Editor's note: Letters about the summer issue
cover package "The Love that Dare ot Speak Its Name"
are available at www.nd.edu/~ndmag/su2004/gayletters.html.
Farewell to some good men
Wow! - I've just finished reading for a second and slow time
the beautiful eulogy on Father Edmund P. Joyce, CSC- in the summer
2004 issue. What a Notre Dame man! Thank you so much for selecting
a quality writer and contemporary of Father Joyce, Richard Conklin,
to prepare the eulogy.
I am very fortunate to have been at ND as a student when the
two great leaders (Hesburgh and Joyce) were, so to speak, operating.
Also Father Joyce and I knew some mutual ND friends from Kansas
City, Missouri. We'd chat occasionally. Thank you for helping
our memories.
Tom F. McGee '51
Kansas City, Missouri
As the parents of four ND graduates we really appreciated the
article commemorating the life of Father Joyce. What a special
combination "Ned and Ted" made.
They both had sense of humor - so I trust that they'll not mind
my next comment. The first sentence of the last paragraph on page
19 says, "Hesburgh and Joyce agreed some time ago that "whoever
died first would eulogize the other." Now that would be quite
trick wouldn't it? But then, these men are so spiritual that they
might have pulled it off. How about "whoever died first would
be eulogized BY the other?"
Great two priests, great article, great magazine, great university.
Bob and Ann Armstrong
Waynesville, NC
(Editor's note: Indeed the article did say that.
Our apologizes about the mistake. It has been corrected in the
web version.)
The Saint Mary's/Notre Dame community recently lost Professor
Albert LeMay, one of its most vibrant members.
During my time at ND, Professor LeMay was by far the most energetic
teacher I had. His love for Spanish and Latin American literature
was palpable. He also shared his love for a good glass of red
wine. Now that is what I call "in loco parentis."
The University should remember his example as it balances the
tensions between research and educating students.
"Vaya con Dios, Profesor LeMay."
Thomas O'Brien '84
The economics of it
Teresa Ghilarducci's "Made In The USA" is an outstanding item
on a timely social/economic issue. I am now retired from the AFL-CIO
and sent it off to several friends in the labor movement. Please
tell her that this labor skate really appreciates her fine work.
Alan Bosch '61
I just finished reading Teresa Ghilarducci's "Made in the USA."
I can't believe that her economic solution to good job creation
is to punish consumers and shareholders and to reward ineptly
managed companies like Kmart. Wow! It's frightening that she is
teaching economics to college students. No wonder our society
has a lack of good basis economic knowledge and understanding.
It's also disheartening to read that Notre Dame has cancelled
more than 1500 electronic journal subscriptions and discontinued
the print version of another 1,000 journals. The excuse: "it's
complicated." I'll bet! There must be a better solution and finding
that solution is the job of the university/library management.
Does the university really have the right management people? Perhaps
they are the ones who should be canceled or discontinued.
William C. Mayer, CPA, '69
Saint Augustine, Florida
Your article "Made in the USA" in the Summer edition of Notre
Dame Magazine was very informative. I have enjoyed reading this
publication for more than five years - and probably read over
90 percent of its content.
I thought this article, however, was particularly well written.
I hope that more articles by the teaching staff at the University
dealing with similarly timely topics will be included in future
editions.
Ryanherbv@aol.com
Irony of inflation
It was sad to see that ND's library is being forced to cancel
various subscriptions because of subscription rates rising greater
than inflation. The real irony, however, was on the page 14 where
you note that tuition, etc will rise to $36,930 or a 6.9 percent
increase. That would seem to be far in excess of the current inflation
rate, also. Evidently ND doesn't appreciate getting a taste of
it's (and other institutions) medicine. It's nice to know that
the library is getting to feel how I feel every time my daughter
asks if she can try to get into ND.
I graduated in 1974 and it was my goal to try to send my kids
to ND. Sadly, there is no way I can afford to pay $37,000 per
year, and it obviously will not get any cheaper when my children
are 18.
I love Notre Dame, but there will be no legacies in this family.
Jack Bennett '74
Tariq Ramadan controversy
The appointment of Tariq Ramadan to a tenured
teaching position- to borrow a phrase from the 9-11 Commission-
demonstrates a "failure of imagination." The article mentions
Dr. (I trust that he does have a Ph.D., though you do not so indicate
in the announcement of appointment) Ramadan's grandfather's involvement
in the creation of Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood, once a
benevolent group, now has as one of its tenants, a jihad.
They are militantly against the Zionist occupation of Muslim
land. How that is not anti-Semitic, I do not know. It certainly
is a very fine line.
The Brotherhood has as its agenda the uniting of all Muslim
lands. They have had an active part in Tajikistan, Afghanistan
and Iraq to quote Al-Hudaybi, leader of the Ikwan (head of the
Muslim Brotherhood) of Egypt.
