Letters

“Alumni living at Kendal at Oberlin lay claim to constituting the highest density of University of Rochester–associated individuals living outside of the Rochester area.” —Don Hultquist ’56, ’62M (PhD)

A Further Recommendation

Regarding the reading list (Summer 2004), I enjoyed the wide variety of suggestions. You may want to recommend to your readers that the last two books on your list, Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel and Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Years of Rice and Salt, should be read in that order.

Diamond presents an intriguing and plausible explanation for the dominance of European culture utilizing a myriad of interconnecting factors to justify his theories. Robinson then takes these factors and Diamond’s theories and turns them around to provide an equally plausible and thoroughly enjoyable alternative history of human civilization.

Two great reads.

Ohio Alumni Stake Claim

Rochester alumni living at Kendal at Oberlin lay claim to constituting the highest density of University of Rochester–associated individuals living outside of the Rochester area. Fourteen individuals (1 out of every 21) who live on this 92-acre retirement campus were students, faculty members, or staff members at the Prince Street, River, Eastman, or Medical Center campuses. An additional six Kendal residents formerly lived in Rochester but are not University alumni.

According to Rochester alumni offices, another 20 alumni are on the staff of Oberlin College or live in Oberlin, and a number of others live in nearby communities. With regard to our claim of the highest alumni density, we welcome comments from those who contest the claim.

At a recent “Rochester Dinner” on the Kendal campus, former Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra member Paul Oncley ’32E, ’33E (MM), former longtime pathology professor Lowell Lapham, and former Rochester writer, editor, and sometime music critic Etta Ruth Weigl were among those who provided the group with recollections of Rochester and the University.

Plans have been made for a more inclusive “Rochester Dinner” on Wednesday, October 27, at 5:30 p.m. on the Kendal at Oberlin campus. All University alumni and others with Rochester connections who live in the Oberlin/Northern Ohio area are encouraged to attend. For information and reservations please contact us at donald.hultquist (at) oberlin (dot) edu.

Calling Omega Alumni

It is with great pleasure that I would like to announce to the University community that at this year’s Meliora Weekend, October 8–10, 2004, there will take place the first Omega Fraternity Reunion.

Omega, for those unfamiliar with it, was a local Greek organization, an offshoot of the national fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi. It was created in 1974 and was housed for 10 years in the basement of Burton Hall.

During its decade-long existence, Omega was an oddity, an unusual blend of diverse characters running the gamut from scientists to artists and musicians to athletes. In addition to the innumerable contributions made by the members of Omega within their respective fields of study, their Saturday night “Magic Bus” revels were a vital part of the University’s social scene for years.

I’d like to ask that all former members of Omega please plan on attending Meliora Weekend for this once-in-a-generation reunion and to pass the word to all our brothers and friends.

For more information, log onto www.burtonbasement.com or contact me directly. I look forward to welcoming the entire Omega community back to Rochester this fall.

Interested alumni can write to Pekowsky at 43 Benjamin Road, Mahopac, NY 10541; e-mail: mtrotsky (at) aol (dot) com; phone: (845) 628-8330—Editor.