Macalester Today November 1999 Macalester College
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Macalester College DigitalCommons@Macalester College Macalester Today Communications and Public Relations 11-1-1999 Macalester Today November 1999 Macalester College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macalestertoday Recommended Citation Macalester College, "Macalester Today November 1999" (1999). Macalester Today. Paper 48. http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macalestertoday/48 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Communications and Public Relations at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Macalester Today by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. mssmm , Gary Hines y74 Musician-bodybuilder leads Grammy-winning m Sounds of Blackness LETTERS LEASE SEND letters intended for other towns. Violet married a young man publication to Letters to the Editor, Corrections from the town and returned to Minne- Macalester Today, College Relations, apolis to teach and raise a family. We kept P Art Professor Jerry Rudquist will continue Macalester College, 1600 Grand Ave., in touch all these years. I was out of town teaching full time through the 1999-2000 St. Paul MN 55105-1899. You can also for three months and only learned of her academic year, then enter the four-year send your kuer by fax: (651) 696-6192. death reading August's Mac Today. phased faculty retirement program Or by e-mail: [email protected]. in 2000-2001. In August's Macalester Violet was a beautiful woman in body We reserve the right to edit letters for Today, we erroneously reported that and spirit. She had a lovely singing voice conciseness and clarity. he had entered the retirement program which I remember her using to encourage this year. a disparate group of rural kids to embrace and celebrate life. I remember her just last A photo caption on page 18 of the August year still taking classes for life and spirit Student activism issue misidentified one of the alumni enrichment. I WAS very glad to see my uncle, Harris attending a Class of '74 gathering during I loved her. Wofford, featured in the August Mac Reunion Weekend. The photo showed Marian Phocas Johnston '58 Today with two current Macalester Markie Harwood '73 of Springfield, Va., Woodbury, Minn. students. whom we erroneously identified as e-mail: [email protected] While 1 am delighted that Macalester Barbara Mustoe-Monteith '74. Our students are interested in volunteerism, apologies to both Markie, who is a 1 am left wondering whether any current journalist with the Federal Times, and students are involved in activism to Barbara. —the Editors Sport utility vehicles change society. The difference I READ the "Quotable Quotes" in the between the two is whether one August issue and was disappointed by your brings to their work a critical inclusion of Professor Clay Steinmans analysis of the power structures quote on the contribution of SUVs to in our society, and a commit- global warming gases and loosely tying ment and ability to change the them to the "... destruction of those inequality in society. I would natural landscapes" by using "expected to suggest that volunteerism alone account for" sales data in his statement. does very little to change society I would like to see his empirical data in the long run. upon which he based this statement of While I was a student at "destruction" and why you believe this to Macalester, I worked with other be such a "noteworthy comment." I believe students, faculty and staff to ini- the truth is, we do not know all the factors tiate the first Women's and Pictured at a Class of '74 gathering during that cause the sun to heat our planet Earth, Gender Studies Program, and Studies of Reunion last May are (from left) Bob Matters and it is irresponsible to point the finger of American People of Color Program. We '74, Joel Monteith, Markie Harwood '73 (in blame at the gases given off by the SUV for organized effectively around a diversity of back), Loretta Frederick '74, Jane Lin Falle '74, global warming and certainly "for the issues like divestment in South Atrica and Doug Strandness '74 and Doug's wife, Lynette. destruction of those natural landscapes." examining the societal factors leading to Remember we pointed the finger of blame women's inequality and a rape culture. I to support workers' rights, I wonder where at the logging industry for the destruction was deeply grateful to Professors Karen Mac students stand. Could Mac Today of the "only" nesting habitat of the spotted Warren, Peter Rachleff, Emily Rosenberg please cover the current state of student owl, and then we found their nests in the and others for inspiring in me both a criti- activism at Macalester? red"K"ofaK-Martsign! cal analysis and a sense of action to Jen Wofford '89 When I attended Mac, one of our envi- change