Something in Common

When I read the profile of Alan Bell (“For Alan Bell, Toxins Take a Toll,” spring 2006) in Miami magazine, I immediately yearned to contact him. When a person becomes as ill as Alan and I have, there is little guidance to know how to cut your losses and begin again. I commend Alan for defying his failed health and founding the Environmental Health Foundation while he was ill. I, too, am trying to function while ill.

After graduating from the University of Miami in 1983 with a Master of Music in studio writing and production, I became a composer at Maryland Public Television, and from there I enjoyed many contracts for film composing. In 1990 I was rolling out an internationally distributed CD with Narada Productions called A View from the Bridge. I have composed music for the United States Information Agency and for ten years wrote weekly scores for TV’s America’s Most Wanted.

All that changed for me starting in the year 2000, when I bought a house full of mold. Within two years, I lost everything. I reached complete chemical sensitivity in 2002, following a bad flu and after moving into a rental with an HVAC leak, freshly cleaned carpet, porch sealant, and air freshener.

With help from the University of Miami, I was able to reach Alan by telephone. We jumped right into conversation, bonded by our association with the University and, unfortunately, by illness. He answered some important questions for me, as I am facing a move to the southwest and am unsure about what to do.

I wanted to congratulate you on a terrific Miami magazine and thank you for connecting me to Alan. The news of chemical sensitivity must be broadcast in every venue. Now it is a return to my own career that motivates me to keep going. Surely, without the University of Miami, I never would have had the success I did. And with all that I lost, no one or no illness can take away what I learned there.

Carol Nethen West, M.M. ’83
Via the Internet

AFROTC Class Portrait

Considering the recent article on the University of Miami’s Air Force ROTC program (“’Cane Cadets,” winter 2006), I wanted to submit photos and information about seven UM graduates who attended the U.S. Air Force’s prestigious Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) this year. ACSC is a rigorous, 11-month program where officers who are selected to command future U.S. Air Force units hone their leadership skills. The college is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. We believe this is the first time that so many UM graduates have attended the ACSC together.

The names of the seven graduates, left to right, are Michael Dahlstrom, B.S.M.E. ’92, Steven Minkin, B.B.A. ’92, Dennis Tucker, B.S. ’91, Adriane (Wood) Craig, B.S. ’92, Eric Espino, A.B. ’92, Capt. John Greco, III, B.B.A. ’90, and Margaret (Myatt) Jones, B.S.N. ’91.

Maj. Eric Espino, A.B. ’92
Via the Internet

Plight for the Night

What about night school? Rarely, if ever, do I see anything about night school. Night school substantially helped me to become a successful member of society. Even today, with Internet education, there’s still a need for places and programs where students can attend lectures. Some people do not want to create a major debt to attend college. These people can maintain a family, work full time, and graduate from programs that offer courses in the evening.

I am an individual who has practiced accounting and law, taught at the junior college level, owned businesses, and who will leave this world better than he found it. I went to night school.

Samuel S. Forman, B.B.A. ’61, J.D. ’66
North Bay Village, Florida

Editor’s note: Night school does in fact exist at the University of Miami in the form of part-time, flexible programs designed for students who work during the day. The Division of Continuing and International Education, for example, offers credit certificate programs in areas like business, art and art history, human resources, languages, and computer information systems. The division also administers a Bachelor of General Studies degree program and a Master of Arts in International Administration graduate program, both of which enable students to take classes during the day, evening, or weekend. The School of Business Administration also offers many flexible options.

I would like to thank you for the article about my work and the physiology of taste (“Savory Science,” winter 2006). I also wanted to alert you to one very concrete and positive result from the publication.

A patient at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center who read the article and contacted me had been suffering from severe dysgeusia, which is a deficit in the sense of taste. Since I am not a physician, I could not help him directly. But I put him in contact with a world expert from Yale University, who spoke at length with him about this condition.

Stephen Roper
Miller School of Medicine
Miami, Florida

A Smoother Ride

As the owner of a Toyota Solara for six years, my satisfaction with the car has been nothing short of that “Oh What a Feeling” feeling. Sure, she’s picked up some dents and scratches along the way, but the ride has always been good.

Recently I decided to spiff her up a bit, adding new spark plugs and belts as well as satellite radio, pin striping, and a palm tree air freshener radiating a sweet coconut scent. Now she drives like a dream.

Much like transportation vehicles, communications vehicles need a pit stop in the body shop every few years. In the case of Miami magazine, an award-winning publication among industry peers, there was no need for a complete overhaul, just some fine-tuning. So we streamlined font styles and page layouts for a cleaner, more contemporary look throughout.

We added some regularly appearing departments in the University Journal section to highlight faculty, students, research, and athletic accomplishments plus some of the cool courses that rev up the curriculum. In response to reader feedback, we added an In Memoriam segment to our Class Notes section. While feature stories will continue to highlight the strengths of the institution, we have endeavored to place greater emphasis on stories that are timely, newsworthy, and enlightening in the global context.

Like any good auto body shop, we consulted internal and external specialists, including our readers, for more than a year before implementing this editorial and design tuneup. As always, Miami magazine remains committed to showcasing the heart and soul of the University of Miami through a rich tapestry of articles that are intellectual, enjoyable, and meaningful in the human context. We hope you enjoy the ride.

Meredith Danton, Editor