Kingly Correspondence
With Dr. Henry King Stanford’s passing comes the revelation of a life well lived, remarkably productive, and one we should all celebrate (“King of the U,” Winter 2009).

Dr. Stanford and I never met in person. I graduated nine years before he became the University of Miami’s third president. However, we became “pen pals” seven years ago, when a historic project on which I was working necessitated our correspondence.

It related to Anne Bates Leach, the Coca-Cola heiress whose name still adorns the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s eye hospital and whom Dr. Stanford knew from childhood in his Atlanta days.

The numerous delightful responses Dr. Stanford offered me were filled with colorful anecdotes only he could reveal. Those who worked with him at the University of Miami were indeed fortunate.

Jane Hines Greenwasser, B.Ed. ’53
Sewall's Point, Florida

Golden Times for Tennis
The Fall 2008 issue of Miami magazine brought back memories of, perhaps, two of the best years of my life, when I attended the University in 1948 and 1949.

On page 3 (“PostMarks”) is a photo of the building that in my day was referred to as the north campus. Across the street were the clay tennis courts where we played almost every afternoon.

Tennis was a major sport at UM. Gardner Mulloy, administrator of tennis at the University, was a top-ranked player in the United States and member of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Bill Lufler was UM’s excellent tennis coach. Alumna Doris Hart, a Miami legend, had won the U.S. Women’s National Championship at Forest Hills, New York. Bud Hart, her brother, was captain of the UM Tennis Team and well-liked by all the players. He exemplified true tennis sportsmanship.

I now have my own tennis court and still play fairly well for my age (84). I can still serve in the 90-100 mph class but can’t cover too much court. One of my goals is to come down to the tennis courts at the University of Miami when I am 90 and play a little tennis with my two grown sons. So much for the reminiscing, ranting, and raving of an old UM tennis warrior.

Peter Chapdelaine, B.B.A. ’49
Newtown, Connecticut

Remembering a Mentor
I attended the March 29, 2008 funeral of one of UM’s unsung heroes and wanted to share with your readers the contributions he made to my life and to the University.

I met Jimmie Hodges, UM’s longtime football equipment manager, in the summer of 1972 when I came to UM as the student freshman football manager. I worked with him in the Fieldhouse Locker Room for the next seven football seasons. During that time, Mr. Hodges was my mentor and had been a mentor to many others, famous and not so famous, who came through those halls during his 32 years of service, from 1947 until he retired in 1979. Mr. Hodges retained his post as football equipment manager through eight different head coaches, which speaks volumes about the caliber of this man—his distinction, pride, and class.

I stayed in touch with Mr. Hodges and his wife of 52 years, Alice, through three decades, visiting them when I came to Miami, and my wife and I sponsored the plaque the UM Sports Hall of Fame presented to him in April 2006. I learned much from the example of this quiet, unassuming man, and I honor him for touching the lives of all of us on the football team.

Stephen R. Klein, B.B.A. ’76, M.B.A. ’78
Yelm, Washington

Editor’s Note: Takeisha Forbes, great-granddaughter of Jimmie Hodges, is a University of Miami junior majoring in electrical engineering.

Correction
In the Miami magazine, Winter 2009 issue,“Class Notes,” page 43, Carl-Christian Thier, LL.M.C.L. ’97, should have been listed as president of German American investment company JUSA Invest GmbH/Jupiter USA Inc. and of the German American Business Chamber of Central Florida Inc. John L. Urban, J.D. ’99, should have been identified as a litigation attorney concen-trating his practice on all areas of international law and vice president of the German American Business Chamber of Central Florida Inc. Both are shareholders in the law firm of Urban Thier Federer & Jackson, P.A.

Inspiration Meets Adaptation

An unusual celebration took place at UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in February. Historian, anthropologist, and actor Richard Milner performed the one-man musical, “Charles Darwin: Live and in Concert,” a fun-filled romp through science, show tunes, and a bit of madness. Where else could you hear a blues song about the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” trial or a lyric like “The monk in his cloister descends from an oyster”?

This year marks the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of his revolutionary The Origin of Species. The timing couldn’t be better to shine an international spotlight on the father of modern evolutionary theory. After all, you don’t have to be Darwin to see contemporary society’s dramatic shift into survival mode.

Here at UM, survival, adaptability, and resilience inspire countless initiatives. During spring semester, for example, student groups organized an evening with former Sudanese child soldier Emmanuel Jal, whose very life represents the essence of adaptability. Trained to fire an AK-47 by the age of 7, Jal endured extreme violence and poverty for years before escaping to England, where he transformed himself into an internationally known hip-hop artist, activist, and author who is building schools in Africa to help combat the vicious cycle he knows all too well.

Also last semester, Erik Peterson, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, led “The Seven Revolutions,” a discussion about our urgent need to address the forces that will change and challenge us most over the next several decades.

And in January, at the height of Wall Street’s doom and gloom, the inaugural Miami Global Business Forum successfully unfolded, rallying hundreds of attendees to explore innovative approaches for a new, increasingly interconnected global marketplace.

As world leaders continue seeking paths to economic recovery, it’s heartening to witness the boundless energy and pragmatism with which UM students, faculty, and alumni are traversing today’s rugged terrain—from the environment to the economy, human resources to human rights.

The summer issue of Miami magazine is bursting with their stories. You’ll read about professionals who hope to buck the bust by redefining real estate. Students taking the world into their own hands to better its course even as they’re figuring out their own. Budding entrepreneurs. Dedicated doctors and nurses. Devoted educators. Fearless explorers.

These are stories of invention and innovation—of shaping the future by quickly and cleverly adapting to the present. And they represent just a fraction of the inspiring stories bubbling out of the fertile ground that is the University of Miami, despite—or perhaps in direct response to—these turbulent times.

—Robin Shear, Editor

Address letters to:
Robin Shear
Miami magazine
P.O. Box 248105
Coral Gables, FL 33124
E-mail: rshear@miami.edu