Readers see different messages in 'Red Cornell' articles
Irony dominated the two-part series "Cornell in the Cold War" by Professors Glenn Altschuler, PhD '76, and Isaac Kramnick (July/August and September/October 2010). The subtle-as-a-sledgehammer attempt to appear scholarly while ridiculing conservative anti-communists was also disturbing. For example, they describe Dean Malott this way: "Publicly, Malott, the self-proclaimed conservative, defended dissent and free thought"—as if that is something a conservative would never do. Malott called upon "thinking citizens to stand behind the principles of freedom of thought and expression." I wonder what Malott would think of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences today?
At Reunion 2007, walking to a lecture with Professor Ted Lowi, I asked him, "Is your [Arts and Sciences] faculty's token conservative professor still here?" He said, "Yes and no. Jeremy [Rabkin '74] is moving to George Mason University." The evidence is undeniable: the left has proven its hostility to diversity of ideas in the College of Arts and Sciences.
If the authors were objective scholars, they would have consulted primary resources already available in published studies, beginning with the Verona files of decoded transmissions between Moscow and their spy chiefs and agents in the U.S., declassified FBI files, and released Soviet archives. They would have discovered that Joe McCarthy was right on most persons he accused of undermining our government and institutions. I was shown some of these declassified FBI files by M. Stanton Evans when he was researching his book Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joseph McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies. In it is demonstrable proof that people like J. Robert Oppenheimer were identified by communist leaders as party members and that Alger Hiss was a Soviet spy.
The authors should have done some serious research rather than ignore the tremendous loss of academic diversity of ideas that has transpired since the "McCarthy scare" and Dean Malott leaving Cornell. A little intellectual objectivity by these authors would have been appreciated.
James Davis '67
President, Accuracy in Academia
Hayesville, North Carolina
"The Morrison Case: Cornell in the Cold War (Part II)" brought to mind an incident that I have related numerous times in praising Cornell. In the early Sixties, Gus Hall, general secretary of the American Communist Party, was invited to speak on campus. Immediately after the event was announced, vigorous protests ensued from the local American Legion and other well-meaning conservative groups, trying to protect innocent minds from this looming threat. In the end, the University prevailed, and I was privileged to be among those so exposed.
Bailey Hall was packed that afternoon, inside and out, with jeering protesters lining the steps. I do not recall the specifics of Hall's speech, but I well remember a dignified question-and-answer period. Despite the concerns of those outside, the students got the best of him, even to the point where he became flustered in some of his responses. What a learning experience for a nineteen-year-old! That was Cornell at its finest.
Peter Regan '63, BME '65
Shelburne, Vermont
Head Games
I still recall the sense of being part of a great tradition when I ran out on Schoellkopf Field with hundreds of other freshmen after Gary Wood '64 and Pete Gogolak '64 led Cornell to an exciting victory. Thus, I hope for the best for Coach Kent Austin and his Big Red team as they battle for respect in the Ivy League. Winning teams provide strong positive feelings within the University and throughout the larger community.
That said, it's ironic that the September/October 2010 issue arrived in my mailbox on the same day that the New York Times ran a compelling piece by Alan Schwarz on the potentially tragic consequences of hidden head trauma among athletes. An increasing awareness of the magnitude of brain damage that takes place in contact sports compels our attention—and given Cornell's internationally esteemed alumni and faculty with expertise in chemistry, medical science, and engineering, as well as related fields, it would seem that Cornellians could lead the way in the design and use of a helmet that is more effective in protecting the brains of players. As Dawn Comstock points out regarding her seminal research at Nationwide Children's Hospital, "as many as 50 percent of high school football players will sustain a concussion each season." Also, it's increasingly evident that accumulated subconcussive impacts can have a devastating effect. Consider, for example, the Boston University medical report on the damage suffered by Owen Thomas, the Penn football standout who committed suicide in April. There was severe deterioration in key areas of his brain, though he had no record of concussions.
So, while it would be terrific to see the Big Red win an Ivy title, it would also be a truly significant achievement if Cornell-ians could come up with gear that protected the heads of football players and other athletes involved in contact sports. In my humble opinion, that would be a remarkable affirmation of the mission of the University.
David Burak '67, MFA '80
Santa Monica, California
At the end of the article "Operation Fresh Start" (September/October 2010), you published the words to that great fight song, "The Big Red Team." It was written in 1904 by Romeyn Berry 1904, and the words at that time had the line, "Four thousand strong we march, march along." Back then, Cornell was a few thousand students short of ten thousand strong!
Dick Kurtz '55, BS Ag '58
San Diego, California
Ed. Note: We took the words from our well-worn copy of the booklet "Cornell Songs," which gave the figure as "ten thousand strong." They must have been updated at some point—and these days, they should probably say "twenty thousand strong."
