2 trinity reporter Spring 2004

Visit the newly redesigned Trinity

College Web site at www.trincoll.edu.

CAMPUS NEWS

along the walk campus news • from the president • books • from the archives

Kirkpatrick appointed interim dean of faculty

P rofessor Frank Kirkpatrick, theEllsworth Morton Tracy Lecturerand Professor of Religion, has been

appointed to the position of interim dean ofthe faculty, effective July 1, 2004. ProfessorKirkpatrick succeeds Professor Miller Brownof the Philosophy Department, who has heldoffice for the past six years. Kirkpatrick grad-uated from Trinity in 1964 and received anM.A. from Union Theological Seminary anda Ph.D. in religious studies from BrownUniversity in 1970. He has been on the fac-ulty at Trinity since 1969.Widely respected asa teacher and a scholar, he has extensiveexperience in various administrative duties atthe College, including positions as director ofthe Individualized Degree Program, chair ofthe Religion Department, secretary of thefaculty, ombudsman for the faculty, and deanof the First-Year Program.

According to Interim President BordenPainter,“Frank’s 35 years on the faculty, hisreputation as a scholar and a teacher, and hisleadership in so many capacities give him theexperience and knowledge to do the job ofdean of faculty effectively and smoothly inthis transitional period. I am grateful for hiswillingness to serve the College and the fac-ulty in this way.”

College Web site gets a facelift

I n mid-February, the College launchedits newly redesigned Web site, which canbe accessed at www.trincoll.edu.The

site redesign project was started last April andis a joint effort of the CommunicationsOffice and the Computing Center.Generation, a collaborative partnership ofWeb consulting, research, and design firms,was retained to develop a new informationarchitecture and navigation map, as well as aneffective site design.

The redesign incorporates several newfeatures, including audience gateway linkswith easy access to frequently visited pagesfor specific audiences (prospective and cur-rent students, alumni, parents, community,faculty, and staff), and two distinctive themeareas—Living and Learning at Trinity andUrban/Global Connections. Intended forprospective students, these themes showcasethe College’s liberal arts education, urbanprograms, and global learning opportunitiesthrough Trinity students’ own experiences.Additional enhancements, including a virtualtour, are being planned.

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EconomicsDepartment addsBachelor of Sciencedegree

T rinity has added theEconomics Departmentto the list of depart-

ments and programs authorizedto offer the Bachelor of Sciencedegree, a move that will allowstudents the option of pursuingeither a B.S. or B.A. in econom-ics. In order to receive the B.S.degree, students will be requiredto include courses with moremathematical and statistical ori-entation in their curriculum.TheBachelor of Science inEconomics will be offered nextfall.

The field of economics ismuch more mathematics-basedthan ever before, and most mod-ern economics literature presup-poses that students understandthe basic concepts of calculusand/or statistical methods.However, much of that literatureis beyond the grasp of currentstudents—thereby potentiallylimiting the scope of their educa-tion.“This provides a goodoption for students who arecapable of handling more mathe-matics and will enable them todo more economics,” explainsAssociate Professor of Economicsand Public Policy Andrew Gold.“At the same time, we are stillcommitted to economics as a lib-eral art.”

Another issue that promptedthe addition of the B.S. is thedesire to properly prepare stu-dents for graduate work in eco-nomics.The new degree willprovide an incentive for studentsto take courses that will betterprepare them to pursue Ph.D.-level work in economics. Upuntil now, this limitation has beenaddressed informally through the

advising process, with facultymembers encouraging students toacquire more mathematics skillsas needed.

Student EngagementCommittee works to improvecampus climate

T he Committee onStudent Engagement,which began its work

last fall, has identified four majorthemes in its ongoing quest tohelp students feel more connect-

ed on campus. Led by Dean ofStudents Fred Alford, the com-mittee is focusing on developingcreative ways to use existingspaces, improving the atmospherein the residential community, set-ting up more comfortable waysfor faculty and students to inter-act outside the classroom, andfinding niches for students whoseinterests are not necessarily insync with the dominant forms ofsocial life on campus.

The committee, made up ofadministrators and students, hasturned its attention to ways inwhich the College can utilize the

residential community to addressthe task of getting studentsinvolved. One initiative currentlyunder way is an effort to makeavailable group housing optionsfor which campus groups canapply.Working in conjunctionwith the Office of ResidentialLife, the committee hopes toidentify groups with the greatestpotential to make contributionsto the intellectual, social, and cul-tural life of the campus.

On a larger scale, members ofthe committee hope to workwithin the campus-wide residen-

tial life system to build supportand motivation for greater stu-dent involvement in creatingsocial events, intramurals, andcommunity-service initiatives.They are currently examining thepossibility of having each resi-dence group elect representativeswho would then take responsibil-ity for each area, develop ways tofund their programs, and createinteresting and satisfying projectsto encourage people to partici-pate.“We want to create oppor-tunities and expectations for stu-dents to have a proprietary inter-

est in the College,”Alford says.“We would like students to havea sense that there is somethingspecial that each one does andthat Trinity is a better place fortheir having done it.”

A trek in theHimalayas

I n January of 2004, nineTrinity students, one Trinityparent, and two professors

from the College spent six daystrekking in Nepal, with addition-al days spent in the city of

Kathmandu and in Bangkok,Thailand.Although it was a pure-ly voluntary adventure, not spon-sored by the College, the expedi-tion arose from a First-YearProgram seminar called“Highlanders: Peoples & Culturesof the Himalayas,” taught byMichael Lestz, associate professorof history.The seminar, offered inthe fall semester of 2003, focusedon the ethnography of theHimalayan rim and introducedstudents to the distinctive cul-tures of the region.The trekgroup was joined by CraigSchneider, Charles A. Dana

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Professor of Biology, who pro-vided instruction on animal andplant life found along the way.The party was also joined byAngeline Barnes—mother ofAlice Barnes ’04, one of thestudents in the group and theseminar’s mentor—who servedas the trip physician. Strikingviews of Mt. Everest and theentire Kumbu region, yak trainsand herds, visits to monasteries,and an unexpected Swiss bakeryat 12,000 feet that served applepie were among the highlightsof the trip, as was a chance tounwind afterwards in Bangkok,

enjoying the hospitality ofHarold Vickery ’63, a longtimeresident of Thailand. ProfessorLestz concluded his trek journalwith the entry,“Being able tostudy the Himalayas in a Trinityclassroom and then go there isthe sort of thing that makes aTrinity education special.”

