Connections
What pleasure I receive from receiving and reading the University of Denver Magazine. I received my MBA in 1961; so much has happened to the University in the past 47 years. It is great to be kept current on the growth of the University and all of the accomplishments being acknowledged by others. The fall 2008 issue was very enjoyable, particularly the story on Josef Korbel. The school he headed was still growing when I was a student, but it had already developed a reputation for excellence.
C. Russell Nickel (BSBA ’59, MBA ’61)
Lacey, Wash.
I am very happy to be receiving the DU magazine; it is a wonderful magazine and reminds me of my youth and the wonderful time we spent at DU. It has been about 60 years since I was a DU student in the mechanical engineering department’s temporary wood building. We were, at the time, about 50 Iraqi students sent by our government. All of us had a wonderful academic and social education, which helped us in working in Iraq at very high levels. None of us (as I remember) entered the Saddam Ba’ath Party, and none of us had criminal records (as was usual for some others during the Saddam regime). All of us believed in democracy, human rights and social well-being. I am not a politician, but I can’t forget (with the majority of the people of Iraq) the great help of the U.S.; without it, we could not be rid of the worst dictator in the history of the world. Saddam’s regime was dangerous not only for Iraq but also for the rest of the world. I hope and dream to visit our beautiful DU and Denver again some day. My best regards to our dear teachers and fellow graduate friends.
Hamdi Touqmatchi (BS ’52)
Amman, Jordan
Gender identity
I was reading the letters written in response to the new gender identity clause that was put into effect on DU’s campus [Letters, fall 2008]. It’s interesting that students are considered deviant when in fact they are trying to make the world a more equal and just place for all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It might be considered PC to say “transgendered,” but to provide a safe place for individuals to use the restroom—or feel comfortable in their own skin—on a college campus is not deviant, but actually humane and decent. Students today live in a world that is changing, and with that change comes education. Today’s modern movement is for equality for the GLBTIQ community, when back in the ’60s and ’70s the movement was for race and gender equality. It’s admirable that DU is a campus where individuals can be themselves and not have to worry about hiding who they really are like so many individuals have had to do in the past. I applaud DU for its effort to make its campus a safe environment for all, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or gender expression. You might be joining the “Eastern and California universities” in their move for equality, but really you are standing up for humanity and the decency, concern and compassion that should be shown to all. And by the way, I am a straight female who is proud of what my University has done for the equality movement.
Lauren Johnston (MSW ’07)
Denver
Ben Cherrington
As a 1948 graduate majoring in international relations, I was pleased to note the recognition given to Ben Cherrington in the tribute to Dr. Josef Korbel [“Remembering Joe”] in the fall 2008 issue of the magazine. Dr. Cherrington, who headed the International Relations Department and the Social Science Foundation, hired Dr. Korbel and laid the groundwork upon which the Graduate School of International Studies, now the Korbel School, was constructed. One of the founders of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO), Dr. Cherrington was a prominent internationalist of the World War II era. He was an advocate of collective security, the fostering of international organizations, the maximum use of diplomacy in the settlement of disputes, and the building of international partnerships as a keystone of America’s world role. In today’s terms, Dr. Cherrington would, I believe, be among the advocates of soft-power and collective arrangements vis-à-vis the more unilateral use of military power that has characterized so much of our recent foreign policy. As such, he would most likely disagree quite strongly with Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the school’s most prominent graduate whom Dr. Korbel mentored, as to many of the policies she advocated or supported as national security adviser and secretary of state. But Dr. Cherrington would honor her service, be proud of the recognition she and other graduates have brought to DU, and be especially gratified by the development of the international studies program and the standing of the Korbel School as one of the great international education programs in America. He was a gracious gentleman and devoted to the University.
Allan Howerton (BA ’48, MA ’51)
Alexandria, Va.