Issue: Summer 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

Architectural Gem

Seldom (well, actually, never) have I been moved to write to your magazine. However, I thoroughly enjoyed your article on Paul Revere Williams (“Williams, the Conqueror,” Spring 2004, p. 26). We escaped from Southern California 21 years ago, but reading the story on him made me remember some of the better things in Los Angeles.

I’m sorry to see that Perino’s has gone by the wayside – right after I started attending USC I met a UCLA boy who wanted to impress me. He took me there (and I was impressed – with the restaurant, not him).

The article on Paul Williams was wonderful. As a former director of sales at the Beverly Hills Hotel, we made sure he was suitably honored; the Crescent Wing was renamed the Paul Williams Wing and one of the largest, most glamorous suites is named in his honor, with a plaque detailing his career. The staff were all taught about him. His granddaughter, Karen Hudson, even lived at the hotel whilst finishing her book (and the hotel purchased multiple copies to put in the suites). My husband and I cannot wait to see the exhibit – he was such a talented, beautiful spirit and an inspiration and role model for everyone – regardless of race. How wonderful it is that we can claim him as a fellow Trojan!

I read with keen interest about Paul Williams in your Spring 2004 USC Trojan Family Magazine. The only comment I have is that the Williams family, before moving to Lafayette Square, lived on 35th Street, three houses away from Budlong Avenue. Their back yard was L-shaped, with a badminton court that touched my grandmother’s property at 3419 Budlong. I remember Marilyn and Norma because my grandmother was my legal guardian. Like Paul, I also attended Polytechnic High School in the late 1940s.

Please keep up the good work on your articles.

Each of the strands braided together to make up Paul Williams’s remarkable life; you recaptured it with such pizzazz. The article was written with clarity, was factual and was written with respect. Thank you.

Regarding your presentation of the work of renowned architect Paul Williams: I’d like to call your attention to a problem we’ve had since the beginning of the reconstruction of the Los Angeles Airport. Inadvertently, editors or writers identify Paul Williams as the “architect” of the theme building at the airport. This is to call your attention to the fact that the design of the airport reconstruction was created by a “team” of architects. Paul Williams was a member of that “team.” The primary architect was Pereira & Luckman; Paul Williams was a consultant.

Editor’s Note: Mr. Shulman also took the photo that appears below. We failed to give him proper credit when the image first appeared in the magazine, for which we apologize.

A small correction to your article on Paul Williams. With regard to LAX, the architects of record were Pereira & Luckman, Welton Becket & Associates, and Paul R. Williams Associated Architects. The theme building drawings were done in the Becket office where Paul would participate in all meetings on design. I must say that he was one of the finest gentlemen I ever met and with whom I worked. As a matter of fact, we owned a house on Lake Arrowhead for several years that he designed.

An Unrecognized First

I wish to report a small error in the recent winter edition of your magazine. On page 46, mid-page, the statement is made that the first Ph.D. was awarded by the School of Engineering in 1939 (in chemical engineering). Actually, I received the first Ph.D. in 1948 (also in chemical engineering). Earlier doctorates were in chemistry from LAS, with minors in chemical engineering or mechanical engineering. For verification, I quote from Dean Vivian’s book, The USC Engineering Story, page 207: “In 1948, the Ph.D. in chemical engineering which was awarded to Herbert White was the first to be granted by the College of Engineering.” Other verification is available.

My scholastic accomplishments are not so numerous that I can afford to lose this one that I prize so highly.

Smiling Down

My husband and I are alumni as well as being featured in a wonderfully written article about our passion for finding the best care for the elderly with our nonprofit organization, Senior Smiles (“Senior Authorities,” Spring 2004, p. 46). We would like to thank Meaghan Agnew for writing such an eloquent article and capturing in writing our goals and passion for Senior Smiles.

Since the article was published, we have received phone calls from USC alumni around the country who were inspired and moved by the article. We also received many e-mails and phone calls from other alumni and people associated with USC who want to start a Senior Smiles in their city. If it wasn’t for the inspirational writing of Meaghan Agnew, my husband Erik and I could have never imagined reaching that many people across the country.

Thank you, Meaghan, for taking the time to write about Sydney Cooper Senior Smiles. My grandfather, Sidney Cooper, is smiling down upon you.

Aria Aficionados

I always look forward to checking out “The Last Word” when the new issue of the USC Trojan Family Magazine arrives. It’s always extremely challenging, and this one is certainly no exception. I love opera, but your “Of Arms and Arias” puzzle certainly opened my eyes (and ears) to some new ones!

Thank you.

Being both an opera lover and a (now retired) professional warrior, I quite enjoyed your spring 2004 puzzler, “Of Arms and Arias.” You were considerate enough to include a few of my personal favorites and to avoid obscure, exotic operas. Hope I didn’t get my soldierly songsters scrambled and that the luck of the draw favors me this time.

Lest any of you were scratching your heads over his “professional warrior” reference, reader Smith is a now-retired fighter pilot who served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force.

Trojan Memories

A victorious Trojan parade took place Jan. 21, from downtown Los Angeles to the USC campus.

A similar celebration happened 73 years ago, when USC beat Notre Dame in South Bend on Nov. 21, 1931.