Senator Sullivan recognized for advocacy efforts

T rinity College VicePresident ofCommunity Relations

Kevin Sullivan has been chosento receive the 2004 StateLegislator of the Year Award bythe American PsychologicalAssociation (APA).The awardwas given in recognition ofSullivan’s strong leadership and

advocacy for mental healthservices for the citizens ofConnecticut, and was presentedat an awards luncheon duringthe APA State LeadershipConference in Washington, D.C,on March 14. Sullivan is a statesenator, representing the 5thDistrict and serves as presidentpro tempore of the ConnecticutState Senate.

Summer MusicSeries

T he public is invited toenjoy a series of freeconcerts on the Trinity

campus throughout the summer.The two-part events featurechamber music early in theevening, followed by carillonconcerts.The chamber concertsbegin at 6:00 p.m. in theChapel.At 7:00 p.m., listenersare invited out to the Quad toenjoy the carillon. Both thechamber and carillon concertsare held rain or shine. For moreinformation, call (860) 987-6210.

Summer Chamber Music SeriesThe Trinity Summer ChamberMusic Series will begin its 29thyear when it opens on June 23in the Chapel.The programs,which occur before the summercarillon concerts on the Quad,feature nationally and interna-tionally recognized performersand are free and open to thepublic.This year’s series features

several compositions by ChapelComposer-in-Residence RobertEdward Smith, one of them acelebration of his 25th year inthat position.This season alsomarks the sixth year in whichthe chamber series has benefitedfrom the generous support ofTrinity alumnus George T.Simon ’69.

June 23Jay Lichtmann, trumpet, withwind quintet. Program includesthe premiere of Robert EdwardSmith’s Concerto for Trumpet andWind Quintet, composed for theoccasion in celebration ofSmith’s 25th anniversary as com-poser-in-residence at TrinityCollege Chapel.

June 30Brunilda Myftaraj, violin, withGary Chapman, piano. R. E.Smith’s Sonata No.2 in A Major,Brahms’ Sonata.

July 7 Paul Bisaccia, piano. Music ofAmerican composers to cele-brate Independence Day, includ-ing Sicilienne, by R. E. Smith.

July 14 Christopher Mark Houlihan,organ.Winner of the JuniorDivision of the AlbertSchweitzer International OrganCompetition.

July 21Liesl Odenweller ’88,soprano. Odenweller is a Trinitygraduate who now lives inVenice, Italy. Program includesthe premiere of Songs of MyMother the Goose, by R. E.Smith, composed for the occa-sion.

July 28 The Irrelevants Carrie Koffman,saxophone;Timothy Deighton,viola.

August 4 Cellomania James Nicholas and

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Nepal trekkers shown here at Tengboche Monastery, the group included (front,l. to r.) Ian German ’05, Alice Barnes ’04, Courtney Howard ’07, Emily Pomeroy’07, Sara Glassman ’07, and (rear, l. to r.) Michael Cullinan ’07, Craig CurtisSchneider ’05, Prof. Michael Lestz, Prof. Craig Schneider, Ted Jenkins ’07, TimWard ’07. Not shown: Angeline Barnes P’04. The group took many photographsalong the trail, and a selection of them is available for viewing on the Web atwww.trincoll.edu/pub/reporter/spring2004/nepal.htm.

The expedition arosefrom a First-YearProgram seminar called“Highlanders: Peoples & Cultures of theHimalayas,” taught byMichael Lestz, associateprofessor of history.

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Robert DeMaine, cellos. Musicof Boccherini.

August 11 Fanfare, early music group led byThom Fries, who plays Baroquetrumpet.

August 18 Matthias Maute and SophieLariviere, recorders.

Carillon Concerts June 23Suzanne Magassy, CarillonneurNational CarillonCanberra,Australia

June 30Trinity College Guild of Carillonneurs

July 3Special 4th of July FireworksConcert, Saturday, 8:00 p.m.Daniel K. Kehoe, CarillonneurTrinity CollegeHartford, Connecticut

July 7Trevor Workman, CarillonneurThe Bournville CarillonSouth Birmingham, England

July 14Sally Slade Warner, CarillonneurSt. Stephen’s ChurchCohasset, Massachusetts

July 21James W. Smith, CarillonneurMercersburg AcademyMercersburg, Pennsylvania

July 28Justin Ryan, CarillonneurDenver, Colorado

August 4Daniel K. Kehoe, CarillonneurTrinity CollegeHartford, Connecticut

August 11David Maker, CarillonneurUniversity of ConnecticutStorrs, Connecticut

August 18George Matthew, Jr.,CarillonneurMiddlebury CollegeMiddlebury,Vermont

Trinity Cities DataCenter publishessecond edition ofthe Hartford Primer& Field Guide

D id you know thatHartford’s FranklinAvenue was once

popularly known as Santa LuciaBoulevard? This and more func-tional facts (e.g., HartfordCounty’s literacy rate amongthose age 10 and over in 1910was 5.7 percent) were compiledfor the second edition of theHartford Primer & Field Guide,just published by the CitiesData Center of Trinity College.

Much like the first edition,the text provides an often fasci-nating introduction to the cityand its history and, using datafrom the latest U.S. census, alsoprovides some of the latest dataavailable on issues, including thelocal economy, education, hous-ing, health, crime, and politics.Director of the Cities DataCenter Ivan Kuzyk explains thatthe sections on politics, educa-tion, and crime have been sig-nificantly reworked for thePrimer’s second edition to reflectrecent developments.An indexhas also been added.

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High crimes and misdemeanors “on trial” at Trinity

T hroughout the spring semester, a class of Trinity first-year students and a group of highschool students from Hartford’s Weaver High School conducted a series of mock trials toexamine the actions and possible misdeeds of three real or fictional historical figures.

