LETTERS

Editor: John S. Rosenberg Executive Editor: Christopher Reed Senior Editor: Jean Martin 02138 Managing Editor: Jonathan S. Shaw Deputy Editor: Craig Lambert Cambridge Associate Editor: Elizabeth Gudrais Production and New Media Manager: Mark Felton Narcissistic writing, jealousy taxes, women’s basketball, fiery faith Assistant Editor: Nell Porter Brown

Art Director: Jennifer Carling Berta Greenwald Ledecky ARGUING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE Undergraduate Fellows Joan wickersham’s Samuel Bjork, Liz Goodwin exploration of Editorial Interns: “Bricks and Politics” (September-Octo- Ashton R. Lattimore, Anna Reinhard ber, page 50) evokes a famous remark, at- Web Intern: Blaise Freeman tributed to Marcel Duchamp, that “all great art is irritating at first.” This does Contributing Editors not, of course, imply that all irritating art John T. Bethell, John de Cuevas, Adam becomes great. Personally: Hollein yes, Goodheart, Max Hall, Jim Harrison, Harbour Fraser Hodder, Christopher S. Spangler Center no. Dan Rosenfeld, M.B.A. ’79 Johnson, Adam Kirsch, Colleen Lannon, Deborah Smullyan, Mark Steele, Janet Beverly Hills, Calif. Tassel, Edward Tenner

We have been cursed with the sort of Editorial and Business O≠ice architectural abomination that darkens 7 Ware Street, the cover of this issue of , Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037 Tel. 617-495-5746; fax: 617-495-0324 the high-rise housing complex at One Website: www.harvardmagazine.com Western Avenue. The worst of the 1950s Reader services: could not have produced a more jumbled, of planning complete neighborhoods, 617-495-5746 or 800-648-4499 less attractive building on that site. It re- rather than individual buildings, in order flects nothing of its context. It mars and to avoid ending up with a series of pro- HARVARD MAGAZINE INC. President: Henry Rosovsky, JF ’57, shadows the beautiful neo-Georgian cam- jects that are disconnected.” Word has it Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98. Directors: Richard pus of the and that Princeton also wants its new build- H. Gilman, M.B.A. ’83, Leslie E. will be an eyesore as well for the new ings to reflect the style and context of its Greis ’80, Alex S. Jones, NF ’82, Bill Harvard campus in . historical campus. Kovach, NF ’89, Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Sadly, one of the truly commendable re- To me, this sounds like the exact oppo- Alan J. Stone, Richard Tuck cent additions to Harvard’s building in- site of what Harvard has been doing. Harvard Magazine (ISSN 0095-2427) is published bimonthly ventory, the Spangler Center, by noted ar- If you are wondering why the by Harvard Magazine Inc., a nonprofit corporation, 7 chitect Robert A. M. Stern, is dismissed Society of Architects’ Parker Medal has Ware Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037, phone 617- 495-5746; fax 617-495-0324. The magazine is supported by by critics who favor “visionary” designs not been awarded to any Harvard build- reader contributions and subscriptions, advertising rev- enue, and a subvention from . Its edi- as looking like a very nice country club. ing since 1994, you need only look at most torial content is the responsibility of the editors. Periodi- However, Stern got it right when he ar- of the non-traditional buildings Harvard cals postage paid at Boston, Mass., and additional mailing o≠ices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Circulation gued for continuing Harvard’s venerable has chosen to construct since then— Department, Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cam- bridge, Mass. 02138-4037. Subscription rate $30 a year in red-brick-Georgian look. It is an impor- buildings that honor their context for the U.S. and possessions, $55 Canada and Mexico, $75 other tant marketing asset in a fiercely compet- most part only by opposing it. foreign. (Allow up to 10 weeks for first delivery.) Sub- John A. McMullen, M.B.A. ’71, J.D. ’73 scription orders and customer service inquiries should be itive era for students and ought to be per- sent to the Circulation Department, Harvard Magazine, 7 petuated. Burlington, Vt. Ware Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037, or call 617- 495-5746 or 800-648-4499, or e-mail addresschanges@har- This is doubtless why Princeton Uni- vard.edu. Single copies $4.95, plus $2.50 for postage and The problem handling. Manuscript submissions are welcome, but we versity has taken a very di≠erent ap- with Harvard architecture cannot assume responsibility for safekeeping. Include proach. It has hired an award-winning ar- is Walter Gropius. Harvard brought him stamped, self-addressed envelope for manuscript re- turn. Persons wishing to reprint any portion of Harvard chitectural firm to lead the development over from Europe instead of hiring Amer- Magazine’s contents are required to write in advance for of a long-term plan for its campus. As a ica’s seminal architectural genius, Frank permission. Address inquiries to Catherine A. Chute, publisher, at the address given above. spokesman for the architectural firm said: Lloyd Wright. Gropius brought with him Copyright © 2007 Harvard Magazine Inc. “The University has adopted an approach a distorted vision of Wright’s modernism,