injustice. Washington, D.C. ronmental concerns was the "return of the Many of us left Macalester having Ice Age." Now just 3Q years later on a gained incredibly useful organizing skills, 5-billion-year-old Earth, we're talking and we are still organizing for social justice about global warming. I think we have a I've been organizing for social justice for Violet BjombergTupper '44 lot more to learn about what is truly hap- 10 years and currently work for the I WAS heartsick to read about the death pening to our planet before we recklessly national AFL-CIO Organizing Depart- of Violet Tupper '44. One may talk about point fingers of blame at objects of truly ment as the Northeast recruitment Mac's tar-reaching influence and lessons unknown impact, especially those like the coordinator. I certainly hope the next gen- taught, retained and spread, but Violet SUV that add safety and quality of life to eration of Mac grads does more than Mary lived them. the people of this planet. Many young simply volunteer on occasion. In a time I was 10 years old when I first met her. impressionable minds may read Professor when many college students are working She was a missionary sent to our very tiny Steinmans quote and take it as truth, not to expose the injustice of sweatshops and town of Starks, Maine, along with another realizing it is only one man's opinion. I do young woman, to teach us elementary not see anything noteworthy in his com- schoolchildren in our brand-new and ment, other than its narrow view of what enlarged three-room schoolhouse every factors affect our environment. Friday. These women also conducted continued on inside back cover church services in our town and three MACALESTER TODAY ABOUT THIS ISSUE 2 At Macalester Macalester Today Campus Center is named; honoring John B. Davis; Vladimir Nabokov meets Robert Frost; Director of College Relations and other campus news. Doug Stone Executive Editor Nancy A. Peterson 8 Macalester Yesterday Managing Editor Macalester founder Edward Duffield Neill Jon Halvorsen Art Director Elizabeth Edwards 9 Mike Today Class Notes Editor President McPherson reflects on what the Internet can do — and what it can't. Robert Kerr '92 10 Alumni & Faculty Books Macalester College Chair, Board of Trustees Timothy A. Hultquist '72 13 Hands-on History President Students reach into Israel's past and discover a lot about themselves. Michael S. McPherson Vice President for College Advancement Richard Allen Ammons 16 The 'Minority' View Alumni Director U.S. alumni of color reflect on how Macalester shaped their lives. Second in a two-part series. Elizabeth Rammer Assistant Alumni Director Molly Glewwe 23 Rhyme with a Reason Alumni Director Emeritus Steve Caiman '92 and the art of hip-hop A. Phillips Beedon '28 Macalester Today (Volume SS, Number 1) 24 Blood Ties is published by Macalester College. It is mailed free of charge to alumni and Mixed Blood Theater draws upon Mac theater talents as it pursues Dr. King's dream. friends of the college four times a year. Circulation is 25yOOO. For change of address, please write: 30 Woman's Work Alumni Office, Macalester College, 1600 Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN Sarah Craven '85 acts globally to secure human rights for women. 55105-1899. Or call (651) 696-6295. Toll-free: 1-888-242-9351. To submit comments or ideas, write: 32 Sounds of Healing Macalester Today, College Relations, Gary Hines 74 leads the at the above address. Phone: Sounds of Blackness to Reconciliation. (651) 696-6452. Fax: (651) 696-6192. E-mail: [email protected] 35 Alumni News On the cover Steve Woit Calendar of alumni events photographed Gary page 30 Hines '74 in late August on the Concert Hall 36 Class Notes stage of the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center at Macalester. See page 32. 48 Macrocosm Kathleen Osborne Vellenga '59 remembers when she and her classmates were 20-somethings. NOVEMBER 1999 AT MACALESTER Campus Center College's new gathering place named in honor of alumna Ruth Strieker-Dayton ACALESTER'S new central gathering place will be called the M Strieker-Dayton Campus Center in honor of Macalester graduate Ruth Strieker-Dayton '57, President Mike McPherson announced in October. Strieker-Dayton and her husband, Bruce B. Dayton, have been major contributors toward the $18.5 million building, which is under construction and will be com- pleted in 2001. Strieker-Dayton has been a member of the college's Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1984 and again since 1995 and also serves on the executive committee of Touch the Future, The Campaign for Macalester College. She is a former presi- dent of the Alumni Association Board of MII1MD Directors and in 1987 received the Distin- guished Citizen Citation, given by the Alumni Association for achievement and for contributions to society and the college.