Cheerleader photo

In looking at the picture of the cheerleaders, I believe the picture was taken from the football season of '57 [rather than '55, as previously identified]. I feel sure the upper-deck stands of Nippert Stadium were not there during my undergraduate time. I started at UC in the fall of 1952 and took the Bearcat job in 1953 from Patty Roberts, the only female Bearcat I knew of. I kept that mascot job through the spring of 1957 when I graduated. In fall of '57, the Bearcat was Dick Weyer [Bus '59]. We did look alike when we were in the mascot uniform. One more side note, I lost the job in tryouts one year to Dick Engle [DAAP '57], but he returned the uniform after one game. He overheated, got sick and decided not to continue the job. The other reason I know for sure that the person in the Bearcat uniform is not me is that I could in no way out-jump the cheerleaders as the Bearcat is doing.

Alfred "Fritz" Behrens, Bus '57
Anderson, Ind.

Editor's note: The 1956 yearbook does include that photo, which seems to indicate that Behrens could indeed out-jump the cheerleaders. Or perhaps he was just good at stretching his arms. The stadium's upper deck, known as the Reed Shank Pavilion, was added in 1954.

I would like to point out that the guy in the back row, far left, is Tom Larimer [Bus '58], not Farimer. His name was misspelled in the yearbook. Tom was an Alpha Tau Omega fraternity brother of mine. When I see pictures like this, I look through some of my yearbooks, and it brings back fond memories of my days at UC.

Dick Lasure, Eng '57
Aiken, S.C.

Best issue

The September issue is the best issue of "UC Magazine" I have seen in quite a while. I really like your theme of community partnership, and we are proud to be a part of it.

Dan Schneider
Academic director, Educational Talent Search & Upward Bound
Clermont College

Pentagon Memorial update

In reference to the "Dream Job Updates" in the last magazine ("Applied Science Grad Manages Pentagon Memorial"), one of the benches in the memorial contains the name of David Scales, a 1979 graduate of CCM. David was a cadet in the Army ROTC program when I was an assistant professor of military science. He was an outstanding student and became an outstanding Army officer. The details of his career can be seen here.

Lt. Col. T.W. Stewart
U.S. Army (retired)
Puyallup, Wash.

Famous alumni

As a UC engineering graduate, I brag about Joseph Strauss [Eng 1892], designer of the Golden Gate Bridge. Not only did he accomplish one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century, but his foresight in safety measures during its construction made him a model for the 21st century. He provided safety nets for the workers on this high structure, which only failed when three men fell simultaneously. Another UC alum who was not recognized as such for many years after he graduated is Thomas Berger [A&S '48]. His second novel, "Reinhart in Love," was set on the UC campus and environs -- circa 1949, when I lived on Stratford Street -- and completely captured the Cincinnati mentality. His most famous novel, "Little Big Man," is an American classic worthy of Mark Twain. But he was not even recognized as an alum until a News Record article in 1987.

Carl Schmidt, Eng '59
Cincinnati

Editor's note: A debate exists as to whether Strauss actually designed the bridge, as pointed out in the next letter. Nevertheless, Strauss was the chief engineer who hired the staff and who championed for funding to get the bridge built. The UC alumni magazine wrote stories about Thomas Berger in 1965 and '67. In addition, the magazine and university have recognized him in lists of famous alumni for decades. You'll also find him and Strauss recognized in this issue.

Joseph Strauss did not design the Golden Gate Bridge, but he did see that it was built. He owned the company, hired the person who designed it and did the political work necessary to raise the money for the bridge. It's probably not possible to know without seeing the documents how much Charles Ellis [engineer from the University of Illinois] was responsible for. For full information on Joseph Strauss, the College of Engineering library has a Web site that was put together by Dr. Dorothy Byers [head of the library].

