BALANCING THE BOOKS /// DOMESTIC EXTREMISM THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE SPRING 2016 In Addition to History Novelist Thomas Mallon imagines what lies between the facts in the lives of presidents and those around them. “Desolate” is the word used by university photographer Logan Werlinger to describe this late-February view of the Jefferson Memorial taken en route to an assignment. As the fog obscured tourists, the memorial took on a mythical, Mount- Olympus-on-the-Tidal-Basin feel. gw magazine / Spring 2016 GW MAGAZINE SPRING 2016 A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS CONTENTS [Features] 30 / In Addition to History Novelist Thomas Mallon imagines what lies between the facts in the lives of presidents and those around them. / By Matthew Stoss/ 38 / Balancing the Books Alumna Kyle Zimmer’s nonprofit, First Book, is pooling the buying power of educators and families in need to change the face of—and the access to— children’s publishing. / By Julyssa Lopez/ 48 / Tracking Terror in the U.S. A new GW think tank is monitoring the pulse of homegrown terrorism, and it’s finding that recruitment on social media is helping to create an increasingly diverse picture of Islamic-inspired extremism. / By David Frey/ [Departments] On the cover: 3 / Editor’s Note Thomas Mallon—that’s his hand there—inserts himself 4 / Postmarks into an Oval Office diorama handcrafted by John 7 / GW News McGlasson; photographed by William Atkins. LOGAN WERLINGERLOGAN 54 / Alumni News gwmagazine.com / 1 SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE LATEST NEWS FROM GW TODAY VIA E-MAIL Be Informed | Be Connected | Be Notified gwtoday.gwu.edu Two-year-old Blake Augburn holds a book at Smart from the Start, an early-learning center in Southeast D.C. FROM THE EDITOR Back in 1992, when friends 10,000 times. Standing atop one Kyle Zimmer, JD ’87, Elizabeth another, they would climb to the Cranking Arky, JD ’86, and Peter Gold International Space Station and started the nonprofit First Book, back again 40 times. Or, packed they handed out 12,000 books, and shipped, they would be which is pretty tremendous. That nearly enough to put two books Up the was 24 years ago. As Julyssa into the hands of every person Lopez reports in this issue, First 18 years or younger in the U.S. Book now distributes 15 million The volume is staggering, but Volumes free and low-cost books each so is the implication: The unmet year, a number that over time has need is that deep. And perhaps added up to 140 million books. the most compelling thing First “Millions” has lost a bit of Book does has little to do with grandiosity over time; it’s muddy volume; it has to do with content. turf, being both a somewhat It’s a massive effort that household term and still almost diffuses into many more hundreds unimaginably vast. So let’s of millions of microscopic impacts put this into perspective: One- that could remake the surfaces hundred-and-forty million copies on which a generation will build of The Cat in the Hat laid end to its creativity, its confidence and end lengthwise—the hardback its awareness of self and others. copy in my home, anyway— would span the 2-mile trek Danny Freedman, BA ’01 between the Lincoln Memorial managing editor @TheGWMagazine LOGAN WERLINGERLOGAN and the U.S. Capitol more than gwmagazine.com / 3 POSTMARKS electrons harmed in this produc- Enduring Fondness tion. On the other hand, we are rapidly approaching generations that will have little written or pic- Emerita professor torial history, due to everything Honey Nashman, at her home on Lake being saved “in the cloud.” Phones Barcroft in Falls get lost and technology evolves so Church, Va. rapidly. How recently have we seen a 3 ½-inch floppy disk or mis- placed that thumb drive? A hard- copy photograph or negative can be restored and brought back to life by a skilled technician. The craftsmanship of a true photogra- pher is irreplaceable to save those memories. Perhaps your family album will become the hiero- glyphics of our generation thou- sands of years from now. Jon Sandberg, MFS ’81 Olympia, Wash. The Thing About Incunables As a GW alumnus in American Studies and retired head of rare books and manuscripts at the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary, I very much enjoyed your article (“Legally Bound,” winter 2016) in the latest issue of GW Maga- zine, which I received today. The I just finished reading winter 2016) and that warm smile operating officer” on Page 29. law library certainly has a quite your article on Honey of hers! During her tenure, I hap- To my confusion, there is refer- impressive collection. pened to sit next to her on a long ence on Page 32 to a mysterious I hope you will