Living in the Future

INTERNATIONAL

LIVING

SEVENTY-FIVE

IN

HOUSE

NEW

_YORK

THE

FUTURE

YEARS

....._

I AM INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE.

I open my doors to the students of the world that they may live togetherand grow in understanding.

I am builded as a canopyfor an adventure that had its beginning in afriendly greeting to a lonely student which has widened into a world brotherhood.

Therefore,I am not a beginning, but afulfillment.

-Florence

Edmonds, September 1924,

upon the opening of International House

LIVING IN THE FUTURE INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE

NEW

75

YORK

Years

text LEE

by HALL

The author is grateful to the many people associated with International House New York who have devoted time and effort to the preparation of this book. In particular, thanks are due Don Cuneo and John Wells at I.House for their contributions

to the development of

the text and for their attention to it once written. John has been a ready reference for numerous resources and pictures as well as for all kinds of seemingly tiny but nonetheless important names, dates, and the like. Current and past trustees, alumni, and staff members were most generous with their thoughts, memories, and visio_ns.

I hope I have done them justice in the translation from spoken to written word. Finally, I extend a special thanks to the 1998-99 residents at I.House, so many of whom made my visits both stimulating and pleasurable-and -Lee

all of whom give me much hope for the future.

Hall,Ju/y / 999

Vernon Press extends its gratitude to the staff at International House New York for its many instances of assistance and hospitality in the course of preparing this book for publication.A special thanks is due John Wells, who did yeoman's service in handling the thousands of details that a book of this kind requires, and always with a smile or a laugh. Gennaro BrooksChurch (res. 1998-99) generously took time from often-frantic days to work with the art director to photograph aspects of contemporary International

life at International House.

House New York generously made its archives available to the author and

designer of this book. With the exception of the new images made expressly for this volume by Mr. Brooks-Church, all materials cited and/or reproduced herein come from that impressive repository to verify all information

Copyright©

of letters, articles, books, and pictures. Every effort has been made derived from these archival materials.

2000 by International

This special-edition

House New York

history of International

House was published in celebration of the

seventy-fifth anniversary of the opening of International

House New York.

Published by International House New York, 500 Riverside Drive, New York, New York I 0027

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-75519

Designed, edited, and produced by Vernon Press, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts Printed and bound by R.R. Donnelley, Chicago, Illinois

SHORTLY AFTERWORLDWARI, MY FATHERWASINVITEDTO A SUNDAY dinner by Harry Edmonds, who headed the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club. This organization entertained foreign students at informal gatherings near the Columbia University campus. Two friends of Father's, Cleveland Dodge and Fred Osborne, were also present, and it was the four of them who subsequently developed the idea of providing a suitable home in New York

FOREwoRp for foreign students corning to this country.

Since my childhood, International House has been an important part of my life. Thanks to I.House, I came to know students from many other lands at a very early age. My parents often entertained groups of foreign students studying at Columbia University at our home even before the House was built. Thereafter, they invited larger groups on a regular basis. My mother, who loved young people, invariably made them feel comfortable and drew them out to talk about their own interests and objectives. My siblings and I were real beneficiaries of this process. We came to know and appreciate many of the students who stayed at I.House, and our outlook and horizons were broadened considerably as a result.

When the House was built, Father recognized, perhaps more clearly than some at the time, that the world was becoming increasingly interdependent and that if peace and harmony were to be maintained in the world, it was necessary to promote certain universal values. In an early speech at the House, Father defined these values as universal justice, good will, understanding, loyalty, brotherly love, unselfishness, service to others, and tolerance. In a sense, the motto that he had inscribed over the entrance door-THAT BROTHERHOOD MAYPREVAIL-synthesizes these values and expresses Father's philosophy in building International House.

After seventy-five years, these values remain solid and the mission of International House is more important than ever. As we enter the twenty-first century, we can safely anticipate that the House will continue to serve the public good, both here and abroad, for generations to come.