Yes, Notre Dame students should/must know more about Islam,
but hiring a man with close blood ties to a group which was responsible
for temporarily closing the University in Cairo, concerns me greatly.
The zealous students- the ones who would improve THE WORLD- could
be caught up in a destructive direction: working counter-productively
from all the positive post graduation Holy Cross associate programs.
This may be too stereotypical, but I see this leading to a radical
student buying into the jihad and from there moving into terrorist
activity. Would you stop it? Could you stop it? Are you going
to have imaginative teachers working to contrast and counter these
ideas?
Now you have a teacher whose contract you cannot easily terminate.
Why were you not more imaginative?
Mary H. and Robert E. Fleck
Parents of '83 Grad
Cleveland, Ohio
A welcome perspective
I would like to take the time to say how much I enjoyed Kathleen's
article "My Welcoming Embrace" in the last issue of ND magazine.
I have experienced similar situations throughout the years and
share her sentiments. I have handled the situations a little differently
than her, and although I agree with her logical analysis on the
economic value of children, I think she is in effect casting pearls
to swine who cannot or will not see the beauty of God all around
them. I can reassure her it gets better as one gets older.
I would appreciate it if you could thank her for me for writing
that piece.
Ed Gates
Animal problem
This letter is in response to "Buster Gives Me Fits," by Ruta
Paskevicius in the summer 2004 issue (the story about Buster -
the pound dog with epileptic seizures).
Buster's owner was exasperated and exhausted due of the dog's
repeated seizures -- but that gave her no excuse to "yank the
damn dog out of corners" and yell at him as she saw him succumbing
to another seizure.
If there had been witness to this, the owner may well have been
charged with animal cruelty. Certainly, if she had done that to
a human suffering seizures -- she'd be arrested!
I volunteer at a dog shelter, and I can tell you that most of
the dogs that end up in places like that, have led terrible lives
up to that point. When a person adopts a dog from a pound, it
is usually the first and only hope that the animal might finally
experience love and kindness.
Buster's owner wrote that she was able to find brief
but significant moments where she found herself able
to choose between kindness and anger. Well, that's just not enough
to earn her the gold star. She writes that she "caught herself
clawing the air with rage like a cartoon witch" at the onset of
another seizure. I truly fear for the dog's safety after reading
that, and might I suggest that this person should never attempt
to parent a child.
My reaction to this story, is not a case of never having faced
a prolonged situation like this. I certainly have, and I can honestly
say that I never had to urge to heap even more fear upon a suffering
animal.
I commend the owner for seeking veterinary attention for her
pet, although, that is simply what any decent pet owner would
do. Maybe this owner will re-read her own story, and see it through
new eyes. I pray that this will happen, and that she will dedicate
herself to providing that poor dog with a warm and loving home.
The fact that the owner was finally able to surrender to it all,
and just ignore her dog (as opposed to what -- yanking him?) as
he suffered yet another seizure, while they drove along in the
car, does not strike me as a happy enough ending to this story.
Laurel Gruber
Avon Lake, Ohio
Soul of a University
From "The Soul of a University" by Anthony DePalma: "My stake
in Notre Dame is rather large, but . . . all that permits me to
see things as they are."
Some things can only be seen through eyes that have wept.
Lou A. Sojka
Elkhorn, Nebraska
Like Anthony DePalma, my first encounter with Notre Dame was
when my son chose to go there after having gone through school
in Ireland. I was in an ideal position to compare it to another
North American university as I was working at U of M at the same
time.
I was amazed at the difference in the behavior of the students;
those I met at Notre Dame were gentle, caring, polite and neatly
turned out individuals, even heroic at times. One of many surprising
incidents was when 15 of them stayed at my apartment for a football
weekend and left it exactly as they had found it, nothing out
of place.
I believe it the Catholic identity with its value system that
makes Notre Dame and its students what they are. Now that I'm
back in Ireland I can identify with the student who was glad to
leave here and return to Notre Dame.
Dr. Catherine Lloyd
Booterstown, Dublin, Ireland
Laetare suggestions
In review of Graduation 2004, the University again completes
its annual show of recognizing an American Catholic who has "illustrated
the ideals of the Church" via the Laetare Medal.
It is challenging to take this award as a serious representation
of the medal's stated purpose. Consider that for every Sister
Prejean, Sen. Moynihan, and Mr./Mrs.Steinfels that there has been
no Father Pavone, Justice Scalia, or Prof. McInerny. While the
listed winners may be worthy, failure to also recognize those
on what may called the other side of philosophic divide damages
the creditability of the University's effort.
The University has a leading role in presenting the faith to the
greater culture. The Laetare Medal should represent of all the
faithful and thus demonstrate in total how American Catholics
show that the "truth is mighty".
Pat Timon, '88
Louisville, Kentucky
(October 2004)
