 . . . Summer 1999
Keep Your Reference Letter File Active
The Career Planning & Placement (CP&P) office is conducting its annual review of reference letter files that have been inactive for the last 10 years. In keeping with guidelines outlined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Career Planning & Placement, files inactive since December 31, 1989 will be deactivated. Transcripts and other academic material will not be affected by the deactivation of inactive files.
To maintain an active file, a student or alumna/us must have conducted one or more of the following transactions since December 31, 1989: transmitted (mailed) reference letters as part of an admission or employment process; added new letters to the file; submitted updated persona data; or indicated in writing to keep the file active.
To reactivate a file that has not been used since 1989, contact the Reference Letter Center by August 31, 1999. You will be asked to supply updated information for inclusion in your file. There is no charge to reactivate a file.
To start a new file, any University of Michigan graduate or current student with at least 12 credits may log onto the website at www.cpp.umich.edu or contact CP&P. Send information or direct questions regarding your file to: Reference Letter Center, 3200 Student Activities Building, 515 East Jefferson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316. Phone (734) 764-7459; email cp&p@umich.edu.
The Smiths' Tally
THE SMITH family of Grosse Ile hopes that the Gordon family of Detroit will share the record for having the greatest number of siblings who graduated from U-M. You had six and we had six:
Dr. S. Gregory '74-Economics
Dr. Patrick A. '76-Anthropology;'80 MD
Paul D. '80 BBA, '84 MBA
Alison V. '81 BBA
Alisa (Lyons) '83-Organizational Communications
Glenn L.'85-Economics,'89JD
Our children may have been influenced by their U-M parents: Veronica Latta '48 AB-Sociology, and Stewart G. '49 AB-Political Science; '52 JD. We were ecstatic when everyone had graduated, as through the years we had paid over 45 years of tuition to the University of Michigan. Gordons and Smiths probably crossed paths in Pasadena many times. We hope that someday we will meet in Ann Arbor!
Veronica Latta Smith
UM Regent, 1985-93
Grosse Ile, Michigan |
As our alumni/ae correspondents reported last issue on their families' remarkable achievements at Michigan, the Gordons, Eders, Monticellos and–with this letter–the Smiths all hold third place with six U-M sibling graduates. The Vielmettis and Rays, with seven, have second place, and the Hoffmans claim first with nine–Ed.
AFTER reading and admiring the letters from other families with outstanding records of many siblings graduating from Michigan, we would like to submit the record of the Ellis family: 10 children with a widowed mother and with grandparents who were born slaves, growing up in a dust bowl Oklahoma town during the Great Depression. Five of these children earned a total of seven degrees from U-M, working part-time jobs to pay for their education.
Francis '42 MA Ed.
Wade '44 PhD Math
Roberta '45 MA Ed.
Herbert '48 MA Ed., '50 MPH
George'52 BBA,'66 MBA
Wade later became a professor at Oberlin College and U-M, serving as associate dean of the Horace Rackham Graduate School. The Ellis family owes a great deal to the University and also to parents who placed the highest value on education, and to grandparents who learned to read and write at a time when slaves were severely punished for even attempting to do such a thing.
Herbert Ellis '48, '50
Ann Arbor |
North Dakotans
FREQUENTLY you have an article of special interest to me. The fall 1998 issue contained such a one–"A Man for all Horizons"–about Prof. Tom Fricke's new project of studying North Dakota. My parents were part of the migration from eastern US and Canada in the early 1900s. Unlike the terrain in the pictured "badlands" my father's homestead in Bottineau County near the Canadian border was flat. The bank at Driscoll is in the style of one in Maxbass (named after a railroad land agent) near my father's homestead. I taught school at a town nearby (Baldwin) my first year out of college.
Dean Ihla of the Bottineau Chamber of Commerce offers this from a Bottineau County history: In 1905, the Great Northern Railroad Company established a townsite that became the village of Maxbass, named after Mr. Max Bass, immigration agent for the Great Northern Railway. After only four months, Maxbass had two banks, four general stores, four lumberyards, six grain elevators, three restaurants, three pool and billiard halls, two hardware stores, two meat markets, two doctors, a barber shop, drug store and weekly newspaper.
By 1910, Maxbass had a population of 240–which showed little change by 1950 when there were 259 residents. By 1990, the population had dropped to 123. The town's school closed in 1997, and the only businesses remaining are services relating to agriculture or oil production. Maxbass is 45 miles north of Minot.–Ed.