Developed by attorney and visiting lecturer Michael Heaney, in collaboration with Weaver HighSchool honors history teacher Wayne Johnson, the class introduced students to complex legal andpolitical questions raised by a hypothetical trial of an African American soldier who refused to openfire on a group of unidentified Iraqis, impeachment proceedings against President George Bush foralleged war-related crimes in connection with the war on terror, and Saddam Hussein, who was triedfor war crimes and crimes against humanity. The students collaborated on writing legal briefs and conducting the trials, and participated as researchers, investigators, witnesses, and attorneys/legislators.

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Kuzyk notes that thoughthe Field Guide was originallydesigned as a text to supportTrinity students involved incommunity-based learning inthe Hartford region—it was ini-tially used in more than onedozen classes and received wideuse among hundreds of studentsinvolved in the College’sCommunity Learning Initiativeclasses—the first edition soondeveloped significant interest offcampus.

Several area libraries keepthe Primer handy for quick ref-erence. Utilized in classes at theUniversity of Hartford, theUniversity of Connecticut, andSaint Joseph College, the firstedition was also used by formerHartford City Manager Al Ilg.Kuzyk explains that Ilg orderedsome 50 copies of the book forcouncil member and adminis-trator training. He adds,“TheField Guide has also been popu-lar with concerned citizens andlocal nonprofit organizations for

help in the preparation ofgrants.”

Kuzyk cites interestingexamples of how the CitiesData Center material is used insome Trinity classes: Studentshave created 50-year micro-his-tories of Hartford neighbor-hoods based on longitudinalcensus data; made presentationsto classes on the city/region ontopics relating to health, theeconomy, crime, prostitution,drugs, public policy, and localpolitics; and used mapping soft-

ware to produce maps ofHispanic settlement in the cityover the last 50 years.

Professor PaulLauter receives second FulbrightScholar grant

P rofessor of EnglishPaul Lauter has beenawarded a Fulbright

Scholar grant to teach in thespring/summer 2004 session ofthe Department of American

Studies at Karl-FranzensUniversity in Graz,Austria. Hewill teach two courses, onecalled “Race, Ethnicity andGender in ContemporaryAmerican Short Fiction” and agraduate-level course called“19th-Century American ShortFiction.” In 2003, Lauter partici-pated in a summer lecture pro-gram at Moscow StateUniversity, Moscow, Russia, alsoon a Fulbright grant.There, hetaught in a seminar for Russianfaculty and graduate students

entitled,“Reading EverydayLife in America and in Russia:Semiotics of Culture andIntercultural Communication.”

Lauter is one of approxi-mately 800 U.S. faculty mem-bers and professionals chosen totravel abroad to some 140countries. Established in 1946under legislation introduced bythe late Senator J.WilliamFulbright of Arkansas, the pro-gram’s purpose is to buildmutual understanding betweenthe people of the United Statesand other countries. Recipientsof Fulbright Scholar awards areselected on the basis of academ-ic or professional achievementand because they have demon-strated extraordinary leadershippotential in their fields.

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Trinity student represents all Connecticut students at installation of archbishop

Joseph Stramondo ’04 of Wolcott, Connecticut, was chosen to represent all Connecticut collegestudents at the installation ceremony for The Most Reverend Henry J. Mansell, the fourth arch-bishop of Hartford. Seen here are Monsignor Thomas Ginty (r) presenting Stramondo to thearchbishop (l). The event took place at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford on December 18,2004.

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Trinity student helps ensure smallbusinesses success

W hen Vijay Bhirud’05 of Darienbegan as an eco-

nomics major at TrinityCollege, he never dreamed hewould intern with a communitydevelopment lender inHartford, let alone play a pivotalrole in developing programs forlow-income businesses.

Perhaps even more surpris-ing to Bhirud is that his stay atthe Community EconomicDevelopment Foundation(CEDF) last fall was so extraor-dinarily productive that he wasasked to return this semester tokeep the momentum going.“Vijay is simply the most phe-nomenal intern I’ve ever had,”effuses Donna Wertenbach, pres-ident of CEDF.“He was work-ing directly with suppliers andborrowers, and very profession-ally. He can handle any area weput him in. He’s one in a mil-lion—I had asked him to comeback!”

Wertenbach explains thatCEDF’s mission is to providecapital and small business coun-seling to borrowers in low-income communities who can’taccess credit for business start-ups and expansion through tra-ditional lending institutions.Ashis junior year commenced lastfall, Bhirud developed a benefitsprogram to help facilitate andstabilize the growth of theroughly 120 CEDF borrowers’businesses, negotiating terms forthe group that involved dis-counts on benefits such as pay-roll services.“These are servicesthat even very small businessesneed in order to grow,” Bhirudemphasizes,“but often theyaren’t available to low-incomebusinesses, or the business

owner is unwilling to pay forthem. Now CEDF borrowerscan access services as a group,

and at a substantial discount.“It was interesting to see

‘the other side’ of finance,”notes Bhirud.“It was the firsttime I had really applied what

I’d learned at Trinity, and it wasnice to have something concreteto look at and see it grow andsucceed.” He adds that he cameupon the internship as part ofhis Sociology 206 class,

“Organizing byNeighborhoods,” which requires8 to 10 hours of field work at acommunity organization dealingwith issues confronting thoseresiding in the Trinity neighbor-hood.

This semester, Bhirud is put-ting together a “marketing”book, essentially a guide to allthe goods and services offeredby the small businesses ofCEDF.“Not only will the bookhelp small companies supporteach other with their purchas-es,” notes Wertenbach,“but weare also looking for larger cor-porations that are willing totake a copy and purchase goodsand services from our clients aspart of the overall strategy tosupport small business inConnecticut.” She adds,“Forcompanies that have had toeliminate many of the grantsthey previously gave to thecommunity, this is a great wayfor them to leverage moneythey are spending anyway.”

Raether Library and InformationTechnology CenterDonors

T rinity College apolo-gizes for the omissionof the following

in the article “Bricks andClicks:The Evolution of theRaether Library andInformation TechnologyCenter” that appeared in theWinter 2004 Reporter.

