Spring 1999 Michigan Today---Letters

. . . Spring 1999

Michigan Today
412 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor MI 48109-1399
e-mail: johnwood@umich.edu
fax: ( 734 ) 764-7084

Dear Readers:

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Michigan Today

412 Maynard Street

Ann Arbor MI 48109-1399
phone (734 647-1838, fax (734) 764-7084 or e-mail johnwood@umich.edu.
Sincerely,

John Woodford
Executive Editor

Tying the Gordons' Record CONGRATS to the Gordon family. Our family tied that record with the graduation of my youngest brother in 1986. Our roster is as follows:
Margaret Drinan Hahn '71 BS Pharmacy
Jean Drinan Eder '73 BS Pharmacy
Kathleen Drinan '78 BS Pharmacy
David Drinan '80 BS Chem Engrg
Patricia Drinan Neterer '83 BS Pharmacy,
'84 Pharm D
Dennis Drinan '86 BA Like the Gordons, the Drinans had a child at U of M for 19 continuous years. Even more amazing is the fact that a Drinan sister was attending the College of Pharmacy at U of M for a string of 17 unbroken years! Our other three siblings, Mary, Robert and Dan, obtained degrees from Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University. Not bad for parents without college degrees!
My daughter, Anna Eder, will be the first grandchild of the family to graduate from U of M this spring. Jean Drinan Eder Onsted, Michigan CAN WE Monticellos claim a piece of that record the Gordon's claimed? Six of our eight-sibling family went directly from Redford Township to Ann Arbor. After serving our time we have all gone on to lead more or less productive and normal lives. We are:
Tom '74 BS Chem, '75 BSE Chem Engrg
John '77 BS Biology
Dan '77 BS Microbiology
Mike '81 BSE Electrical Engineering
Jim '83 BS Biology
George '87 BA Psycology and English All told, we eight Monticello siblings attended 28 years at U-M and an additional 26 years at other Michigan universities. These sorts of records are obviously kind of silly but certainly testify to the vision of the people of the State of Michigan who have nurtured and supported the growth of quality, accessible education. This is the real achievement that everyone in the state can be proud of, even if they didn't go to U of M! Michigan Today is a nice reminder of home way down here in Texas. Dan Monticello '77 The Woodlands, Texas Beating the Gordons SORRY TO disappoint the Gordons--I congratulate them on their fine record. Alfio Vielmetti '34 Norway, Michigan Reader Vielmetti enclosed an article that reported that from 1920 to 1940 the seven children of grocer Max Vielmetti of Norway, Michigan, and his wife, Mary, posted the following record at U-M--Ed
Henry M. '25 Dentistry
Clarence A. '25 Engineering
Douglas E. '27 Engineering
Chester J. '31 Engineering
Alfio A. '34 LSA
Howard '36, '39 Law
Marie '39, '40 MA THE EXCERPT from Frances Broene Rogers's book was especially interesting. I felt I needed to respond to the letter from Gail Gordon Bosch. I think the Ray family may have surpassed their record. Of the nine chldren in my family, seven graduated from U-M:
Kenneth Jr. '72, '87MBA
Nancy '72 BA
Daniel '74, '81 MS
Richard '77 BSE, '84 PhD
Margaret '78 BA
Alan '80 BA
Gail '83 BSN Our family gatherings often include stories about the colorful times spent in Ann Arbor, and we especially enjoyed hearing about life at U of M during the war years from our late father, Kenneth '48 MD. Gail Ray Cunningham '83 BSN Woodhaven, Michigan Hoffmans Post a New Record! IN RESPONSE to the letter of the "Gordon Record Setters," I would like to point out that 9 of us 11 Hoffman brothers and sisters earned degrees from U of M from 1969 to 1993. Our list covers:
Paul '69 BA math
Jack '71 BA philosophy, '74 law
Mary Hoffman Wolf BA English MLS
Janet Hoffman Benish '78 MD
Timothy BS engineering
Lisa Hoffman Van Dyke BS LSA
Michael '83 BA history
Stephen '87 BS
Alan '93 BS engineering On top of that my grandfather graduated from U-M Dental School in 1911 (the first Hoffman born in the USA), and my father graduated in 1942 from the Dental School as well. And the list is ongoing: My neice Elizabeth Hoffman is currently a junior in LSA-a fourth-generation U-M student-and there are another 24 or so 4th-generation possibles yet to get to college age. Counting in-laws, our family has earned a total of 19 degrees at Michigan in the 20th century-so far. Michael Hoffman '83 Grand Rapids, Michigan On Affirmative Action MICHIGAN Today is always thought provoking. Nothing was more provoking in the Fall 1998 issue than the letter from A.L. Hodge in which he, as a minority, proclaimed his opposition to affirmative action, and nothing was more pleasing than President Lee Bollinger's reply.
