Lit Hum Turns 75 Columbia College Spring 2013 TODAY Contents Network with LITERATURE HUMANITIES TURNS 75 Columbia a SPECIAL SECTION Alumni
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Lit Hum Turns 75 Columbia College Spring 2013 TODAY Contents NETWORK WITH LITERATURE HUMANITIES TURNS 75 COLUMBIA A SPECIAL SECTION ALUMNI 17 Students and 23 Faculty Find 27 Lit Hum 32 Alumni Book Faculty Embrace Lit Hum Challeng- for Life Club Carries On Classic Readings, ing, Fulfilling the Tradition “I left Columbia with Modern Technology “The course is a marriage an understanding of “The idea is to further “The course is not a of methodologies and the power of asking our education and what museum-like visit. the idiosyncrasies of the the right questions.” we started in Lit Hum.” It’s about the inter- individual instructor.” BY ALEXIS TONTI ’11 ARTS BY NATHALIE ALONSO ’08 BILL CAMPBELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY rogation of texts.” BY SHIRA BOSS ’93, ’97J, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, INTUIT Y IMOTHY ROSS ’98 SIPA MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, APPLE B T P. C ’98 MEMBER OF THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CLUB OF NEW YORK GSAS 30 Today’s Lit Hum The perfect midtown location to network, dine with a Syllabus client, hold events or business meetings, house guests by the in town for the weekend, and much more. Numbers To become a member, visit columbiaclub.org or call 212-719-0380. in residence at The Princeton Club of New York 15 WEST 43 STREET COVER: LESLIE JEAN-BART ’76, ’77J; LIT HUM LOGO: R.J. MATSON ’85 NEW YORK, NY 10036 Columbia Ad_famous alumni.indd 6 11/8/12 12:48 PM MESSAGE FROM DEAN JAMES J. VALENTINI DEPARTMENTS ALUMNI NEWS 3 Message from the 16 Roar, Lion, Roar 41 Message from the 49 Obituaries Celebrating Lit Hum, Dean CCAA President 50 Daniel J. Edelman Celebrating Lit Hum, 34 Columbia Forum: CCYA builds engagement ’40, ’41J Enriching Its Future enriching its future. Great Books among newest alumni. 51 Peter B. Kenen ’54 You can go home again — 4 Letters to the to the classics. 53 Class Notes Editor BY DAVID DEnbY ’65, ’66J Alumni Profiles 80 Jon Ross ’83 uring the summer before students’ first year, the When I speak with alumni about their years at the College, 6 Within the Family College hosts events around the country and the they invariably mention the Core as a defining and transforma- 89 Rachel Nichols ’03 world where alumni hand copies of The Iliad to tive experience. When I ask current students what their favor- incoming students. This gift symbolizes stu- ite course is, they consistently say Lit Hum, CC or another Core 7 Around the Quads dents’ entrance into the Columbia College Core course. Students come to Columbia College because it has this Alumni Reunion Weekend Curriculum — more specifically, into Literature great and unrivaled Core Curriculum, and when they leave it is and Dean’s Day 2013. DHumanities — and to the community of Columbians, past and the great common intellectual experience they all share. The Core present, who have delved into this text. is what makes all of you members of an Sandra Day O’Connor and Literature Humanities, which this year enduring and trans-generational intellec- Norman Dorsen ’50 celebrates its 75th anniversary, connects tual community that connects every Col- generations of College students. Each one lege student to every other student and 42 A Passion for of you has read at least four books in com- to all College alumni. That experience Civil Liberties mon — The Iliad, Oresteia, Oedipus the King begins with Lit Hum. For more than 50 years, and Inferno. These texts have remained on The Core is so important to us at the Norman Dorsen ’50 has the Lit Hum syllabus since it was initiated College that we want to provide every in 1937. Others books — ranging from resource possible to support it, to propel fought for fundamental Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Boccaccio’s The it and to enhance it. This is why, for the past freedoms and against David Denby ’65, ’66J (right) Decameron to Augustine’s Confessions and year, we have been making plans to start an Young alumni aboard the with the Lionel Trilling discriminatory legislation. Professor Emeritus in the Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse — have endowment for the Core — a foundation U.S.S. Intrepid at Alumni Y ALERIE EILIng ACOBS Humanities Edward “Ted” B V S J rotated on and off through the years. All upon which we can perpetuate everything Reunion Weekend Jon Ross ’83 Tayler of these texts have served the same pur- you have valued about the Core and with 46 Bookshelf pose: to develop students’ understanding which we can ensure that it will be valued Featured: Portrait Inside 96 