2 November - December 2007 MORE THAN 250 YEARS OF UNINTERRUPTED HISTORY…

1929. When the world’s first twin lens camera, the legendary Rolleiflex, was launched, Vacheron Constantin was 174 years old Collection Musée de la Photographie, Vevey Collection Musée de la Photographie,

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Stephen Greenblatt purporting to be MAGAZINE NETWORK

aboutIvY League writing (“Writing as Performance,” Tel. 617-496-7207 September-October, page 40). It is, I sup- Associate Publisher, Sales pose, endearing that so demanding and Lawrence J. Brittan, Tel. 631-754-4264 distinguished a critic and scholar could New York Advertising Sales find in his own practices useful instruc- Beth Bernstein, Tel. 908-654-5050 tion for others. But as we discover how Mary Anne MacLean, Tel. 631-367-1988 Tom Schreckinger, Tel. 212-327-4645 much he hated to give up working even Travel Advertising Sales for a day on his current project, the loss Northeast Media Inc., Tel. 203-255-8800 and recovery of Lucretius’s “great” philo- Detroit Advertising Sales sophical poem; as we learn why (he Media Performance Group thought) he didn’t get into Harvard Col- Tel. 248-960-9447 lege; as we are led through the opening Southwest Advertising Sales paragraphs of various of his articles to see Daniel Kellner, Tel. 972-529-9687 how e≠ective they can be; as we find that West Coast Advertising Sales he was asked to give the Adorno lectures Virtus Media Sales, Tel. 310-478-3833 West Coast Travel Advertising Sales in Germany after the “important” philos- The Holleran Group, Tel. 707-935-9296 opher; and as we share in his delight at the jolly bantering he enjoyed with Presi- Board of Incorporators dent Clinton regarding Macbeth, it is di∞- This magazine, at first called the Harvard Bulletin, was cult to avoid the impression that this founded in 1898. Its Board of Incorporators was char- piece is less about the craft of scholarly tered in 1924 and remains active in the magazine’s “SOMETIMES when people need governance. The membership is as follows: Stephen J. writing than an advertisement for the life, Bailey, AMP ’94; Je≠rey S. Behrens ’89, William I. Ben- their medicines most, they can’t nett ’62, M.D. ’69; John T. Bethell ’54; Peter K. Bol; Fox works, and achievements of Professor Butterfield ’61, A.M. ’64; Sewell Chan ’98, Jonathan S. pay for them. To people who are Greenblatt. Writing as performance to be Cohn ’91; Philip M. Cronin ’53, J.D. ’56; John de sure, but must all performance be so de- Cuevas ’52; Casimir de Rham ’46, J.D. ’49; James F. Dwinell III ’62; Anne Fadiman ’74; Benjamin M. eligible, we give GSK medicines pressingly narcissistic? Friedman ’66, Ph.D. ’71; Robert H. Giles, Nf ’66; Owen Michael Rosenthal ’58 Gingerich, Ph.D. ’62; James Glassman ’69; Adam K. for practically free. We believe it Goodheart ’92; Max Hall, Nf ’50; Philip C. Haughey Campbell professor of the humanities ’57, Brian R. Hecht ’92; Sarah Bla≠er Hrdy ’68, Ph.D. isn’t enough to make medicines if Columbia University ’75; Ellen Hume ’68; Alex S. Jones, Nf ’82; Bill Kovach, Nf ’89; Florence Ladd, BI ’72; Anthony Lewis ’48, Nf people can’t afford to take them.” New York City ’57; Scott Malkin ’80, J.D./M.B.A. ’83; Lisa L. Martin, Ph.D. ’90; David McClintick ’62; John P. Reardon Jr. To learn more, call Greenblatt’s recollection ’60; Harriet Ritvo ’68, Ph.D. ’75; Henry Rosovsky, Jf of his fa- ’57, Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98; Barbara Rudolph ’77; Robert 1-866-GSK-FOR-U ther’s advice about the proper subject for N. Shapiro ’72, J.D. ’78; Theda Skocpol, Ph.D. ’75; Peter A. Spiers ’76; Scott H. Stossel ’91; William O. Taylor a Harvard interview—“You have to talk ’54; Sherry Turkle ’69, Ph.D. ’76; Robert H. Weiss ’54; about sports”—reminded me of an inter- Elizabeth Winship ’43; Jan Ziolkowski. view situation of my own.