In determining the need for affirmative action programs, it is necessary to assess the real conditions that exist today. It is not enough to judge equal opportunity in the abstract; it must be measured by results. In looking back at events leading up to my enrollment and the years since, I've attempted to gauge whether Mr. Hogues's "love and desire to broaden a person's mind" would have been or is now enough to bring about equality.
My public high school, Shortridge in Indianapolis, had no Blacks, or even Latinos or Asians. Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where I next went, had few Blacks. None were allowed to play football or basketball. My next stop was the US Army, where I fought in France and Germany in 1944-45 with an all-white division.
Upon transferring to Michigan following the war, I was appalled to see so few Blacks, especially given Michigan's proximity to a large Black population in Detroit. After graduation in 1947, Sears, Roebuck and Co. hired me. By the time I left Sears in 1968, there was not one high company official who was Black, nor were there any buyers, store managers or personnel managers. It was clear that equality not only would not come from the top down but that it would be resisted at every turn by those on top.
It wasn't "desire or love" on the part of Black people to pursue careers in those institutions that changed matters. It was mainly the militant struggle of Blacks demanding equality, supported by allies, that forced the dominant white power structure to make some concessions. Though there certainly have been advances, it is impossible to deny that equality does not exist. University enrollment and graduation figures attest to that. An all-white US Senate does not reflect equality of opportunity. Unemployment figures, the uneven distribution of wealth, health statistics, the jailing of Blacks at over seven times the rate of whites, and other similar realities scream that Blacks are not equal members of our society.
Mr. Hogue's feeling of fulfillment that came from the pursuit of education and the achievement of goals should be made available to all racial and ethnic groups and, of course, to women. President Bollinger recognizes that a racially diverse student body at Michigan is necessary for all students who would "thrive in an increasingly multiracial and multicultural world," and he is to be congratulated for his stand, particularly in a period when past gains are under attack. He is an ally of those who have fought for full equality from the days of slavery and an ally of those who will continue the fight. Al Traugott '47 Business San Jose, California
PS. The story "Walking On" was great. Like Manus Edwards '00, I was a walk on at Michigan. Enrolling after World War II, I got there in time to engage in spring football practice and was enthusiastic about my chances to play a lot in the fall. To my utter amazement, with the return of men from the service and those returning from the previous year, 48 lettermen showed up at the first practice in fall 1947. I managed to hang in and even played a few minutes. Some of my fondest memories have been of the practices during which I frequently got to scrimmage for over 100 minutes in a week. Surprisingly, despite being referred to as "cannon fodder," my ego did not suffer. To do what I loved almost every day and know that I could come close to holding my own with the best in the country was all the reassurance one could want.
PPS. The NIKE logo on Michigan equipment is disgusting and does much to destroy the Michigan tradition of integrity. The University should stop prostituting itself. Déjà Vu in Blue THEY SAY that nostalgia ain't what it used to be, and they're right. It's better. At least it is for me at 73, a Michigan alumnus privileged to witness both the 1969 and 1995 historic victories over the Buckeyes.
