Download Winter 2008 Issue
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF HAVERFORD COLLEGE THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF HAVERFORD COLLEGE winter ’08 The Alumni Magazine of Haverford College WINTER 2008 THE EMERSON ERA BEGINS HAVERFORD COLLEGE Non-Profit Org. Haverford, PA 19041 U.S. Postage Address Service Requested PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 5521 WINTER 2008 That Gummere Living Room Thing For me, Fords remain, as a group, the most interesting, inter- ested, engaging people I’ve ever met. This office—figuratively and, at times, literally—is becoming the administrative equivalent of a Gummere living room (minus the puddles of Gennie Cream Ale): who knows where the conversation will go and who will join in; I just know I'm going to enjoy it. Judging by alumni reaction to both our more “peopled” web- site (which is quick and eager to showcase our lives and interests) and to the previous issue of the magazine (again, heavy on peo- ple) I don’t believe I’m alone in these feelings. Certainly, the web is mission-critical in our effort to do a better job of showcasing who we are. But print remains a key part of our plan, and I was recently reminded that many of us downright love it. Asher Spiller and Scott Sheppard, class of 2006, are launching a business and got in touch hoping to get some coverage. As their news release pointed out, their new baby is a literary magazine called Spur. But here's the thing: It’s a real magazine. Printed mat- ter, bound by a machine, distributed via the U.S. postal service and at select newsstands. As someone who witnessed at close range 32 the demise of the Knight Ridder newspaper chain, seeing a pair of Generation Web-ers jump into print made me gasp. And yet...Spur has what sends me into rapture every time this office gets samples of our printed product from the presses. For John R. Van Ness Contributing Writers starters, there’s the realness of it. The weight and texture of the Interim Vice President for John F. Anderies Institutional Advancement Jeanine Basinger stock and what that says about the message being sent; the utility Charles Curtis `04 of something that is portable, disposable, and doesn’t require elec- Chris Mills ’82 Douglas Johnson `71 tricity; and, for me, the killer attribute: its smell. Blame it on record Director of College Stephen Leonard `95 Communications John Lombardi albums I once bought, and how removing the shrinkwrap enveloped Caroline O’Halloran me in the world of the artist audibly, visually – and olfactorily. “Ah Brenna McBride Gail Sklar yes, I detect notes of Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung,’ with its faux-canvas Staff Writer Virtual surface...” I once claimed to my older brother that I could discern Acquire, LLC Communications by scent alone which of Capitol Records’ three plants (identified Graphic Designer www.AcquireVisual.com Committee on the jacket margins) had manufactured any given Beatle album... Norman Pearlstine ’64, Right! So. I invite you to flip the pages of this ultimate random- Chairman access document and find out why these guys are investing in print. Editorial Advisory And just to balance the ledger, that same page-space has the story Committee of another group of young Fords who are also launching a busi- Jody Romano ness: this one on the web and exploiting all of the Internet’s prom- John R. Botti ’92 ise. The online version of their story bears the superhead “Haverford Kaye Edwards Conversations” as in “Jawboning With Your Ford Friends Just Like Gregory Kannerstein ’63 Bradley J. Mayer ’92 You Used To.” William E. Williams In short, doing that Gummere living room thing. Best, Chris Mills ’82 [email protected] P.S. Send me a note if you and a friend or two would like to create a “Haverford Conversation” for us all to enjoy. winter 2008 50 64 FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 24 It’s a Hope 2 View from Founders Dr. Bruce Agins ’75 has spent his career fighting HIV and AIDS, 4 Main Lines and training up-and-coming health professionals to do the same. by Charles Curtis ’04 11 Reviews 32 European (Re)Union 15 Ford Games Find out why these Fords call Europe home. 19 Faculty Profile by Stephen Leonard ’95 72 Notes from the Alumni Association 38 Building a Community of Scientists 85 Class News The Howard Hughes Medical Institute transforms today’s students and faculty members into tomorrow’s cutting-edge 100 Roads Taken and Not Taken research scientists. by Brenna McBride SPECIAL REPORT 44 Dances with Words Richard Lingeman ’53, distinguished biographer of 77 State of the College Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis, is one of the few true humorists and men of letters still editing magazines. by John Lombardi 50 The Emerson Era Begins Meet Stephen G. Emerson ’74, Haverford’s thirteenth president. by Caroline O’Halloran Haverford College Office of Communications 370 Lancaster Avenue • Haverford, PA 19041 64 Sudan Before Darfur (610) 896-1333 • ©2007 Haverford College The tragedy of Darfur, Sudan, is now well-known. Douglas Johnson ’71 has devoted much of his life to Haverford Alumni Magazine is printed three times a year. Please send change of address information understanding––and ending—another Sudanese conflict to Haverford College in care of Ryan Johnson, that was in the news so long it ceased to be news at all. 