ZIEBOLD ALCOVE

Given by W.Townsend Ziebold ’84 and Julie Breene Ziebold ’85

MEDER FACULTY CARREL

Given by Marylouise D. MederM’62

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Scholars Reception Alumni and students mingle at the fifth annualTrinity Scholars Reception, held this year at the president's house oncampus. H. Conrad Meyer III '77 was the keynote speaker for thewell-attended event, which brings together scholarship donors andrecipients in a celebration of generosity and opportunity. Meyer, chairof the Annual Fund, noted that Trinity is a place where individuals canmake a difference and that alumni and students depend on the suc-cess and support of one another. Pictured here (l. to r.) Jamie E.Tracey '06, keynote speaker H. Conrad Meyer III '77, Jenny L.Petrauskas '07, and Trustee Harriet F. Smith '77. Both students areLong Walk Societies Scholars.

“Vijay is simply the mostphenomenal intern I’veever had. He was work-ing directly with suppli-ers and borrowers, andvery professionally. Hecan handle any area weput him in. He’s one in amillion...”— Donna Wertenbach,

president, CommunityEconomic DevelopmentFoundation

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Trinity in the news

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“In summary, the service-learn-ing approach in environmentalchemistry was a success.Students learned more thanthey did with a traditionalapproach and gained insightinto how environmentalchemists work. In the end, stu-dents were proud of their work,and presented expertly at aprofessional meeting.”“Integrating Project-BasedService-Learning into anAdvanced EnvironmentalChemistry Course” by AlisonDraper, director of theInterdisciplinary Science CenterJournal of Chemical Education,February 2004

“He [James F. Jones, Jr.] comesto Trinity from a small liberalarts college in westernMichigan, taking over an olderbut just as intimate campus inthe East. He describes themboth as ‘shining jewels inAmerican education.’”

“Michigan educator takes topTrinity post,” New Haven Register,February 8, 2004

“As president of KalamazooCollege, Jones, 56, led a move-ment to reposition the collegeto play a pivotal role in thecommunity. He served on a con-sortium of higher educationinstitutions in Kalamazoo todevelop a number of linksbetween the school and thecommunity.”“Jones will emphasize college-community link,” KalamazooGazette, February 8, 2004

“Published by the Center forthe Study of Religion in PublicLife at Trinity College inHartford, Conn., this analyticalreport [Religion in the News] is,to date, the most authoritativeand comprehensive treatmentof U.S. religion and election-year politics. The 10 contribu-tors are established scholars.”“The ‘religion gap’ and party

politics,” Jersey Journal, February19, 2004

“The dominance of the men’ssquash dynasty at little TrinityCollege (enrollment 2,200) inHartford, Conn., could hardlybe more complete. TheBantams have not lost amatch—indeed, they haverarely been challenged—innearly six years, during whichthey’ve won a record 105straight.”“A Global Racquet,” SportsIllustrated, March 1, 2004

“But when [Trinity Field HockeyCoach] Anne Parmenterwalked out of the Wood-n-Tapin the West End of Hartfordone evening in December, shecould hardly believe what hadhappened. She had just beenoffered a chance to climbMount Everest.”“Bound For The Top Of TheWorld,” Hartford Courant, March16, 2004

Bound for the Top of the World

Jones willemphasize college-community link

IntegratingProject-BasedService-Learning

Michiganeducatortakes Trinitypost

The religiongap andparty politics

A GlobalRacquet

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People often ask,“How hasTrinity changed since you firstcame here?”The simple answeris,“A lot!”After all, I arrived as afreshman 50 years ago inSeptember 1954 and graduatedin 1958. Six years later, Ireturned to join the history fac-ulty and have watched changestake place over the past 40 years.

The most obvious changesare buildings, people, programs,and curriculum. Old buildingshave disappeared: Jarvis PhysicsLab, Boardman Hall, theBrownell House, and AlumniHall. New buildings have goneup: the Austin Arts Center, LifeSciences Center, dormitories onsouth campus,Vernon Street andnow Summit, Mather Hall withtwo expansions, a President’sHouse now in its third version,Ferris Athletic Center, a newswimming pool, MCEC, theKoeppel Center (the Bistro),Admissions and Career Servicesand, most recently, the magnifi-cent addition to the library that

is now the Raether Library andInformation Technology Center.As I look back over this periodof growth, I am struck by theextent to which many of thesebuilding projects were made pos-sible by the generosity ofthoughtful and committedTrinity alumni/ae.

The student body has grownfrom 1,000 men to 2,000 menand women with a much greatermix of races, nationalities, ethnicbackgrounds, religions, and geo-graphical origins. In similar fash-ion, the faculty has grown andbeen transformed.There aremany more employees of theCollege.A visitor from the 1950swould immediately notice thesechanges by walking across cam-pus during the break betweenone class session and another.

The sports program is largerand more diverse than 50 yearsago. I recall how quicklywomen’s sports teams developedafter the decision to go co-ed in1969. Community service andinternships are two prominentprograms that did not exist in

my student days. Study abroadprograms attracted a few lan-guage majors then, while nowmore half of each graduatingclass has studied abroad for atleast a semester.The curricu-

lum is much more comprehen-sive and extensive and includes

an array of departments andprograms introducedover the decades: sociol-ogy, anthropology, neu-roscience,Americanstudies, and muchmore.The 1950s visitorwould quickly seethese changes by visit-ing classes and labs allover the campus.

Any institution must changeif it is to stay vital and alive.Trinity has changed and willcontinue to change, but there isalso continuity.When I step out-side the president’s office andglance at the Chapel and thendown the Long Walk, it looksvery much as it did 50 years ago.My history department officewas carved out of what used tobe a large classroom, Seabury 34,but the building still has the lookand feel of the “old days.”Theclassroom that is now Seabury 9-17 on the second floor is a strik-ing example of continuity andchange. It was the Chapel untilthe 1930s and is now a modern-ized classroom that maintainssomething of the appearance ofthe original.