-David Rockefeller, November 1999

Over the seventy-five years since its inception, International House has been a temporary home to more than seventy thousand graduate students and interns, American and foreign. But it pt~i,ie_ much more than a safe and relatively inexpensive place to stay.The young men and wofuen,,~h :~

come to International House seek more than con-

.:t,''

venience and affordability; they want yiore than safe shelter within a turbulent city.When they seek admission to International House, they know its tradition and purpose. To receive one of the seven hundred cherished spaces, a prospective resident must want to practice peace and friendship in daily living and must convince the admissions office that she or he will contribute to-as from-the

well as take

experience of living with people from different backgrounds. The

applicant must signal a willingness to put aside preconceived ideas about "otherness" in order to live harmoniously within the unique global community that is International House.

An International House resident joins others in ordinary daily eventssharing meals in the dining room, coping with the quirkiness of the elevators, chatting casually in the corridors and puOO:ic'areas of the House. But residents ,,., also share the experiences manifest in tnesometimes extraordinary programs of f,-~7'~

the House, which allow them to attent;l,Jectures, concerts, plays, and discussion {·,~--

groups, and to tirelessly explore ideas sparked by these experiences.

The story of International House's first seventy-five years is one of many, many people learning that individuality is not diminished but enhanced by introspection and conscious participation-intellectual

and emotional investment-

in a broad-based community of shared values. With this emphasis on valuesespecially that of brotherhood-shared

by its diverse constituents, International

House provides an environment conducive to the development ofleadership. In short, it is a place that fosters its residents' transformation into global citizens. In their daily lives young women and men from every part of the planet put into action the motto of International House: That Brotherhood May Prevail.

International

House

THE SPIRIT OF HARRY EDMONDS, PERHAPS AGLOW NOW WITH THE PATINA

Above: Harry Edmonds, the founder of International House, shown here in a photograph from the mid- I 920s.

Below: Florence Edmonds, whose generous hospitality sparked the stillvibrant tradition International

of Sunday Suppers at

House.

of myth, presides over the House, but he did not create International House out of whole cloth, nor did he effect the miracle unassisted.

Whether by being the right person in the right place at the right time, or by his singular amalgam of idealism and energy, however, he did bring the necessary ingredients together, align them for success, and oversee their careful blending into International House New York.

Harry Edmonds, a tall, rangy, idealistic young man from the American heartland, had become involved in the work of the Young Men's Christian Association while studying engineering at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.Y.M.C.A. officials quickly recognized Edmonds's talent for organization as well as his congenial manner and idealism and recruited him to work with students in New York City.

Headquartered at 129 Lexington Avenue, Edmonds was soon the leader of a rapidly expanding Christian student movement in New York.

Twenty-six years old in the winter of 1908-'1909, Edmonds recalled in his memoirs that he "had energy, grit and enthusiasm."

The seed for International House was planted one cool morning in the fall of 1909, when Harry Edmonds, sprinting up the steps of the library at Columbia University, barely paused to offer a casual greeting to a Chinese student, who followed and stopped the ebullient American: "You are the first American who has spoken to me in the time I have been in this country," he told Edmonds.Appalled, the American attempted to explain, "Well, you know New York is a big place and people don't ordinarily speak unless they know you."

He jotted down the student's name as they chatted. Edmonds recalled that, not long after, he "realized that something extraordinary had happened. Here was a fellow who had come from the other side of the world-China!-to study in America; he had been in New York three weeks and no one had spoken to him! What a tragedy!"

Still disturbed by the Chinese student's story, Edmonds recounted it to his wife, Florence, that evening. "Can't we do something about it?" she asked.Yes, they decided, they could. Florence and Harry Edmonds took what they regarded as a small action to rectify a woeful failure of American hospitality. But their small action was the seed from which a great and influential institution grew.

Harry Edmonds recognized that the experience of the Chinese student was not unique. He was one of many students who, for

LIVING

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whatever scholarly or professional purposes, found themselves in a strange land. In addition to unfamiliar language and confusing customs, each foreign student daily faced a thousand decisions, from where to live and what to eat to how to move about the bustling streets of New York. They had to identify needs and seek assistance in meeting them.

