Spring 1999 E VV S L E T T "The Long Walk'' Begins for Class of 1999 many historic academic and professional changes for all succeeding women physi­ cists. In 1971, she organized the first session of the American Physical Society meeting to deal with women in physics and became a founding member of the Society's Committee on Women in Physics, marking the beginning of the women's movement in the Society. She produced a series of papers entitled, Energy Levels ofLight Nuclei, on the experimental properties of the light nuclei. A member of the Haverford College faculty from 1957 to 1970, she wrote an autobiography, A Matter of Daniel Schorr Choices: Memoirs ofa Female Physicist. The third individual who received an While Ajzenberg-Selove applauded honorary doctor of letters was Daniel the accomplishments of the graduating Schorr, the award-winning broadcaster class, Randall Kennedy, who received an Fay Ajzenberg-Selove and senior news analyst for National honorary doctor of laws, recognized the Public Radio. Schorr warned the gradu­ contributions and sacrifices of the grad­ ates against "celebricihood" and the SUN SHONE BR.IGHTLY as uates' parents. A professor at Harvard THE "world of fantasy; sound bites, spin con­ 286 students received their undergrad­ Law School who writes about African- trol and perception." He noted that uate degrees at Haverford College's celebrity is transient, "an unreal thing commencement ceremony on May 16. that will disappear with the morning President Tom Tritton addressed the dew," and that the graduates should audience of students, family and friends reject it. "Fame is what others confer on by quoting Nelson Mandela. "After you if you really do something great, climbing a great hill, one only finds especially something great for humani­ that there are many more hills to climb. ty, " he said. I have taken a moment here to rest, to During his half-century career in steal the glorious vist:a that surrounds broadcasting, Schorr received numerous me, to look back on the distance I have awards for his journalistic excellence and come. But I can rest only for a his defense of the First Amendment. As moment, for with freedom comes CBS chiefWatergate correspondent, he responsibilities. And I dare not linger, won three Emmy Awards but discovered for my long walk has just begun." his own name on President ixon's Three honorary degree recipients Randall Kennedy "enemies list," evidence that Nixon had offered advice to the graduates about ordered an FBI investigation of him. accepting new respomibilities and American issues for many publications, In 1979 Ted Tumer enlisted Schorr to enjoying their "long walk." Fay Kennedy lauded the "tremendous help create the Cable News Nerwork. Ajzenberg-Selove, who was awarded an amount of responsibility they rake He served honorary doctor of science degree, on .. .the emotion that goes with stand­ as CNN's reminded the graduates of the truly ing behind a young person, contribut­ seruor important things in life. She urged the ing, leading that person along the right Washington class of 1999 to choose a career in pa th." correspondent which they feel passionate about their After clerking for Supreme Court until 1985. He work and then "go fc::~r it;" to take plea­ Justice Thurgood Marshall, he became a currently inter­ sure in good friends and search for member of the American Law Institute, prets national someone to share their life; and to do the Massachusetts Board of and interna­ unto others as they would have others Commissioners on Uniform Stare Laws tional events do unto them. and the Bar of the District of Columbia. on NPR's Ajzenberg-Selove has taught at He is a faculty advisor to the Harvard "Weekend many institutions, including the College Charles Hamilton Houston Edition University of Pennsylvania where she Black Pre-Law Society and is on the edi­ Saturday" and was the second female ever appointed torial board of The Nation and The "Sunday" and professor at the univ,ersity's School of American Prospect and is editor of "All Things Arts and Sciences. She brought about Reconstruction, a journal dedicated to Considered." African-American affairs. Page2 Chair Appointments in Global Studies and the Humanities quishing their societal needs and cultural John Dusseau in honor of his first wife, identity. Isaacs noted that "the political Audrey. Dusseau, who graduated from transformation of Latin America, the Haverford College in 1934 with high hon­ expanded cast of players, the variety of ors and a major in English, spent most of programs and the consensual character of his professional career as a writer and then assistance all offer promising signs that ediror-in-chief and vice president with WB. democracy promotion is achieving irs full Saunders Company, Philadelphia publishers potential." of medical books and journals. Dusseau, Although the current Latin American who died this year in January, also estab­ political climate is more conducive for lished a scholarship fund in memory of democracy, Isaacs recognizes that chal­ Mrs. Dusseau. lenges for