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In 1983, I was being interviewed by Jus- lation of the title of Lucretius’s poem De tice Byron White for a Supreme Court Rerum Natura as On the Nature of Things (not clerkship. I was far more clueless than Professor Greenblatt’s fault). Joshua Greenblatt about sports, but even I knew Whatmough, the late professor of compar- Silk Tie that Justice White’s earliest claim to fame ative philology, translated De Rerum Natura was as football star “Whizzer” White. I’m as “On the Generation of Nature,” which is pretty sure I hadn’t planned to talk about more meaningful and reflects the tradition Bow Tie sports—how could I?—but when I saw an of the genre. Several pre-Socratic poets opening in the conversation I mentioned were natural philosophers and titled their that I’d recently read A River Runs Through It, poems in Greek Peri Physeos or “On Nature.” Enamel the first line of which famously reads, “In It is to this tradition that the poem of Lu- Cufflinks our family, there was no clear line between cretius belongs. The conventional transla- religion and fly fishing.” I knew nothing tion of its title is almost fatuous. more about fly fishing than what I’d read Lloyd B. Urdahl ’45, A.M. ’49

Silver in the book—nor, at the time, did I know Rochester, N.Y. Cufflinks that Justice White was an avid fly fisher- man—but I sensed a definite heightening PROFESSOR’S POLITICS PANNED of interest on his part. Of course, I can’t be I write in response to the Harvard Por- sure of the factors that went into the jus- trait of Professor Howard Gardner (Sep- tice’s decision, but I did get the job. Fortu- tember-October, page 61). I would think Bespoke Clothing nately, I was never called on to discuss the magazine would want to highlight Watchstrap & Accessories sports with him again. people who actually make the University for Natalie Wexler ’76, G ’79 look good. Gardner certainly does not. Harvard Alumni Washington, D.C. The article states that Gardner has ar- Toll Free gued “for upper limits on the amount of I am writing to call attention to the in- income an American should be allowed to Socks 1866 434 6937 appropriateness of the conventional trans- keep and the amount of wealth that can www.SmartTurnout.com A CAREER COLLEAGUE Christopher (“kit”) reed debuted on the masthead of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin, as this magazine was then known, in the issue of September 30, 1968—volume 71, number 1. As managing editor, he joined editor John T. Bethell, then in his third year at the helm, in launching a new design, a new printing process, new features, and a new publishing schedule. The temper of the times put a premium on the new: the cover of that first issue focused on “The Revolution.” By the end of that academic year, of course, Harvard’s campus was shaken to its core by that new tide: in the oc- cupation of University Hall, the bust, and the strike, memorably covered by the magazine of April 28, 1969. In the many years since, Reed enhanced the magazine’s   content invaluably, contributing hundreds of thousands of   words on every imaginable subject (and covering more than        one-tenth of Harvard’s 356 Commencements, in whose cer- emonies and costumes he delights). Had he not written      with such humor and grace, and with such wry apprecia- tion for the University’s traditions and foibles, his col-   Term Life leagues would have resented bitterly his calm confidence at Insurance the keyboard, no matter how pressing the deadlines. LevelTerm 10 Year 15 Year 20 Year 30 Year age 35 "#$ "$# "%# &'' It is with deep appreciation and affection that we thank age 45 "() "*$ "))# +, Kit Reed for his service to our readers as he retires with this age 55 ")$- "#-( "#*) ',./! issue (volume 110, number 2), after crafting here and in the

