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Pomona College Magazine is published three times a year by Pomona College
550 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Online Editor: Mark Kendall
For editorial matters:
Editor: Mark Wood
Phone: (909) 621-8158
Fax: (909) 621-8203
PCM Editorial Guidelines
Contact Alumni Records for changes of address, class notes, or notice
of births or deaths.
Phone: (909) 621-8635
Fax: (909) 621-8535
Email: alumni@pomona.edu
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Sagehens Sound off
Coffee & Milk
 Thank you so much for the inspiring and informative
article (Spring 2006
PCM) on
breastfeeding and Lorig’s (Charkoudian ’95) Starbucks campaign. As a
nursing
mother of two, I have been surprised and saddened by how many mothers
give up
nursing within the first few weeks of their baby’s life. This is partly
because
nursing can be hard to establish, but also because of the many subtle,
and often
negative, social signals women receive about breastfeeding—this on top
of all
the physical, emotional and spiritual changes motherhood brings.
Breastfeeding
seemed the most natural and logical choice for me. I feel fortunate that
I have
had the support of my family and my personal convictions. I hope Lorig’s
leadership and the information you provided on legal protections and the
benefits of breastfeeding will encourage more mothers to feel
comfortable making
this choice.
—Anne Desmarais ’94
Redlands, Calif.
A Loyal Sagehen
I have a couple of comments about the Spring 2006 issue. Feel free to
edit, use
or not use as you see fit. I remain a loyal Sagehen!
Regarding the “Coffee & Milk” article, neither my wife nor I are
(complete) prudes, but both of us had the same reaction to Ms.
Charkoudian’s
outrage: what a crock. No offense, but the only milk we want to see at a
Starbucks comes out of a stainless steel carafe, not a woman’s breast.
Breasts
are lovely, and babies are beautiful, and my wife did nurse our
children, but
the argument that we should allow public nursing, as it is natural,
doesn’t make
sense if you think that, as the book goes, “everybody poops” much more
frequently (does that make it even more natural or a human right?).
Regarding the article on Professor Martha Andresen, I had the good
fortune of being in one of her first classes at Pomona in 1971-72:
Rights of
Passage. It may have been a freshman seminar. I enjoyed the intellectual
stimulation of that class very much and regard it as one of the best
experiences
of my college career. She deserves kudos!
Regarding the article “In There Somewhere” about autism, as an autism
specialist with Tri-Counties Regional Center who has treated children
with
developmental disabilities for almost 20 years, I found the Filley’s
struggle
poignant and familiar. However, neither they nor the magazine mentioned
a
valuable resource here in California that helps families with an
autistic child:
regional centers. Regional centers are nonprofit private corporations
that
contract with the Department of Developmental Services to provide or
coordinate
services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities.
They have
offices throughout California to provide a local resource to help find
and
access the many services available to individuals and their families.
Here is
the Web site for a directory of centers:
www.dds.cahwnet.gov.
—Steve Graff ’75
Camarillo, Calif.
End of a Swinging Tradition
When I arrived from the rough and tumble of the British universities in
the
early ’60s, having driven across country with Grover Bagby Jr. ’64 on
the old
U.S. 66 and worked out pre-season with the football team, I thought
Pomona would
be just like home. Gradually I started to realize that much greater
restrictions
were in place and what swung in “Swinging” London most certainly did not
swing
on the Claremont campus.
Amid what seemed to me the Miss Priss atmosphere, the wonderfully
politically incorrect “weigh-in” (Winter
2005 PCM) was a much needed breath of undergraduate banality. I do
not remember the girls of my day being so pathetic as to
barricade themselves in their rooms. As I recall they were perfectly
capable of
taking care of themselves. And though football teams in the ’60s knew
“where to put the tape,” the results announced were always “edited.”
Most girlsnever again had such
officially great figures.
