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BC Magazine Spring 2004.Q OUT THERE Eric Fennell, ’91, is an expert at making Brooklyn seem Front cover: City Hall, New York, Spring 2004. even stranger than it sometimes really is. A flying saucer Photo by Lisa Panazzolo. hovering over Floyd Bennett Field is only the half of it. Back cover: Construction on the new campus Fennell, who graduated with a degree in film, dresses his had begun in earnest by the time this photo models in period costumes and wigs, then juxtaposes toys was taken for the 1937 Broeklundian. Such and theatrical props to comment on social and cultural images bring to life the College’s rich and subjects as far-ranging as civil rights and modern eventful journey to the present day. technology—or the paranoia of the fifties, as in this Our coverage of Brooklyn College’s Seventy-fifth photograph taken at a recent antique car show Anniversary celebration begins on page 20. at the old airfield. His work may be seen at http://altpick.com/ericfennell. Contentstable of FEATURES Brooklyn College Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of College Information and Publications Brooklyn College 2900 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11210-2889. Copyright © 2004 Brooklyn College. E-mail: [email protected] 10 A Brief History of Shopping 20 Brooklyn College: Believe It or Not! Web site: www.brooklyn.cuny.edu 14 Dreaming of Gotham DEPARTMENTS Editor in Chief Art Director Barbara B. Heyman Joseph Loguirato 2 From Our Readers Senior Editor Senior Designer 3 Top of the Quad Pat Willard Lisa Panazzolo 27 College News Senior Writer Production Assistant Joe Fodor Mammen P.Thomas 34 Friends of Brooklyn College Editorial Staff Staff Photographers 36 Alumni Sightings Stephen Garone John Ricasoli 38 Alumni News Elaine Weisenberg Doug Schwab 40 In Memoriam Contributing Editor Andrea Louie 42 Class Notes Contributing Writers 50 Recent Books Lisa Lincoln 52 Endpaper Virginia Alonso-Rainsford Class Notes Editors Flora Bekker, ’05 William Hall, M.F.A., ’04 Readersfrom our EDITOR’S NOTE “Endpaper” “The Art of Weegee” With Brooklyn College approaching To the Edtior: To the Editor: I majored in economics and mathematics; I must tell you how delighted I was with a milestone birthday—seventy-five however, we all recognized that the the Brooklyn College Magazine for fall years old on May 15, 2005—we will History Department was outstanding. 2003.The photographs by Weegee as well Hence, I was surprised and depressed to as those that illustrated the stories were devote the next three issues of the find the Brooklyn College Magazine dating all well chosen and enhanced the writing. magazine to jogging your memory of the onset of the Great Depression as I cannot think of a single thing that could the days you spent here on campus, 1932 (end paper, fall 2003). Most be added to this marvelous publication. authorities date the onset from the stock Marilyn Shavel, ’55 of friends and events, of exploration market crash of 1929, and all recognize and discovery. that we were in a depression by 1930. To the Editor: Mordechai E. Lando, ’59 I was given a copy of the Brooklyn College Our first installment, “Brooklyn Magazine by a recent graduate.The College: Believe It or Not,” on page 20, “Back Cover” difference between the Brooklyn College I attended and BC now is astounding. presents seventy-five fun, intriguing, To the Editor: When I enrolled in the evening session in Your fall ’03 issue has just arrived and I even risqué (see #61) facts about the February 1929, classes were held in the have gone through it more carefully than, Boys High School building. At that time College. Upcoming issues will I confess, I normally do. I’m glad I did as I we were a branch of CCNY. Classes feature Brooklyn College families— found it worth the time. Congratulations were also held in office buildings on on an interesting issue. grandparents, parents, and children Court,Willoughby, and Joralemon Streets. As a result of my more The evening session was attended by who all earned their degrees here— conscientious perusal, I came across a students who had to work during the day mystery: On the inside front cover and profiles of faculty members who and go to school at night.We were reference is made to the back cover limited to nine credits a term and had influenced, inspired, and changed their picture of Alan Dershowitz and his classes three times a week; but as I was a mother followed by the line “See story students’ lives. We hope you will let us chemistry major, I had classes five nights a on page 24.” know about your family and favorite week. School records show that only Not only is there no relevant story about 6 percent of evening starters teachers. Please