age 65 "$(- "(0* "*(1 &/!2 September-October magazine features on an art exhibition STU ROSNER          !   and on an extraordinary plant scientist—subjects in which he has always been deeply interested. Our sense of loss is tempered by his continuing work at the han-    !! "#$%& $&' $& dle of The College Pump, in ranging across Harvard in search of Treasure, and on       occasional reporting assignments.     We welcome to our ranks associate editor Elizabeth Gudrais ’01, a former Harvard Magazine Ledecky Undergraduate Fellow—the first such alumna to graduate to the         staff—in the early years of another promising writing career. The Editors

                                 

6 November - December 2007 LETTERS be passed on to beneficiaries ($4 million a year and $200 million, respectively).” Gardner continues, “The right wing isn’t just taking over the country, it’s shang- haiing all our values. If there’s a Republi- can administration after the next elec- tion, I would join in e≠orts for some sort of secession.” Both his policy proposals and his words on secession are complete- ly outrageous. It is no one’s place to tell others how much income they may keep. I am shocked by his audacity. Threats to secede because you are upset with a political party’s role in the country’s a≠airs are immature, not Last to mention unpatriotic. Be a part of the process. Don’t just get upset and stomp o≠. Is this the type of position the maga- zine approves of and feels good condon- ing? If so, you need to take a long, hard chance look at yourselves and reevaluate what it to make a tax-free gift means to be a responsible member of this great nation. Drew Thornley, J.D. ’05 from your IRA to Harvard. Austin, Tex.

Even though Professor Gardner may have multiple intelligences, his sum total is IRA rollover legislation still not enough to let him understand that his “upper income limits” idea is just the old jealousy tax again. Tenured professors expires Dec. 31st. like Gardner are just extremely jealous of the harder-working citizen (who isn’t a “bright” Harvard professor) who either makes a lot of money per year, or amasses a nice fortune to leave to the children. Park Weaver Jr., M.B.A. ’60 La Mesa, Calif.

THE TEACHER AND THE TREES It was a pleasure to read your arti- cle on Peter S. Ashton (“Honorable Forester,” September-October, page 34). For more information, The article did not, however, do justice to please contact: Professor Ashton’s service as an enthusi- astic and inspiring teacher and mentor for undergraduates. I took the freshman sem- Anne McClintock inar in 1982 that he and Professor P.B. Alasdair Halliday John Christel SPEAK UP, PLEASE Ericka Webb University Planned Giving Harvard Magazine welcomes letters on its contents. Please write to “Let- PHONE (888) 206-4213 Harvard University ters,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, send comments by FAX (617) 495-8130 124 Mount Auburn Street e-mail to [email protected], use EMAIL [email protected] Cambridge, MA our website, www.harvardmagazine.- WEB post.harvard.edu/pgo 02138-5795 com, or fax us at 617-495-0324. Letters may be edited to fit the available space.