Raoul Wallenberg
WE APPRECIATED reading excerpts of Raoul Wallenberg's letters from Ann Arbor. The introduction incorrectly stated that he was 5 years old when his father died. The sad fact is that his father died three months before Wallenberg was born But most important to the University is its association with the hero of the 20th century. And even more important to the world are Wallenberg's deeds and his humanitarian example. Dear Mr. Woodford: To confirm the information, see Letters And Dispatches, 1924-1944 (Arcade Publishing, Inc., 1995), which contains Wallenberg's Ann Arbor letters. The Introduction, written by relatives, states on page 3: "His father, a second lieutenant in the Swedish navy, had died of cancer before he was born" See also Wallenberg, The Man In The Iron Web, by Elenore Lester (Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1982), on page 26: "Raoul's father had died of cancer at age 23, three months before Raoul was born." The specific dates of those two events in 1912–May 10 and August 4–are provided on page 30 of Lester's book. Please let me know if you'd like hard copies of these sources.
Thomas E. Schick '70 LS&A
Susan L. Schick '72 Nursing
Rockville, Maryland |
THE PEOPLE of the United States have learned nothing from the sacrifices and death of Raoul Wallenberg. The meaning of his actions and life were wasted on us. The spirit of the United States used to be achievement, pride, love of country and respect for life. That spirit has changed to power, arrogance and control.
I'm middle-aged. I've never known peace in my lifetime. The last time I contacted the United Nations statistics, there were 135 wars simultaneously throughout the world. Undoubtedly, that number has increased by now; at least by five, since Clinton has added more destruction in his wake during this administration. Add those wars to those created by recent presidents who also lusted for war. What politicians speak or work for peace? Do any? Certainly not Levin or Bonior from Michigan!
Hopefully, the Wallenberg Endowment will provide grants for students to learn the arts of diplomacy and compromise plus respect for human rights, sovereignty, sensitivity, peace and justice. I would be able to die happy with the knowledge that my grandchildren will be able to live in a peaceful world. Enough war!!
Beatrice Scalise '76 MA Ed
Westland, Michigan |
I WAS very much moved by the excerpts from Raoul Wallenberg's correspondence in the spring issue. I hadn't realized that his time at Michigan matched my years (1931-1935) at Albion College, where I received my AB. I came to Michigan in the fall of 1935; Wallenberg left in February. I wish I had known him!
Wallace A. Bacon
Taos, New Mexico
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Affirmative Action
YOUR COLUMN "Admission Suits Delayed" in the Spring 1999 issue reports on two "lawsuits challenging the University use of race in admissions." The lawsuits are described as follows: "brought by two white applicants," and "on behalf of one white applicant." Had the challengers been minorities (as was the case in California) would the writer have identified them as such?
One must wonder if your bias is not showing through. Perhaps Michigan Today will comment, in the letters column, on in the next issue.
Ted Kidd '50
Traverse City, Michigan
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I AM writing in response to two letters on affirmative action published in the Fall 1998 issue. I tire of listening to the rhetoric of people like Donald Reeves and A. L. Hodge, especially when they ignore historical facts that have taken place in this country. I suggest that Mr. Reeves go to the library and look up empirical studies on bilingual education. Bilingual education is beneficial for language-minority students; there is empirical evidence to support this. One of the reasons why students of color are not achieving in school is they are denied a basic human right to be treated with respect. In addition, these students are treated as inferior and their language and their culture are equally degraded.
Mr. Hodge's determination to put himself through school is commendable. However, he is not the only one. I, too, have put myself through school. I am in school now to obtain a PhD in education. Mr. Hodge claims that affirmative action is absolutely wrong, unfair, discriminatory and purely racist. But affirmative action was put in place to combat the continual onslaught of racism on people of color.
This country has never been a colorblind society, and as long as the Ku Klux Klan is in existence it never will be. Whether Mr. Hodge or Mr. Reeves wants to admit it–perhaps they're too blinded by their anger–racism continues to be a major problem in this country today. For anyone to stand up and state that the elimination of affirmative action will make the US a color-blind society and everyone will be treated equally is a person living in a fantasy world or in just plain denial.
What policies are in place to protect people who are discriminated against because of their race, color or religion? What happens when affirmative action is abolished and discrimination still persists? These questions can be answered only by empirical research and by laying the cards out on the table. That is to say that people must begin to discuss openly the problem of discrimination and racism that is prevalent in this country. Just closing one's eyes and pretending that the US is a wonderful and color-blind society is not enough.
Vicki R. Ellison '81
Columbus, Ohio |
Martha Cook Alumnae
I WAS delighted to read the article about Colleen London in the spring issue ("Bosnia, An Adopted Motherland"). I met her while I was the director of the Martha Cook Building (1973-79). Colleen was very active in the Martha Cook Alumnae Club of Ann Arbor.