Harry Edmonds recognized that the Chinese student he had greeted had to ask strangers for help time and again without violating a protocol he may scarcely have understood. No wonder the student thanked Edmonds. The American's small gesture must have seemed to make many things possible and to erase a layer of anxiety.

In the fall of 1910, the Edmondses invited foreign students to their home in the country or their New York apartment for Sundaynight supper. Soon students invited other students for the simple meals, good conversation, and warm hospitality. "We soon became aware," Edmonds said, "that, in front of our log fire, assisted by a cup of tea, a miracle was taking place." Warmed as much by the Edmondses' hospitality as by their hearth, the foreign students seemed to abandon national identity and become friendly, talkative students. Throughout the year, as news of the happy gatherings spread among foreign students, the numbers swelled, until by the end of the academic year, the Edmondses realized that they could no longer accommodate all the students who wanted to share the Sunday suppers in their home.

They turned to Columbia University for a larger meeting area.

Columbia granted them the use of Earl Hall where, beginning in 1910-11, the Sunday Night Suppers flourished. Florence and Harry and an assorted lot of students put up tables, laid out paper plates and napkins, and prepared simple, inexpensive meals-sometimes

only a cup

of hot chocolate and a peanut butter sandwich. On more flush occasions, perhaps they dined on macaroni and cheese or baked beans, bread and butter, and apples. But it was not the cuisine that drew the group together and brought them back again and again; it was fellowship-the opportunity

to share experiences, to help and be helped in the daily

trials of living and learning in a strange atmosphere.

In 1915 Harry Edmonds invited an advisory committee to meet at the India House as guests of William Fall owes Morgan. The committee gathered to establish a formal organization that would give form to his ministry to students, and this was the beginning of the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan

Club. By 1919-20, the club that was

destined to mature into International House listed among its members

9

International

House

154 Chinese, 105 Japanese, 60 Latin Americans, 40 Filipinos, 36 Scandinavians, 65 Near Easterners, along with 300 miscellaneous American students, graduates, and friends who were interested in befriending and extending hospitality to students from other lands.

For the more than seven hundred students, representing seventy nations and thirteen institutions in the New York City area, activities included Sunday Night Suppers, socials, receptions, invitations to American homes, special dinners, excursions, and a "Christmas" party.

But the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club was more than a source of entertainment. It provided vital services for students from other lands,· including meeting them on their arrival in the United States; helping them locate and rent lodging and to find employment; and offering counseling for personal problems, aid during illness, and guidance in "getting out of improper conditions."

By any standards, the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club was a success. In a short time Harry Edmonds's small gesture, like the candlelight passed from one friend to another at the International House Candlelight Supper, had been extended over and over through the participation of students.

Harry Edmonds welcomed all the young women and men, foreign and American, who shared the vision of the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club. His good humor and energy as well as the programs of the Club drew increasing numbers of students. He was fortunate to attract a particular American to the activities and purposes of the Club-Bayard

Dodge, a student at Union Theological Seminary

who later became president of the American University at Beirut. As notable for his energy as for his tall frame, young Dodge appreciated the importance of the Club and realized that Harry Edmonds struggled daily with limited resources. Dodge appealed to his aunt, Grace Dodge, for money and for used furniture from her home to transform the Club headquarters into a "drop-in center" for students, but he received even more: the Dodges had been instrumental in bringing the YM.C.A. movement from England to the United States, which made it easy for Bayard to extend their interest to the cause and future of the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club.

Edmonds said, "For years, I had ... the moral and material support of a family, without which I could not have had the courage to continue working in the difficult metropolitan student field. I refer to Miss Grace H. Dodge, her brother, Cleveland H. Dodge, and their sister, Mrs.

10

LIVING

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FUTURE

William Church Osborn. As time went on, three members of the next generation were equally helpful-Bayard Dodge, his brother Cleveland E., and their cousin Frederick Osborn."

General Frederick Osborn recalled the inception of the institution and the good idea behind its existence while celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of International House in 1954. He became involved in the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club when he returned to New York after World War I, and soon served on the advisory board.

