October 4, 1994 3 2 .::O.:.:cto:=;b:.;:e.:...r4~,..:.19:..:9_4____________ The.Gadfly ----------------- CaIDpus News ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Quiz Show's Van Doren abroad and the salary to satisfy his fine tastes. Charles was easily became a recluse. There were job attracted to the phenomenon of quiz shows. offers from a myriad of schools, Charles Van Doren first appeared on the quiz show "Twenty­ including his alma mater, St. John's. a real-life alum One" on November 28, 1956, and remained deadlocked with the He turned them all down and con­ D.C. Minutes current champion, Herbert Stempel, until December 5th. Over centrated on his family. Eventually, the next fourteen weeks Van Doren remained undefeated and he took up writing again and be­ Sam Huzley "95 Gabriel Bell, '98 became the most loved and lauded quiz show cqntestant ev~r. came involved with the Encyclope­ In the mid 1950's, quiz shows occupied an important role in On the surface, Van Doren was all that America could ~ant .m dia Britannica organization. Cur­ D.C. Minutes for 9/22/94 and 9/ 27/94 $750.00fortheSwirnClubandweaquaiesced what is now known as the Golden Age of Television. They w~re, an intellectual champion. He was young, white, well bred, rently he is writing fiction and is (abridged) (God, I really kill me) "Mr. Anderson, are you now or have you on the surface, a celebration of human intellect broadcast straight energetic (his sweaty contemplation over various q~estions affiliated with the Aspen Institute. 9fl7/94 ever been male?"-Jolm Dean at the Watergate into the living rooms of America. The contestan~s, some of became a trademark) and relatively attractive. The nation was Despite his mistakes, it seems 1. Zena "see above" Hitz brought her hearings responding to intense questioning stable of prospective SCI Candidates, and whom amassed fortunes in a matter of weeks became mstant folk enamored with him. The press dubbed him the "debonair cham­ that Van Doren has managed to build by Rep. Giles Anderson (I-NJ) - then we broke out the steel cage and had them heroes. Some quiz show champions, such as Dr. Joyce Brothers, pion of the Egg Heads." Mark and Charles were named father a productive life.But that still leaves Your new delegates for 1994 are: duke it out. The Champineswere Melin~ went on to use their renown to find rewarding positions in o!her and son of the year by the syndicated press. Newspapers ran us to ask why a man who was obvi­ Off-Campus-Jue Kosseff, Andrew Campbell and David Braithwaite for the facets of American culture. Some faded, as some always do, mto articles about his childhood that often read more like how-to ously intelligent and reasonable McCarthy, Victoria Printz, Johanna Bauman, Sophmores, and Zach Rasmuson and Sarah complete obscurity. Several others found their names and manuals than biographies. Van Doren was so flooded by appeals should become involved with such Campbell- Mark Whipple, Imam Sawez, Van Deusen for the Seniors. The Junior match reputations tarnished in the from available young a scandal. Money was an aspect, but Humphries- Elaine Spidle, Paca-Carroll­ resulted in adoubleknockout, so the enviable eyes of the nation after be­ woman that he had to hire a James Knerr, Erin Martell, Pinkney- Damon continued on page 6 position is still vacant ing implicated in a series of secretary (whom he later Kovelsy, Doug Lynam, Randall- Maya 2. Zach came also for $710.00 for a scandals surrounding the married) to cope with the Johnson or Randolph Stark, Chase-Stone, baldness cure uh the Wood Shop, and we rigging of quiz shows. Fore­ volume. Even the St.John's Rebecca Michael, Execs- Micah Pharris­ gave it to him. President, Jesse Berney-Polity Attomey,Greg most among these figures mail room became flooded 3. Matt Braithwaite asked for some­ Hodges-Treasurer, Sam Huxley- Secretary was Charles Van Doren. thing like $1096.00 for the Computer trust, after the new attention given Reflections on Since there are two weeks to sum up here Charles Van Doren was and then hypnotized us with techie speak to the Great Books program I will keep it short: until we signed the check. practically a born intellec­ by one of its most famous Kunte Kinte 1. We elected a bevy of reps to various 4. Want money? Need Friends? Bring tual. Son of Mark Van students. Fourteen weeks committees, most of whom were Imam Sawez business to the D.C. by calling me, Sam Doren, aPulitzerPrize-win­ after his first appearance 2. The Vince "Last name too easy to Huxley, at 263-8724, or through campus ning poet and a