Olive Chernow
Saginaw, Michigan |
Alumni Reunions
I WOULD like you to pass this letter on to the agency for alumni matters, in as much as I do not have their address but have yours. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of my graduation from U-M, and I would like to begin receiving information about alumni reunions that will be held in conjunction with such a signature event. You will glean correctly from this that I am not a member of the Alumni Association. Your help will be most appreciated.
Alexander T. Morris '50 Eng
New Bern, North Carolina |
Your letter has been forwarded to the Alumni Association (AA). Director Steve Grafton says the Association will provide you and other interested readers with information about the Emeritus Reunion Weekend in June 2000. The AA address is Alumni Center, 200 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1007 Phone (800) 847-4764. Email m.alumnl@umich.edu. Website: http://www.umich.edu/~umalumni/.
Arthur Miller Award
I WISH to make a correction to your article "In Honor of Arthur Miller '38" in the fall 1998 issue. The Arthur Miller Award was established and is funded by the U-M Club of New York. It is officially called the University of Michigan Club of New York Arthur Miller Award. The award is presented to a member of the Junior Class selected by the English Department for outstanding creative writing. The $1,000 award is a tuition credit for the recipient's senior year at Michigan. In addition, winners are also presented with a copy of Death of a Salesman signed by Mr. Miller.
The Award was the brainchild of Doris Rubinstein'71 who was the Club Scholarship Fund Chairman at the time. She felt that one of our most illustrious New York alumni should be honored by the New York Club. Mr. Miller was contacted and agreed to the establishment of the award. His ongoing support is greatly appreciated by the New York Alumni Club as part of the Michigan tradition.
Herbert N. Appel
Treasurer, Scholarship Fund
U-M Club of New York |
Not Cricket
READER Kathleen Chojonowski, an Aussie transplanted to Topeka, Kansas, called to point out that the photo we identified (Spring 1999 issue) as showing U-M cricketeers of the 1870s were holding baseball rather than cricket bats and that the team was made up of nine players rather than 11. She was right. We misidentified a photo from the U-M Bentley Historical Library collection of the U-M 1874-5 baseball team. We have been unable to find a photo of early Wolverine cricketeers–Ed.
Homage to Hazel Avery
WITH GREAT interest I read Ann Woodward's letter [Spring 1999 issue] about the U-M Obstetric Hospital in the '40s. My two-month stint in obstetrics was memorable. Our head nurse was Hazel Avery, a tough taskmaster. She had to be, to hold that hospital together while teaching us rookies who were the primary work force. There was a wrought-iron circular staircase with loose marble slabs for stairs. You had to place your foot just right. We carried food trays up and down them three times a day, and if we spilled a drop of anything on our uniforms, it was back to Couzens Hall to change–on our time.
Babies were transported to their mothers on the 2d and 3rd floors every four hours on the freight elevator-the only one in the building–in a cart with four partitions. The large tube Ann mentioned was indeed the fire escape. We were instructed to pass the bundled babies relay style and roll them down the tube to the nurse waiting outside on the ground in case of fire. Then the mothers were to go down, and the lowly student nurses last.
After I saw my first delivery, Miss Avery instructed me to go down to the first floor waiting room and tell the husband he had a nice baby girl. I did, and he promptly fainted. Just like the movies. However, that was the only time it happened. I always had the men sit down before I gave them the good news–just in case.
Our babies and mothers got wonderful care. We never propped a bottle to feed a baby. We rocked them as we fed them, sometimes humming a song, and learned how to bathe them and talk to them so they didn't cry. They spent 10 days with us in those days, and we had happy, healthy patients mostly due to Hazel Avery's constant supervision.
We had one orderly and his name was Earl. Earl was disabled and not very young. He did mostly garbage detail and light maintenance. When state inspectors came to see if we really needed a hospital, Miss Avery instructed Earl to stop the elevator between floors with them in it if he wanted to keep his job, and leave it there for a while as he pounded on something, faking repairs. They stayed stuck quite a while. We were all privy to the ruse. Hazel was no shrinking violet.
In 1947, a new hospital was on the drawing board. Miss Avery used every ward class to get our input on the new hospital plans. It was her baby. When we visited the new hospital during a reunion, Hazel was overjoyed. While showing us around, the nurses' bathroom was first on the list. The old hospital had a little stall with a leaky water closet on the ceiling. She made sure nurses were taken care of better in the new building. Without her, the old hospital would have fallen down. I think it was afraid to!
Elizabeth Lee Payant '47N
Sun City West, Arizona |
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