Like Edmonds, Osborn felt that something important was happening: "After a while," he remembered, Edmonds "began stirring up his committee to get a piece ofland in [the] area," although both men knew that land around Columbia University, lots on Riverside Drive or Claremont Avenue, were "becoming scarcer and scarcer." But Edmonds was undaunted by real estate problems. As Osborn told it:

One day he cameto the advisorycommitteewith a story that there was a derelictgaragegoing bankruptright here[on the presentsite of InternationalHouse] and it couldbe boughtfor a song.The song businesswas quite a song.Money was easy and we couldget people who would extend a largemortgageon the property.U1?boughtthe propertyfor 115, ooo and a s12 5, ooo mortgage.ite didn't have any money or.financialbacking.ite borrowedsome of the 115,000, which we paid down to buy the property. ... ite didn't know how we weregoing to meet the intereston the mortgage,but we thought the Lord wouldprovide.

Above: General Frederick Osborn, founding member of the board of trustees and chairman of the building committee that brought the building at 500 Riverside Drive into being.

Below: A 1935 photograph of Cleveland E. Dodge, founding member of the board of trustees.

Moreover, surmised Osborn, Edmonds had "an architect friend [Louis E. Jallade], and he must have told him quite a story. You should have seen the magnificent painting this architect made of an International House ... a beautiful building, with students going up the steps, the Palisades in the background with the sun rising-a magnificent painting and a very moving painting."

For his part, Edmonds recalled the same period, but with significantly more emphasis on the role played by the Dodge family. "This whole family [was] sympathetic to my hopes for a building," he said, "and it was from them in 1920 that enough money was obtained to buy the six lots on Claremont Avenue." But the bare lots could not possibly support Edmonds's dream, despite the elegant rendering provided

by Jallade.

11

Internal

onal

House

From the 1921-22 Intercollegiate

and professional schools of New York

help when needed, visit them when sick

Cosmopolitan Club brochure:

City, and to promote friendly relations

and co-operate in making their stay in

between foreign students and Americans.

this country mutually beneficial and enjoyable.

COSMOPOLITAN CLUB

To this end, representatives of the Club

The object of the Cosmopolitan Club is

hold themselves ready to meet students

to unite for mutual benefit, socially,intel-

on their arrival in the City, advise them

National Nights

lectually,and morally, students of all

regarding school, board, and lodging, pro-

On Saturday nights, at intervals of every

nationalities in the colleges, universities,

vide them with opportunities for self-

two or three weeks, enjoyable social

12

LIVING

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FUTURE

meetings, called National Nights, will be

Membership

BureauD.lvis/o!JS

held.These occasions afford the oppor-

An'y student who desiri!stofur:~er tfie

There are six principal groupings of for-

tunity of exhibiting the music, manners

objects ofthe Club, andis acceptecfby

eign students in New York and along the

and costumes of different nations.

the Committee on Admissions, may . ,, •. <· : ) .. become a member·on payrnimt Of $4J)0.

lfi\e~-0£,the;e+i~t1¢nakdi;faidris'the Club

This fee is renewable annually.

Japanese,Filip1ho,{ati~¢Ameritan,

Meetings in Homes

One of the most successful activities of

~

h,~'.~s~;blis ;d \;urea~;'. ~i;ely: Chinese,

European and Near Eastern, and British

the Club has consisted in introducing

Sunday Suppers

its foreign members to American home

A series

life.This year social gatherings and

in Earl•Hail,C:ol~~blalJhi~e;sity.T~~-

dinner parties will be arranged in the

object •of these suppers i;

h.omes of friends, particularly at the

and strengthen ties of friendship

holiday time.

between foreign and American students

Cabinet

in the several ihstitutions ofNe'N Ycirk.