The theme of continuity andchange becomes most evident tome when I think of our coreeducational mission: the meetingof teachers and students in classesand labs; the passing of informa-tion, the exploration of ideas, theformation of minds and hearts.Small, residential colleges of theliberal arts and sciences are veryspecial places that provide anintimate setting for learning.They are not big and broadenough to provide the vast arrayof courses, disciplines, andresources of large research uni-versities. But they are smallenough to draw together facultymembers and undergraduates ina dynamic style of learning thatchanges lives by valuing andnourishing the contributions ofeach individual student. It is edu-cation with a personal touch thattransforms, inspires, and renewsall of us privileged to be a partof it. My four years here as anundergraduate opened up new

worlds for me, thanks especiallyto some great teacher/mentorswho had a formative effect onmy life at a very crucial point.Today I think of Trinity’s missionas finding new ways (change) toaccomplish the same sorts ofresults for students today (conti-nuity).

Giving up my courses wasthe major drawback of steppinginto the president’s office in this,my last year on the faculty ofTrinity. I did, however, agree tosupervise the senior theses ofthree history majors and severalindependent studies.When Imeet these students in my officeoverlooking the Quad and talkabout their studies, I cannot helpbut think back to sitting with myteachers 50 years ago in class-rooms, offices, the Cave, andoccasionally their homes.Yes,Trinity has changed a lot, but Iam proud that it continues thecore educational mission thatbegan in 1823.

While the purpose of thisessay is to look back and reflect, Icannot close without spending amoment on the future.WithPresident Jimmy Jones due toarrive on campus on July 1, welook forward to a future inwhich Trinity will continue itstradition of embracing timelychange in order to offer ourundergraduates an education inthe liberal arts and sciences thatwill fit them for success in the21st century. My strongest hopefor the College is that the answerto the question “How has Trinitychanged?” will always be “A lot!”

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

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More Than One Struggle: The Evolution of Black School Reform in MilwaukeeJack Dougherty, Assistant Professor and Director of Educational Studies (University of NorthCarolina Press, 2004; 253 pages)Traditional narratives of black educational his-

tory suggest thatAfrican Americanshad a unified voiceconcerning Brown v.Board of Education, butDougherty countersthat interpretation,demonstrating thatblack activists engagedin multiple, overlap-ping, and often con-flicting strategies toadvance the race by

gaining greater control over schools. He tellsthe story of black school reform movements inMilwaukee from the 1930s to the 1990s, high-lighting the multiple perspectives within eachgeneration. In profiles of leading activists, heshows how different generations redefined themeaning of the Brown decision over time to fitthe historical conditions of their particularstruggles. Doughtery concludes by showinghow historical perspective can shed light oncontemporary debates over race and educationreform.

Dãna: Giving and Getting in Pali BuddhismEllison Banks Findly, Professor of Religion andAsian Studies (Motilal Banarsidass PublishersPrivate Limited, Delhi, 2003; 432 pages)

This book arguesthat donation(dãna) is one ofthe central prac-tices of earlyBuddhism for,without it,Buddhism wouldnot have survivedand flourished inthe many cen-turies of its devel-opment andexpansion. Early

Buddhist donation draws on older Vedic beliefsand practices, especially those involving funeralceremonies and the ritual transfiguration of theancestors. Buddhist relationships betweendonors and renunciants developed quickly intoa complex web that involves material life andthe views about how to attend to it. Questions

of how to properly acquire and use wealth,how to properly give and receive individualand communal gifts, how to think about usingand transferring merit, and what constitutesproper food, robes, lodging, and medicine arecentral to the “dãna contract.”The dãna systemreflects the changing dynamics of life in north-ern India as wealth and leisure time increaseand as newly powerful groups of people lookaround for alternative religious affiliation.Buddhist dãna’s great success is due to the earlyand continuing use of accommodation withother faiths as a foundational value, thus allow-ing the tradition to adapt to changing circum-stances.

A Moral Ontology for a Theistic Ethic:Gathering the Nations in Love and JusticeFrank G. Kirkpatrick, Ellsworth Morton TracyLecturer and Professor of Religion and Dean of theFirst-Year Program (Ashgate Publishing Limited,2003; 197 pages)This book develops a moral ontology for a

theistic ethic thatengages the work ofcontemporary moraland politicalphilosophers andreaffirms the rele-vance of a theistictradition of God’srelation to theworld reflected inthe fundamentalteachings ofJudaism,

Christianity, and Islam. Drawing on recentthought in the nonreligious fields of psycholo-gy and political and moral philosophy, whichbuild around the concept of human flourishingin community, Kirkpatrick argues that a theisticethic need not be the captive of parochial orsectarian theological camps. He proposes acommon or universal ethic that transcends thefashionable ethnocentric “incommensurate dif-ferences” in morality alleged by many post-modernist deconstructionists. In the wake ofreligious strife post 9/11/01, the book arguesfor a common morality built on the inclusivityof love, community, and justice that can tran-scend sectarian and parochial boundaries.

Who Will Pay: Coping with Aging Societies,Climate Change, and Other Long-TermFiscal Challenges Peter S. Heller ’67 (Inter-national Monetary Fund, 2003; 315 pages)

Policymakers todayconfront a numberof profound devel-opments, whosesignificance is cer-tain to increaseover the next sev-eral decades. Someof these are widelyanticipated: demo-graphic and cli-mate change, thescarcity of naturalresources, and

public health. Other structural issues, such asglobalization, rapid technological change, andsecurity threats, will continue to transform theworld economy. Who Will Pay? makes the casethat, despite the fact that generating debate, letalone action, on such thorny issues is not easy,governments need to enact policy changes nowto take account of the potential fiscal conse-quences of these developments.The authorargues that a multipronged approach is vital,involving strengthened analyses, greater atten-tion to long-term issues and risk factors in thebudget framework, institutional reforms that tryto address the myopic political economy biasesof politicians and the public, and a blend ofaggregate belt tightening and sectoral policyreforms.