—John Cameron ’64
St. Andrews, Scotland
Liberal Pomona
Having just read the Spring 2006 PCM, I
fear that Pomona may have, along with
many other colleges and universities, taken a turn to the left to such a
degree
that only articles on subjects dear to liberals are published. The
articles are interesting to be sure, but they seem to be about humanitarian and
minority
issues to the exclusion of other subjects which are lynchpins to the
survival
and success of our country. Here are some of the subject matters
addressed in
the magazine:
–Latino pride
–Earthquake relief in Pakistan
–A woman who adopted 35 Mexican children
–An autistic child and his mother
–Two lesbians who married in Massachusetts
–Breastfeeding a baby at Starbucks
–The Lopez sisters
–The lonely lives of older people
–Disabilities in students who have nevertheless succeeded
–Multicultural programs, and
–Honeymooning in Uganda
However, I see nothing in the magazine which would relate to the vast
majority of Pomona graduates who, after graduation and without
governmental
assistance, have worked or are working their tails off to raise their
children,
pay their taxes, fund their children’s educations and provide for their
retirements. In my mind, these are the people who have kept—and are
keeping—America going.
And how about Sagehens who served in the military and have died to
preserve the freedoms and opportunities which we have? In short, I would like to see articles in the magazine which address
mainstream issues and values in addition to the kinds of articles which
appeared
in the most recent edition.
—George E. Sayre ’56
Miramar Beach, Fla.
Reunited Twins
In the Spring 2006 PCM, I was particularly interested in the
article on the
twins, and my eye caught on your listing of twins enrolled together
at Pomona.
My twin brother, Vernon Howes ’48, and I also attended Pomona together
but under
very different circumstances. He enlisted in the Army Air Force
meteorology unit
in January 1943 and was sent to Pomona in early summer as part of a
contingent
of meteorology students. I enrolled as a transfer from Taft Junior
College in
September 1943, and we were together on the campus until sometime in the
spring
or summer when the unit was disbanded and sent to other areas of the
Army—he to
the Signal Corps. I graduated in June 1946, just as he returned to
civilian life, and then he was enrolled again at Pomona as a junior in September
1946,
graduating in 1948. He graduated from the Sorbonne University and was a
math
professor at the University of Paris until retirement. He passed away in
1998.
—Vivian Howes Rosendahl ’46
Chandler, Ariz.
Contradicting Views
I read the ViewPoint
article by Professor Miguel Tinker Salas in the Spring 2006
PCM. He was very “disturbed” (his words) by many things and concerned
about the
privacy of our citizens. Since he is so worried about the President and
government in this
country, it would be nice to see his opinions about his countryman and
president
of Venezuela. How does he feel about a real threat to his liberties and
the
freedom of this country?
Regarding Helen Hutchison’s
article on the Weigh-In and the resulting
letters (all of which seem to be in favor of her article), I would like
to point
out what I observed:
1. Of all the pictures that were evaluated, how many showed the horror
of this tradition, and how many showed the smiles and laughter generated
by the
tradition. Was her picture typical or not?
2. I attended some of these (only as a spectator) and never (repeat
never) saw a young lady in distress.
3. The girls were allowed to bypass the weighing and measuring. … No one
was forced to do it.
4. Most of the women enjoyed being the center of attention and were
flattered.
5. In many cases, the men doing the weighing and measuring would give
exaggerated measurements or less than real weights in order to make the
young ladies feel better.
But apparently one woman (Ms. Hutchison ’74) did not like it and so she
wrote an article. The politically correct PCM accepted it and published
it,
apparently without considering any other input.
So what tradition will be destroyed next? Christmas and the celebration
of Jesus’ birth?
—Robert L. Casady ’65
Plantation, Fla.
FBI Questions Professor
Thanks to Professor Miguel Tinker Salas for
writing about your
experience in the
latest PCM (Spring 2006), and thanks to the editors for printing it. The
intentions of this administration’s policies became that much more real,
and
they need to be brought to everyone’s attention in very real ways. I am
that
much more committed to defying the madness.
—Ed Gulick ’94
Billings, Mont.