Choices
I'm writing in response to and confirmation of the comments by Gerald Schneider '61 (Correspondence, September/October 2010), who is right in suspecting that "many other Cornell alumni" think as he does concerning donations. Over the years, I have given to smaller urban educational institutions, cash-strapped arts groups, ovarian cancer research, Talking Books for the Blind, and the Holocaust Museum, whose missions closely coincide with my personal beliefs. And since the catastrophic oil spill of April 20, I have made generous gifts to the Gulf communities severely impacted by BP's choice of corporate greed and profits over human life and safety. The immediacy of these needs is overwhelmingly clear, and promised checks have not arrived from the $20 billion fund. We are sending down food, medicine, clothes, cleaning supplies, and pet food to a dying population and a dying culture that is far more in need than Cornell.
Jill Elyse Grossvogel, PhD '74
Chicago, Illinois
Stearns Response
Thank you for the article about Richard Stearns '73 ("What Would Jesus Do?" September/October 2010). To be honest, I was surprised to see it. Sometimes, as a Christian, I feel my world view is under-represented at Cornell and in its publications. Our daughter, who graduated from the Hotel school in May, is leaving to live and work (for free) in rural Kenya and Tanzania in early 2011. It is nice to have the reinforcement that she is not wasting an education. Even when a person knows that, sometimes there is the nagging guilt that the world presses upon one. An article like this will free many to rise to a new level of vision.
Sandy Falcone '78
Freedom, New York
The article featuring Rich Stearns and the awesome task he has taken on at World Vision, along with the wonderful responses in the Comments section on your website, should be a signal to the University regarding the need to educate the student body on the concept of philanthropy. Most of us, as we go through life, are lucky if we begin to learn about our responsibility to give back in a random fashion (or when we receive solicitations from our alma mater).
The University does a good job of preparing students to enter the working world to earn a living and, one hopes, add to society with our intellectual gifts. But it really never addresses, during our education, our responsibility to society to share our gifts, both intellectual and financial. Wouldn't it set Cornell apart, in a most positive manner, from the rest of academia if there were a required course of study on philanthropy?
Bill and Melinda Gates, along with Warren Buffet, are now trying to organize their wealthy peers to contribute a significant portion of their wealth. Why shouldn't Cornell be instilling this understanding at a time when our thoughts and perspective of the world are still being shaped?
Marty Siegel '75
Edina, Minnesota
Caring Community
I just read President Skorton's September/October 2010 column, and I'm grateful for the "One Cornell" initiative. Maybe more important, though, is something left out of this new initiative: the care and support of every individual at Cornell, especially students, but also faculty and staff. After last year's horrific events, it seems vital for Cornell to make it a priority to be sure that everybody on campus feels loved and supported and knows that he or she will be compassionately cared for if help is needed. Perhaps something along those lines should be added to the initiative? After all, no matter how many donations, grants, great professors, NCAA crowns, and Phi Beta Kappa students Cornell has, it's all for naught if there's not an underlying atmosphere of love and support.
Rick Lipsey '89
New York, New York
President Skorton replies: I couldn't agree more completely. The plan does have student health and well-being as an important element, and our ongoing emphasis on a caring community includes all faculty and staff as well. But it bears constant emphasis, and I appreciate your keeping us focused on this critical set of issues.
Dept. of Corrections
I found the articles on Cornell history ("Living History," July/August 2010) and Cornell during the Cold War (" 'Red Cornell,' "July/August 2010, and "The Morrison Case," September/October 2010) quite informative. I do, however, have two matters to raise.
First, I entered as an engineering student in 1948 and so was a member of an endowed, not a contract, college—yet ROTC was compulsory for me as it was for all incoming males, including my friends in Arts and Sciences. The requirement was for so-called basic ROTC, the first two years only. Some students subsequently chose to continue in their last two years, signing up for advanced ROTC, thereby earning a small stipend and receiving an officer's commission upon graduation.
Second, in the piece on freshman beanies in "Living History," it is stated: "A lot of these rules vanished after World War II." As noted, I was a freshman in the fall of 1948, and I and my fellow freshmen still had to wear a beanie when outside. But sometime that fall, we were notified—probably in the Daily Sun—that the rules had changed. All of a sudden, we no longer had to wear beanies and could walk on the grass, meaning we could take shortcuts. There were quite a few veterans in my entering class, some of whom were married with families, who wouldn't put up with such kid stuff. In retrospect, I'm surprised it took so long for those changes to occur.
Alan Sokolski '52, BME '53
Silver Spring, Maryland