During the flight from Washington National accompanied by my 11-year-old son, I read all about why OSU was favored to win by 17 points in 1969: they had won 22 games in a row, including a 50-14 bashing of Michigan the previous year in Columbus, and some observers said they were "the best team ever." Washington Post sports pundit Shirly Povich called the game a mismatch. The phrase struck in my mind, as deliciously sticky as a carmel apple or the infamous "Michigan's nothing" evaluation expressed by Buckeye flanker Terry Glenn on the eve of the 1995 encounter. Ohio boasted nationally known stars Jim Otis at fullback, Rex Kern, quarterback and receiver/kicker Jan White. Finally, there was the seemingly insurmountable advantage enjoyed by the visitors on the sidelines in the person of the legendary Woody Hayes. On the opposite side of the field stood a rookie coach, a onetime student of Hayes, with a name as unknown as it was unpronounceable.
Yet, on November 21, 1969, Bo Schembechler led his team of unknowns to a convincing 24-12 victory, beating Woody at his own game, with in-your-face offense and unyielding defense. The names of Dan Dierdorf, Garvie Craw, Don Moorhead, Barry Pierson, Henry Hill, Marty Huff and their teammates were indelibly written into the glorious history of Michigan football. My son said he entered the stadium a boy and came out feeling like a man.
We fast forward to November 25, 1995, I met my son in Chicago and we drove together back to the future in Ann Arbor. Again, Ohio State was unbeaten, ranked number two in the nation and fully expected to thrash the thrice-beaten Wolverines. Eddie George was headed for the Heisman Trophy and Terry Glenn was first in line for the Biletnikoff Award. Again, the Michigan team lacked a star-studded lineup and again appeared to be weakened by a head coach whose tenure beyond the '95 season was in question until a few weeks before the game.
The game was a reprise of its '69 precedent: déjà vu in blue! The young men in Blue jerseys played with a special measure of intensity, exuding a level of confidence as apparent as it seemed at the time to be unwarranted. There were plenty of highlights: Tshimanga (which means "born again") Biakabatuka ran for more than 300 yards, carrying two or three Buckeyes on his back for half that distance; Freshman Charles Woodson made two key interceptions in front of the OSU receiver who promised to beat him; the defensive line, anchored by seniors Jason Carr and Trent Zenkewicz, denied the great Eddie George the two yards needed for a two-point conversion; and senior end Jay Riemersma, playing in pain, caught a Brian Griese pass in the flat and rumbled 35 yards to set up the clinching touchdown.
Indeed, there were enough individual feats to fill a dozen scrapbooks, but what made the game--like the '69 contest--so special was the way these plays were blended into a whole larger than the sum of its parts by the mutual respect and affection of coaches, players and, yes, fans to produce a total (I almost said "family") effort. My son wrote of the '95 game: "This time I came as a man, and left as a boy, with a renewed sense of wonder, joy and confidence that the world still makes sense. Hail to the Victors! And thanks, Dad, for the memories."