!:hf!" cabinet is the chief legislative body

After supper a short address is

for the Club as a whole. Every nationali-

Several Saturday excursions will be made

usually given by a prorr,inent p~rsori on

ty that has seven active members is enti-

'to different places of interest-up

some timely subject. Open forums are

t.led to one representative on the cabi-

Excursions

the

Empire; Each bureau has a native secre-

~f.j6ncfafsu~~;:~ 'ffit(behet{f tdpro1"11otE!

tary in\~_h'ar~ari<ia council of m~mbers from:\:h~i:Jfvi~i()~.'rti1sedi~ect the work of their respective bureaus.

Hudson River,around Manhattan Island

also held, in which the members discuss

ne~;butno nationality. may have more

and to industrial and municipal institu-

common problems.

than t~ree.Sma.11national groups may

tions in or near the City. These will

tombirie and elect one representative

prove to be pleasant outings, will pro-

f~fev~/y. sev~n members.

mote acquaintance among the members, and will have great educational value as

Office

well.The first excursion this year will be

forforeign students able to speak on the

The office of the Ch.ib is at 2929

by boat to West Point.

educational, social, economic and reli-

Broadway (near I 14th Street). Mailto·

gious conditions in their native lands.

the officers should be sent to this

International Forums

This is a splendidoppottunit'yfor

club •

address.

Several groups will meet in Earl Hall for

members .t:o bring toAmericans

~%~.,..,J~

a series of discussions on political, social

edge otconditi6ns

and religious questions of national and

the ·-world,and t:usare\~eyfurthering

international scope, the object being to

Indiffer~hl.6irtl of

the cause of'!~fai~t~ft!,)if~

bring about a sympathetic understanding

Opposite: In J9:22, memb¢rs ofthe Cosmopolitan ··bJ1>, rtlany d:ef$ed.Jn garb from their hpmil,incl$,g~tlleredf~rthis group

of one another's points of view and,

Opportunities for Self-Help

portrait before attending the Candlelight

whenever possible, a solution ofa given

Special efforts .ire made to secure

Ceremony, foreruuner to the cherished

problem by the highest moral, ethical

employment; for foreign students. Over

Candlelight Dinner that now closes each

and religious standards.

I00 were assisted in this way last year.

academic year at International House.

international

House

RENE DUBOS France (res. /927-29)

Before Dr. Dubas gained worldwide recognition as a philosopher, pioneering bacteriologist, writer, and professor at both Harvard and Rockefeller universities, he studied at L'lnstitut d'agronomie in Paris.After receiving his Ph.D. from Rutgers University, he taught soil microbiology and bacteriology in the 1920s.

Among his many contributions to science, Dubas made significant discoveries in the field of immunology, specifically with his work on antibiotics and a tuberculosis vaccination. He also authored more than twenty books and received many prizes, including the Pulitzer for his So Human an Animal in 1969. More than thirty honorary degrees from colleges and universities throughout France, Canada, and the United States have been bestowed upon him.

Dr. Dubas provided the theme for the January 1971 Alumni Dinner, "Trend is Not Destiny."While

affirming the

influence of International House on his concern for human affairs, the humanistscientist said:"With our knowledge and a sense of responsibility for the welfare of humankind and the Earth, we can create new environments that are ecologically sound, aesthetically satisfying, economically rewarding, and favorable to the continued growth of civilization."

14

Edmonds appealed to New Yorkers who were known for their philanthropy, but along with the Dodges, the Carnegies, and the Whitneys, others urged Edmonds to be patient, to recognize that many charities needed the comparatively few dollars available for help in the aftermath ofWorld War I, and to defer his dream of a building. But Edmonds saw in the architect's rendering a goal too beautiful and too practical to be delayed. Although he had to admit that "no sizable gifts were in sight," his positive thinking continued unabated. He went about his daily business acting as though the building was going to happen.

He recalled, "several times in the past years, I had tried to secure • John D. Rockefeller,Jr., as Sunday Supper speaker.A fortnight before Christmas 1920, I tried again. He accepted for the Sunday before Christmas." Edmonds's recollection of that evening would have us believe that he was without guile in his invitation; that he never entertained the idea that Rockefeller might-just might-find the plans for International House a neat fit with his other Morningside Heights interests.

