IIIe81 RleRls Lellers ARTICLES lillie 'I Play with Mushrooms' 2 Alumnus Walter Litten's fascinating hobby 'Have We Come to Believe in a Super Medicine?' 4 Ellillr If we have, writer &rton Roueche knows where to place the blame From Prince Street to Broadway 6 A look at a Broadway legend, George Abbott '11 To the editor: Meet the Wunderkind of New York City Schools 12 Three cheers for my classmate, Dan Rat­ tiner, and his correct memories of the 1957 Some say alumnus &rnie Gifford will be New York's next mayor Flag Rush. May Iaddthe missing piece to your Evelyn Segal's 'Homage to Nigeria' 14 puzzle by supplying the true description ofthe An artist with a love for a country results? I'll explain first that freshman privileges on The Case for General Practice And a Case for Specialization 16 the River Campus in 1957 were somewhat A tale of two doctors and the different roads they have chosen limited by the upperclassmen. Hard to Review Cover Color Photos Available 21 believe? The "rule" was that we had to use the A special offer tunnels under the Eastman Quadrangle, rather than walk on the Quad sidewalks. This 'Exploration of Infinite Possibilities' 22 lasted until Thanksgiving vacation UNLESS Something's new in UR drama the frosh were successful in capturing the 'How I Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance to My Flag' 24 sophomore flag at the Flag Rush. As Dan It was Francis &lIamy, class of 1876, who wrote the immortal words pointed out, the Class of '61 did capture the New Means of Education for Health Careers 26 flag, and we were "allowed" to walk in the sunlight. The Rochester Plan, an educational innovation In discussing University "ancient history" Sing a Song of Nostalgia at Glee Club Centennial 28 with a member of this year's freshman class, I It's coming up in early April found him to be both amazed and horrified at some of my tales. Perhaps in future picture articles you should report on the "Goldfish Bowl" in the downstairs hall of what was then DEPARTMENTS the Women's Residence Halls, when dates kissed goodnight at curfew time on a big Letters 1 weekend. Or the women's Frosh Camp, News Digest 28 which raised so much spirit and made known Alumni Calendar 33 the new class officers. Is there still a tug-of-war, ice statue contest, Travel Corner. .................................................... 33 Moving-Up Day, or does the informal motto of Alumnitems 34 the Campus Times for that era still hold: "This Identity Crisis 36 too shall pass.. .''? Alumnotes 37 Joyce Wolfe Hoffer '61 Alexandria, Virginia (Thanks for the suggestions. We've had enthusiastic reactions to our nostalgia Rochester Review. Spring, 1976: Editor: Ronald C. Roberts; Asst. Editor: Fran photos, and there are still many left in Rush Sargent; Copy Editor: S. Leigh Harrison; Art Director: Jeffrey T. Hermann; Staff Rhees' archives. But, we can always use more Writers: Wendy A. Leopold, Dave Erickson; Staff Photographer: ChrisT. Quillen. ideas andphotos ifyou've got them. Any more Published quarterly by the University of Rochester and mailed to all alumni. contributors out there? - Ed.) Editorial office: 107 Administration Bldg., Rochester, N.Y. 14627. Second class postage paid at Rochester, N.Y. 14603. e.ler v.e. To the editor: Sciences. During 1975, we graduated three To the editor: The memoirs of Prof. Gustav Meier PhD.'s. One is presently with Oak Ridge I regret that I waited so long to join in the ("Memoirs of a conductor in the court of Haile National Laboratory, where he is working on identification game regarding the two "pizza Selassie," Winter issue) was most timely. Our the problem of the dispersal ofthermal plumes wagon" photos in the fall issue. But the daughter, who is now in Nairobi (American Freedom from Hunger Foundation), will be in in large lakes. The second holds a National opinions printed in the Winter issue gave me Addis Ababa soon. Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at more food for thought, and I would like to The article "Beware the illusion of learning" the Sacramento Peak Observatory of Air offer the following disagreements and ad­ (Fall issue) was long overdue and is now Force Cambridge Laboratories, where he is ditional information. circulating among students at the University engaged in theoretical and observational stud­ The general consensus is correct, but an of Alabama. The article "SEED help:; Robbie ies of the solar atmosphere. The third is with important point is missed: the business Grow" (Fall) was sent to a speech therapy General Atomic working on the design of changed hands nearly every year, and about student at Southern Methodist University. fusion reactors. During 