Thank you, University of Michigan. Austin Goodrich '49 Franklin, Wisconsin CONGRATULATIONS to Louis Guenin for laying out the logical, not to mention cerebral, case against the illogical (and, what's the opposite of cerebral?... stupid?) Bowl Championship Series. The obsession with designating a #1 has removed much of the luster that college football has and moved it toward an NFL-like sport. Now, we no longer have a "Rose Bowl Champ," or an "Orange Bowl Champ," or a "Sugar Bowl Champ" - rather we have a mythical (read spurious) "National Champion" and the rest "losers." Those of us who love the college game have a passion about our team that doesn't require perfection to be sustained. Shame on the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten presidents for caving in to the BCS. I hope there's some type of escape clause for when they come to their senses and realize what they gave away. Dave Tratt '92 MBA Grand Blanc, Michigan IT WAS with mixed emotions that I read Louis Guenin's extensive dissertation, "The Perfect Season," in your fall issue. What promised to be an exciting piece on U-M's Rose Bowl history, got stymied on the 10-yard line with weary wordiness and plain palaver. But where in the name of Crisler and Oosterbann was the one shining light among U-M football's stalwarts? That Old 98, who was even featured by Hollywood (with his name in the title) for a full-length presentation--"Harmon of Michigan"? Yes, he of that Dynamic Duo of the early '40's, Tom Harmon and Forrest Evashevski? Perhaps the gridiron gods refused entry to the vaunted Rose Bowl during the Harmon years. Even so, I firmly believe he deserved a mention in Guenin's tome. Whatever the case, here's another "Go Blue" from this old BBA in the desert. Jack Trustman '48 Tucson, Arizona MR. GUENIN's attempt to quash the concept that a national champion in football has at least two serious flaws. First, he states that a championship tournament must encompass a sufficiently large number of schools to be comprehensive. He cites the 64-team format in the NCAA basketball tourney as an example. However, he fails to note that the large size of the Division I men's basketball tournament is the EXCEPTION, not the rule. In fact, almost all NCAA team championships rely on tournaments with 16 teams or less to crown a national champion. Is he saying that the champions in these 20-plus sports are not national champions? I think not.
In fact, the basketball tournament demonstrates the opposing point to Mr. Guenin's argument. This last year was the first time that a 16th-seeded team beat a number-one seed. I believe the lowest seed to ever win the national championship was either Villanova or North Carolina State in the early 1980s, and both were ranked no lower than fifth in their region. In other words, a 16-team tournament almost certainly would not have excluded the eventual national champion since the inception of the larger format. The expansion of the tournament in the 1970s had to do solely with generating more revenues for the NCAA, and nothing to do with competitiveness.
Second, the problem of "transitivity" is mitigated to a great extent by the timing of the respective games. Winning a championship in any sport means aiming for a peak performance late in the season at the championship competition. The Super Bowl, World Series and Olympics all follow this format. Teams and individuals are expected to improve through the season. The best athletes (for example, Michael Johnson) use early season competitions as preparation for more important late season events. In football, the fact that conference schedules universally start later in the season reflects this reasoning. The NCAA basketball "power ratings" also use this rationale. Thus, a late season victory should be worth substantially more than a season opener. Yes, there will still be transitivity failures, but weighting for seasonal timing will compensate for this problem.
Instituting a national tournament with either 8 or 16 teams is quite feasible. It could be played when most schools are out for winter vacation in December. The basketball tournament and College World Series already occur when many quarter-schedule schools are administering finals, so the logistics are not insurmountable. Ultimately, Mr. GueninÕs argument for returning to the "traditional" role for the Rose Bowl is nothing more than nostalgia. Richard McCann, MPP '86 Davis, California P.S., I believe that none of the 1973-75 Michigan teams ever made it to the Rose Bowl. Those were the years that Michigan either tied or lost to Ohio State, and the Big Ten voted each time to send the Buckeyes. I'm surprised that Mr. Guenin didn't mention these teams, because I believe one of them only had a tie with OSU that year as a blemish. Louis Guenin replies: Michigan's runner-passer-defender-kicker Tom Harmon stands nonpareil in her gridiron pantheon. By virtue of his spectacular performance in his final game (not to mention triumphs in his two prior seasons), he shares with his teammates, their successors of 1969, and many others the distinction of having won an overwhelming victory over Ohio State. That 1969 triumph was no upset.
Victory will not be rendered transitive by assigning greater significance to later games. Intransitivity is no less rife in November, and any weight accorded one ordered pair so as to avoid a cycle may cause havoc elsewhere. In any case, transitivity is only a necessary condition for an ordering, and for the reasons I explained, no tenable method obtains for ordering teams. Hence, one can neither discern the top 'n' nor seed those claimed to be such.