On the night of Rockefeller's visit, according to Edmonds, the auditorium of Earl Hall was filled with nearly three hundred students, "sitting around candle-lighted tables. Speakers were never announced in advance, so no sooner was the blessing said, than students began to crane their necks to see who the speaker was. They didn't know, they couldn't guess. As he was introduced, and his name mentioned, there was a burst of applause. The atmosphere was electric."

Rockefeller spoke on "the meaning of Christmas," the subject of his earlier-in-the-day talk to the men's Bible class at the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. After his talk emphasizing the importance of "peace on earth, good will to men," Rockefeller (according to Edmonds) "seemed reluctant to leave. He shook hands and talked to many students. I could see how deeply interested he was."

Frederick Osborn, recalling the importance of Rockefeller's appearance at the Sunday Supper, said, "Mr. Rockefeller made a very moving speech to the foreign students and the foreign students were very responsive, I will say.... It [was] hard not to be responsive to Mr. Rockefeller."

Harry Edmonds, he said, had hung the architect's rendering of the proposed building for International House on the wall of the lecture room.

Shortly after his visit to the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club, Rockefeller invited some foreign students to his house for dinner.

Edmonds selected attractive, articulate students who would make a good impression on behalf of International House. Osborn recalled that

LIVING

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FUTUR.E

the students were indeed impressive as, one by one, they rose to tell their names, countries of origin, and career plans.Young David Rockefeller, wearing knickers,joined

the students and introduced himself,

recounted Osborn, "saying he planned to go to college and then 'go to business'."

About a week after the dinner party, Osborn joined Rockefeller for lunch. Rockefeller recounted being stopped by Edmonds in front of the architect's rendering of the imagined International House. Rockefeller seemed amused that Edmonds had deftly moved him about to make sure that he faced the picture. Although Edmonds did not mention the drawing or his dream of having a building to house foreign students, Rockefeller of course saw the rendering and understood its proximity to be a seductive maneuver on Edmonds's part.

Rockefeller asked about the picture and Osborn eagerly described Edmonds's dream for International House, the purchase of land, and the large mortgage. Rockefeller asked for more information about cost of the project which, at that time, was predicated on 250 students and a $1 million building. The financier quickly did his own estimates, according to Osborn, and responded:

"Mr. Osborn)I have had a good deal efexperiencein these things) andfor a number of reasonsI don)t think this House would be a success.The primary reasonis that 250 bedroomswon)t carrya building efthis sort. Socialrooms)an auditorium and you have to do some work in the House-you can)tcarryit with less than 500 bedrooms)roomsfor 500 students. .if you just have roomsfor 250 students)you will run a deficitof around $2 ooo a year.You will have to raisethis money every year.Some yearsyou won)t raiseit 5)

becausetimes will be bad)and the House will be afailure.

"You know, Mr. Osborn)I wouldn)t be interestedin helping in any way with this House. )) Although Osborn had not asked for Rockefeller's help, he felt a bit stung by his pronouncement.

"I suppose I looked a little cheerless,"

Osborn admitted, "and he wanted to cheer me up." So Rockefeller continued,

"You know, Mr. Osborn)if this House had roomsfor 500 students) then in my experienceit would pay for itself with a surplus which

15

International

House

When Louis E.Jallade created his rendering of International House in I 920, Harry Edmonds's dream was on the brink of realization. Edmonds already viewed it as a certainty when he planted his idea in the mind of John D. Rockefeller.Jr., who became the House's benefactor shortly after he saw an earlier version of this illustration.

--

'-

\

\'

,. \'

',

,( .,,'i'

\ I'

16

'

'\

,/

I,

I

r

I \'

LIVING

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FUTURE

17

International

House

would carrythe activitiesyou want to carryon in the House. I don't know about your committee.But if your committeewould be willing to reconsiderits plans and build a Housefor 500, with roomfor 500 students,which would carryitself-I supposeit would costtwiceas much,perhaps two million dollars-then I would be veryglad to put up the two million dollars."

In accepting Rockefeller's guidance, Edmonds and his committee adopted two modes of operation that would prove to be great strengths for International House. First, they consistently sought and followed • expert advice, often from trustees or friends of trustees. Second, they recognized the necessity of basic good business practices in assuring the well-being of a not-for-profit institution ..

Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a driving force behind International House, underwrote

the building of this

daring experiment in peaceful and respectful coexistence.

WHEN JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, JR., DONATED THE MONEY TO FUND THE

building oflnternational House in October 1921, he and his wife,Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, began a long and ardent relationship with the House and its mission. He was the only son of his phenomenally successful father, which placed him in a position to become one of the great innovators of twentieth-century philanthropy, through which he donated money to institutions dedicated to the improvement of life, health, and education for large segments of the population. Probably no American, and few citizens in other countries, have been untouched by the various Rockefeller philanthropic efforts, ranging through most disciplines including medical and scientific research, health, higher education, communications, and the arts.

The Rockefellers not only provided money to build International House, but they took almost daily interest in the minutest details of its planning, furnishing, and operation. Rockefeller's initial condition for supporting the project-beginning

JOHN D.ROCKEFELLER, JR. with 500 instead of250 students to Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was a trustee of International House from its inception.

Her interest and dedication are still manifest in many aspects of the House's design and practices.

18

make success feasible-was a stroke of pure genius, which was as rare then as today in the not-for-profit world. Few contemporary "charitable" organizations were built on a foundation of proven business practices, but it was just such policy that served to magnify the effectiveness of I.House while reducing the need for continual fund-raising.

Along with making themselves and their resources available to the project, the Rockefellers invited their friends and other social and

LIVING

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cultural leaders to participate in building and launching International House. Rockefeller's letter of January 25, 1922, gives but one of many glimpses of his leadership in the planning process:

My dearMr. and Mrs. Edmonds: Realizing how many problemsthe [AdvisoryJ Committee has been faced with as it has worked thesepast months on plansfor the CosmopolitanClub building,andfeeling, with the Committee,that it is of the utmost importancethat theseproblemsshould be solved in the light efthefullest experienceand broadestjudgment available,Mrs. Rockefellerand I have thought that we might be efsome little servicein the matter by inviting to our house,Ten v¼st Fiftyfourth Street,for dinner on the eveningof Februarythird, at seven o'clock,the membersefthe Committee and the otherfriends whose names appearon the accompanyinglist. Our thought is to devote the entireevening,includingthe dinner hour,to afull,Jrank and generaldiscussionof the variousproblemswhich are involved.

May we surelycount on your presence?

In numerous such evenings, the Cosmopolitan Club evolved toward its incarnation as International House, at first described by attorneys Curtis, Fosdick & Belknap as "International Students' Institute, Inc." With strong leadership from Rockefeller, the advisory committee, lawyers, and Edmonds agreed that the organization should not be a club, but should proclaim its mission. The cornerstone was to be openness to men and women of all races and creeds, they agreed, but how could this banner of tolerance be raised above the mire oflegalese?

By the time ground was broken for the building on August 4, 1922, Edmonds was accustomed to receiving from Abby Rockefeller notes regarding every detail of the planned appearance and housekeeping of the structure. On September 14, she wrote:

In looking overthe reportof Meeting # 37, in Item 7, it speaks ef omitting the clothesand rubbishchutes.As you probablyrealize, thesechutessave a great deal of time on the part efthe maids and also are much neater,as they save the carryingof all sorts of refuse throughthe buildingand on the elevators.

I am writing to ask if you will be kind enough to tell me the reasonthe architecthasfor giving them up.

19

International

House

Abby Rockefeller also frequently passed along to Edmonds ideas she discussed with her husband, especially those delicate issues having to do with housing both men and women in the same building, but designing for decorum. Early in 1923, she wrote:

Goston Eyskens

Belgium (res. /926-21) ) Born in the Lierre province of Antwerp,

In regardto theglasspartition in the largeentrancehall efthe building,Mr. Rockefelleragreeswith you that becausethe controlat the desk in both the women'sand the men'sparts efthe buildingsis so completelyadequate,it will not be necessaryto put theglasspartition betweenthe columnsin the entrancehall. But he doesfeel that it would be wise in the sub-basementto make theframefor the doorand thenfill it in with brickand leaveit closeduntil the building has beenrunning long enoughfor you to be sure thatit is wise to put a doorin the opening.

he was educated at the University of Louvain and then at Columbia, which introduced him to International House.