1974, we had five 1959-60 the vehicle changed from the hearse Thanks for the magazine. PhD. graduates. One is doing numerical shown in the top picture to a large delivery Margaret Edwards fluid dynamics for General Motors. A second truck, crudely coated with aluminum paint, Birmingham, Ala. is working on systems design for Taylor Instru­ the back of which is shown in the lower ments in Canada. A third is an Air Force picture. This calls into question Dick Thalack­ officer working on aircraft wake turbulence er's identification of himself at the 10000er right; To the editor: problems. A fourth is working on the x-ray he had graduated by the time the truck ap­ It certainly was a pleasure to see again that spectroscopy of laser produced plasmas inthe peared. Furthermore, Dick is much taller and newspaper picture in the Winter issue of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics here on cam­ would have to be kneeling in the snow if it is he. Glee Club tenors on the way to the Waring pus. The fifth PhD. is working on helicopter Imaintain that the man in the lower right is Roy competition in 1942 ("At age 100, the Glee aerodynamics with Bell Helicopter. Perhap:; Taylor '61. Sorry, Dick -I also can't agree Club keeps singing"). Brought back you would be willing to give equal space in that the "chef" is Ed "Gus" Rogus, either; it is memories. I still have the program from that some future issue to students like these, who Dick Molinari as identified by others. Carnegie Hall competition.... are using their training in more traditional IJke my classmate Dan Rattiner, I well The 1961 Club may have had a "first" ways. remember the "heavy Sicilian accent" crying singing to a President's daughter, but that was "hot-a-pizza, down on the quad." One of the not the first White House appearance. If I Alfred Clark, Jr. pizza merchants who perpetrated that call recall correctly, it was in my freshman year, Professor and Chairman, spring of 1940, that we sang in the East Room was John Wermecke '59, who was often an­ UR Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace for "Eleanor" and other dignitaries, as well as swered by a chorus of catcalls and mild ob­ Sciences for the Easter Egg Rolling Contest. (That was scenities from those who supposedly were the year I became "famous" for knocking over studying. Dan's other letter concerning the a potted palm when Ifainted during a concert Flag Rush is also 100% correct - your sources at a church on Long Island. Must have been To the editor: were certainly wrong about that! something I ate, eh?) For two issues of the Rochester Review I Here's an item for your "oddities" file - in Harry Wiersdorfer '43 have done my best to avoid reality, but every mid-1973 I built and occupied my present Hamburg, N.Y. time I turn back to the bottom of page 22 (Fall house near State College, Pa. I soon dis­ issue) and gaze upon the picture of theinterior covered that the land next door was owned by of the old UR pizza van, I sense that horren­ my classmate Ed Kimmel '61, '63G, and his dous feeling of awareness returning that, yes, wife Jean Walter Kimmel '59N, who built and To the editor: that unidentified young man in the lower right occupied their house a year later. This sur· I am writing to express my concernover the is I. prise was magnified when we discovered that article "The Scientific Astrologer" which ap­ So much addicted have I been to that the property abutting both of ours on the rear peared in the Winter 1975 issue of theRoches­ delicacy that even now when we pull a pizza was occupied by Chuck Adimaro, who was a ter Revieu;. This article is an unfortunate from the oven, I tend to call my children by UR student at the same time as Ed, Jean, andI departure from the generally high standards of yelling (in proper rhythm of course) "Hot but graduated from another college. It's truly a the Review's editorial staff. Since the Review is pizza, on the quad!" small world - thanks to RochesterRevieu; for helping keep it that way. a publication of the University of Rochester, Chuck Erb '61 its editorial policies should be in accord with Kingston, R.I. Dean E. Arnold '61 the fundamental commitment of the Univer­ State College, Pa. sity to the rational pursuit of knowledge. I can imagine articles about astrology consistent with that commitment. Some examples of topics are: the history of astrology and its influence; the sociological implications of the present popularity of astrology; why astrology is not a science. Instead, Mr. Erickson has given us an uncritical summary of some of the irrational techniques of astrology. I do not believe this material belongs in the pages of a university publication.