Visual Meaning in the Bayeux Tapestry:Problems and Solutions in Picturing HistoryJ. Bard McNulty, Professor Emeritus of English(The Edwin Mellen Press, 2003; 87 pages)

The more than 900-year-old BayeuxTapestry has longbeen admired for itsvivid depiction ofthe invasion ofEngland in 1066 byWilliam theConqueror. Butscholars have been

baffled by the tapestry’s apparent lack of histor-ical accuracy. Despite the fact that its scenesshow real events, the tapestry pictures someincidents that never happened, shows personsin places where they didn’t go, and mixes upthe sequence of important actions. It alsoincludes Aesop’s fables; modern histories don’t.

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BOOKS AND OTHER MEDIA

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This new book argues that the BayeuxTapestry, far from being historically flawed, isin fact a well-conceived depiction of the con-quest of England, its so-called anomalies beingpart of a deliberate program.To understand thetapestry’s message, McNulty says, viewers mustput aside modern ideas of what constituteslegitimate history. In proposing new criticalapproaches to the tapestry, he cites materialsnot usually examined in Bayeux Tapestry criti-cism: editorial cartoons, accounts of WallaceWarfield Simpson and Princess Diana, inter-pretive methods of St.Augustine, and moviemusic, among others.The book also tackles theproblem of the tapestry’s border images—small, marginal pictures of birds, beasts, andpeople embroidered above and below the mainscenes of the Conquest. Many scholars havedismissed these images as random designs,unrelated to the main story. McNulty, for thefirst time, shows how the borders directly andmeaningfully comment on the tapestry’saccount of the Conquest, following a well-planned program.The Bayeux Tapestry “is a farmore intellectually satisfying account than it iscommonly taken to be,” McNulty says. Hisbook gives scholars and general readers newreason to admire this priceless treasure.

Love and Hydrogen: New and SelectedStories Jim Shepard ’78 ( Vintage Books,2004; 340 pages)“I’ve been a problem baby, a lousy son, a distantbrother, an off-putting neighbor, a piss-poor student,

a worrisome seatmate,an unreliable employee,a bewildering lover, afrustrating confidanteand a crappy husband.Among the things I dopretty well at this pointI’d have to list darts, re-closing Stay-Freshboxes, and staying outof the way.” This isthe self-eulogyoffered early on by

the unwilling hero of the opening story in thiscollection of short fiction.The stories in Loveand Hydrogen, familiar to readers from publica-tions that range from McSweeney’s to The NewYorker to Harper’s to Tin House, encompass awide range of situations and characters.A frus-trated wife makes use of an enterprising ille-gal-gun salesman to hold her husband hostage;two hapless adult-education students botchtheir attempts at rudimentary piano but suc-

ceed in a halting, awkward romance; a fascinat-ed and murderous Creature welcomes the firsthuman visitors to his Black Lagoon; and in thetitle story, the stupefyingly huge airshipHindenburg flies to its doom, representingmankind’s greatest yearning as well as its titanicfailure.

Project X Jim Shepard ’78 (Alfred A. Knopf,2004; 164 pages)Below the sign welcoming the new eighth-grade class to school is one that promises toleave no child unsuccessful and a handout thatoffers eight ways of being smart. For Edwin

Hanratty, attimes as hilari-ous as he ismiserable, this ispart of whatmakes juniorhigh prettymuch a relent-less nightmare.And so, withFlake, his onlyfriend, he con-tends withclique uponclique—the

jocks who pummel them, the girls who ignoreor taunt them—as well as the dogged and dis-concerting attentions of a sixth-grader who’seven more ferociously disaffected than theyare.And while Edwin’s parents work hard tounderstand him, they face without fully realiz-ing it a demoralization so systemic that he andFlake have no recourse other than their ownbitter and smart remarks, until they graduallybegin flirting with the most horrible revengeof all. Booklist calls it a “lean and stinging newnovel.”

Charlie Wilson’s War George Crile ’68(Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003; 550 pages)Hailed by Dan Rather as “a tour de force ofwriting and reporting,” and by Molly Ivins as“a whale of a tale,” Charlie Wilson’s War was apublishing sensation and a New York Times,Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times best-sell-er—the previously untold story of a whiskey-swilling, skirt-chasing, scandal-prone congress-man from Texas, and how he conspired with arogue CIA operative to launch the biggest andmost successful covert operation in U.S. histo-ry. In the early 1980s, a Houston socialiteturned the attention of maverick Texas con-gressman Charlie Wilson to the ragged band of

Afghan “freedom fighters” who continued,despite overwhelming odds, to fight the Sovietinvaders.The congressman became passionate

about their cause.Moving from theback rooms ofthe Capitol to theKhyber Pass, thisbook presents akey to under-standing whathelped trigger thesudden collapseof the SovietUnion and ulti-mately led to theemergence of abrand-new foe in

the form of radical Islam.The book has beenoptioned for film by Tom Hanks’s PlaytoneProductions and Universal Studios to be amajor motion picture release.

Touched with Fire: Five Presidents and theCivil War Battles That Made Them James M.Perry ’50 (Public Affairs, 2003; 335 pages)The 1860s were a time much like the 1940s,when a generation of idealistic youngAmericans answered their country’s call, andmany made the supreme sacrifice to preservefreedom and liberty.And among the two mil-

lion “boys in blue”were five soldierswhose wartimeheroics would takethem into nationalpolitics and lead, intime, to the WhiteHouse. In Touchedwith Fire, Perryreintroduces us tothese five men—Ulysses S. Grant,Rutherford B.Hayes, James

A.Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and WilliamMcKinley—who rose to the pinnacle ofAmerican life but are now largely forgotten.Drawing on diaries, letters, and other first-hand accounts, Perry recreates the battles thatbrought them fame and extols the courage thatmade them extraordinary leaders, especiallyunder fire.The Civil War was their finest hour,and their stories form a vivid reminder ofwhat a great generation can accomplish.

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Getting Divorced? Make the RightDecisions Michael Anderson ’88 (Deer MeadowPublishing, 2002; 220 pages)This book is a practical guide for peopleinvolved in a divorce, whether it is a no-con-

flict situation or amore involved andcontentious proce-dure. Coveringsuch topics as doc-uments, real estate,money, estateplans, trials, childsupport, court-room proceedings,and much more,Anderson providescommon-senseguidance for par-ties on either side

of a divorce.The author notes that “For mostpeople, negotiating their divorce will be themost important and largest business deal they

will ever be involved in,” and yet he makes thepoint that people sometimes prepare themselvesmore thouroughly to buy real estate or toinvest in mutual funds.

