May / June 2004

Obituaries

Prize Winner

Farewell: Margaret Borden Lawton ’27

She Was Always Pushing for Women

Farewell: Mary F. Diaz ’82

Cosmic Questions

A celestial event that no living person has seen.

Long Distance

Cell phones make it easier to connect anytime, from any place. Or do they?

Spring Fever

As the weather turns warm, why not have class outdoors?

Where’s Home?

On campus, it’s down a hallway with the comforting smell of burnt popcorn.

Reading List

Elmo Terry-Morgan ’74

Mail Room

Nailing It

Jayne Finst, arguably Brown’s finest gymnast ever, ends her career with strength, grace, and a touch of sadness.

Game Day

Critic’s Corner

The Confessions of Max Tivoli

A Weapon of Mass Destruction

From the December 1939–January 1940 BAM

Musical Monopoly: Lee Berk ’64

After twenty-five years running the family business—Berklee College of Music—he retires in June.

High Hopes: Brian Binnie ’75, ’76 ScM

He aims to be among the first commercial astronauts.

An Evangelista for Our Times: Jennifer Hofer ’94

When not writing poetry, she writes letters for others. All kinds of letters.

The Puck Stops Here

In 1999, Yann Danis was just another hockey-playing Canadian teenager. Five years and seven school records later, he is graduating from Brown and signing a contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

On the Edge

Mr. Newdow Goes to Washington

This spring, atheist Michael Newdow ’74 argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that requiring schoolchildren to recite the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. The problem is two words most Americans embrace: under God.

Blocking Out the Future

The University’s ambitious plans to expand its faculty and enrich its academics raise a crucial question: does the campus have room for all this?

Strong Medicine

Brown ups the ante on its commitment to academic medicine.

Coach of the Year—at Long Last

Black coaches remember Fritz Pollard ’19 with an annual coaching award.

The Stuff of Dreams

Student musicians share the stage with a pair of veteran actors.

Atonement

How might a university amend for the past? A committee considers.

Thinking Really Small

A visiting Nobel laureate paints a picture of the nanoscale.

They Can’t Go Home Again

Thomas Wolfe thought he had problems. Exiled women writers speak.

From Battlefield to Ballots

The former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan describes its road to elections

60 Seconds With

Surprise, You’re Free

Thirty six hours out of prison, another Chinese dissident arrives on College Hill.

Getting Inside Inside Baseball

A senior’s first job interview lands her a spot on reality TV.

Data Points

The latest in research on campus

Eat and Run

Looking for culinary adventure in a show that’s half Food Network and half MTV.

Paradise Lost and Found

Alison Smith’s memoir of her teenage brother’s death is a story of devastating grief and surprising rebirth.

Killing ’em Slowly

Jen Chapin evokes the sultry voices of the ’70s, with smooth R&B and jazz harmonies.

Minister of Propaganda

Josh Cohen wants to free music from the media conglomerates.

Crash Course

Two political scientists explore the dark side of airline safety.

In Gaytopia

Coming-of-age fiction comes out kindly.