Wild West roundup
I enjoyed “Our Wild West” [summer 2009]. As Wallace Stegner said, “I may not know who I am, but I know where I’m from.” The article “Colorado’s College War” was of more than passing interest because my husband is a Mines graduate. It is a fine issue.
Carol Savey Abel (BA ’57, MA ’64)
Golden, Colo.
“Alumni Connections” in the summer 2009 issue brought back many memories of my time as a student at DU. I had spent five years in the USAF Strategic Air Command as a radar navigator on a B-52 and returned to college in June 1969 to finish an engineering degree and MBA. I selected DU. Those three years at DU and the turmoil over Vietnam changed my view of the world and politics for life. It made me more sensitive to the needs of others and the impact of our country’s decisions for generations to come. I remember sitting on the lawn in front of the Science Building discussing the events of that time, and graduating with armbands, not caps and gowns. Needless to say, as a veteran it was difficult to see how the vets were being treated at the time. I am truly grateful for my DU education, the faculty and staff that I got to know and the positive impact the time at DU had on me over the past decades. Simply stated, thank you!
Alan MacIlroy (BSEE ’69, MBA ’70)
Princeton, N.J.
Our men’s book club was reading one of Chuck Box’s Joe Pickett novels [“Mystery Man,” summer 2009]. We asked if he’d be interested in coming to our meeting in Denver, and he said he’d be there. For three hours we discussed plots, motivations, guns, wine and book sales: “If you want one of my books, get it in hardback; I make three bucks more.” He was an absolutely great contributor to our group and a charming guy. His books emphasize the difficulty of doing the right thing and the rewards of that struggle—not exactly a universal theme in these times, yet they’re exciting and fun to read. An alum to be treasured!
Gerald Moore (BS ’56)
Denver
KVDU story plays on
First, I want to thank Peter Funt and others for constructing the KVDU facility. Secondly, I want to take strong exception to Funt’s analysis of the restricted playlist [Letters, summer 2009]. I had a show on KVDU and was ordered to play only certain songs. I had hoped to use the medium to enrich the ears of my listeners with fresh music instead of what they could hear plenty of on commercial radio. Instead, I was forced to pretend it was the 1950s instead of the ’60s. I didn’t understand. Was there actual research that demonstrated what student listeners wanted to hear? I never saw it. I was also too idealistic to even consider the possibility of payola. After graduation I applied to KFML, a contemporary music station. My KVDU experience was more of a hindrance than a help. When I discovered the huge improvements with KCFR, I was stunned. Night and day. I felt vindicated. Too bad it didn’t happen a few years earlier; I might have had a good career in radio.
David Bell (BA ’70)
Middleton, Wis.
I was very interested in the letter concerning KVDU that appeared in the summer 2009 issue. I was in the communications program in 1949-53 when the whole department consisted of Noel Jordan and Bob Mott and KVDU was housed in a ramshackle temporary building that always threatened to collapse with the advent of a thunderstorm.
Gilbert Fried (attd. 1949-52)
Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Global connections
I’m a double DU graduate for my BSBA in marketing and my Master of International Management. I have since moved back to Indonesia, and I’m so excited to hear about DU. Thanks to technology, it’s not impossible to reconnect with old friends. I even heard about [Daniels College management Professor] Dave Hopkins’ recent retirement from friends just one day after his farewell party. It’s wonderful to hear the stories of alumni still living close to DU, but I think you should diversify a bit and do a global search for DU’s foreign alumni, especially those who didn’t really participate in college activities. As much as I love to hear about the American students, I always wonder what happened to my Thai and Taiwanese friends, the Greek guy I took English class with, and also those professors who taught just a few classes.
Linda Salim (BSBA ’98, MIM ’01)
Indonesia