A LAUGH AT A GAFFE
I enjoyed the August issue, especially the article about the 1994 Commencement. On page 13 you referred to the visit of President Herbert Hoover in 1930. I was present at that lecture-it must have been later than 1930 as I was class of 1940. Anyway, I will always remember when Colby President [Arthur] Johnson introduced Hoover, he meant to say "the distinguished ex-president . . ." but alas he said "the extinguished . . ." and then caught himself. It sure caused a few titters in the audience.

Ruth B. Thompson '40
Montpelier, Vt.

You're right, we had the date of Hoover's speech wrong. He spoke at a Baptist church in Waterville on November 8, 1937 to commemorate the centenial of Elijah Parish Lovejoy's death. Lovejoy had received his diploma from Colby at the church. Hoover's speech was broadcast nationwide. -Ed.

CUT OUT THE COMPETITION
I do not appreciate the distinction between "Headliners" and "Newsmakers." I consider my article "The Lawyer's Approach to Critical Thinking" as newsworthy and as significant as anything in the "Headliners" section on page 27 of the November issue. I am not here to compete and do not want what I contribute about what I do to the College categorized and classified. You should simply have a section, as was always the case, under classmate news.

There is something terribly wrong about the attitude of the College which is demonstrated in the distinction you draw between "Headliners" and "Newsmakers."

What you are saying in the distinction between "Headliners" and "Newsmakers" is that there are people who matter and then there are people who matter. The message is that fame and fortune appear to count more for recognition as "headliner" news than the work of millions and millions of Americans who never make the fortunes and the front page of the newspaper but who still do the hard work of society.

A college, to survive, must raise sufficient sums of money to pay for all the services and materials necessary to running a college. Colby College, however, would appear to be losing sight of the distinction between maintenance and mission.

Perhaps a rereading of "The Epitaph" in Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard or even Shelley's Ozymandias might do the college a world of refreshing good.

Stephen Schoeman, Ph.D. '64
Scotch Plains, N.J.

'EMERETI' ALUMNI
How about giving those of us who have had our 50th reunion a new name?

Instead of 50-Plus, how about "Emeritus." It's far more dignified. We deserve it!

Hilda Niehoff True '43
Georgetown, Mass.

CORRECTION
An article entitled, "The Book On Colby," in the November issue contained an inaccurate quote. President William Cotter was quoted as saying "Our best scholars are our best teachers, too." The quote should have read, "Our best scholars are most often our best teachers, too."

Obituaries/Table of Contents/Final Period