© University of Rochester 1996-2012
I was thrilled to see your Study Abroad Photo Contest in the May-June issue of Review (“Seeing the World”). An excellent idea!
I was one of the first Rochester undergraduates to take a junior year abroad in 1954–55 by spending a year at the University of Munich. I am grateful to Arthur Hanhardt, then professor and chair of the German department, who encouraged me to do so. After I returned he asked me to speak to a meeting of sophomores suggesting that they do the same.
It is interesting to see that the University has expanded the program to many countries with other options. However I understand that most students spend only one semester abroad. I think it takes at least a year to adjust to a completely different academic environment and become fluent in a foreign language. Students should be encouraged to spend two semesters abroad. Perhaps the program can be combined with a Take 5 year of undergraduate study to include a year abroad.
On another subject, I read with great interest your tribute to Bruce Lansdale ’46 (In Memoriam, May-June). The American Farm School, which he headed, is just outside Thessaloniki in northern Greece. I met Bruce there when I was manager of Chase Manhattan Bank’s branches in Greece in the early ’70s. Thessaloniki had a large Jewish population before WWII. During the war the German army paved a road outside the city with Jewish tombstones.
After the war Bruce salvaged some of the stones, which he had in his backyard. He gave me two that I donated to the Jewish Museum in New York City. This is a very small memorial to the Jewish population of Thessaloniki, thanks to Bruce Lansdale, a very remarkable guy.
Albert Barr ’56
San Rafael, Calif.
Evan Wendel, in his article “The Gray Wolf of Light,“ quotes Emil Wolf, the Wilson Professor of Optical Physics, as saying, “Imagine a contingent of 1,000 soldiers walking perfectly in step across a bridge.”
Imagining such an event is all one can do, because soldiers are trained to break step when they cross a bridge to prevent the “coherence” of their pace from causing a resonance in the bridge structure which might damage, or even destroy, the bridge.
Woodlief Thomas Jr. ’58 (MS)
Naples, N.Y.
A roundup of the women’s indoor track and field season in the May-June issue misidentified the members of the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 meter relay teams that won the state title last winter. The winning 4 x 200 team featured Prashanthi Chodagiri ’10, Jacqueline Cinella ’11, Sarah Hutchinson ’12, and Jamie Landry ’09. The 4 x 400 team included Prashanthi Chodagari ’10, Nikita Bourque ’12, Sarah Hutchinson ’12, and Jacqueline Cinella ’11.
In the March-April issue, the maiden name of Randy Sue Kornfeld Marber ’82 was misspelled in a roundup of alumni who were elected to public office. The last name of her husband, Paul Marber ’82, was also incorrectly listed in a class note for them.
We apologize for the errors.
Review welcomes letters and will print them as space permits. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity. Unsigned letters cannot be used. Send letters to Rochester Review, 22 Wallis Hall, P.O. Box 270044, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0044; rochrev@rochester.edu.
© University of Rochester 1996-2012