excuse me for Nashman (“The Sweet airplane flight and found her to Dr. Campbell, “the museum pres- pointing out two small errors. Life,” winter 2016). I be so very outgoing and pleasant. ident and CEO.” Incunables are books printed up had Professor Nash- She introduced herself, smiled An otherwise interesting arti- to and including the year 1500 constantly and never stopped cle; glad to learn the Weiss family [rather than “before 1500,” as man when I attended chatting with me during the still has roots in Pennsylvania. the story states]. Since there was GW and thought she entire flight. I’ve never forgotten Rena B. Burstein, BA ’48 no year zero, the 15th century those hours, nor her great accom- Bryn Mawr, Penn. ran from 1401 through 1500, was amazing. I just plishments as superintendent. not 1400 through 1499. Also, want you to know how And how wonderful to see the Thomas Campbell is the museum’s the Providence Athenaeum is in much I thoroughly warm smile of the next genera- director and CEO. Titles for both Rhode Island. tion on the front cover! men are correct on p. 29, but when John Haskell, MPhil ’72, PhD ’77 enjoyed her story. Thomas J. Moran, MA '05 Dr. Campbell is reintroduced on She has done so many great Arlington, Va. p. 32, his role is misidentified. We Thanks for mentioning these things for the university and has regret the error. —Eds. errors. A hand is planted firmly touched so many people. I feel on our collective forehead for not very proud to have had her as a Editing Artifact A Negative for Photography catching those. One thing we enjoy professor and that I can say I am I found the article about Daniel I read with interest the “Just Pass- about this magazine is getting to a graduate of GWU. Weiss, the Metropolitan Muse- ing Through” article in the winter write for such a widely informed Lisa A. Clark, BA ’86 um’s new president (“You Are 2016 issue with marvelous pho- audience. There’s scarcely an Here,” winter 2016), interesting tography that is becoming a lost article we could ink that doesn’t enough to read it through before art through the dawning of the have an expert among you out Gone but Not Forgotten breakfast this morning. digital image age. So many pic- there somewhere, which makes it What a great picture of Floret- Dr. Weiss is described as “the tures today are taken with the fun and challenging. Thanks for ta McKenzie (“In Memoriam,” Met’s new president and chief mindset of spray and pray, with no reading. —Eds. WILLIAM ATKINS 4 / gw magazine / Spring 2016 managing editor Danny Freedman, BA ’01 assistant editor Matthew Stoss Keepsakes What They’re Saying on Twitter Photo editor This photo and letter below William Atkins popped up in our inbox and Stacy Parker LeMelle University PhotograPher it made us wonder: What @StacyLeMelle Logan Werlinger reminders of GW do you This cover feat. @jus242 made keep around? Let us know my weekend. How great is this! Design at [email protected] or on Content & design. GW Marketing & Creative Services Twitter @TheGWMagazine. Bravo @TheGWMagazine art directors Dominic N. Abbate, BA ’09, MBA ’15 My daughter made this sign for Bob Poogach John McGlasson, BA ’00, MFA ’03 me, it is in my backyard. I met @Raprasrav contribUtors husband-to-be, Gaspar Messina, Hard copy of GW Today: Keith Harriston (senior managing editor), BS ’76 (now deceased), at GW; @TheGWMagazine Rob Stewart (managing editor for multimedia), My mother’s people came from came in the mail Brittney Dunkins, James Irwin, Julyssa Lopez and Munderkingen, Germany (master today. Terrific cover Ruth Steinhardt; GW Impact: Gray Turner, MPS ’11 chimney sweeps); my dad came featuring @jus242 w/ (editor) equally good article from Steamboat Rock, Iowa (Frie- INTeRns inside sian farmer’s son); the Chinese Rebecca Manikkam, GWSB ’17 (editorial) took the mythical Lost Horizon Zach Marin, CCAS ’18 (photography) city name and renamed an ex- Laurie Gibbons isting city; golden dragons from @LaDolceEsq President of the University Pern are fighting females; some of The things you learn Steven Knapp my offspring and the sign-maker when you bring v ice President live in Rhode Island; and I spent @TheGWMagazine for external relations my childhood on the shore of the on the train. Lorraine Voles, BA ’81 Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. @GWtweets pls vice President for develoPment Carla Harms Messina, MS ’62 make these into a and alUmni relations Bethesda, Md. t-shirt I can buy! Aristide J. Collins Jr. DanielleCorm- associate vice President ierSmith for commUnications Sarah Gegenheimer Baldassaro @daniellecormier Who knew Coach is such a associate vice President fashionista? <3 the new fight-song for alUmni relations themed uniform: http://magazine.