highly re­ Van Doren could not prop­ Festival make fun of' Dude came by and requested mail. spected and admired senior erly identify the King of professor at Columbia Uni­ Belgium and left "Twenty­ Erin Martell '97 versity, Charles was raised One" $129,000 richer and During the weekend of Septem- in highly literate legacy. He with a position at the Na­ ber 24, the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival tokeepmecompany, whilelsatatmybooth. points down at this blank line, clearly la­ was fully expected to live tional Broadcasting Corpo- was held on back campus. The festival is a Instead, we were given the job of taking beled zip code, and says, 'Is this where I put up to the example set by his ration as a director of edu- · opinion surveys. This proved to be much family (uncle Carl Van Doren had also won aPulitze~). Gr?wing celebration of African American culture and my name?' Then all the sudden it dawned on cation in programming (alongside his standing profess~rship at : its history. Maryland area merchants set up more interesting and most of the people we me, 'Josh, you idiot, this poor man can't up in a "book lined" house in New York's Greenwich Village, Columbia). In March of 1957 he was the greatest qmz show Charles had a "ready fund of knowledge." His skills of reason­ stands selling African jewelry, dolls, Christ­ talked to were friendly. Again, there was a read.' But rather than let his pride be hurt champion ever and a hero to many. · mas ornaments and other African art forms. definite percentage of people who ignored when he realized that I had caught on to him, ing and memorization emerged early and were honed by his Months after Van Doren's retirement from "Twenty-On " , parents who encouraged and guided him along his personal road Educational seminars were offered for both or refused our survey request but generally I just tried to let it drop and I asked him Americans saw a new side of quiz shows and of their great ' adults and children. Live entertainment was the people were more than happy to voice where he was from, ifhe wasn 'tfrom around to education. champion. Herbert Stempel, the very man Van Doren had . offered including dance groups and a steel their opinions . - here, so he says, 'Tennessee,' which is my After high school, Van Doren's path to intellectual n~tori­ defeated, announced, with several other former contestan~ that drum band. Students were asked to volun­ Josh Murbarger had a different and dis­ favorite state and I personally believe that ety eventually led him to St. John's College. ~an Doren q~1ckly they had been fed answers and been given stage dire~tions. took to the curriculum and found much enhghtenment m the teer to help run the festival but few people turbingly sorrowful experience. As he told the garden of Eden is somewhere in there. I Attention immediately turned to Charles Van Doren. At f~rs~ he chose to help out Those that did help out had me, here it is: ''There was this cute little old asked, 'Where?', and he says, 'Ah, it's a - Great Books Program. "Most of the great moments I recall ca~e denied all involvement in any coaching or rigging. After his ~ust varying experiences. I thought that it would guy, ya know, he had one of those light blue, little town 'bout 45 minutes north of Mem­ during my college years at St. John's" said Van Doren of his appearance in front of a New York grand jury and a short flighf years here. After graduating in 1947 (he took sev_eral years off be very interesting·to work at the festival. baby blue, sky blue three piece suits and one phis.' He said, 'Yea, it's the same place Alex from the court and the press, Van Doren confessed to a Congre • : When I went down to help, l was greeted of them little gray caps with a little bow tie, Haley was born. I spent my childhood with between his sophomore and junior years to serve m World War sional subcommittee and to the nation. He had been given man, enthusiastically and set up in a ticket booth. bifocals. He was so cute, man. So I goes up Alex.' I thought to myself, 'This poor won­ II and to tour Europe) he took his master's degree in higher answers before each show. He had been given stage directio An hour later, my ticket booth was still to him and asked him if he wanted to fill out derful little old man has come sixteen hours mathematics at Columbia with a thesis on "Introduction to how to act, what to say. The young debonair intellectual, Inversive Geometry." After spending some time at Cambridge, empty but there were long lines at all the a form, real friendly like.