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041 By Douglas Johnson ’71 C Haverford Alumni Magazine is printed on recycled paper. Six months on the job and I’m here to report that it isn’t what I expected... by Stephen Emerson ’74 view from founders Six months on the job and I’m here to report that it isn’t what Jack Coleman was president when I arrived here in 1970 I expected... as a 16-year-old from Long Island. The President was friend- In fact, it’s better. And while I certainly had high hopes for ly and personable, yes. But he was a firebrand, passionate the Haverford I’d be coming home to—realistic, yet high almost to distraction about an America at war—in Southeast nonetheless—frankly I’m astonished by where this community Asia and, in many ways, with itself. Jack forged a role that was finds itself, and the eagerness with which it is looking to the largely outward-facing and deeply engaged with the issues of future. I couldn’t be happier about returning, or more optimistic the day. This was a man who meant business, and the busi- about the days and years to come. ness often meant joining us in protest on the Mall in Blanket statement: Our college is thriving. Considering the Washington, or taking a sabbatical to study life as lived by students who come here (and whom I’m meeting every which those in blue collar roles. Such experiences informed his notion way I can) that isn’t surprising. It’s really very nice that this col- of stewardship and, in turn, inspired us to consider our place umn is called “View from Founders,” because I’ve set aside Friday in the world and how we can effect change—indeed, how our afternoons for students to come by and share their thoughts as we every action impacts upon others. sit on some newly-acquired rocking chairs on Founders porch. Three decades later, that uniquely Haverfordian commit- It is my favorite standing appointment, and our porch chats are ment to what I call “finding oneself in the process of making becoming better attended by the week as students introduce the world a better place” seems stronger than ever. In a world- themselves—and introduce me to their concerns and ambitions. wide-web of opportunity, it's possible to connect with difference (and work for change) in ways that those of us from older generations couldn’t have imagined. These idealistic, forward-looking students can bridge time, space and difference at will, and their lives speak to that end. To do right by them, I will try to give them the tools and resources to energize will to action, and live up to their standards as I use my office to enable their greatest success—inside and outside the classroom, here on campus and beyond. These students inspire confidence both in the future of our institution, and our world. 2 Haverford Magazine I am similarly, and profoundly, moved by our faculty. As a put in time and get a paycheck. Why do I believe that? Because, professor myself, I have a sense of what it takes for a depart- in my experience, people who smile this much and say “Thank ment or an entire academic institution to succeed. As I thank my you!” this much, who never seem to miss a co-worker’s birthday predecessors for preserving and enhancing a Haverford that and get excited by the beauty and magnificence of our campus- serves as a beacon to students whom I would easily consider as-arboretum, aren’t watching the clock. They care, deeply—just among the most gifted and giving I have met, so too am I appre- as those who founded Haverford College cared. People here work ciative of all that has been done to attract and retain such a hard and feel they are part of a mission; people here respect and dynamic and committed faculty. feel respected. I hope to serve with such dedication. It goes beyond their brilliance (goes without saying, I’m I will soon mark four decades as a Haverfordian. At times—and pleased to report!) as it goes beyond the currency of their expert- it’s often Friday afternoons, as my personal “view from Founders” ise.