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Issue: Spring 2004 Mailbag
We welcome letters from readers, although we do reserve the right to select and edit for space. Send letters to: Mailbag, c/o USC Trojan Family Magazine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-7790, fax: (213) 821-1100, e-mail: magazines@usc.edu Blowing Smoke Your feature “USC Engineering, Then … and Now” (Winter 2003, p. 46) included a photograph of professor Joseph Smatko manufacturing smog in 1955. Dr. Smatko was head of our chemical engineering department and a pioneer in the study of this relatively new menace. His laboratory device did reproduce the reactions necessary to generate real smog, and it was a newsworthy breakthrough. However, it was discovered that smog was not strikingly photogenic. Therefore, I was enlisted to crouch behind the worktable and furiously blow cigarette smoke into the apparatus via a hidden tube. The news article with this resultant “smog” photo made the front pages, and enhanced the public’s perception of the problem. Charles William Crowl ’56 Bravo to Braudy Our daughter began her freshman year this fall at USC as a business scholar in the Marshall School of Business, and I just received our first issue of the USC Trojan Family Magazine. I thoroughly enjoyed the article on Leo Braudy’s writings, including his most recent book, From Chivalry to Terrorism (“The Masculine Mystique,” Winter 2003, p. 24). This article reinforced how impressed we have been with the faculty and academic classes that our daughter has had during her first semester. She has particularly enjoyed the two classes that she has taken as part of the Thematic Option program. Our family takes seriously the importance of learning to read in a critical way and learning to write in an effective manner. I applaud Leo Braudy’s scholarship and the many ways in which the USC faculty is pursuing this same dual objective through its classes and published works. P.S. Congratulations to Professor Braudy on his book’s inclusion in the Los Angeles Times list of Top Books of the Year. I’m including From Chivalry to Terrorism in several of our family’s holiday stockings this year. Gail Lopez Upon Further Review I really enjoy your magazine and look forward to receiving it every quarter. I did want to add some clarification to a brief article in your August 2003 issue. The article was in the section “Shelf Life” and was written by Gia Scafidi (“Prime Time,” p. 22). Ms. Scafidi indicated that “of the thousands of books on staying young, AgeLess is unique in that its findings are backed by peer-reviewed, published scientific research.” For your information, a 1999 book written by Michael Roizen, M.D., titled Real Age: Are You as Young as You Can Be? has a fair amount of similar content, and was also developed utilizing findings from peer-reviewed medical literature. While I am sure Dr. Schneider’s book provides a lot of useful and important information, as well as some new information, it is not quite as groundbreaking as it might seem. Scott Pallais ’83 Well-Aged We have just received the most recent USC Trojan Family Magazine. We remember it as Trojan Magazine, but now it is so much better and informative. Thank you for continuing a Trojan tradition. Darlene (Spriggs) Mour DH ’57 Shooting and Missing Bob Stack and I are USC alumni, and Bob was a longtime friend. His passing was a sad day for many who knew and admired him (Class Notes, Winter 2003, p. 69). I applaud USC Trojan Family Magazine for publishing the news of Bob’s death so all readers of the magazine are informed of the loss of this patriotic, well-known American. In addition to his Hollywood career, the late “Unsolved Mysteries” and “The Untouchables” star had a passion for golf and shooting sports. For whatever reason, I find it inconceivable that whoever prepared the obituary failed to even mention some of the most notable accomplishments of Bob Stack’s career. It is well known in the shooting community that Bob was a skeet champion with several world records and was inducted into the National Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame in 1971. Bob Stack held numerous world records in the shooting sports and was the National Skeet Shooting runner-up – far before his role as Eliot Ness. Shooting was his first and true passion in life. Perhaps your magazine’s policy is anti-gun, or political correctness takes precedence over the acknowledgement of the shooting sports. Whatever, I find it inexcusable to have ignored Bob Stack’s other outstanding accomplishments and his well-earned international reputation as a renowned and greatly admired skeet shooting champion. G. Ray Arnett ’48 We thank Mr. Arnett for fleshing out Robert Stack’s life accomplishments. For the record, Stack’s shooting career was referenced only in passing in our original obituary source; we regret the omission. Kind Words for ‘Last Word’ Thank you for providing an historical events challenge in the USC Trojan Family Magazine’s winter edition (“Tempestuous Teens,” Last Word, p. 71). I’m a history buff who appreciates such a challenge. You’ve chosen to focus on a very dynamic period in world history, one that influenced war, peace, industry and domestic and international affairs. I have two teenage sons, both aspiring to attend USC, who I’m thankful to say haven’t been tempestuous teenagers. Perhaps I speak too soon – there are several years