By comparison with the only seven NCAA Division I men's team championships in other sports, a football tournament for 112-member Division 1-A would be the least inclusive, the most arbitrary. Those seven events vary in inclusiveness from 17% to 23%. Only in sports played by fewer than 54 colleges are fewer than 32 invited. December football at neutral sites either would induce students to torpedo the vital part of their semesters or consign teams to play sans student support. As for January, who would schedule a championship to begin six weeks after the contestants last played a game? Bowls were conceived, we recall, merely as holidays. YOUR RECENT article about the Michigan football players back in the late '50s was great. I was one of the thousands of WW II veterans who came to Michigan as soon as the war was over. As an out-of-state (Ohio) student, I had to live at Willow Run Village, and worked at least three years as a part-time driver on the fleet of shuttle buses operating between Willow Run and the Campus. Those of us living out there walked to where the buses were parked overnight, made one-and-a-half round trips, and then parked the buses in a lot by the old U-M Hospital. At the end of the day we each picked up a bus, made one-and-a-half round trips and again parked at Willow Run. Last May, Connie and I got to return to Ann Arbor for the first time in almost 50 years. We drove around Willow Run, where we began married life in 1948, but there was little left to see. Then we walked all around Central Campus and drove out to North Campus. Something old . . . something new! I've published articles in Michigan History Magazine--the latest about the Ford Tri-Motor airliner, so we still love Michigan. Donald Bowman Phoenix WHAT A great Fall 1998 issue, especially the article on the Rose Bowl and Michigan football history. But how could you have missed the '38-'42 period, and especially the story of Capt. Tom Harmon, All-American and Heisman Trophy winner? The only Michigan player, so far as I'm aware, to have his jersey number-98-permanently retired. Then, though not a Rose Bowl game, the pre-season game against Stanford when he took a kickoff from behind his own goal line and ran 101+ yards for a touchdown. With a bit of bias, turning to my '42 Year Book, and noting that under the leadership of All-American, (and fraternity brother) Capt. Bob Westfall, the team had six wins, a tie and a 7-0 loss to Minnesota. Westy was also elected captain of the Eastern All Star Team and several other members received national and conference recognition.
With some continuing bias, Westy was ably assisted, by quarterback and captain-elect George Ciethaml--also a fraternity brother. I also have to mention end Harlan Frauman, who with several other players was a 60-minute man in the days when there were no "special" teams. Harlan was of course, also a member of our fraternity. Walter C. Cowles Morristown, New Jersey Wrong Model Fords YOUR FALL 1998 article on U-M Dearborn's Henry Ford Estate was marred by a faulty picture caption, "Henry and Clara Ford at their estate with sons Henry II (in father's lap) and Benson." Change that to "grandfather's lap" and you have it right. The boys were two of the four children of Edsel and Eleanor (Clay) Ford. The ones not pictured, William Clay Ford and Josephine Ford (Ford), survive today. Glen Bachelder '56 E-mail Thank you and dozens of other readers who faxed, e-mailed, telephoned and wrote to correct this misidentification--Ed. [Other corrections] I AM sure that you have had many letters regarding [the photo caption]. I have to ask how a journal that we would expect to have a high level of scholarship allows these errors. Next, while Moffat's discussion of Ford and Frank Lloyd Wright was partially correct, that is all it is. He does not mention Von Holst, who ran Wright's office after Wright left for Europe. [Marion] Mahoney's design might have survived had it not been for this crude individual. Bradley R. Storrer Alta Loma, California I ENJOYED the article on the Henry Ford Estate, not only as a U-M-Dearborn alumnus, but also as the supervisor of avian research for the Rouge River Bird Observatory (RRBO), operated by the Natural Areas Dept. Founded in 1992, RRBO carries on Henry FordÕs tradition of bird study in the same woods and meadows he once enjoyed.
Ford was instrumental in getting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act signed into law in 1913. On his property, Ford placed many bird feeders, quail shelters, nest material supply stations, and over one thousand bird houses! The Observatory has banded over 10,000 birds here, and recorded over 250 species of birds, about 60 percent of the number recorded in the state of Michigan. This entirely donor-funded program is doing pioneering research on the importance of urban areas to birds, particularly migratory species. More information can be found in my book The Birds of Southeast Michigan: Dearborn, published by Cranbook Institute of Science, or at the RRBO web site http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/rouge_river.
