HAVERFORD Alumni Magazine Fall 2003 II The Classic Scholar-Athlete If you were pressed to describe a “typical” Haverford graduate—if you had to include a description for a time capsule, for example—you would do well to start with Hunter Rawlings. At Haverford, Rawlings was both serious scholar and serious athlete. And his career in academia bespeaks an education steeped in academic rigor, values, a lifelong love for learning, and tools necessary for leadership. One of the things we try to do when we put this magazine together (when we’re not fretting about getting it out six weeks late) is a big-picture inventory of how people, programs, and events have been covered over the years in our own publications. Last winter, we put together an issue devoted to newspaper journalists because it occurred to us that Haverford, for its size and for an institution without a journalism major, seems to have an inordinate number of accomplished newspaper people. When Hunter Rawlings decided to step down from the Cornell presidency and back into the classroom, it presented us with an opportunity to do a story. After some preliminary Jill Sherman Vice President for research, we couldn’t find any stories of note about Hunter and his years at Iowa. Institutional Advancement Nothing about his years at Cornell. The Spring 1966 issue of Haverford College Horizons Stephen Heacock carried a photograph of senior basketball players Dave Felsen, Dave Kane, Rawlings, Editor, Executive Director of Marsh Robinson, and Walt Whitman, along with a short piece about the team’s success. Marketing & Communications It’s time to make amends. On page 16 you’ll find Edgar Allen Beem’s thoughtful profile. Tom Ferguson Production Manager, Ed drove from Yarmouth, Maine, to Hunter’s home in Virginia so he could do a proper Class News Editor initial interview. As befits a man of Hunter’s stature, the piece is illustrated by the crisp Brenna McBride photography of Robert Visser and presented in another elegant layout by John Maki. Staff Writer After all of these years of missed chances, it’s only proper that we invited Greg Hilary Bajus Kannerstein ’63 to write a personal sidebar about his friend Hunter (see page 22). Office Manager Greg’s story, I think you’ll agree, is a classic. Acquire, LLC Graphic Designer Contributing Writers Edgar Allen Beem Thomas Deans Mike Ranen ’00 Stephen Heacock Maya Severns ’04 Executive Director of Marketing & Communications Virtual Communications Committee Norman Pearlstine ’64, Chairman Class of ’66 yearbook Editorial Advisory Committee Violet Brown Emily Davis ’99 J. David Dawson Delsie Phillips Jennifer Punt Willie Williams Haverford College Marketing and Communications Office 370 Lancaster Avenue Haverford, PA 19041 (610) 896-1333 ©2003 Haverford College The Alumni Magazine of Haverford College Fall 2003 FEATURES 16 Back to the Books After a two-decade career in higher education administration, Hunter Rawlings ’66 returns to the classics—and to the classroom. by Edgar Allen Beem 25 A New Prescription for Jefferson Seth Hollander ’96 felt a “sense of disconnect” 16 when he started medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Now he and Visser © 2003 Robert Chris Coletti ’00 are doing something about it. by Brenna McBride 28 Coast to Coast in Seven Days DEPARTMENTS When a friend needed to relocate to 2 The View from Founders Los Angeles, Mike Ranen ’00 did the right thing. He drove her there. 3 Letters to the Editor by Mike Ranen ’00 4 Main Lines 8 Reviews 9 Notes from the Alumni Association 11 Ford Games 14 Faculty Profile 33 Class News 48 Moved to Speak 28 On the Cover Black Squirrel illustration by John Maki, Acquire, LLC Haverford Alumni Magazine is printed four times a year: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Please send change of address information to: Haverford College in care of Jeanette Gillespie, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041, or via e-mail: [email protected]. C Haverford Alumni Magazine is printed on recycled paper. The View from Founders by Tom Tritton, President On Humor A century ago the four cardinal celebration of this fantasy, Signe drew a “humors”—blood, bile, phlegm, and cartoon of President Bush dressed in melancholy—were thought to determine Quaker (oats) garb, an original work of art a person’s mental and physical constitu- of which I am now the proud owner. For tion. Yuk… more of her special brand of wit and wis- When I was a kid growing up in the dom visit her website at: http://www.signe- 1950s, “good humor” was an instantly rec- toons.com/ (Aside: modern students are ever so much ognizable reference to a chocolate-covered more inventive in their misdeeds) ice cream bar. Yum… In the 1870s, terrible In the 1880s, the College was in one of Nowadays, “humor” almost