ahead. They are now at an age where your publication has truly become a “family magazine” in our household. Howard B. Katchen ’77 You should be congratulated for the excellent contests you present to us in each issue. It is one of the highlights of the magazine for me. Keep up the good work. Brian Bowe MD ’85 I enjoy the monthly puzzles and contests for brain teasing and testing of us old and young alums. The architectural one about “Holy Gargolyes!” (Autumn 2003, p. 72) was especially fun and on target for my staff. There are 23 of us, and we have done over 120 churches as our major niche of practice. Thank you so much, and keep up the great work. A. Lewis Dominy ’66 The writer is a senior principal with the firm Dominy & Associates Architects. Notice Board Save the date! The 24th Annual Swim With Mike event takes place Saturday, April 17, at McDonalds Swim Stadium. This swim-a-thon benefits the USC Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund, which provides financial resources for advanced education that will allow physically challenged athletes to realize their full potential. Established in 1981, the annual event has raised more than $3.5 million for worthy recipients. Last year the event raised $438,000, and our goal in 2004 is to top that amount. The fun-filled day will feature Pete Carroll and the Trojan football team competing in a relay race with the USC song leaders, as well as a kids’ corner, an Olympic swim clinic coached by USC Olympians and the USC swim team, a barbecue, a silent auction and a raffle. We need your help in order to make this event a success. We want you to swim! There is no requirement on the number of laps each swimmer completes. If you do not want to swim, you can sponsor a swimmer or donate items for the silent auction or the raffle. Contact us at (213) 740-4155 or <rorr@usc.edu>. We look forward to seeing you at the pool on April 17. Fight On! Ron Orr ’79 I’m writing to alert all alumni to two major awards celebrations coming up this spring. First, the USC Alumni Association’s annual alumni awards celebration on Friday, April 2,, will present legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne ’53 with the Asa V. Call Achievement Award, the university’s top alumni honor. (For more on Marilyn Horne, turn to page 45.) In addition, six other exceptional members of the Trojan Family will be honored for their career achievements and service to the university. Alumni Merit Awards will go to Merwyn C. Gill ’37, Kendra Fleagle Gorlitsky MD ’86 and Ed Gregory Hookstratten ’53. Don Garner ’66, MBA ’67, JD ’70, Paul E. Hadley MA ’46, PhD ’55 and Darlene Dufau Reid ’67, MS ’69 will receive Alumni Service Awards. For more information about the event, visit our Web site at (http://alumni.usc.edu). Secondly, the USC Black Alumni Association will hold its alumni awards and scholarship benefit dinner Saturday, April 24, 2004. Last year, this event raised more than $170,000 for scholarships for African-American students at USC. For more information about the event, please visit (http://alumni.usc.edu/baa). I invite you to join us in celebrating these remarkable Trojans. Judith Blumenthal MBA ’84, PhD ’88 The USC Alumni Association invites you and your family to join us this summer for a week of adventure, discovery and fun at one of two USC family camps. Trojan Family Camp in El Capitan, just north of Santa Barbara, Calif., offers a wide range of educational and recreational activities, from nature hikes and star gazing, to kayaking, campfires and talent shows. With its balance of quiet solitude and group activities, Trojan Family Camp is a wonderful chance to relax with your family and meet new Trojan friends. Or, you can embark on a journey of scientific discovery at Trojan Island Adventure at Catalina. Located at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, this is a dream vacation for budding scientists of all ages. Trojan Island Adventure is packed to the gills with learning, fun and Trojan camaraderie. Information on both camps is available on our Web site (http://alumni.usc.edu/camp). We’re looking forward to seeing you this summer! Teri Kirkendoll ’70 We need your assistance in preserving the heritage of our university. The USC University Archives exist to collect, preserve and make available records having permanent value in documenting the history and growth of the university: its administrative offices, the academic departments and USC-related organizations, as well as the activities of faculty, staff and students. Books (including faculty publications), manuscripts, USC periodicals and newspapers, posters, photographic images, disc and tape recordings and other archival items are available for research under supervised conditions. USC’s vital community can be of enormous assistance in assuring the preservation of the institutional memory of our school. Alumni and all members of the Trojan Family may have important material documenting their role in the ongoing story of USC. Gifts of papers, pictures, letters, programs, student publications or any item contributing to documentation of the history of USC will be greatly appreciated and carefully preserved. Please contact me at (213) 743-2435 or <czachary@usc.edu>, or visit (www.usc.edu/ arc/libraries/uscarchives). Claude Zachary The Last Word - Winter 2003 Answers Tempestuous Teens 1. 1918; Spanish influenza
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