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A letter in your fall issue [Editorial Notes] reminded me of faculty members I recall. I came to DU in the summer of 1949 mostly because of a favorable response from the housing people. Another university offered no help at a time when housing was short, but the DU folks wrote, “Let us know when you’re coming, and we’ll find something.” I spent a wonderful four years in a Quonset just north of the campus. I also recall Dr. Elwood Murray [BA ’18], who disrupted my thinking in a way that greatly annoyed me then, but which I deeply appreciate now. Keith Case [PhD ’48] gave me the best advice any disabled person ever got. After getting my MA and being turned down for jobs because of my disability, he said, “You’re going to have to be better prepared than your competition, so stay here, get your PhD, get something published and get some teaching experience.” He was absolutely right. Even after the second degree, jobs were not automatic, but I finally landed one. I also appreciate a young woman from Australia who joined in a discussion group one afternoon. We mentioned minstrel shows. She wanted to know what they were. We explained. She hit the roof and gave us a memorable lecture about making fun of folks of another race. I never forgot. My thanks to all those who made the DU experience so worthwhile.

Walt Stromer, MA ’50, PhD ’52,

Mt. Vernon, Iowa



As a DU alumnus, I look forward to seeing the DU magazine. However, I was saddened to see that DU had lost one of its finest people in Darl Bien, chair of statistics at the Daniels College of Business [In Memoriam, fall 2004]. What concerned me was that the notification did not do justice for the man who touched many lives. This was a man who had been at DU for over 30 years and was still teaching classes within four weeks of his death (which was due to a recurrence of cancer). Darl was a great teacher who cared for his students and humanity as a whole. His work in tracking AIDS in Thailand for over 16 years made him a pioneer in the field of study of the illness. Each summer, Darl led students on a business course in Scandinavia, which is where I met him. (He and I had to share a room during the course.) He also was very active with the Decision Sciences Institute. Over the years, I stayed in touch with him and saw him last spring still supporting the DU hockey team. Darl was a unique character in today’s society. He used his talents to enrich the lives of others rather than himself. He also took great care of himself and was devoted to running. He was often seen up at 5 a.m. to go for a run. It would be nice to see that his employer for over 30 years would provide a better dedication of his service and effect on the DU community than was mentioned. Darl loved DU, and my life was definitely impacted by his presence.


John May, MBA ’96,

Littleton, Colo.



I was thrilled to read in the fall issue of your magazine that the library science program has received accreditation from the American Library Association [Campus Update]. I graduated in 1947 from the DU College of Librarianship, and throughout my entire career as a catalog librarian, I received acceptance and respect for the quality of my library education. It is so good to know that once again future librarians west of the Mississippi will have the opportunity to receive quality library training from DU.


Dorothea Wenrich Baltezar, BA ’47,

Salinas, Calif.

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