Letters
TRANSITIONS I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Kitaj’s Last Word essay, “Just Do It!” in the Winter 2011 Barnard Magazine. Her story regarding a medical internship at age 45 is amazing. Her courage, diligence, and perseverance in pursuing such a noble vocation is truly inspirational and admirable. Thank you for such a wonderful and uplifting article. Also, President Spar’s “A Stacked Deck” illustrates a caring and compassionate viewpoint, which I would like to believe that Barnard women everywhere want to emulate. I am assuming that Tonya’s mentor must have seen academic potential in her, otherwise to encourage her to apply with no possibilities for acceptance and success might be viewed as wishful thinking or cruel. After having been encouraged to apply, Tonya, I imagine, will feel discouraged and brokenhearted if denied this opportunity. Let us not forget that, thanks to Annie Nathan Meyers vision in 1889, many women are grateful to have been given the opportunity to excel in spite of the stacked deck for being female. —Yolanda Irizarry Giraldo ’73 San Juan, PR Thanks to Dr. Kitaj for the inspiring and entertaining account of her travails and successes as a 40-year-old medical student. Well done! I’d love to read more about her experiences. —Marie Cotter ’82 Smithtown, NY
SALUTES My mom, Audrey Snyder Harding ’38, really enjoys your magazine and, in particular, the Class Notes. The article “Alumnae in the Military” in the Spring 2011 issue also piqued her interest. Mom served in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) from Jan. 1, 1944 to Dec. 31, 1947, and is registered at The Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Washington, D.C. The mission statement of WAVES was to expedite the war effort by releasing officers and men for duty at sea through their replacement by women in the shore establishment of the Navy, and for other purposes. When she joined, she told her mother that since the family had no sons to serve our country, she’d be honored to serve. When she looks at old photos of that time, she says she is reminded of how pleased and proud she always was to wear that uniform. While serving in the WAVES, Mom did secretarial work as well as intelligence testing. She later earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan under the GI Bill. She said that her experience in the WAVES paved the way for a very rewarding career of helping people. Thanks for honoring these special women who serve our country. —Meg Harding Midland, Mich.
ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION OF BARNARD COLLEGE PRESIDENT & ALUMNAE TRUSTEE
Mary Ann LoFrumento ’77 College relations vice president for college relations
Dorothy Urman Denburg ’70 director of alumnae affairs
Erin Fredrick ’01 Communications VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS
Joanne Kwong Creative director
David Hopson editorial director
Annette Stramesi Kahn Electronic communications director
Scott DiPerna
Thank you for acknowledging an unusual path that some Barnard alumnae take. The women you featured represent us well. I, too, serve in the military; I am an Army Major approaching my 12th year of service. Like the women you featured, I am also scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan and have completed graduate work while in the military (MA, PhD candidate in history, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill). Before 9/11, a Barnard woman in the military was a far rarer thing. For my entire four years in Fordham University’s Army ROTC program, I was the only Barnard cadet. As a ’99 graduate, my extra years have given me the additional distinction of being a mother to a feisty 2-yearold. While women increasingly serve in combat positions, the military is a decidedly male world. I find that I am supposed to be two people—a soldier and a mother—which makes for almost a contradictory dichotomy. As I prepare to go to war in the coming months, I look at my young daughter and hope that the example I set for her is a good one. I am convinced that we women who serve help ensure that the women after us have positive—and more—careers options and fewer limitations. I hope my daughter also
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Editorial staff Annette Stramesi Kahn ’67 Managing Editor Deborah M. Staab creative director David Hopson Art Director & Designer Anna Simutis research editor Rebecca Geiger Proofreader Rebekkah Linton Gillett web editor Martina Szarek ’08 Editor
DEVELOPMENT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT
Bret Silver Summer 2011, Vol. C, No. 3 Barnard Magazine (USPS 875-280, ISSN 1071-6513) is published quarterly by the Alumnae Association of Barnard College. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send change of address form to: Alumnae Records, Barnard College, Box AS, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598 Editorial office Vagelos Alumnae Center, Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598 Phone: 212.854.0085 Fax: 212.854.1699 E-mail: magazine@barnard.edu Opinions expressed are those of contributors or the editor and do not represent official positions of Barnard College or the Alumnae Association of Barnard College. Letters to the editor (150 words maximum), submissions for Last Word (600 words maximum), and unsolicited articles and/ or photographs will be published at the discretion of the editor and will be edited for length and clarity. The contact information listed in Class Notes is for the exclusive purpose of providing information for the magazine and may not be used for any other purpose. For alumnae related inquiries, call Alumnae Affairs at 212.854.2005 or e-mail alumnaeaffairs@barnard.edu. To change your address, go to www.barnard.edu/alum and click on “Keeping in Touch,” or write to Alumnae Records, Barnard College, Box AS, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598, phone 212.854.7792, or e-mail: alumrecords@barnard.edu.