Praise for the Fall 2023 issue

Remembering fun and friends

We shared this image of two students and a dog in our fall 2023 issue. Here is what alumni sent us about these playful friends.

The dog pictured in the fall magazine is Dune, owned by Kimberly Sanders Perron’74. Dune was one of the sweetest dogs I have ever known. He was well-loved by the whole gang at 416 Harrison. Dune and his mate, Circe, produced a litter of pups: Bruiser went to Chuck Wallace’73 and Marcy Rhodes Wallace’73; Chiadee and Reggae went to Gordy Miller’74: Jack went to Peter Perron’74; Saladin went to Steven Ching’73; and Lisl went to Pat and Greg Wilson’73.

Greg Wilson’73
Beloit, Wisconsin

The guy sitting in the leaves with the dog is Charles “Chip” Lesher’77, geology major. Last I heard, he was at the University of California, Davis.

Mark Henderson’76
Greenwich, Connecticut

What a surprise and blast from the past! Great fun, Mark, that you recognized me in the picture. Those were the days… young and carefree. After graduating from Beloit, I spent time in Maine followed by graduate work at Harvard in geoscience. I spent 31 years on the faculty at University of California, Davis and Aarhus University. Returning to Maine in retirement.

Charles (still “Chip” to my friends) Lesher’77
Aarhus, Denmark

Point of No Return

I was impressed with your fall edition, particularly Anastasia Voronovsky on the Russia-Ukraine War, and Susan Kasten on the new president and his seminar in Krakow. As a history major at Beloit I was intrigued by Russia and Central Europe, and inspired by a trio of English professors: (John S.) Eells, (Frederick R.) White, and (Chad) Walsh.

After graduating in 1951, I studied Russian at the Army Language School in Monterey, California. Though the Russians considered it a spy school, I managed to sneak into Russia during its post-Stalin thaw on two teacher exchanges, one at Moscow State University and another teaching English in high schools in Moscow and Leningrad. The family later camped our way through Russia. My wife and I also spent two years with the Peace Corps in Czechoslovakia and two on a Fulbright fellowship in Kyrgyzstan. Here’s hoping there will be a post-Putin thaw where Anastasia, Russia, and the United States can once again foster peaceful relations and hospitable exchanges with each other.

D. Stanley Moore’51
Chicago, Illinois

Speaking Out for Democracy

I very much enjoyed the fall issue. The magazine continues to get better, as does the college. The continual refinement serves not only to guarantee its students a better education, but also appreciates the reputation of our beloved institution and increases the value of past diplomas awarded. That is an inflation we alums can all applaud. I especially appreciated the story by Anastasia Voronovsky’21, who has gone through so much personally and done so much in protesting publicly against Putin’s war against Ukraine.

I salute her and the many brave Russian citizens speaking out against this war. I wish the standard bearers of our extant but struggling democracy would come out bravely against the anti-democracy movement. I can only imagine that Voronovsky might wonder why Americans are not out in the street protesting against pro-Putin, anti-democracy candidate Donald Trump. Keep up the fine work in improving the college with commitment and high purpose, as did Jim Zwerg’62 when he joined freedom riders in the South in support of the civil rights movement, and as did the Beloit College faculty who passed a resolution in recognition of his courage and the violence he suffered for taking a stand.

Frank K. Mitchell’61
Columbus, Ohio

Pathways to Medicine

It was refreshing to see the multiple jobs Beloit alumni hold in the medical field. I started out with an interest in archaeology and thought I would do that for the rest of my life … and now I’m the quality improvement manager at a clinic that serves people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The Beloit experience prepares you for the world and your life path, wherever it goes.

Emily Hildebrant’04
Harwich, Massachusetts

Inclusion and Success

Congrats on the last issue of the magazine. As is obvious from my graduation date, I have read the magazine for many years. I really appreciate the emphasis on interaction between the college and the Beloit community, especially the African American community. And I value the inclusion of so much information on current students and their successes. Keep up the good work.

Lytton John Musselman’65
Norfolk, Virginia

More cowbell

I enjoyed the fall 2023 edition of Beloit College Magazine, particularly the introduction to President Boynton, and the story “Beyond Cows, Chalets, and Fondue.”

Treicheln, a version of the Silvesterchlausen, exists elsewhere in Switzerland. I have seen it in the Berner Oberland on the Hasliberg. A phalanx of farmers, maybe 3 across and 10 deep each with a cowbell held in front of him, shuffles along in a rhythmic march as the bells shift from thigh to thigh, creating a deafening thunder. They do not dress up. I think they are often drunk. I have seen it at New Year’s and when a local gets married and they march around his house to ward off any evil spirits.

Mark Morrison-Reed’72
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Historic Preservation

A couple observations on the fall issue: in the story on President Boynton by Susan Kasten, there is mention that he has a home on the Rock River in Edgerton, which happens to be my hometown and where I still own my family’s historic 1885 National Trust Register cream-brick tobacco warehouse, the oldest building of its type in the state of Wisconsin. And someone spoofed me in the fall issue Class News — I’m actually spending my time on historic preservation in Arlington, Virginia.

Tom Dickinson’73
Warrenton, Virginia

Talk to us

Have you recently published a book, recorded music, or made a film? We’re looking for books, music, and films by Beloit alumni to feature in future issues. Send details to belmag@beloit.edu. Mail review copies to Beloit College Magazine, 700 College St., Beloit, WI 53511.

Tell us what you think about anything you’ve read in this issue by contacting belmag@beloit.edu. (We reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity.)