RRBO currently works out of Henry Ford's old Pony Barn, but we are looking forward to being housed in the new Environmental Interpretive Center, scheduled to open in late 1999. Henry Ford would be pleased that his legacy of bird and nature study is being carried on on the land he loved so much. Julie A. Craves Rouge River Bird Observatory University of Michigan-Dearborn HAVING GROWN up in Ann Arbor, with my father on the mechanical engineering staff for 43 years beginning in 1909, I have fond memories of the many outstanding folks I knew so well. Mr. Ford sent his dance instructor from Edison Institute to help us at University High learn ballroom dancing. The final event was when Mr. Ford brought a class from the institute over for a fun time of dancing. Some years later I visited with Mr. Ford, who was a most interesting fellow. Richard G. Telfer '53MA Las Vegas IT WAS quite a sight for me to see the picture of the U of M hospitals in the Summer 1998 issue of Michigan Today. In May of 1946, we were expecting our first child. At the same time, Michigan was on a campaign for a new hospital. Each day, the papers carried articles telling how awful the hospital was. As an example--there was only one door for entrance. Food and other deliveries went in this door, garbage went out this door, expectant mothers went in this door, new babies went out this door. A large tube was the only fire exit. Can you imagine my state of mind reading this? Fortunately, I went in this door, had our son, came out of this door for home OK, and my husband received his master's degree in physics in 1947. Congratulations on what appears to be a magnificent medical center. I spent four summers in the School of Music in the '40s. Ann Woodward (Mrs. LeRoy A.) Atlanta PLEASE PUBLISH or send info to me on how to buy items with the University of Michigan College of Engineering logo. My husband is a graduate of mechanical engineering ('87). I think it would be great to update his wardrobe and memorabilia. I have spent hours paging thru The Sports Shop and Ulrich's web sites but they carry no U-M engineering items. I have contacted the Alumni and left messages with the ASME which have not been answered. Please help! I'm sure others would like access to this info too. Thanks. Sandy Vegh Frederick, Maryland Mugs, shirts, car stickers and other items with the College of Engineering logo may be ordered from the Barnes & Noble bookstore, Pierpont Commons, 2101 Bonisteel, Ann Arbor MI 48109-2090, or call (734) 668-6022. North Dakota and Nepal YOUR ARTICLE, "A Man For All Horizons," was of special interest to me because I grew up on a farm near Underwood, North Dakota, about 30 miles from Baldwin where Prof. Tom Fricke's parents farmed. We experienced many of the situations he plans to study.
I was born in 1925 in Washburn and lived with my family through the Depression, surviving the harsh winters and extreme drought of the dust bowl years. The picture of the outhouse brought back clear memories of using such a facility during blizzards with temperatures of minus-30 F. We had no electricity or running water but heated and cooked with coal my father dug from a mine near the Missouri River. He also cut ice from the river during the winters and stored it for use in our icebox.
My siblings and I would walk a mile to a one-room school with one teacher serving 20 students in eight grades. My mother churned butter and with that and eggs would barter for staples at Traders store in Underwood. But we had a happy though simple family lifestyle with enough food and the basic necessities. I can still recall the aroma of freshly baked bread and popcorn.
Farming conditions worsened with the drought, and 1937 was the turning point for us. After a particularly severe winter with a 30-day period of sub-zero temperatures and no rain during the wheat-growing season, my family left North Dakota for Wisconsin.
