Summer 2012 Edition
I always enjoy reading GW Magazine, but I particularly enjoyed your summer 2012 issue. Better teaching and research must be taking place because GW Magazine has reflected the university's rising excellence. Just note the sheer number of celebrities and VIPs in pictures and within articles. Simply staggering!
Patsy Costolo, MA '69
Mount Dora, Fla.
Congratulations on a superb issue! I picked the magazine out of a stack intending to scan and pitch it. I ended up reading it cover to cover. Thank you for another reason to be proud of my own GW experience.
Roger E. Rosenberg, BA '66
Greentop, Mo.
I usually don't read the whole magazine, but I did this time and compliment you and your staff. GW has changed a lot in the 25 years since I graduated. I especially was amazed with the article "Of Mice and Menace." I remember taking a Fortran computer class and my biggest fear was dropping the punch cards while crossing the hall into the room with the "reader."
Ann (Henderson) Gilbert, BA '77
Little Rock, Ark.
Marketplace of Ideas
I feel astounded by letters in the summer 2012 issue denouncing GW for its liberalism. I recall as a doctoral student in the '70s many visits to political science seminars by high-level Nixon administration staffers.
I note the current magazine includes articles about Republicans such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, MBA '71, New York Yankees President Randy Levine, BA '77, and Sen. Mike Enzi, BA '66.
Sarah Slavin, PhD '81
Buffalo, N.Y.
Two postmarks caught my eye in the summer 2012 edition: "Liberalism?" and "George Welcomes...?" I accept that universities are generally liberal. I am also aware that we typically become more conservative as we age. I suggest that GW and the alumni magazine balance discussions of liberalism with discussions of conservatism framed in the marketplace of ideas from the perspective of policies that achieve their intended consequences. I personally measure policies by their long-term impact on the quality of life for everyone.
Arthur Beller, MS '72
Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Of Mice and Menace
I was disappointed by the summer 2012 article "Of Mice and Menace." First, the article neglected to include GW's first cybersecurity program, launched by Julie Ryan. This banner program brought National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence status to GW and provided much of the foundation for the current programs.
Second, there are two popular fallacies about cybersecurity that are not being addressed. The first is the implication that there is a need for more cybersecurity resources in the federal sector (or elsewhere). The other is a failure to understand that we are not "at war," but rather are in a transitional period in which those interested in causing chaos and in stealing our national secrets have adapted faster than defensive measures.
There is much more that can—and should—be said on this topic.
Ben Tomhave, MS '07
Herndon, Va.
Editor's Note: Our summer 2012 article was the first of many GW cybersecurity stories worth sharing. Stay tuned for more coverage in future editions.
Renaissance Man
I read about Glenn Geelhoed in the summer 2012 alumni news section with interest. In addition to his six degrees from GW, he has an BA and BS from Calvin College, and an MD from the University of Michigan, with residency at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Geelhoed has led more than five medical missions per year for 45 years to Third World countries, providing free medical services and medicine. He has run in more than 100 marathons on six continents.
It is amazing to me how many experiences Dr. Geelhoed has had compared to any other person I know. I am one of the many people whose life he has touched.
Howell Simmons, MS '81
Reston, Va.
The Great Deflation
The article "Professor Bernanke" in the summer 2012 edition contains the following sentence: "He told students that during the Great Depression the Fed did not take enough action to stabilize the banking system or prevent inflation." Surely the correct word is "deflation."
Having lived through the period, I can assure you that inflation was not a problem in the United States in the 1930s. However, someone writing an article 50 years hence about the 2008 crisis might well state that the Fed did not do enough to prevent inflation.
Donald Mileur, JD '49
Rush Springs, Okla.
The Hula Hooper
Richard Stower's letter in the summer 2012 edition was the first time I'd heard of the Dunkin' Donuts ad featuring a photo of me hula-hooping. At least 25 years ago, I was contacted by a bagel company asking if it could use my image in an ad. I said yes, but a few months later they told me that they couldn't contact Ed Rutsch, the other person in the photo, so it wasn't going to happen. I not only didn't get a free cup of coffee, but I also never received a copy of the ad. Thanks for writing, Richard!
Ann Marie Sneeringer McKay, BA '60
Mount Pleasant, S.C.