Legal, But Still in Fear
Thank you sincerely for your
article on Marcia Hams ’69 (Spring 2006 PCM). It is
inspiring to hear the story of her family and their recent successes in
Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the article left out one right married
heterosexual couples enjoy that no same-sex couple enjoys—married or
otherwise—anywhere in the United States: the right to sponsor a partner
for the
purposes of immigration. As a binational couple, we were advised that
even
though we could legally become married in Massachusetts, this could
become
grounds for deportation. Then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft had
indicated
that those with visas who marry a same-sex spouse in Massachusetts might
be in
violation of the terms of those visas under his reading of the
unconstitutional
Defense of Marriage Act. With this in mind, we proceeded with our
already
planned and executed ceremony in Massachusetts, but as a commitment
ceremony,
not a legal marriage. We understand our relationship to be a marriage.
However,
we do not pursue other legal scenarios, as we continue to live under the
threat
of deportation. We reside legally in California now, hoping for the day
when we
do not always have to plan for the possibly sudden contingency of moving
outside
the borders of the U.S. should the next visa fail to come through.
—Jason T. Hewitt ’00
Boulder Creek, Calif.
Albums Stir Memories
The article on radio station
KSPC (Spring 2006 PCM) brought back fond memories
of Pomona College. In 1977, punk rock was just hitting the U.S., and I
used to
sit in my dorm room listening to the station, waiting anxiously for the
album
giveaways by the punk disc jockeys. Being one of the few people with a
push
button phone (or one of the only listeners to those broadcasts), I was
almost
always first to respond. Courtesy of KSPC, I built an impressive
collection of
albums which I have carried with me from college to medical school and
into
career and marriage. And as my children now approach college, I use
these albums
to reminisce with them about my days at Pomona and how things “used to
be.”
—Ronald Hirsch ’81
Elgin, Ill.
Remembering Earl Grey
I was saddened to read about the passing of Richard d’Arcambal Jensen
’77 in the
last issue of PCM (Spring 2006). I have fond memories of the Quest class
on tea
drinking he taught with Professor Karen Kossuth when I was a sophomore.
Richard
introduced my twin sister Kathleen and me to Earl Grey tea, tea cozies,
scones,
lemon curd and clotted cream. To this day, I look forward to a nice pot
of
Twinings Earl Grey tea each afternoon (loose, not bags!), as does my
15-year-old
son. Richard enriched my life immensely, and I treasure the memories of
his
gentle manner and wry sense of humor.
—Jennifer Herron ’78
San Diego, Calif.
Back-to-Front Reading
Your beautiful Spring 2006 magazine has arrived, and I have run barefoot
through
it once, hoping to go back to give many of the articles my full
attention. You
might like to know that I read it back-to-front. I read the obituaries
first,
hoping that I do not know anyone there (and read the letters at the
front for
dessert). This time, I did find someone I knew in the death notices, and
read
with pleasure your lovely article about Ramsay Harris ’34, who lived to
age 105.
My husband, DeForrest ’61, was one of Mr. Harris’ students. We went back
to
campus one summer and introduced our children to him. He took us to his
garage
and showed us one of his many inventions—a weaving machine. He and his
wife were
so kind and welcoming. He will always be beloved for his part in writing
“Torchbearers,” a song that never fails to give me goose bumps.
There are so many articles in this issue that it is hard to pick my
favorites. I’m so happy that you included professors and current
students, alumni and their fascinating life stories, KSPC (where
DeForrest was in charge of the classical music program) and reviews of
books by Pomona people. The newlyweds’ story of their yearlong honeymoon
is amazing.
With thanks for keeping us together as a family.
—Bonnie Bennett Home ’62
San Jose, Calif.
Correction: Our apology to Chris Dueker ’61 of Atherton, Calif. We
appreciate
your letters, and we promise to spell your name correctly from here on
out.
47 Sighting
 With Sagehens’ love of In-N-Out
Burger, it’s not surprising to find a 47
connection. In the obituary of the chain’s co-founder, Esther Snyder,
the Los
Angeles Times reported that the Snyders sold 47 burgers the first
night of
business in 1948 when they opened their first drive-through in Baldwin
Park.
“Jim (Cowart ’73) thinks that 47 people will forward this to the
school,” wrote
Janet Cowart ’70 in her e-mail. Sorry, Jim, only you took the
initiative.
We welcome letters from alumni and friends. Letters may be edited for
length,
style and clarity. |
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