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Touché The [summer 2001] issue of Northwestern with the article on fencing ["A
Nice Touch"] was very nice, but I would like to make a correction.
My late husband, Henry Zettelman (M31, GM32), started the first fencing
team at Northwestern in 1926, way before the current team began. In fact,
he was appointed coach of fencing in 1930. He had fenced at Nicholas Senn
High School in Chicago and was an alternate to the Olympic fencing team.
Northwestern's team was quite successful, winning many meets in the Big
Ten Conference. Send in the Clowns
What a nice surprise to see an article about the Northwestern circus
["The Greatest Show on Campus," News on Campus, summer 2001]. Surprise
because so seldom is there any mention of that era. I should add that
I won first prize as a clown in the 1931 event. Sophisticated Gentleman The closeup ["Sophisticated Lady," summer 2001] of Kathryn
McDonald Wimp (Mu42, GMu43) — who sang as Kay Davis for that musical
genius, Duke Ellington — brought to mind what was a glorious musical
happening sometime between 1948 and 1950. I was a graduate student at
the University of Minnesota and was totally involved with my studies,
trying to get a doctorate in two years. I simply shut out all outside
diversions, but a Duke Ellington concert I just could not miss —
my favorite orchestra since the late 1920s. So I was there thoroughly
enjoying the concert or, as we used to say, "really digging it."
I had never heard of Kay Davis. Then came Creole Love Call and
her sound. It was totally unexpected, it was beautiful, it was spectacular.
Thanks to Kay Davis and Duke Ellington for the most wonderful musical
surprise of my life. In Memoriam I was saddened to read of the death of one of my favorite professors,
Robert Wiebe [News on Campus, summer 2001]. He was an eminent historian
and commanding lecturer, but beyond that, he prompted us to challenge
our as-sumptions. I will always remember how he strayed from his History
of U.S. Social Structure syllabus in spring 1966 for a whole 50-minute
class — unheard of at the time — to awaken us early to the atrocity in
Vietnam. When the final exam failed to arrive, he simply grabbed a stick
of chalk to pose the question "What is U.S. social structure?" Scribbling
in our bluebooks for a mere two hours, we were able to tear apart the
conventional wisdom that ours was a classless society. Still Searching for a Cure Thanks so much for the closeup ["Searching for a Cure," summer
2001] on the Parseghian family and Niemann-Pick Type C disease. Cindy
Parseghian (KGSM81) received a call from Ira Sutow (J68), producer of
the television show 48 Hours. He had read about the Parseghian
family in Northwestern, and he may do a feature on the family for
the show. We'll never know all the residuals from your article, but I'm
sure there will be many, all of which may help in the battle against NP-C.
Ultimate Victories I enjoyed the article on Randy Walker ["Sky Walker," summer
2001]. Let's not forget that he's the second coach from Miami of Ohio
to bring a team to Northwestern and defeat the Wildcats (in 1995) and
then become Wildcat coach (in 1999). It just took him a little longer
than Ara Parseghian, who got the job in 1956, a year following his victory
over the team. More on MOCS and WOCS Thanks for recognizing the Men Off Campus and Women Off Campus [in "MOCs
& WOCs," spring 2001]. This commendation is conveyed by a Chicago-area
MOC alumni group from the classes of 1949 to 1954 that was organized last
year coincident with the class of '50 reunion. We meet quarterly for fun
and fellowship. And we are planning another MOC reunion for June 22, 2002,
during Commencement weekend. For more information contact me at 815-363-0441
or at longmel@hotmail.com.
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