A Rage for Glory: The Life of CommodoreStephen Decatur, USN James Tertius De Kay’51 (Free Press, 2004; 237 pages)Stephen Decatur was an American naval heroin the early 19th century. His exploits in theBarbary Wars propelled him to national promi-nence at the age of 25. His capture of HMSMacedonian in the War of 1812 and his subse-quent naval and diplomatic triumphs in theMediterranean secured his permanent place inthe hearts of his compatriots. In A Rage forGlory, the first new biography of Decatur inalmost 70 years, De Kay draws on materialunavailable to previous biographers. He tracesthe origins of Decatur’s fierce patriotism (“Mycountry...right or wrong!”), chroniclesDecatur’s passionate love affair with Susan

Wheeler, and pro-vides new detailsof Decatur’s tragicdeath in a sense-less duel of honor,secretly instigatedby the backroommachinations ofjealous fellow offi-cers. His death leftofficialWashington insuch shock thathis funeral became

a state occasion, attended by friends whoincluded former President James Madison, cur-rent President James Monroe, Chief JusticeJohn Marshall, and 10,000 more.

Thinking on Both Feet: Walking with ThoreauKirtland Snyder ’74 (Voice Print Audio, 2003compact disk; Running time 51:44)In Thinking on Both Feet:Walks,Talks &Meditations, his series of recorded-live walks inthe natural world, poet Kirtland Snyder exploresthe age-old relationship between walking andthinking, between the rhythms of the walk andthe motions of the human spirit.“Walking withThoreau” is a “conversation” with the Americanwriter who almost single-handedly created oursense of what it means to be in the naturalworld. Recorded just days after September 11,2001, it ponders whether Thoreau’s sojourn inthe woods remains a possibility for us today—whether nature still gives us a place “apart,” arespite from the terrors and traumas of humanhistory.

OTHER MEDIA

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by Peter Knapp ’65

Trinity and the Transit of Venus, 1882

A n extraordinary spec-tacle will unfold inthe heavens this com-

ing June, when the planet Venustransits the sun.The last timethis occurred—on December 6,1882—a German scientificcommission dispatched teams ofastronomers to various observ-ing sites in the Americas. Eachsite was determined on the basisof its latitude and longitude inconjunction with the earth’sposition relative to the sun, aswell as the potential it offeredfor carrying out the most com-plete observations possible.Hartford was the only site inthe northeastern United Statesselected by the commission.Upon arriving in earlyNovember 1882, the astronomyteam chose Trinity as the loca-tion for the viewing stationbecause of the campus’s superiorelevation relative to the hori-zon. In the aftermath of thetransit observations, the gift tothe College of a powerful tele-scope, the construction of anobservatory, an importantappointment to the faculty, anda revision of the curriculum allcontributed to strengtheningthe study of astronomy atTrinity.

The Transit of Venus is a rarephenomenon.As a result of therelationship between the orbitsof Venus and the earth, transitsoccur only in June orDecember and only in pairedcycles approximately eight yearsapart, alternating at intervals of

105.5 and 121.5 years.The 1882transit, for example, was preced-ed by a transit in December1874. Only partially visible inthe eastern and midwesternUnited States, the 2004 transiton June 8 will be fully observ-able in Europe and Asia.All ofNorth America will witness thesecond transit on June 6, 2012,but there will be no recurrenceuntil December 2117.Considering the comparativedimensions of Venus and the sunas seen from the earth during atransit,Venus appears as a smallblack dot moving across thedisk of the sun.

The German ImperialCommission mounted expedi-tions not only in 1882 but alsoin 1874. Germany was one ofseveral countries, includingFrance, Britain, and the UnitedStates, that sent out observers.These efforts helped gather datafor calculating the earth’s dis-tance from the sun, consideredthe fundamental astronomicalunit in the distance scale of theuniverse.The German initiativesalso served to draw attention tothe international significance ofscientific studies being carriedout by a young nation stillemerging from unification. Inaddition to Hartford, Germanydispatched the 1882 teams toSouth Carolina,Argentina, andChile. Reports on both sets ofexpeditions were placed in thearchives of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy ofSciences, where they survivedWorld War II. However, glassplate photographs from 1874,stored at the AstrophysicalObservatory at Potsdam, weredestroyed. Dr.Arthur Auwers,

the Imperial Commission’s pres-ident, published a report in sixvolumes between 1887 and1898, a copy of which is in theWatkinson Library.

The team of astronomers

that came to Hartford was ledby Dr. Gustav Mueller,assistant at the AstrophysicalObservatory at Potsdam.Amongthe seven tons of equipmentthat accompanied the team wasthe principal viewing instru-ment, a three and one-half footheliometer, a telescope with anobjective lens split into twoadjustable parts, giving a doubleimage used for measuring thesun’s diameter. In addition, therewere two six-foot refractors anda four and one-half foot tele-scope as well as miscellaneousequipment such as chronome-ters and thermometers.Alsoincluded were sections of aniron viewing dome for theheliometer.

The German team was met

by two members of Trinity’sfaculty, H. Carrington Bolton,Scovill Professor of Chemistryand Natural Sciences, and theRev. Samuel Hart, SeaburyProfessor of Mathematics and

Astronomy.They offered the useof the Trinity campus for theviewing station.The team hadplanned to use the capitolgrounds, but buildings thereobscured the horizon. By con-trast,Trinity was an ideal loca-tion because the elevated heightof Rocky Ridge offered a clearview of the horizon and thecampus was away from the con-gested center of the city.TheCollege also offered lodging forthe team in Seabury Tower.Thestudent body helped outfit therooms, and so impressed werethe visitors with this hospitalitythat in his report to the com-mission, Dr. Mueller expressedspecial appreciation, stating that“the students were ready toassist us in the most amicable

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Photograph of transit taken by Hermann Krone, Auckland Island, 1874.(Courtesy of Professor Duerbeck)

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way, and showed a most vividinterest in our work.A few daysafter our arrival they delightedus in giving a serenade underour windows.”