see page 26 for details. on page 24 but I searched in vain for graduated. I graduated after six and a half such a story in the issue. Did I miss You will soon be hearing about years, which included all summer sessions. something? At that time the only chemistry class the year’s events that are now being Lillian Jaffe Kent, ’36 given was inorganic chemistry. We had to planned. We look forward to Our response: approach Dr. Meyers, the head of the celebrating with you and seeing you The “mystery” was our mistake. The story Chemistry Department, for additional about Alan Dershowitz donating his papers courses in organic chemistry, and on campus. to the Brooklyn College Library appeared on quantitative and qualitative chemistry. page 26 under the heading “Boxing Day.” I am ninety-four years old. Both of We apologize for the confusion. my children are BC graduates. One is a schoolteacher in New Jersey and the CORRECTIONS: other is a physician in San Francisco. I am The SERVA volunteer on page 7 of the fall retired and live in Florida, but I often think 2003 issue is Brian Evans, not Brian Smith. of the old Brooklyn College. Max Hammerman, ’36 The photo of Helen Garden MacLean, ’36, on page 52 was taken by Jordan Matter. He may be reached at www.jordanmatter.com. top of the Quad A Few Brave Men Historians are accustomed to working among musty records and dusty archives. Assistant Professor of History Steven Remy is conducting his work over lunch. Every Monday at 1:30, Remy meets Distinguished Professor Emeritus Hans L.Trefousse in the Brooklyn College Georgian Room after they have taught their morning classes. The author of The Heidelberg Myth: The Nazification and Denazification of a German University (Harvard, 2003), Remy is now writing an oral history of the hundreds of German Jewish refugees who were drafted and tapped by the American Army during World War II for “Since it was the Depression, the twenty years ago. The youngest man sensitive counterintelligence. Service was seen as an economic I’m interviewing is in his seventies; the “After writing my book, I was still opportunity,” Remy says. “The Army oldest is ninety-five.” curious about what it was like for also facilitated naturalization. But Because this is his first oral these men, most of them young boys beyond these practical considerations, history project, Remy credits his and men when they were forced to there was a patriotic aspect, as well— colleague and office mate, Assistant flee, to go back to Germany and to serve the country that had Professor Philip Napoli, for guiding interrogate Nazis,” Remy says. “A accepted them—and also a desire to him through. Napoli is currently colleague suggested I talk to Hans.” bring to justice the men who working on a major oral history Trefousse, the esteemed destroyed their families and the project on the Vietnam War and the biographer of Andrew Johnson and, country they had loved.” borough of Brooklyn. more recently, Rutherford B. Hayes, For his book, Remy is Remy would appreciate now teaches an American history interviewing veterans across the course in the Institute for Retirees in country—and as far away as Berlin. hearing from World War II Pursuit of Education (IRPE). After a He points out that, while there have veterans with similar backgrounds. few lunches with Remy, he revealed been individual memoirs, a formal BROOKLYN COLLEGE MAGAZINE SPRING 2004 He may be reached by e-mail at how his family fled Frankfurt in 1935 history about these men has yet to when he was eleven, and how he was be written. [email protected] or by recruited by Army Intelligence (U.S. “Their story is an important calling the History Department, Army “G-2”) to be part of an legacy of the German Jewish Interrogation Prisoner of War (IPW) experience and the American (718) 951-5303. team. He received special training at occupation,” Remy says. “But it’s a Camp Ritchie, Maryland, with many story that should have been written other European refugees. 3 TOP OF THE QUAD Geoffrey Minter knows quite a lot master’s and doctoral degrees from Geoffrey about boyhood. For starters, he was Harvard University. During his once a boy himself. graduate studies, Minter pursued Yet for this new assistant themes that had been preoccupying Minter: professor of English at Brooklyn him for some time. College, the notion of boyhood is a “There is the American myth of On Boyhood great deal more complicated than Horatio Alger,” Minter says. “It’s merely snails and puppy dog tails. about the self-made man who, as a Metaphor Instead, how we view “the boy,” through sheer pluck, becomes a Minter contends, says a lot about captain of industry.” for America how we regard ourselves as a nation.
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