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Curiosity and Concern

ALUMNI WEIGH IN ON LEHMAN'S LEGACY--AND HIS DEPARTURE

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CAM staff for tackling this most important-- indeed, absolutely imperative-- job [in the September/October 2005 issue]. Somebody had to do it. Cornell Alumni Magazine, the independent voice of, and for, Cornell alumni was the obvious medium for this effort. And congratulations for doing a magnificent job on an almost impossibly difficult assignment.

I feel better now. Austin Kiplinger's comments that "the wild rumors are unfounded" and "there wasn't anything dishonorable" provide reassurance that was very much needed. All the other carefully worded comments by important and trustworthy insiders support a conclusion that it was multiple but honorable differences of "approach" and "chemistry" that caused the break. And Scott Jaschik's "Exit Interview" was a nice complement to the staff-written article. You should supply the presidential search committee with enough copies to give one to every possible candidate.

Bill Vanneman '31
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts

Ed. Note: In January, the Cornell Association of Class Officers announced the creation of the William Vanneman '31 Outstanding Class Officer Award, to be presented annually to a class officer who has given distinguished service to Cornell. Bill Vanneman himself was the first recipient.

LIKE MANY OTHER ALUMNAE, I HAVE followed the news of Jeff Lehman's departure with interest, curiosity, and, most of all, concern. As my class's 2008 reunion chair, I communicate regularly with other class officers and took part in many e-mail exchanges after the news hit the street. With each new e-mail, we received more conflicting information about the reasons for Jeff 's departure. Incredibly, and somewhat incredulously, it felt as if we were being given politically correct answers to our questions. How strange this felt for those of us who marched in Washington, D.C., and rallied in front of the Straight and petitioned for important things those many years ago!

Quite frankly, the administration could have handled reporting the resignation far better than it did. For the record, most of us have, indeed, grown up. We handle the truth very well.

Irene Yesowitch '73
San Francisco, California

I HAVE A NUMBER OF GRAVE CONCERNS about Cornell, so grave that I will not recommend the University to a few bright youngsters in the family who would make splendid legacies. At the moment, the departure of President Lehman is at the top of the list. Cornell is de facto a public institution throughout; the endowed colleges as well as the contract colleges owe their continued existence as significant institutions to vast amounts of federal and state money. The trustees and Mr. Lehman have no ethical right to behave as if Cornell were a family-owned corporation. They owe a full explanation of their disagreements to faculty, students, and alumni, and to those of the taxpayers who may be interested.

Donald Mintz '49, PhD '60
Ringwood, New Jersey

I'M NOW APPROACHING MY 50TH Reunion, and I find Jeff Lehman's resignation and the secrecy surrounding it to be upsetting. The trustees have much to explain, and they haven't made an attempt. Lehman is a young man with sterling credentials.His thoughts and ideas should have been well scrutinized and understood. His approach to internationalization should have been no problem, unless the Board is living in the Dark Ages. His wife also came with good credentials-- did they expect her to stay home and bake cookies?

I owe much to Cornell. I was accepted in view of my Army service during the Korean conflict of 1952–53. I wish the Board would show as much gumption as Harry Truman did.

Lewis Klotz '56
Teaneck, New Jersey

I AM SADDENED AND DISGUSTED BY the constant lack of leadership and the bickering that continues at my wonderful alma mater.

Carol Woods '41
Albany, California

Author's Request
TO WORLD WAR II VETERANS: FOR A book on the effects of the 1944 G.I. Bill, we are interested in examining any documents you have, as well as hearing or reading your recollections pertaining to your experience with G.I. Bill benefits, including college tuition and stipend, job training, VA mortgage, or any other. Privacy guaranteed. Please contact Professor Glenn C. Altschuler, B-20 Day Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; e-mail, gca1@cornell.edu; phone, (607) 255-4987.

Correction--July/August 2005
Legacies, pages 105–108: Judith Crouch Hughes '60, grandmother of Dylan Hughes '08 and wife of Minor I.Hughes Jr. '58, was inadvertently omitted from the five Cornellian generations list. Sada Dumont '07 was listed as the granddaughter of L. William Kay '51; she is also the great-granddaughter of Sidney G. Kay '22.

Corrections--September/October 2005
Give My Regards To. . . , page 12: Jaffa Panken '05 is in the PhD program in history at the University of Pennsylvania, not in gender studies, as reported.

"Suspense Story," page 112: Jeffrey Anbinder '94 points out that if Professor Henry Jacoby wanted to avoid the Fall Creek suspension bridge, he would not have gone to the "sturdier College Avenue bridge"--because that bridge crosses Cascadilla Gorge. Instead, he would have chosen the Thurston Avenue bridge or the Stewart Avenue bridge.

Clarification--September/October 2005
"The Lehman Legacy," page 44: A member of the Cornell administration questioned our attribution of this article to "the CAM staff." This byline was used, as it has been in the past, to indicate that the reporting and writing was the collective work of the magazine's editorial staff, whose names are listed on the masthead in every issue. For the record, the majority of the reporting and writing was done by Editor and Publisher Jim Roberts '71 and Associate Editor David Dudley, with important contributions by Assistant Editor Susan Kelley and Contributing Editors Beth Saulnier and Sharon Tregaskis '95 (both of whom are former staff editors), and additional reporting by Editorial Intern Michael Morisy '07.

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