Eye of the Beholder
Over the years I have been moved by many of the articles in your fine magazine, but I never shared my reactions, feeling a bit like an "outsider" (my husband received a degree from Middlebury, M.S. 1967).
But, now, the photographer in me wants to congratulate you on a masterpiece that was likely inadvertent, and perhaps discovered only by me.
The article on Martha Sosman '72 ("Courting Justice," fall 2005) is inspiring, even illuminating, as I'll explain. I was reading outside, shielding my eyes from the sun with the magazine. I was in awe as I turned from page 43 to page 44. Viewing either of those pages—with the other one showing through with light from behind—is as captivating as Martha Sosman herself. She is looking either directly at the reader or wistfully at her alter image. Even after much consideration, it is difficult to decide which "composite" I prefer—judicial robe prominent in one or natural setting beckoning in the other.
Thank you for your portrayal of this "consistent, sensible, intellectually honest" human being. Best wishes for her continued strength under pressure, publicly and privately.
Carol Snow
Del Mar, California
Judge Not
In his article ("Courting Justice," fall 2005) about Martha Sosman '72, now a justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and a dissenter in the 4–3 decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, writer John Wolfson makes the absurd claim that "the controversy over gay marriage has largely subsided in Massachusetts."
Wolfson is correct that the legislature defeated a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and creating civil unions; but what is his justification for saying breezily that chances are "iffy at best" for the success of a citizen petition "floating around" which would ban both same-sex marriage and civil unions?
The petition is hardly "floating around." It is being shoved at congregants by the Catholic Church and many evangelical churches, which keep copies on hand and press worshipers to sign at services. Droves of hired collectors are out gathering signatures and have already been cited for illegally deceptive tactics.
It is frighteningly easy to pass a constitutional amendment by referendum in Massachusetts: A mere 66,000 signatures are needed by Thanksgiving to advance this proposition to its next level. Once the secretary of state verifies the signatures,
a vote of just 25 percent of the legislature in two successive sessions would send the discriminatory measure to the voters as early as 2008.
But even if Wolfson's unsubstantiated statement proves correct—as we fervently hope it will—and Judge Sosman's vote against the Supreme Judicial Court ruling is later deemed by history to be "out of step with society," why should he conclude that her legacy will be defined by that one vote? She has had a distinguished career to date, and if she wins her fight against breast cancer—also our sincere hope—there is no reason that it should not continue for many years. We trust that she herself will come to see that her vote was wrong and that equal rights for all citizens includes the right to marry.
Judy and Michael Olinick
Middlebury, Vermont
Judy Olinick is a coordinator for the Russian and German departments; Michael Olinick is a professor of Mathematics.
Spell Check
Regarding the article about the various Bread Loaf campuses in the fall magazine, please note that we Westerners spell "Sante Fe" with an A, as in Santa Fe.
Pat Brown McClearn '53
Englewood, Colorado
Editors' note:
We regret the error.
Get Real
I must say, I found Matt Jennings's piece on the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference ("The Write Stuff," fall 2005) precious to the point of being downright cloying. How about some hard-core facts? For example: how many cases of alcohol are actually consumed by the participants in their 11 days on that Vermont hillside? Not a word about that, and it is common knowledge that the best business at the conference gets transacted at those after-hours, half-cocked soirees, not at those teary readings Jennings swoons over. The only heady item of reality in the whole article has the drunken Sinclair Lewis standing at the podium in 1928 telling his audience that they have no chance of becoming writers, that writers are a "bastard lot of human beings."
George Carey '58
Tenants Harbor, Maine
Whoops
I had to chuckle as I read in "The Write Stuff" in the fall 2005 issue of Middlebury Magazine the following quote from Dr. Paul Austin: "I'm going to go back over every story . . . to make sure this criteria is met."
According to Webster's, the singular is "criterion" and the plural is "criteria." As a former newspaper column writer, I couldn't resist sharing this.
Althea Hall Jackson '44
St. Augustine, Florida
Editors' note: Upon further review, Austin got it right; it was the writer who misquoted the good doctor, thus introducing the grammatical error. The writer would blame Dr. Austin's accent for the confusion, but having grown up in southwestern Virginia, he can't use that excuse, either.
Civil to a Fault
Two alums write to complain that students or the college community showed disrespect and harassed the Marine recruiter by questioning the military exclusion of gay and lesbian service members. The alums were not present at the actual meeting to hear one student after another preface their questions about the policy by stating their appreciation for the work of the military and thanking the Marine for his service to his country. The students were polite to a fault. The recruiter, on the other hand, suggested that serving alongside a gay or lesbian soldier would be like serving with a bank robber or a sex offender. The next day in a TV interview he stressed that the Marines were looking for candidates who were "morally sound," implying that homosexuality is immoral. The disrespect did not come from the students.