Harvard Magazine 7 LETTERS

ADVERTISEMENT Tomlinson taught on tropical forests. “proves my point: they are not fit to gov- Their ability to convey their enthusiasm ern.” Let’s hope he is with us for a good and love of tropical forests and the trees deal longer. The BASF Innovative Solutions within them was astounding and, I have Norman Birnbaum, Ph.D. ’58 series honors alumni who have made noteworthy contributions to no doubt, helped set me on my career Washington, D.C. their respective fi elds. path. Ashton’s energy and sheer joy when discussing tropical trees still is my stan- Toward the end of an adulatory ap- dard for how one should interact with praisal of Professor Ho≠mann, one reads students. He has been, as the article that he considers Charles de Gaulle to be notes, an influential scholar, conserva- the greatest statesman of his lifetime. Can tionist, and mentor of graduate students it be that the professor is unaware of such from around the globe. He also stands out towering figures as Franklin Roosevelt as one of the best teachers of undergradu- and Winston Churchill? Or is it possible ates that I have encountered. that Ho≠mann’s Francophilia has over- Manuel Lerdau ’86 come his judgment? Environmental Science and Biology Departments Gilbert R. Cherrick, M.D. ’54 Director, The State Arboretum of Virginia St. Louis JIM YONG KIM, M.D. ’91, Ph.D. ’93 University of Virginia RADCLIFFE RUGBY Education: Brown ’82, Harvard Charlottesville, Va. University M.D. ’91, Ph.D. ’93 What great, nostalgic fun to read the WINNING WOMEN’S BASKETBALL recent article “Rugger Mothers” (Septem- Background: Dr. Kim is François- I was perplexed Xavier Bagnoud Professor of after reading the ber-October, page 76)! As a petite African- Health and Human Rights at the plainly untrue opening line of “Rebound American woman, I still get a kick out of Harvard School of Public Health & Transition” (Sports, July-August, page telling people that I played for the Rad- and Professor of Medicine and Social Medicine at . 74): “Harvard has never won an Ivy cli≠e Rugby team. For maximum “shock He is chief of the Division of Social League basketball championship.” This and awe” I casually slip it into conversa- Medicine and Health Inequalities myopic observation carelessly—or sex- tions with obstinate male colleagues. at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. istly—neglects the 10 league titles won by Works like a charm! From 2004 to 2006 Dr. Kim served Yvette (Austin) Smith ’92 as director of the HIV-AIDS program the women’s basketball team, including at the World Health Organization. during this past 2006–2007 season. The New York City In medical school, Dr. Kim co- women’s team, under the direction of founded Partners In Health with head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith for the CRIMSON SCIENCE FICTION Dr. Paul Farmer. Dr. Kim received Indeed, a MacArthur “Genius” Award in past 25 years, should be celebrated for its pulp sci-fi had a strong early 2003 and in 2006 was selected as success. Your slight of the team in the connection to Harvard via the author one of Time magazine’s 100 most same issue that features Harvard’s first Ralph Milne Farley, pseudonym of Roger infl uential people. female president on the cover should be a Sherman Hoar (“Space Invaders,” Septem- Innovative Solution: Dr. Kim has reminder to readers that women are still ber-October, page 92). Although I do not increased access to care for people not given the respect a≠orded to men in know Hoar’s biography thoroughly, I living with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. “Through our society. know he was both an alumnus (1909) and the efforts of a small group of Ted Klupinski ’95 professor at Harvard, and a relative (al- people, we were able to lift a death Columbus, Ohio though not direct descendant) of Leonard sentence from literally hundreds of thousands of people,” he adds. Hoar, early president of Harvard [1672- LE PROFESSEUR ON LEADERSHIP 1675]. He was, in addition to being a Long-term Goal: “To provide every Like many colleagues, I have learned scholar and statesman, a popular and pro- human on the planet with high- quality, comprehensive health care a great deal from Stanley Ho≠mann (“Le lific sci-fi author in the 1920s. and in the process take a big swipe Professeur,” July-August, page 32). One of Susan Carter ’90 at eliminating poverty.” the things he conveys is that a bit of self- Somerville, Mass. deprecatory wit goes a long way to cure us of the recurrent threat of that fearsome (APPLIED SCIENCES) FACT academic pathogen, pomposity. I recall “Engineering renewed” (September- debating with him three decades ago on October, page 65) states that the new what was termed “Eurocommunism.” School of Engineering and Applied Sci- Stanley expressed some skepticism about ences (SEAS) “emerged as the Division of the e∞cacy of the largest of Eurocommu- Engineering and Applied Sciences in nist parties, the one in Italy. I declared 1946.” The name was the Division of Engi- that he was being ungenerous, especially neering and Applied Physics from 1946 since its leader, Enrico Berlinguer, had onward, although its science scope was asked me if Stanley was likely to be Secre- broader than just physics when I gradu- tary of State. “That,” Stanley responded, ated in 1969. Some- (please turn to page 111)