Catherine Rafter
Associate to the dean, College of Engineering

Dream job updates

I truly enjoy "UC Magazine" and have been very interested in reading about fellow alumni and their dream jobs. I, too, have my dream job. Many people may not think it is glamorous or exciting, but I would not want to do anything else. I am a teacher and have taught every grade from second through eighth. At this time, I am teaching fourth-grade language arts and science. I received an excellent education and teacher training from UC and have fond memories of sitting in the classes of Dr. Linda Amspaugh, Dr. Alfred Ciani, Dr. Lanthan Camblin, Dr. Pat Patterson and Dr. Sardar Tanveer. They showed us what a rewarding and exciting profession we were entering and how to hold our students' interest, just as they held ours. I love my job, and seeing a child get excited about learning is the best thing in the world!

Lori Shepherd Richards, Ed '83
Cincinnati

I, too, have joined the ranks of UC alumni who work in the entertainment business in Hollywood. I was one of the first in UC's film department and have enjoyed the role of film cameraman since 1982. However, I also have another dream job that I love -- teaching. It's the best. Thank you, UC, for a wonderful education.

MaryAn Evans-Infield, DAAP '78
Atascadero, Calif.

Favorite faculty

Professor Thomas Lorman (A&S) is exactly the type of teacher every college student hopes to have. He inspires students with what seems to be living history. As an education student in social studies, I often found myself critiquing his teaching methods. All of it was perfect! I have taken at least one class from Professor Lorman each year during my undergraduate years, and I will be sad to no longer be in his class. Professor Lorman is the reason I love UC. [Read many other favorite faculty stories]

Nicola Bagwell, Ed '09
Currently a student

Angry over coverage

I am writing to express my anger at your magazine article by John Bach in April ["Killer Data: Researchers Save Lives by Unlocking the Street Code in Cincinnati"]. How can you write a story about a hate stereotype of urban youth as juvenile delinquents? Surely you must be doing it to push buttons and collect alum feedback. Additionally, the art direction on the Photoshop edit of the cover [right] is hateful; the Caucasian is "upstaging" her African peer, who is standing in the background of the cover page layout. I would also like to state how angry I was at the art direction on the November 2007 cover, which designed the layout with African athletes in the background being hidden by the UC mascot. In the September 2008 issue, I was highly put off/offended by the discriminatory, hateful story about Corie Blount. Surely you are testing me and other alums with a feature article like this. I do not find this an acceptable alumni publication.

Dorothy "Dot" Harding, DAAP '87
Worcester, Mass.

Editor's note: On the April cover, the white woman was more prominent because she was the UC researcher and the black man was a community colleague. The November cover was an action shot of a campus parade, led by the Bearcat and President Zimpher. The football team happened to follow them. For each issue of the magazine, the magazine staff tracks statistics regarding diversity, including gender, ages, nationalities, abilities and ethnicity. In analyzing magazine photos that featured identifiable people last year, 28 percent of the photos included blacks and 43 percent featured minority races of all types. Both numbers exceed UC's actual minority representation. (The student body consists of 10 percent black students and 15 percent total minorities.) 

Correction

The goalposts were not torn down by fans at the 2006 UC-Rutgers football game, as described in the last magazine. The current goalposts are collapsible, meaning the groundskeepers can lift and tilt them to set them down so fans cannot bring them down. While the game clock was running out at the '06 game, the groundskeepers lowered both goalposts. The last time the goalposts where physically taken down by fans was when UC upset No. 9 Wisconsin during the 1999 season. But the fans rushing the field celebrating the victory in '06 was even better.

Jim Van Vliet, CAS '91
Liberty Township, Ohio
(Football season ticket holder since graduation.)

Magazine takes awards

"UC Magazine" recently won the following awards: Council for Advancement and Support of Education District V Awards: Silver Award, feature writing, "Killer Data: Researchers Save Lives …" by John Bach. Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists Awards: Second place -- education news, "Calling It a Day -- Long After Sunset" by Deb Rieselman; feature photo by Bob Flischel. Third place -- sports feature, "We Have Arrived" by John Bach. Honorable mention -- arts & entertainment, "Welcome to Life at Paramount Studios" by Deb Rieselman; feature headline by John Bach.

Letters to the editor policy
Letters to the editor must relate to the university, be signed and include addresses, colleges and years of graduation, when applicable. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity or factual accuracy and to reject letters of unsuitable content. Letters may not criticize other letter writers. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Cincinnati.