The Scene welcomes letters. We reserve the right to decide whether a letter is
acceptable for publication and to edit for accuracy, clarity, and length. Letters deemed potentially libelous or that malign a person or group will not be published. Letters should not exceed 250 words. You can reach us by mail, or e-mail sceneletters@colgate.edu. Please include your full name, class year if applicable, address, phone number, and/or e-mail address. If we receive many letters on a given topic, we will print a representative sample of the opinions expressed. On occasion, we may run additional letters online.
“Diary from Haiti” superb
I THINK THE Scene has become a fantastic magazine. Wonderful articles. I read it from cover to cover. “Diary from Haiti” (summer 2010) was superb.
I really appreciate the Colgate connection. My dad, uncle, husband, brother, and niece were all Colgate graduates. Unfortunately, when I went to college, women were not yet accepted at Colgate. Keep up the good work!
Shirley Searing Preston
Rochester, N.Y.
Speirs: From the
Bottom of a Well
A FRIEND OF MY classmate Bruce Barth was attracted to a book titled Shouts From the Bottom of a Deep Well while browsing in a used bookstore. Seeing that it was written by Russell Speirs from Colgate, he gave it to Bruce. Bruce, knowing that Russ was my faculty adviser and Shakespeare teacher, sent the book to me.
Professor Speirs’s dedication is as follows: “To the many students who put up with me on good days and bad days, in good years and bad years, from 1923 through 1971.”
To you graduates who knew Russ and loved him, to those thespians in Masque and Triangle (many of whom are named in this book) who were fortunate enough to be involved with him in creating drama for Colgate, I will lend to you this delightful autobiography wrapped in his poetry and decorated with his whimsical drawings. Find my contact info atop this issue’s 1960 class notes.
Steve Greenbaum ’60
Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Mott and the WSG
ONE REASON I attended Colgate was to try to join the Washington Study Group. I got acquainted with Professor Rodney Mott. He encouraged me, and we became friends (a lot of us did). Regretfully, WWII came along and we all changed direction. Thank you for writing about Mott (“Founding the Washington Study Group,” Letters, autumn 2010).
Harold Duncan ’44
San Antonio, Texas
Spread the word on fitness
ONE OF COLGATE’S
great legacies to the world has been to instill in the Colgate family a
fanatical commitment to physical fitness. We need an in-ground
whirlpool, steam bath, and massage facilities. Let us put on a
conference on physical fitness and invite the national news media and
people from all over the world to this conference at Colgate, to give
the world our love of physical fitness!
Edward T. O’Donnell Jr. ’70
Wilmington, Del.
| Bob Howard’s timeless lessons
THE PASSING OF Bob Howard ’49 (In Memoriam, autumn 2010) should be a
reminder to all alumni — and the institution he loved so dearly — that
Colgate exists today because we stand upon the shoulders of Colgate men
like him.
Bob taught us that people matter. No effort,
however simple or small, went unrecognized by this graceful, thoughtful
man. He had an innocence of heart open to all who crossed his path, and
those who did meet Bob were instantly infused with the true “spirit that
is Colgate.” He understood that for Colgate to be more than a name and a
place, it must protect and impart the importance of Colgate’s past —
its teachers, its staff, and its people — while building a better
future.
Bob served Colgate in the admission and alumni offices.
He understood and tended to the lifeblood of the university: its
students and its alumni. As the adviser to the Colgate Thirteen, he was
an anchor for the group at a critical time in its history, and for that,
the Thirteen and Colgate will benefit for years to come.
While
Colgate has changed, the core of what Bob taught us remains timeless.
Bob’s language of love was living. Through his own example, he taught so
many that we must embrace life with a sense of possibility, do the work
that needs to be done, and connect with all those who touch our lives.
There are few at Colgate today who know of Bob Howard. Yet the Colgate
community needs to pause a moment and remember this man from the Class
of 1949 because our lives are better because of his.
Scott Williams ’80
Bethesda, Md.
Remembering Ole Kollevoll
OUR BELOVED FORMER hockey coach Ole Kollevoll ’45 (In Memoriam, this issue) died in Sarasota, Fla., on Sept. 11, giving me yet another reason to never forget that date. Playing for Ole and then coaching Colgate’s freshman baseball and hockey teams [under Ole’s tutelage] while I was in grad school played a big part in my going into coaching for a part of my life. I’m sure it played a similar role for others as well.
