Memories of Antarctica
I very much enjoyed the article “Life on Ice” [spring 2005]. Reading about the important work of fellow alums who have participated in support of the scientific studies conducted in Antarctica brought back many fond memories. I arrived at DU in 1960 to see the last of the football games and to enjoy the national championships of the hockey team before I graduated with a biology degree in DU’s 1964 centennial class. Within months of graduation, I found myself “on the ice” at McMurdo Station in the first of three field seasons (1964, 1967 and 1971) as a member of the U.S. Antarctic Research Program investigating the physiology, anatomy and behavior of Antarctic seals and penguins. In 1968, I was awarded the National Science Foundation’s Distinguished Service Medal, and the U.S. Advisory Committee for Antarctic Names named Antarctica’s Drabek Peak in my honor, recognizing my “scientific research and contribution in the Antarctic.” So, the University of Denver is recognized in many different ways in Antarctica. The biology courses I completed from professors Don Belden, William Driscoll, Kenneth Porter and Frederick Zeiner gave me the foundation I have needed to educate my undergraduate biology students over the last 35 years.
Charles Drabek, BS ’64
Rempel Professor of Biology, Whitman College
Walla Walla, Wash.
Female attorneys
I noted the article about DU’s role in a study of women lawyers leaving the practice [“Gender Matters,” spring 2005]. We as a firm have been on a mission the last couple of years to retain and promote women partners. I found the study interesting and forwarded it to our committee responsible for that. We now have an alternative/ flexible work schedule that is intended to help. It’s nice to see DU involved.
John Medbury, BSBA ’76
Executive Director, Bowditch & Dewey LLP
Worcester, Mass.
General Casey
Thank you so much for the interview with Gen. George Casey [“Our Man in Iraq,” spring 2005]. It’s always refreshing to get one’s information directly from the person whose feet are on the ground. I would love to tell the general how much I appreciate what he and his wife are doing for us. Most of all, I would like to say that his comments about how and what the media report to us about what is actually being done over there by our men and women in uniform are dead on. I have repeatedly complained to newspapers because they seem determined to report only that which is negative, sensational or damaging. I’m just an average citizen, but even I can tell that we aren’t getting the real story about what we are actually doing over there. I copied the last page of your article and sent it to all the news media I could think of. Maybe they’ll get the message.
Barbara DaBoll, MA ’77
La Cresenta, Calif.
Evans Chapel
I just read the article about the Evans Chapel [Looking Back, spring 2005] and it brought to mind my first visit to the University of Denver. I saw the chapel and the surrounding grounds and at that moment decided DU was for me. I spent a lot of time wandering around those grounds during my time at DU and never lost the feeling of belonging. I believe DU has a lot to offer any student, and the Evans Chapel is the center of that belief. I had a good time remembering my decision to attend DU, and I applaud the efforts of the staff to keep articles like the one on the Evans Chapel as a reminder of why we all feel a special bond to the University.
Dave Klasnick, BSBA ’96, MBA ’98
Pittsburgh
Chester Alter
Your article on Chancellor Emeritus Chester Alter [“A Life Well Lived,” winter 2004] was well titled. His life also is well remembered. Although he walked with the intelligentsia, he is widely known and greatly appreciated for his common touch. His genuine interest in the faculty, staff and students during his tenure at the University left a lasting impact. Chancellor Alter arrived at the University in 1953. My husband, Jim Colman, began his tenure as an instructor in the ROTC department in late 1954. Under Chancellor Alter’s wing, all connected with the University became a family. The roots of his personal interest branched through each faculty and staff member, the fruit produced being excellent interaction among faculty, staff and students.
Mary Colman, BA ’65, MA ’68
Opelika, Ala.
The winter 2004 issue brims with DU spirit. Among several interesting features, the article about Chancellor Emeritus Chester Alter compels attention and admiration. I did not know that such a giant stooped low in humility during my student days at DU. I have read “A Life Well Lived” a number of times, and each time, DU’s ranking kept moving up in my mental scale. It is inspiring. Alter’s is a story that should be retold.
Lawrence Anene, MA ’84, PhD ’91
Kaduna, Nigeria
Mark Zamantakis
I was pleased and very interested in the article “Zen and the Art of Zamantakis” [winter 2004]. I was teaching at George Washington High School when Mark Zamantakis returned from Japan, and I was invited to attend the opening of his first noborigama kiln on a hillside above Morrison. I was thrilled to reach inside and select a pot. It is one of my prized possessions and is used daily. Thanks for that engaging article.
Stanley Davies Jr., BSBA ’51, MBA ’58
Longmont, Colo.
May Queen celebration
We very much appreciated receiving the fine spring 2005 magazine. A number of our close friends are featured, including Pete Coors and Dick Saunders, and I congratulated both of them. On page 39 [Alumni Today], you show the picture of the May Queen celebration in 1946. I was surprised that there was no explanation of the picture, the date, or the fact that the queen shown on the throne was Marian (Schwalb) Kerr, BA ’46, the president of Gamma Phi Beta and also the assistant to the dean of women. Elaine Evison, BFA ’46, first runner-up, placed the crown upon her head. On Marian’s left was Mary Sue Flanagan, BFA ’46, second runner-up, who handed her the scepter. Other attendants were Lenore (Schatz) Seiler, BA ’47 and Charlotte (Towne) O’Connell, BA ’46. The school was good enough to send us a framed copy of the original picture, which we have in our photo gallery of family history, along with pictures of my Beta chapter at that time. Your work for the University is sincerely appreciated.
David Kerr, BS ’47
Littleton, Colo.
Managing editor Chelsey Baker-Hauck responds: When we discovered the image of the May Queen in DU’s archives, there was no information about the photo included in the records. Even the date was uncertain. Thank you for filling in the gaps for us.
Our mistake
In the spring 2005 issue, we incorrectly reported that DU Prof. Arthur Jones directs the Spirituals Project Choir. In fact, Jones is founder and co-chair of the nonprofit Spirituals Project, of which the choir is a part. Arlen Hershberger and Bennie Williams direct the choir.