Alumni Corner of the literary and philosophical develop- by every future College student. How we My Head: Essays by Phillip Happy Birthday, Lit Hum! ments that have shaped western thought, build this legacy will evolve through the to empower students to be critical read- several years of the endowment campaign. Lopate ’64. ers of the most significant literature and However, the first emphasis in that cam- to transform the way students observe, paign, which is beginning right now, will learn about, write about and think about be to provide the resources to enhance and the world. enrich the experience of faculty and stu- The Lit Hum syllabus is nearly the dents in Literature Humanities and Con- same for every first-year student. They temporary Civilization. read the same texts at the same time and PHOTO: EILEEN BARROSO The Core — and Literature Humani- take the same midterms and finals. They ties in particular — is central to students’ meet around tables in groups of no more intellectual development at Columbia. It Like Columbia College than 22 to raise questions about the texts and to debate the an- is what makes Columbia College unique and what makes our Today on Facebook: swers. They talk about identity, family, power, justice — about graduates unique. It is the one great common formative experi- facebook.com/columbia WEB EXTRAS the challenges of humanity. And they learn about themselves in ence that most specifically shapes our graduates’ subsequent collegetoday View a photo album of the Senior Fund 2013 Launch Party the process. lives. I hope that you will take a moment to celebrate the 75th View a photo album from the Dean’s Scholarship anniversary of Literature Humanities — to think about what you learned in Lit Hum and how the course, and your other Core Follow @Columbia_CCAA Reception and read the 2012–13 Scholarship Directory courses, had an impact on your life. Moreover, I hope you will on Twitter Share Your Lit Hum Memories Watch an interview with Rachel Nichols ’03 about enjoy reading in the following pages about the course, its faculty her series Continuum What do you remember about Literature Humanities? and students, and the role it plays in our community. View a photo album of the 2013 John Jay Awards Dinner Do you recall a favorite professor or text? How has the Join the Columbia Alumni Core course impacted your life? Please share your favorite Association Network on Listen to the Clefhangers perform Lit Hum memories with us at [email protected]. LinkedIn: alumni. columbia.edu/linkedin college.columbia.edu/cct SPRING 2013 3 sequent generations of Columbia stu- violent tactics of the radical left will Letters to the Editor dents have benefited from Professor make this a better society. That is why Breslow’s superb teaching style. I will my parents escaped from the horrors of forever be grateful to him. the Nazis and the Communists. low gathered as many students as he could Dr. Daniel L. Lorber ’68 Dr. Roman Kernitsky ’62 Volume 40 Number 3 fit in his car and drove us over the GW PORT WASHIngTON, N.Y. COLTS NECK, N.J. Spring 2013 Bridge to his home. I remember watching Gutmann, a Good Man Honoring Brig. Gen. Smith EDITOR AND PUBLISHER the sun rise as we headed for safety. He fed Alex Sachare ’71 us and allowed us to sleep a bit before re- I am reading the fabulous Winter I was pleased to see the report of Scott turning us to campus. I was able to wash 2012–13 issue that arrived a day or Smith ’86’s promotion to brigadier gen- EXECUTIVE EDITOR Lisa Palladino my bloody hair. so ago, and am brought to a halt half- eral in the U.S. Air Force reported in the Professor Breslow’s freshman chem- way down page 19, in the piece about Alumni in The News section of the Win- MANAGING EDITOR istry class stands out in my memory. He Professor [David] Sidorsky (whom of ter 2012–13 issue. His dedicated service Alexis Tonti ’11 Arts made chemistry magical! Now rewired course I never encountered as a stu- to our country and his record of lead- EDITORIAL ASSISTANT from a 35-year career as an emergency dent though he sounds quite interest- ership and achievement in our armed Elena Hecht ’09 Barnard physician, I have pivoted into fighting ing). You name a James Goodman as forces clearly deserve this recognition. FORUM EDITOR climate change. Whenever discussing one of his early teachers, but I think As a guest at the ceremonies, I also Rose Kernochan ’82 Barnard ocean acidification — the process of add- Sidorsky must have meant philoso- was impressed by the number of Scott’s CONTRIBUTING WRITER ing club soda to the seas — I think of him. phy professor James Gutmann (Class family, friends and colleagues who That means that Ron Breslow resides in of 1918, ’36 GSAS), who together with gathered for this milestone in his career.