Ole had a very positive effect on people. You looked up to him, and you did not want to disappoint him. He was a man’s man, and a great role model for a bunch of impressionable young hockey players. I feel sad that he is gone, but I feel lucky to have known him and very thankful to have played for him. Ole Kollevoll will be missed by all of us, but forgotten by none of us.
Dick Johnson ’64
Duxbury, Mass.
REMEMBERING COACH Ole (the Camel) Kollevoll is a lot easier than trying to forget
him. He has been unforgettable to many of us since leaving Colgate. The
impact he had on ’gate student athletes on and off the field across the
sports he coached, especially hockey, was and is his living legacy, and
will be with those of us whom he coached until we die. He never let us
forget why we were at Colgate; first and foremost, to get an outstanding
education, and, oh, yeah — play hockey, and win! When we crossed the
hockey locker-room threshold and entered Starr Rink for a practice or to
play a game, everything else in our lives was to be left outside that
room. We were there to learn, play hard, and win. In so many ways, as
accomplished as we thought we might be as players, he not only coached
us on how to play the game, but he also taught us about the game, about
winning, and about ourselves. He did it well!
At the front end of the modern era of hockey at Colgate, he was to all
his players a great and memorable coach — and he made it a privilege to
play for Colgate — and for Ole Kollevoll!
Bob Meehan ’65
Boxford, Mass.
|
IN FIVE SHORT years after starting Colgate’s modern hockey program, Ole’s
Colgate teams went to the ECAC championships, only to be stopped by the
eastern champions Harvard in 1963 and Providence College in 1964 — an
amazing accomplishment considering that, unlike most successful
programs, his Colgate teams had very few Canadian players, consisting
mainly of northern New York, Minnesota, and Massachusetts high school
players who excelled under his tutelage.
What kind of coach was Ole? Ole was not a screamer, and he never
belittled a player. There were plenty of “doggone its” and “goldang
its,” but he would never swear; neither would he tolerate swearing. When
we were underperforming, a typical between-period talk went like this:
“You guys are disappointing me, your school, your parents, and coaches
who worked so hard to get you here, and most of all yourselves. Now
let’s turn this thing around!”
We learned on and off the ice that success demanded perseverance,
consistency, commitment, accountability, sacrifice, teamwork, giving
your all until the last whistle, and, yes, Norwegian stubbornness! His
developing these qualities in players led to successful doctors,
dentists, lawyers, teachers, professors, administrators, leaders in
transportation, business, and finance, distinguished military careers,
professional athletes, and some who gave their lives in the service of
their country.
His former players can only reverently say, “Thank you, coach. We are
very, very proud of you. You inspired us until the end of your game, and
still do!”
Kurt Brown ’64
Sarasota, Fla.
Relive the exhilaration and challenge of liberal arts learning. Nine of Colgate’s engaging professors will adapt their most popular material for alumni, family, and friends who yearn for a serious academic experience. Outside of the classroom, enjoy fitness activities, golf at Seven Oaks, and the Village of Hamilton, from the Farmer’s Market, shops, and restaurants to a historical walking tour.
Summer on the Hill — Think Colgate Study Group, closer to home and all grown up.
Course options
Making Art Modern: Cezanne, Picasso, and Kandinsky — Mary Ann Calo, art and art history
Shakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra — Margaret Maurer, English
Telling Right from Wrong: The Search for Objective Morality — David McCabe, philosophy and Core Modernity
Alien Invaders: Exotic Species and Biodiversity — Timothy S. McCay, environmental studies and biology
Human Memory: The good, the bad, and the ugly — Douglas N. Johnson, psychology
Evolution and You — Frank Frey, biology and environmental studies
The Great Recession — Nicole Simpson, economics
The Swinging Gate: U.S. Immigration Policy in the 21st Century — Ellen Percy Kraly, geography
The American Way of Graft — Michael Johnston, political science
For details on schedule, accommodations, meals, and registration, call 315-228-7433 or visit www.colgateconnect.org/ summerhill. Registration deadline: May 16, 2011
|
|