democracy still exist in the To honor John Dusseau and his love of region. Although there is a strong prefer­ English, Joseph Russo included some irony ence for democracy, it is for a democraoy ro his February 26 inaugural lecture enti­ in theory and not necessarily as practiced tled, "Language, Poetry, Philology, and 'the by political leadership. The potential for Stateliest Measure."' "The stateliest mea­ disillusionment with democracy remains, sure" is a phrase, well known by lovers of Anita Isaacs gives her inaugural lecture as the especially considering the fact that Latin English literature, coined by Alfred Lord new Stinnes Professor in Global Studies. America has not decided on a form for its Tennyson. Russo's leerure was a comparison democracy. The international community, between the dactylic hexameter of Homer ~ ITA ISAACS, associareprofes­ while offering technical assistance, must and the iambic pentameter used by English sor of political science, and Joseph Russo, a avoid the temptation, associated with poetS. He explained why dactylic hexameter professor and chair of the classics depart­ donor biases, to impose irs own form sounds so good in Latin and Greek but so ment, were both named ro endowed pro­ upon Latin American democracy. terrible in English. He made the radical fessorships this spring. As the Stinnes Professor in Global claim that English poets, especially Isaacs, whose research interests include Studies, Isaacs hopes ro collaborate with Tennyson, were envious of dactylic hexame­ Latin America and inter-American rela­ other faculty members ro create a center ter, "the stateliest measure." tions, was named ro the Stinnes Chair in for global citizen­ Global Studies, a new professorship ship, further institu­ designed ro internationalize further and tionalizing and enrich the college's curriculum. expanding current The Stinnes Chair was created by programs by bring­ Veronica Stinnes Petersen, a member of ing distinguished Haverford's board of managers, in honor of speakers and schol­ her parents, Edmund and Margiana ars to the campus in Stinnes. Edmund Stinnes was a professor a more organized of government at Haverford College from and sustained man­ 1942 to 1946 and taught in the Relief and ner and establishing Reconstruction Training program. Veroruca a program of sum­ Stinnes Petersen is currently a pediatrician mer internships that with the Harvard Community Health Plan would send and an instructor of pediatrics at Harvard Haverford students University. to international sires Following a luncheon honoring and bring interna­ Professor Isaacs and the Stinnes family, tional students and Isaacs gave a talk entitled, "Promoting scholars to Anita Isaacs chats with Veronica Stinnes Petersen, who endowed the Stinnes Democracy in Latin America Today: Haverford College. Chair in Global Studies in honor ofh er parents. Questioning the Assumptions." She noted During her 11 that despite the fact "international democ­ years at Haverford, Isaacs has utilized A specialist in Homer's Odyssey and early racy assistance has taken great strides dur­ many international connections ro bring a Greek lyric poetry, Joseph Russo is the only ing the past decade ... the limitations of more global perspective ro her courses. American classicist among six international international contributions are impressive. In 1998, she received the Rowan & scholars ro provide commentary for Oxford In part," she said, "because the internation­ Lirclefield Award for Innovative Teaching University Press' three-volume edition of the al community has operated on the basis of in Political Science for her course on epic poem. The line-by-line commentary for several mistaken assumptions." Central America in which she created an the third volume of the Oxford University Isaacs went on to describe some of "inter-American dialogue" between edition took seven years to complete and led those American "mistaken assumptions" of Haverford students and college students Russo on an extensive research journey to Latin America over the years leading up to from Canada, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Italy, England, France and Holland, where the end of the Cold War. At that point, The course culminated in a two-day sum­ he lectured on ropics related to Greek epic according to Isaacs, international influences mit at Haverford College where the stu-· language, style and narrative. began to shape the course of democratiza­ dentS met with policy makers from the Russo has been the recipient of the tion. "The post-Cold War redefinition of United States and Central America ro dis­ Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship, a strategic interestS has had a noticeable cuss the challenges of building democracy Fulbright Fellowship ro Italy, a Junior effect on the reconceptualization of democ­ in the region. Fellowship at the Center for Hellenic racy assistance," added Isaacs. Studies in Washington, D .C. and the NEH A heightened appreciation of democra­ JOSEPH RUSSO is the college's sec­ Younger Humanist Study Fellowship.