麻豆影院

Celebrating CU breakthroughs

I found the March 2011 edition of the聽Coloradan聽most heartening. My reaction was generated by the articles on professor Bob Sievers鈥� work to invent an inhalable measles vaccine [鈥淭he man fighting measles one breath at a time,鈥� pages 8-13], and distinguished professor Linda Watkins鈥� discoveries related to pain management [鈥淐loser to a cure?鈥� pages 30-33]. Congratulations and thank you to them and their team members.

While pondering the significance of these breakthroughs, I was disheartened, though, that reports of such efforts and accomplishments seem confined to the pages of a university alumni magazine or obscure scientific journals. Decades ago just about everyone knew that Thomas Edison invented the telephone and Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine. Nowadays most people never hear of these laudable achievements. Indeed, a new product or invention typically reaches the public鈥檚 attention only via advertising that is paid for by and credits a corporate manufacturer.

A funding source, undoubtedly, is important if not crucial to many discoveries. We should never forget, however, that individual thought and persistence are the components without which nothing is learned and no public benefit is realized.

Perhaps one of these years the mass media will brighten our days by reporting on the work of a distinguished professor Watkins or professor Sievers. Isn鈥檛 such news at least as important to us as today鈥檚 stock market report, last night鈥檚 hockey scores or tomorrow鈥檚 weather?

Larry Burch聽(PolSci鈥�68, Law鈥�71)
Des Moines, Iowa

Eleanor Roosevelt鈥檚 last CU visit

Judy Dodge (Mus鈥�62), vice president of the student body, Allen Nossaman (Jour鈥�62), former editor-in-chief of the Colorado Daily, Eleanor Roosevelt, Kathleen Work (A&S鈥�62), ASUC senator and Joe Bell (Math鈥�62), president of the student body, pose for a photo on Nov. 30, 1961. Mrs. Roosevelt was invited to a dinner given by student government that night prior to a lecture she gave, Dodge recalls.

The March 2011 issue of聽Coloradan聽is the best yet in your improved format. I even read the letters. It鈥檚 always good to read comments from聽Paul Danish聽(Hist鈥�65) [鈥淛ammin鈥� with The Woz,鈥� page 17], of course, who continues to be wonderfully prickly.

But I must respond to the Eleanor Roosevelt question asked by聽John Southard聽(Geog鈥�63). Ms. Roosevelt was on campus Nov. 30, 1961.聽Joe Bell聽(Math鈥�62), president of the student body, and I, vice president, hosted a dinner for her and student government delegates prior to her speech that evening. I found her lively, inquisitive and very interested in what students had to say. I do have a picture of the event that I would be happy to send to your offices, if I can find it [see Judy鈥檚 photo above].

Judy Dodge听(惭耻蝉鈥�62)
Washington, D.C.

This is a follow-up to the letter from聽John Southard聽(Geog鈥�63) in the March 2011聽Coloradan. The聽Coloradan聽reported the Heritage Center and Conference on World Affairs staff were unable to confirm any of Eleanor Roosevelt鈥檚 visits to Macky Auditorium beyond May 1958. John wondered if she was at CU in the early 1960s. I can attest she delivered an address in Macky between September 1961 and her death in November 1962. I was a freshman in September 1961 and attended her address sometime between those dates. I did not go to summer school in 1962. The big event in the fall 1962 was the Cuban missile crisis.

Frederick W. Obitz聽(笔蝉测肠丑鈥�65)
Phoenix

In reply to聽John Southard鈥檚 (Geog鈥�63) memory of seeing Eleanor Roosevelt at Macky in your March letters, my brother Eric and I recall seeing her there as well in 1961.

Lawrence Chadbourne听(础&补尘辫;厂鈥�70)
San Francisco

[Editor鈥檚 note: Thanks to many of you for writing and calling. Eleanor Roosevelt did visit in November 1961. We have updated our files to reflect this. And thanks to聽Judy Dodge聽(Mus鈥�62) for digging up her photo from the occasion and mailing it to us.]

No business like snow business

I just read the March issue of the聽Coloradan. I enjoyed the story on聽Mike Kaplan聽(IntlAf鈥�86). I also was a member of the CU B Ski Team (1982-84) and C Team (1981) my freshman year and remember Mike well. Congrats to Mike on becoming the CEO of Aspen Skiing Co.

The 鈥淎鈥� Team gets most of the press, but some of the 鈥淏鈥� Team members move up to the varsity team. We all spent a lot of time on school and on the ski team. We had dry land training in the fall every afternoon and weight training Tuesday and Thursday mornings. By Halloween we started skiing every weekday afternoon at Lake Eldora and racing on the weekends all across the Front Range. This made for quite a challenge for class schedules and selections, not to mention any time for studying, eating and fun.

Andrew Fernandez聽(骋别辞驳鈥�88)
Middletown, R.I.