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The Yale Alumni Magazine is owned and operated by Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., a nonprofit corporation independent of Yale University. The content of the magazine and its website is the responsibility of the editors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Yale or its officers. |
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It is my great pleasure to report that Kathrin Day Lassila has accepted the offer of the board of Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., to become the Editor of the Yale Alumni Magazine. Kathrin, a 1981 Yale College graduate and Rhodes scholar, has been editor of the magazine OnEarth (formerly The Amicus Journal) for the last eight years. OnEarth is the quarterly environmental magazine published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and has a circulation of 140,000.
Kathrin has served as the magazine’s editor-in-chief, overseeing all business and editorial functions; she has been responsible for design, production, content, and printing, as well as Web site development and the recruitment of an outstanding group of contributing authors. Kathrin graduated with distinction in English. After completing her Rhodes scholarship at Oxford in 1985, she held a President’s Fellowship at Columbia University, where she earned a master’s in history. She joined the NRDC in 1988 and held a series of writing and editorial positions before becoming editor of OnEarth in 1994. The committee of the board of directors of the Yale Alumni Magazine, which undertook a national search, was ably chaired by Harvey Applebaum '59, former chair of the boards of the magazine and the Association of Yale Alumni. Other members of the search committee included board members Paul Steiger '64, managing editor of the Wall Street Journal; Susan Hockfield, dean of the graduate school; and Linda Lorimer, University vice president and secretary. We look forward to welcoming Kathrin, as well as her husband and her children, when she starts on April 1, 2003. This letter would not be complete without offering heartfelt thanks to the tremendous leaders at the Yale Alumni Magazine, the oldest independent alumni magazine in the nation. Eugenia Hayes, our publisher, has provided remarkable stewardship this year, continuing her significant and valuable contributions to the magazine since 1998. And Bruce Fellman and Mark Branch have risen to the occasion to produce truly outstanding issues since Carter Wiseman’s departure as editor last summer. We all owe them a special debt of gratitude. Sincerely,
Bowled Over by Cover How nice to see a frog on the cover of the October issue. A half century ago, frogs were a great part of Yale’s tradition, and the frogs' voices were heard loud and clear in the Yale Bowl. With thanks to Aristophanes, the chorus from his play, The Frogs, “Brek-ek-ek-ex ko-ax, ko-ax,” reverberated happily in the stands as the Big Blue performed mightily on the field. Back then, the frogs were “the twelfth man” on the team. Three nostalgic cheers for The Long Cheer.
School Days I was disappointed to read the November article, “School Days in the West Bank.” The writers depict life in the West Bank town of Zababdeh as a series of confrontations between Palestinian children and Israeli tanks. If only it were so simple. In fact, Zababdeh is just six miles from Jenin, which a Fatah PLO report on September 25, 2001, said was characterized “by an exceptional presence of fighters who take the initiative [on behalf of] nationalist activities. Nothing can beat them; nothing bothers them; they are ready for self-sacrifice by any means.” Hamas terrorists responsible for the March 31 “Passover massacre,” which resulted in the slaughter of 15 Jews, came from Jenin, as did Mahmud Tu'albe, the Islamic Jihad terrorist responsible for hundreds of attacks on civilians in Israel. In short, it is no surprise that the town the writers chose for their story would be closely monitored by Israelis, who live in fear of subsequent attacks. Yale is not immune to terrorist attacks. On February 25, 1996, a Palestinian suicide bomber on a bus in Israel killed 25 people and wounded 77 more. One victim was Matt Eisenfeld '93. Matt was traveling with his fiancée Sarah en route to Jordan, where they hoped to celebrate the Israeli-Jordanian peace agreement and to explore the region. As Matt’s roommate Shai Held said, “He loved books, but he always remembered to love people more.” I find it ironic that “School Days in the West Bank,” whose title suggests that it is concerned with children and education, could completely miss half the story. Yes, it is a tragedy that the children in Zababdeh are subject to military checkpoints. But what about the victims of terror? As Golda Meir once said, “There will never be peace until the Palestinians love their children more than they hate us.” We all hope and pray for a time when children are raised with love in their hearts, and when swords are beaten into plowshares. But until that time comes, there will be tanks in Jenin.
The Adventure Continues I respect Mr. Hartman’s sense of adventure in his summer work and applaud him for his endeavors (“College Comment,” Oct.). But does he really believe his father’s summer work in construction wasn’t a “time to better” himself? There is sometimes a tendency among the young, gifted, and privileged to demean or belittle the unexotic course of their parents and predecessors, who indeed might have helped make possible their great opportunities. I am also puzzled: Does Mr. Hartman have only one summer left for adventure? I must suggest that “career advancement,” “intellectual engagement,” and “adventure” are likely to continue past one’s undergraduate years!
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Kathrin Day Lasilla ’81, Yale Alumni Magazine editor
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©1992–2012, Yale Alumni Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Yale Alumni Magazine, P.O. Box 1905, New Haven, CT 06509-1905, USA. yam@yale.edu |
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