Tom Fricke's experience in Nepal was also of interest to me. Earlier this year I had planned a trekking trip to Nepal and briefly studied the rural culture of that country before having to cancel my trip. The similarities of their lifestyle today compared with that in North Dakota 70 years ago are striking. I would be interested to see the results of Mr. Fricke's study. Charles H. Meyers '52 E Gulf Breeze, Florida 'Aesthetics, Manners and Style' WHAT AN alert lady Frances Broene Rogers is! Thank you for publishing her views of campus life before the flood ["Campus Life 70 Years Ago," Fall 1998 issue]. I liked particularly her belief in aesthetics, manners and style--and individual responsibility. Edgar L. McCormick Kent, Ohio DR. SAUL Harrison asked (letter in Fall 1998 issue), "Was Harry Newman Jewish?" If he wasn't, everybody thought that he was. When I was at Michigan in the late 1950s, Michigan football was at a low ebb. Harry Newman Jr. suited up for the Maize and Blue. His presence, along with that of quarterback Stan Noskin, caused some of the faithful to envision a return to the glory years when Jewish athletes such as Harry Newman Sr. and Bennie Friedman led the Wolverines to victory. Alas, Harry Jr. was nowhere near as good as his father, while Noskin never reminded anyone of Bennie Friedman.
Your wonderful article on Michigan football history unfortunately had to mention one of the darkest moments in my life, Michigan's 17 to 14 loss to nondescript South Carolina in 1980. How elated I was when Michigan stormed into Columbia the next year and demolished the Gamecocks.
Finally, my father, an engineering graduate of 1925, went to his grave convinced that Bennie Friedman was the greatest passer who ever played. John H. Wilde '60 Greenwood, South Carolina HOW COULD you do the "Erin Goes Blue" article [Fall 1998 issue] without mention of Brendan O'Reilly, Ireland's RTE Sports best-known sports commentator? He is a U-M grad, LSA '58. We were the only two Irishman at the U-M. I was there on the GI Bill, he on a sports scholarship, and he became the track team captain. There was an article about him in the Michigan Alumnus circa five or six issues back. Colman A. McDonough '58 Sunnydale, California Arthur Miller's The Crucible IT'S understandable that U-M would want to fan the fame of Arthur Miller ["In Honor of Arthur Miller '38," Fall 1998], but do we have to wait until he is a dead white male to raise questions about his work? Perhaps he could answer a few. Here are mine:
Why didn't he see a parallel between the Salem Witch Trials and the Stalinist Purge Trials? The connection is much more obvious and pertinent, yet I have never seen it made. People were tortured for their false confessions in both cases; however, the differences are in the PuritansÕ favor: Twenty died before more prominent and biblically literate ministers--Increase Mather in particular--intervened to stop the nonsense; in the Soviet Union, millions died and continue to die wherever communists come to power. How many died at McCarthy's hands?
Not until I read Devil in Massachusetts, one of Miller's chief sources, and Timebends, his autobiography, did I appreciate the extent of Miller's hypocrisy in slandering John Proctor. The real John Proctor was a martyr of the early church who not only never committed adultery but who died trying to protect his wife; he never considered lying to save his life in spite of the torture of even his sons.
[Miller's] anti-Christian bigotry and misrepresentation of history continue to prevail in classrooms around the world, and "witch-hunt" has entered the language in the service of ever-more-Orwellian obfuscation. Miller coaches: "When it is recalled that until the Christian era the underworld was never regarded as a hostile area, that all gods were useful and essentially friendly to man despite occasional lapses; when we see the steady and methodical inculcation into humanity of the idea of man's worthlessnessÑuntil redeemed--the necessity of the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and used time and time again in every age to whip men into a surrender to particular church or church-state."
It wasn't until my husband and I read the Bible that I realized that both Miller and I, in spite of our English majors at the U of M, were biblically illiterate. The Devil shows up prominently in Job, for God's sake! That's the oldest book in the Bible. Christians didn't invent him. And idolatry was forbidden in Exodus (you know, the 10 Commandments, Exodus 20:3), because gods like Chemosh, Molech, Astoreth, etc. were bloodthirsty gods that required child sacrifice.

Lois Holwerda Poppema '62 Mountain View, California

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