Alumni Letters
Letters from our readers.
A Spark of Genius
It was great to read the article on Amy Smith ‘84, SM ‘95, ME ‘95 (“The Pragmatist,” January/February 2007). I was one of her undergraduate roommates, and we remain friends today.
I first met Amy as a pledge at Delta Psi (No. 6 Club) in 1980. A self-described “klutz,” Amy decided she wanted to play volleyball seriously and joined the team. She practiced all spring, and the next fall she was named to the varsity team, which went to the final four our senior year.
Amy would frequently go home with friends in tow, and I soon felt like a member of her family. I remember one year going out to Lexington for Patriots’ Day to watch the reënactment. Later that day, as we were recovering from our 5:00 a.m. ordeal, we were rudely awakened by Amy, who demanded that we join her to watch Sesame Street. We were in for a treat: the Sesame Street version of “Let It Be” (“Letter B, letter B …”).
One summer, Amy worked at a pig farm and came back to school as a vegetarian. I became an ingredient-reading expert, since she would not eat anything cooked with lard. We were pretty careful about which cookie and ice cream mix we should eat.
Twenty years ago, I would have said that Amy was a great friend and adopted sister, a lot of fun, but someone with strange ideas. Today, I have learned that it is the slightly different thinkers who have the ability to make the world a better place for all of us. I am thrilled to see that Technology Review recognizes the beautiful spark of genius in Amy.
Karen Caswelch ‘84
Indianapolis, IN
Shirley Chisholm’s Charge
I really enjoyed the article on our classmate Amy Smith and the quote from Father Daniel Berrigan, which reminded me of Shirley Chisholm’s speech at our graduation. Although not many of us dedicate as much of our lives to making a difference as Amy does, hopefully we all engage ourselves in some manner on a regular basis to do what Amy does and what Shirley Chisholm encouraged us to do.
Scott Causbie ‘84, SM ‘85
Edmonds, WA
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