8 November - December 2007 LETTERS

LETTERS (continued from page 8) championship team in 1962, and I must ADVERTISEMENT say Mark Steele’s wonderful illustration time later the broader science role was makes it look even more fun than it recognized and the name changed to Di- was—if that’s possible. vision of Engineering and Applied Sci- Basically Tom Houston and I—who ences. The SEAS has long been a leader in were classmates, classics majors, and connections science and engineering and it is appro- founding members of the short-lived Gar- Special offers, unique events, sweep- priate that it receive the recognition and humor magazine—followed up on goyle stakes opportunities and more from stature that it deserves within Harvard. some fall triumphs at several Ivy univer- Hurrah!! sities, and when we came home to Los our advertisers. Jeffrey D. Eagles, S.M. ’69, M.B.A. ’81 Angeles at Christmas we set up a Nation- South Orleans, Mass. al Championship match between our- selves and some hapless local teams who Editor’s note: Speaking at the SEAS cele- arrived for the championship tourna- bration on September 20 (see page 74), ment not knowing what a Tiddlywink President Drew Faust noted that follow- was, exactly. ing World War II, the name morphed Tom and I hijacked our girlfriends for from the Division of Engineering Sciences the tournament as cheerleaders, complete WORLD to the Division of Applied Science (1951) to with pom-poms, and we held the event the Division of Engineering and Applied on the rim of the Pacific in a park in Santa Physics (1955) to the Division of Applied Sci- Monica, California, overlooking the TRAVELER ences (1975) to the penultimate Division of ocean. It was surreal. The pom-poms Engineering and Applied Sciences (1996). were so e≠ective we both married the girls in gratitude and are still married to UNFORGIVING FAITHS these same women today. In fact, I think I In “foundations of faith” (Septem- can see them in Mark’s illustration and ber-October, page 14), Professor Martin he’s got it exactly right. They look exactly Nowak puts forth a rather romantic and the same today. unhistorical view of the nature of reli- Hank Schwarz ’64 WIN A TRIP TO gions, in claiming they are “generous,” Long Beach, Calif. NEW ZEALAND! “forgiving,” and “want to help people,” and thus encourage cooperation. Taking FED FACTS Visit In the errata the Christian religion as an example, it is column on page 8 of the www.worldtravelerhome.com hard to imagine a more dreadful history September-October issue, it says the of dissension, intestine wars, per- president “did not direct the Federal Re- to enter the secutions, tortures, killings, et cetera. serve to orchestrate a run on the cur- 2007 World Traveler Apologists may contend that this is a rency.” It is a misunderstanding to think sweepstakes and win a perversion of “true” religion, as it comes that the president can direct the Federal luxury getaway for two down pure from heaven. I don’t know Reserve to do anything. The Federal Re- and a Canon EOS about that; we can all quote Scripture to serve is an independent agency within any purpose, but there can be no ques- the government, but not of the govern- Digital Rebel XT Kit. tion about the actual behavior of reli- ment. Most presidents would like to gions in this world. have had control of the Federal Reserve Sweepstakes ends Gibbon ends his famous chapters on so as to directly influence interest rates. December 31, 2007. Christianity thus: “[I]t must still be ac- Fortunately the Federal Reserve does not knowledged, that the Christians, in the respond to presidential direction. course of their intestine dissensions, have John E. Sheehan, M.B.A. ’60 inflicted far greater severities on each Former member, Board of Governors, other, than they had experienced from Federal Reserve System the zeal of infidels.” Arnold, Md. More recent examples are too obvious to need mention. FAN MAIL William J. Jones, J.D. ’60 I am writing simply to express my Chatham, N.J. gratitude for the September-October issue of the magazine. I found every arti- HIGH-STAKES TIDDLYWINKS cle in the issue to be of great interest. My wife, Patricia, pointed out the Yes- Congratulations on a job well done! presented by the terday’s News report (September-Octo- David Allyn, Ph.D. ’96 ber, page 67) on our national Tiddlywinks Newark, N.J.

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