of the friends who lived there — short on comforts but very long on character and generosity of spirit. By the way, although the formal name for the settlement was “Vetsville,” it was more commonly referred to as “Fertility Flats” or often just “the Flats.” The convenient proximity of the “TT” (Timber Tavern) may have contributed to both the warmth of the friendships cultivated there and the genesis of the familiar title applied to the settlement.

The Coloradan is a treasure — keep it coming.

William E. Wright (Bus’51,MHist’53, PhD’57)
Deephaven, Minn.

Folsom Field on the Fourth

I’ve never seen a replay of the July 4th fireworks display in Folsom Field of either 1948 or 1949.

The display was erected immediately south of the scoreboard and extended across the football field. Fortunately as it would turn out, spectators were restricted to the horseshoe end of the stadium, northward to about the south 35-yard line.

Just as the show began, one of those early-evening thunderstorms blew in from the south; no rain but gusty winds. To start the show some of the smaller fireworks had been ignited, and they were turned northward by the unexpected winds right into the displays at the base of the scoreboard.

Pandemonium followed. The pyrotechnic waterfall ignited; skyrockets of various sizes shot into the nearby stands. The small pine trees adjacent to the scoreboard were burning. Silence fell over the stadium, and then over the PA system it was announced that nobody had been hurt. Everybody let out a loud and thankful cheer.

Russ Randell (MechEngr’49)
Ramona, Calif.

Ludlow massacre details

John Klemenic (ChemEngr’49) called to elaborate that male strikers, women and children were killed by the Colorado National Guard during the 1914 Ludlow Massacre [“Hot summer reads,” page 12, June Coloradan]. In retaliation, according to the book Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War (Harvard University), the strikers killed “at least 30 men, destroyed six mines, and laid waste to two company towns.”