Work proceeded quickly onsetting up the viewing station

to the south of Seabury, roughlywhere Mather Hall is located.Workmen constructed wood-framed “observing houses” forthe refractors, a house for thetelescope, and a stone founda-tion for the heliometer dome.

These were completed in a fewdays, and the Germans them-selves assembled the dome.When it was finished, theastronomers unpacked theirinstruments, installed them, andmade necessary adjustments and

calibrations.To the great frustration of

the astronomers, December 6dawned overcast.As Dr. Muellerput it,“even at 8 am not the slightesthope for a change to the better

was to be seen. In spite of theslight chance for a clear sky, allpreparations were carried outaccording to plan, the instru-ments reviewed again, anddeterminations of the motioncarried out at the heliome-ter….Only shortly before thetime of ingress of Venus theclouds started to become thin-ner, but still the hope for a totalclearing up was extremely low.The ingress could not beobserved, and only for onemoment Venus was seenbetween first and second con-tact halfway in the Sun. Onlyafter ingress the clouds startedto disperse with rapidity, andour mood started to rise.Aboutone hour after external contactthe clouds were so thin that wecould start the heliometer

measurements….Soon the skyimproved, and remained quitegood till the end….”

Begun when Venus had justpassed fully within the edge ofthe sun, the observations werecarried out over a period ofabout four hours, ProfessorHart contributing some databased on his use of theCollege’s telescope. In spite ofthe time lost due to weatherconditions, the team obtainedeight full heliometer observa-tion sets. Under the circum-stances, the astronomers’ effortsmust have seemed to them atriumph, and they promptlysent a report to Berlin by tele-graph. New England weatheragain asserted itself, and as Dr.Mueller put it,“How muchfortune has favored us is seenfrom the fact that soon after thetransit it became completelyovercast, and during all the fol-lowing day a strong snowstormravaged.”

After the transit, the teamremained on campus for twoweeks and was engaged prima-rily in taking star sightings, butbad weather became a majoraggravation.The disassembly ofthe viewing station began onDecember 15, and within threedays all the equipment waspacked and ready for return toGermany.The astronomers soldthe observing huts locally, butleft the iron dome and its foun-dation in place as a gift to theCollege in recognition of its aidand support.The team leftHartford on December 19.Tocommemorate the transit, theCollege placed an inscribedstone marker on the heliometerpier. In 1959, this stone—oneof the few tangible remindersof the 1882 transit to surviveanywhere in the world—was

The Transit of Venus is a rare phenomenon.As a result of

the relationship between the orbits of Venus and the earth,

transits occur only in June or December and only in paired

cycles approximately eight years apart...

German astronomers in the Trinity heliometer dome. From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, December 16, 1882.

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relocated in front of HalldenHall to make way for construc-tion of Mather Student Center.

The visit of the Germanastronomers led the College toreexamine the study of astrono-my in the curriculum.Thiseffort resulted in seeking addi-tional equipment, providing asuitable observing facility, andstrengthening instruction. In1883, Dr. Samuel St. John, aHartford surgeon, and his sisterdonated a six-inch refractorwith an equatorial mount andclock-work drive, along withother instruments from theestate of their father. TheCollege agreed to construct asmall observatory to be knownas the St. John Observatorysouth of Seabury near the transitmarker. Up to the early 1880s,astronomy instruction consistedof a half-year course in naturalphilosophy and astronomy takenby juniors in addition to asequence of lectures juniors andseniors could attend voluntarily.The St. John gift coincided withthe appointment to the facultyin 1883 of Dr. Flavel SweetenLuther, Class of 1870, asSeabury Professor ofMathematics and Astronomy.These developments occurredjust as the faculty was revisingthe curriculum to enhance thestudy of science.

The 1884 curricular revi-sion, together with the St. Johntelescope and observatory andProfessor Luther’s appointment,resulted in more intensive andbetter supported instruction inastronomy. Under the new cur-riculum, juniors were requiredto take a half-year course inmathematics and descriptiveastronomy taught by Luther, and

seniors could take a half-yearelective in astronomy. Luthersoon became extremely popularwith students, not least becauseof his intense support of inter-collegiate sports. He went on toserve as Trinity’s 11th presidentfrom 1904 to 1919.

At the turn of the 20th cen-tury, astronomy continued to bepart of the curriculum, but as anelective course.The St. JohnObservatory was now equippedwith a six and one-half inchrefractor and photographyequipment.Although the obser-vatory was dismantled in thelate 1930s, astronomy continuedto be offered during the follow-ing two decades, observing ses-sions becoming informal.Acourse in astronomy was offeredthrough the late 1950s.Absentfrom the curriculum for a briefperiod in the early 1960s,instruction in astronomyreturned with the appointment

in 1964 of Dr. Florence S. Jones.Later coming under the aegis ofthe Physics Department, astron-omy is now offered in the formof two half-year courses taughton an alternating basis.

The visit of the Germanastronomers for the 1882 transitof Venus was an importantopportunity for Trinity tostrengthen the undergraduatestudy of astronomy throughcurricular reform as well asthrough generous gifts and theappointment of a new facultymember.The transit that willoccur on June 8, 2004 is notonly an occasion to marvel atthe wonders of the universe butalso to recall a historic momentin the life of the College whoseimpact continues to be felt.

Acknowledgment:The author isindebted to Dr. Hilmar W.Duerbeck, Brussels FreeUniversity, for generously shar-ing his research on the German

transit teams of 1874 and 1882and for providing importantdocumentation from Germanarchives.

From the Archives is drawn frommaterial on Trinity’s history in theWatkinson Library, the special col-lections department of the TrinityCollege Library.Trinity alumniseeking historical information aboutthe College are welcome to contactSpecial Collections Librarian andCollege Archivist Peter Knapp at(860) 297-2268.Additional informa-tion may be found on the Web atwww.trincoll.edu/depts/library/watkinson/watk_intro.html.

St. John Observatory, circa 1910.

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