Cover Kudos

I received my copy of the Fall 2007 issue of Miami magazine, and I thought the cover was very well done. From the Yamma Yamma jersey to the national championship trophy to the other historic ’Canes memorabilia, there was a lot of great tradition represented on the page. I’m sure my fellow alumni “dug” it as much as I did!

Jeff Spears, B.M. ’94
Via the Internet

Fun Football Rivalry

My father and stepmother, who are University of Miami alumni, offered me their tickets for the UM game against Florida State University on October 20. My daughter, an FSU freshman, and I sat in the UM alumni section of Doak Campbell Stadium wearing garnet and gold. Despite the ’Noles losing, we had a wonderful time. There was nothing but friendly banter and sportsmanship amongst all of us. There was no hostility or profanity, just a fun football rivalry. I would like to thank all of those UM alumni around us for their warm, spirited conduct throughout the game.

Michael G. Barket
Miami, Florida

Remembering with Gratitude

I was sad to read the note in the Spring 2007 Miami magazine that announced the passing of Christine Federighi, distinguished professor of ceramics. She gave me the opportunity to take her pottery class even though I was not an art major. While others were partying on weekends, I was allowed to spend late hours in the studio on Dickinson Drive. Professor Federighi helped me learn the basics of wheel throwing, which I have continued to practice as a hobby since leaving Miami. I kept up with her from time to time, in particular after I saw her work in a magazine or at a gallery. I remember attending a professional conference and instantly recognizing her sculptures on display in the atrium of the convention center.

Rob Abowitz, B.B.A. ’91
Oxford, Ohio

Tracking a Tradition

A few years back, I remember reading an item in a UM Alumni Weekend and Homecoming fact sheet attributing the start of the “boat burning” tradition to the incorrect fraternity. Sometimes the origin of an event becomes obscured by time. I am writing to you now because I would like to set the record straight.

In 1957, the brothers of the Theta Chi fraternity initiated the event by securing a salvaged boat from Art Merrill, alumnus of Theta Chi and owner of Merrill Boat Yard in Coral Gables. You can see the “fitting out” of the boat by undergraduate members of Theta Chi on page 233 of the 1958 Ibis yearbook.

I can also attest to this because I was president of the fraternity at the time. Our fraternity is no longer active at the University of Miami, but more than 50 years since its inception, the Homecoming boat burning tradition lives on.

Lt. Col. (ret.) Charles “Don” Gruno, B.B.A. ’58
Via the Internet

Filipina Follow-Up

Thank you for the story you printed (“Apologies Necessary”) in the Fall 2007 issue about my efforts to help pass House Resolution 121, which urges the Japanese government to formally apologize for brutality inflicted upon “comfort women” during World War II.

I wanted to update your readers with the news that I’ve been named one of the 100 most influential Fili-pinas in the United States by the Filipina Women’s Network. I received the “Nicole” award during award ceremonies that were part of the Filipina Women’s Network Summit in Washington, D.C., in October.

Part of being named an influential Filipina means choosing a protégé to mentor for the next five years. The idea is that in 2012 the 100 voices will double. After putting a call out on campus for a student of Filipino descent to help me continue my work with the survivors, I selected freshman biochemistry major Rhea Olegario. This semester she is helping me establish “Friends of Lolas” on campus, an organization of advocates for surviving Filipina comfort women whose mission is to educate and raise awareness on women and war.

M. Evelina Galang,
Assistant Professor of English
University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences

Correction

The fall 2007 feature story “With a Little Help” inadvertently listed alumna Mykel Billups, director of the Academic Resource Center, without her doctoral degree. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Miami in 2002.

Sum Kind of Wonderful

If you’re a Broadway buff like I am, the phrase “525,600 minutes” will summon to mind the contagious tune “Seasons of Love” from Rent: The Musical. Amid the song’s rich harmonies and robust crescendos is a poignant message about savoring every moment within a year of your life. I did the math, and indeed there are 525,600 minutes in a year.

Numbers and figures have been a hot topic of conversation lately at the University of Miami, which announced it raised a record $1.4 billion during its Momentum fundraising campaign. When you break down this large sum into many points of impact—the new faculty members who can be recruited, talented students who can receive scholarships, much-needed facilities that can be built, ambitious goals that can be reached—you gain a whole new perspective on the enormity of what $1.4 billion can accomplish.

The daily news is often filled with statistics—from crime rates to facts about health and disease to the bottom line on government spending. It’s easy to get lost in large sums and lose sight of the individual people these numbers represent. Delving further into the definition of a billion, I discovered that I am roughly a billion seconds old and that nearly a billion minutes have passed since Mt. Vesuvius snuffed out the civilization of Pompeii. From the fall of Rome to the discovery of America to the invention of the automobile and the Internet, life on Earth has been revolutionized time and time again within the past billion minutes. And if I think about my life in terms of seconds, I face a whole new responsibility for making each and every one count.

The success of the Momentum campaign over the past four years (or 2,102,400 minutes) has shown me that there are people both inside and outside of the University who have a real passion for the institution and that passion is a powerful engine of progress. With only 525,600 minutes in a year, I hope you do not spend a single one questioning your own passion and what you are capable of accomplishing if you really put your heart into it.

— Meredith Danton, Editor

Address letters to:
Meredith Danton
Miami magazine
P.O. Box 248105
Coral Gables, FL 33124
E-mail: mdanton@miami.edu