Why is it unpatriotic to question a policy that costs over $20 million a year to discharge service members who may be the best qualified for the job (26 Arabic and Farsi linguists, for example), especially when the military is engaged in combat? Why should Middlebury open its facilities to allow discrimination against Middlebury students, discrimination we claim to forbid? Finally, both alums suggest that the policy should be changed by a vote. Discrimination has rarely been overcome by popular vote. Instead it has taken social protest and the intervention of the courts, precisely the strategy we are employing.
Kevin Moss
Middlebury, Vermont
The writer is a professor of Russian at the College.
A Room of Their Own
Last fall, when the announcement was made that the Middlebury Mountain Club's gear room would remain in the attic of Adirondack House instead of moving to a new location, an enormous wave of relief hit. Even though I will be saying good-bye to Middlebury in a few short months, one vein of MMC tradition will remain long after I set foot in the real world. The attic, cramped and dark and musty as it is, represents everything unique and wonderful about the MMC. The wooden snowshoes hanging on the walls, the ads for Norwegian cigarettes, and the 1972 issues of Backpacker that feature all-cotton sleeping bags symbolize the decades of tradition and the years of character that stand behind the MMC logo.
The truth is that the MMC is an incredible club formed by passion for the outdoors and guided by an enthusiasm for adventure and fun that will never be stifled. The gear room—sleeping bags, snowshoes, broken canoes, axes and all—stands as the tangible thing that connects the idea of the club to the students who make it a reality.
During Homecoming Weekend of 2006, the MMC will celebrate its 75 years of outdoor adventure by bringing together those generations of MMC devotees who have made the club what it is today. The weekend will be the one chance for all generations of Middlebury hikers, climbers, skiers, boaters, and ax-wielding outdoorsmen to come together in honor of the College's longest standing student-run organization. It will be a weekend for the logbooks, full of rehashing old memories of Camel's Hump in the snow or Worth Mountain at dawn, and one marked by new friendships made and old ones rekindled. It will be to everyone as the old gear room is to us—a living chronicle of the MMC past and present. It will be a weekend not to be missed, and the current MMC board would like to extend a warm welcome to all of those mountain-crazed Middlebury grads out there who still have trouble getting their minds off of peaks and their feet out of boots.
Lynne Zummo '06
Middlebury, Vermont
The writer is a Middlebury senior and the head guide for the Middlebury Mountain Club.
Remembering Writing
I am puzzled by Jean Connor's ('41) statement in your fall issue that she did not study creative writing at Middlebury because "there were no such courses." ("A Passage of Time," page 54). I studied creative writing in a course given by Professor Richard Brown in my senior year. He also taught Chaucer and was affectionately nicknamed "Beowulf."
We quickly recognized how important words were to Professor Brown as he was usually reading a dictionary when we'd file into class. His fingers were stained orange from nicotine, and visiting servicemen would bring him cartons of cigarettes they got free from the USO.
The creative writing course was a one-to-one ratio. I was assigned a composition a week for him to critique, and he didn't pull any punches. He could spot a last-minute effort, which he would caustically label with "the sparkle of
immediacy."
Dorothy Laux O'Brien '45
Manchester Village, Vermont
Kudos
Congratulations on another great issue of Middlebury Magazine. I remember when I didn't get as enthused about the magazine as I do now. Keep up the good work.
Marvin Holden '48
Middlebury, Vermont
Stow the 'Still'
I wish to call your attention to the caption that accompanied the photograph of Alice Cady Russell '32 on page 52 of the fall 2005 issue of the magazine. The caption reads: "Still busy and active in retirement, she walks frequently and paints in watercolor and oils."
The use of the word "still" when referring to older persons is an expression of surprise, an adverb to be banned in matters of age. As an octogenarian, I am inclined when asked questions introduced with "still" to respond, "Yes, still breathing, talking, thinking." What may be regarded as one party's kind inquiry seems inappropriate, an expression of misplaced wonderment.
Katherine Teetor
Middlebury, Vermont
Editors' Note
During the past two issues, we've run a number of letters addressing the proposed merger of the departments of English and American Literature at Middlebury. Per our letters policy, we've published letters that address the subject and then letters that respond to the first letters. It is now our policy to move on to other subjects, which is why the letters section in this issue does not include any discussion of the curricular debate.
However, with that said, if you feel like your voice hasn't been heard, you will have another chance. In this issue, we bring news of the December faculty vote to accept the Educational Affairs Committee proposal to create a new department (and major) of English and American Literatures and a program in American Studies (page 16). No doubt, readers will have many opinions on this final decision.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Letters Policy
Letters addressing topics discussed in the magazine are given priority, though they may be edited for brevity or clarity. On any given subject we will print letters that address that subject, and then in the next issue, letters that respond to the first letters. After that, we will move on to new subjects. Send letters to:
Middlebury Magazine
Meeker House
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753.
E-mail: middmag@middlebury.edu.