USC and Notre Dame were among the top teams in the country in 1931, so the game in South Bend was a classic match-up. The Trojans beat the Irish 16 - 14 with Johnny Baker’s famous field goal in the last minute. And when the Cardinal and Gold returned to Union Station the next Thursday, they were met with a surprise reception. What awaited them was a ticker tape parade downtown, from City Hall to the campus.

A local sports writer said, “No conquering army of ancient Rome ever received a more tumultuous welcome.”

At season’s end, Southern California defeated No. 1 ranked Tulane in the 1932 Rose Bowl, 21 - 12, and won the mythical national title. This year, history came full circle.

In 1987, I wrote an article for the Pasadena Star News about the 1931 game. I interviewed two All-American Trojans from that team, Gus Shaver and Tay Brown. They were in their 80s and they remembered the game like it was played the previous Saturday. And, of course, they remembered the parade. This year we have new Trojans helping history repeat itself.

A Trial by Birth

The nine months seemed endless but worthwhile. Before the procedure even began, we all knew this is what we wanted. We went in with open eyes, brisk enthusiasm and a willingness to accept the responsibilities that lay ahead. We were more than ready.

We began with a counselor. Luckily for us, we were assigned a winner. She knew her business, and professionally and boldly asked us many questions. None went unanswered. Leaving her office, a sense of anxiety, courage and determination engulfed our bodies. Up to this point we thought the hard work was behind us. Yet, beyond the horizon rested the exhilarating tasks.

Let the games begin! First, we started by picking names. We quickly and remarkably agreed on eight. Liking all the choices, we knew the challenge would be to limit it down to one, or at least two, having a backup, just in case. Unable to keep our mouths closed, we eagerly shared our ideas with those who asked, and even sometimes with those who showed no interest!

“What’s in a name?” I thought. “How important is a name?” My dear friend, who is convinced that a name produces one’s future success, sat appalled when I asked that infamous question. A name determines a future. I heard that statement, or one similar to it, more than I imagined or for that matter wanted to.

In September, when it began, we were hoping to hear something before year’s end. Happily, our Christmas present came early when we received the good news after just two months of trying. Once knowing something, we took a two-week hiatus from anything to do with it. As the New Year came, and time began shrinking, we seriously marked the calendar of things to do and when.

I am not quite sure how or even when it happened, but with one month to go, we amazingly eliminated six names.

The last four weeks seemed to go on forever. The pain grew daily, and the level of stress stayed immeasurable. The night before the due date, I agonized with fear. There was no turning back now.

On Easter Sunday, April 18, 2003, we gave birth to The University of Southern California.

The college application process was wanted, nurtured and culminated. It was indeed a very laborious procedure. It is too soon to know the outcome or final results, but we are prepared to support, love and devote the next four years to ensuring that this “birth” is given every possible opportunity.

Jacob Kahana – the benefitor of the the “birth” his mother describes – entered USC this past fall.

Notice Board

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 stargazing, to kayaking, campfires and talent shows. With the right 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, embark on a journey of scientific discovery at USC’s Family Science Camp on Catalina Island. Located on the “less civilized” end of the island, at the famed USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, this program offers a dream vacation for budding scientists of all ages. USC’s Family Science Camp is packed to the gills with learning, fun and Trojan camaraderie.

For more information about both of our family camps, please visit our website at (http://alumni.usc.edu/camp).

We’re looking forward to seeing you this summer!

USC is pleased to announce the third annual USC Asia Conference, to be held Oct. 28-30, 2004, in Seoul, South Korea.

This conference will bring together more than 300 USC alumni and friends – academic, business and government leaders, sponsors of USC research and internships, prospective USC students and parents, as well as USC trustees, deans and faculty – to discuss important socio-economic, cultural and technology issues affecting Pacific Rim societies.

I hope you will consider joining us for this unique opportunity to connect with leading thinkers and practitioners from around the Pacific Rim.

For more information, please visit the 2004 USC Asia Conference web site at (www.usc.edu/asia).

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. University alumni and all members of the Trojan Family may have a great amount of material documenting their role in the ongoing story of USC. Gifts of papers, pictures, letters, programs, student publications, or any other item contributing to documentation of the history of USC, will be greatly appreciated and carefully preserved.

For more information, please contact me at (213) 743-2435 or e-mail me at <czachary@usc.edu> or visit us on the Web at (www.usc.edu/arc/libraries/uscarchives).

Correction

In the article “A Fine Klein” (Spring 2004, p. 44), we stated that the Office of Director of Communication in the White House was closed once Herb Klein ’40 left office. This was not an accurate statement. As Klein explained to us in an e-mail, “Each President has had slightly different assignments for the office, but Nixon continued to use it, as has each succeeding President, including George Bush, who has Dan Bartlett.”

We also incorrectly identified Klein’s daughter as Patricia (Klein) Hutchins. Her name is Patty (Klein) Root.

We apologize for both errors.

1. Brünnhilde, from Wagner’s Die Walküre
2. Radamés, from Verdi’s Aïda
3. Don José, from Bizet’s Carmen
4. Lt. Pinkerton, from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
5. Major-General Stanley, from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance
6. Guglielmo, from Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte
7. Marie, from Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment
8. Rienzi, from Wagner’s Rienzi: Der Letzte Der Tribunen
9. Ezio, from Verdi’s Attila
10. Háry, from Kodály’s Háry János
11. Otello, from Verdi’s Otello