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Summer School for Geniuses

The Summer Symposia in Theoretical Physics attracted the best minds in the world.

Sports »

Hailed! Retired jerseys at Michigan

The strange origins of Michigan's least - organized tradition.
Plus: NCAA rules on football program.

Most emailed stories
Talking about words »

Dead words

Why did a dictionary editor tell the great Thomas Hardy to cease and desist?

Talking about movies »

The Farmers and the Helicopters

A potent film about war, hope and memory from a "Viet-kieu" artist.

Alumni

Electrified

Cristi Landy is part of GM's big bet on plug-in technology and the Chevy Volt.

Letters to the editor

Want to respond to something you read in Michigan Today or about U-M? Submit letter here.

To share your personal news and read about other alums, go to alumni notes.

To read about U-M history and contribute your own stories about what U-M was like when you were here, go to Your U-M History.

(December 6th, 2010)

I am a PhD student looking for University of Michigan alumni who attended the university anytime between 1960 and 1990 who would be willing to speak to me about race relations on campus. I'm writing a dissertation on the origins of the university's diversity policies, and my project would greatly benefit from your stories and insight. My email address is mjjohnson@temple.edu.

Matthew Johnson

0

Philadelphia,

(November 11th, 2010)

Perhaps Football-Coach Rodriguez should consider scouting, recruiting(and training)potential Field-Goal Kickers from the soccer teams(WOMEN'S & Men's)!

"Soccer-Style" kickers were both New & Successful as NFL-Team Weapons in the 1960's--Even without "Blocking or Tackling" skills...And if "The-Best" just happens to be a Woman--UM will again have lead the way & broken yet another barrier or two.

Vincent C. Davis
BA
1969
LS&A;
Rochester Hills,

(October 14th, 2010)

Saturday football is always fun to watch, as long as one doesn't take it too seriously. After all, it is supposed to be amateur sports. Lots of color and nostalgia and memories.

However I noticed something at the Notre Dame game which impressed me enormously. At the end of the (hard fought game but they lost) game, the Notre Dame players stayed on the field, linked arms, and together with their fellow students sang their alma mater.

What a truly classy tradition! We did not do such in my day, but is there any possibility Michigan could learn something important from Notre Dame?

And by the way, while Dominick's may be the current traditional spot, some of us are still around who remember the Pretzel Bell with its Friday TGIFs, green beer on St. Paddy's Day and the ringing of the birthday bell. Now there was a memorable hangout!

Regards,

Ambassador (ret) Edward Marks -- LSA 1956

Edward Marks
BA
1956
LSA
WASHINGTON,

(October 14th, 2010)

I, too, was one of the multitude of students who stayed beyond the announced time of candidate Kennedy's arrival that October night, with the reward of hearing the words that germinated the Peace Corps. Though I didn't participate myself, it was fascinating to read later the fervent announcements in the Michigan Daily about meetings designed to take up Kennedy's spontaneous challenge to students to go abroad to help the less fortunate. My chance presence that evening made me a witness to history.

William J. Giovan
J.D.
1961
Law
Grosse Pointe Farms, USA

(September 13th, 2010)

A box in Chris Farah's article From U-M to Hollywood and back, about his Ann Arbor-based film, "Answer This," contains this sentence: "First movie ever to film inside Michigan Stadium during a football game."

Not quite! U-M Television shot "Football Weekend in Ann Arbor" in the Big House in 1957. Was it "a movie"? Well, it was shown, in 35mm., in commercial theaters throughout Michigan the following year. It was written and directed by Ann Arborites Alfred Slote and Hazen Schumacher respectively. I was the Editor and Director of Photography.

Michael Berla
M.A.; Ph.D.
0
Rackham
Columbia,

(September 12th, 2010)

It was great to hear the term 'tree lawn' in your Michigan English article. I haven't heard that since living on the west side of Cleveland in the 70s. Back then, I headed off for Peace Corps training and 'tree lawn' came out of my mouth in one discussion and I got absolute blank stares from all the other volunteers in my group - who came from other parts of the US. No one seemed to have a term for that piece of real estate.

Finally in Michigan I ran across 'lawn extensions'. I wonder if tree lawn had its root in Cleveland being called the 'Forest City'? Wide boulevards in Lakewood (Clifton Road?) have huge trees whose canopies pretty much covered the road - at least they did in the 70s.

Ronald Oblander
MS
1976
Rackham
Ann Arbor,

(July 19th, 2010)

There was no doubt the Big House needed an update. However, the publicity showing in all the papers have projected an outrageous and gaudy image for the football crowd. It was bad enough that now we are caving to the elite and monied crowd, but the stadium now has become another "southern" all we offer is football University. Not the image as a grad that I want. I liked sitting next to the elite, monied, crowd on the same hard seat, on a wet, or snowy day. It was MICHIGAN... what's wrong with you people?

Having trouble filling the seats? Wonder why.....

William Bluhm

1960

,

(July 18th, 2010)

Re: Michigan English: Ouch! Every time I hear someone from Michigan called a "Michigander", I wince. I thought this was a derogatory term from the 19th century, something to do with the Toledo War. Maybe Professor Bailey can enlighten us on the origins of this term. I prefer "Michiganian".

Mary Tomaszewski
BSChE
1978
Engineering
Anchorage,

(July 18th, 2010)

Re: Michigan English: If your father worked for 'Fords' rather than at Ford Motor you were probably from Detroit or Dearborn. It wasn't plural but possesive, as in 'old man Ford's factory.'

Gerri Carr
BS in DH
1955
U of M
Hamburg Township, USA

(July 16th, 2010)

Re: Study: Health is better under right-wing dictatorships, not social democracies: Interestingly, when Nazis controlled Norway in WWII the population had a boost in longevity apparently related to their decreased consumption of meat and dairy products as the Nazis shipped the cattle back to Germany.

Bob Fawcett
MD
1979
Psychiatry
Petoskey,

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