always pillow fights between those recurring periods when the faculty refers to wit, comedy, and laughter. While was convinced that the students were not not edible, and having no connotation of the residents of different serious enough about their studies. A well- bodily fluids, these traits also may influ- dorm floors were causing recorded event demonstrated that even ence a person’s mental and physical con- tense subjects can have humorous under- dition, leading one to wonder if there has much unhappiness on the sides: “For the whole of one night the been any evolutionary progress in our College was kept in a state of disquiet by understanding of human nature. Hmm… Board and in the faculty. the appearance in Barclay Hall of a good- The desirability of humor has become It was decided that direct sized calf, surreptitiously borrowed from so strong that it is now a required profes- Robert Love, the farmer. The antics of the sional qualification. Job descriptions often supervision was the only students in this connection were such as contain long lists of traits such as integri- solution to the malady of to excite the ire of those in authority, and ty, time management, interpersonal skills, one member of the Faculty, whilst endeav- etc., and end emphatically with a sense of continuing pillow fights. oring to quell the disturbance, narrowly humor. Personally, I think they’ve got it all escaped being fastened into one of the wrong: a sense of humor should be first It may be a lesser-known fact—although third-floor rooms, and spending the night on the list for almost any job I can imag- of course thoroughly predictable— that with the cause of the excitement.” Perhaps ine. Fords have long displayed a robust sense this tale is what inspired the now famous The value we attach to humor was of humor through numerous pranks and (and apocryphal, according to a recent emphasized when the College invited Signe high jinks. A couple of examples taken issue of the Bi-College News) legend of Wilkinson, Quaker editorial cartoonist for from A History of Haverford College, 1830- Chevy Chase installing a cow on the fourth the Philadelphia Daily News, to be the 1890: floor of Barclay Hall. annual Rufus Jones Visitor to the campus In the 1870s, terrible pillow fights In the 20th century we did not lack for in the spring of 2003. Prone to tongue-in- between the residents of different dorm humorous episodes. I have been regaled cheek expression and giving a lecture titled floors were causing much unhappiness on with numerous reports from alumni, most “George W. Bush: Quakerism’s Most the Board and in the faculty. It was decid- notably the late Steve Cary, of the practice Valuable Player,” Signe put forth her view ed that direct supervision was the only of making wagers (a scandalous activity that by holding a moment of silence at solution to the malady of continuing pil- among Quakers) about who would stand memorial and other important moments low fights. Alas, the superintendent was up first to speak during the required Fifth in the nation’s activities, Bush promotes away that night, and left the discipline to a Day Meeting for Worship. Luckily, no Quakerism. Of course, this view is based gentleman, “long of limb, but somewhat records exist as to who profited from this on the assumption that Quakers have short of sight.” The legend runs that a spe- practice, although I am told that some wags trademark rights to “moments of silence” cial committee of students followed him would deliberately speak or not speak sole- (come to think of it, assertion of Quaker about his dormitory rounds, and blew out ly to upset the predictions of students who proprietary rights IS fun to imagine). In his candle as fast as he could light it. laid such bets. 2 Haverford Magazine Letters to the Editor Naturally, we also have our share of lit- The Chemistry of Art Encouragement erary humor. The History of Haverford for the Arts College, in describing The Collegian, a lit- We enjoyed the most recent issue of the erary publication from 1849-50, notes that Haverford Alumni Magazine focusing on Just a note to say how much I enjoyed it published 222 articles (1,158 pages), 37 the fine arts at Haverford. Our alumni the Summer 2003 alumni magazine fea- of which (219 pages) were “humorous” should know that this fall the chemistry turing the arts at Haverford. I just wish I (the rest were devoted to such categories as department is offering a course for non- had the money and time to visit each of didactic, poetical, editorial, travels, biog- scientists on the Chemistry of Art. Charles the artists featured and see raphy, and miscellaneous). Following Miller, who has taught a their work up close and per- advice for writing a quality literary effort, popular course for non- sonal.