He returned to Louvain and was appointed professor at his alma mater,

John D. Rockefeller,Jr., continued to pay close attention to the appearance and function of the building. In a letter to Edmonds dated January 18, 1923, he commented on the drawings of elevations of the House:

where he taught until 1934. He then became the cabinet director for the Ministry of Labor. Eyskensjoined the Belgian Parliament in 1939,and went on to serve as governor of the International Bank of Development, vice president for economics for the United Nations, and two-time prime minister of Belgium ( 1958--61;1968-72).Columbia University awarded him an honorary degree in law and economics. He died in 1988.

Musing on the significance of his stay

I am greatlypleasedwith the simplicity,dignity and eleganceof the south and westfacades,and do not see how they couldbe improved in any respect.Of coursethe ClaremontAvenue facade,becauseof its lack efsymmetry,is lesssatiifying.On the otherhand, I recognize that it is much lessconspicuous, that no distant view efit can be secured,and that it is the workingside of the house. ...

Ifeel that you and your Committeeare to be congratulated on this very happy solution to the exceedinglydifficultproblemef .fitting to a definitelyand carefullyworkedout interiorplan an exteriorwhich is as attractiveas the interioris well arrangedand well adaptedto its purposes.

at International House, he wrote:

Now that I have reachedan age whereI can

lookback down the long corridor o( the years,I realizehow much I gainedfrom my stay at InternationalHouse. ...

(continued on next page)

20

As they watched the building grow from the design to the construction stage, both Abby and John D. Rockefeller,Jr., came to share Edmonds's dream of a home for the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club, and an extension of its mission. In speaking at a Sunday Supper in November 1923, Rockefeller voiced his hopes for the building, now spoken of as International House. "I wonder what inscription will be placed over the door," he mused, then continued:

LIVING

Will the wordpeacebe there?... Surely the idea efpeacewill be in the inscriptionJorno one thing is moregenerallylongedfor throughoutthe world today than peace. ... Peaceis createdby ... the existenceefcertain... factors:...

First,justice--even-handed,universal.Justicefor the high and the low,the richand the poor,the wise and the ignorant. ... It is owed to an enemy as well as to afriend . ... Wherejustice reigns, the causeseffriction, of animosity,betweenmen aregreatly reduced and peaceis morelikely to prevail.

But somethingmore thanjustice is needed,if thereis to be peace.Tojustice must be addedgood will. Good will implieskindness,tolerance, generosity,and many otherqualities... which temperjustice,coldand stern, and make it warm and human. ...

Wherejustice andgood will exist,peaceis moreapt to befound.

Still anotherquality is essentialto peace,and that is brotherhood, ... [which]impliesunderstanding,loyalty,love,unse!fishness, tolerance,helpfulnessand ... also includesjustice andgood will. ...

Thereforeoverthe doorefInternationalHouse I would write thesewords,so simple,but how pregnantwith meaning:That Brotherhood May Prevail. ...

So as I follow my vision efInternationalHouse into thefar distantfuture, this is what I see:I see the missionefInternational House-- That BrotherhoodMay Prevail-extending eachyear in ever-wideningcircles.I see othersuch housesspringingup in the internationalstudent communitiesefthe world,and all thesecenters joining hands with the variousendeavorswhich areaiming to promote brotherhood.

IN

THE

FUTURE

(continued from previous page)

I have never allowed my horizons to be bounded by strictly national problems. I have always worked . .. to serve my own country and solve its problems, but al the

same time I think I can fairly say 1h01I have always tried to see them in_the wider

context of intern'1tiona/ '1(fairs and the grear community of nations, and that I have thrown myself heart and soul into the task of promoting understanding, agreement; cooperation and peace in the world . ... At Rivers,de Drive I forged the /inh of friendship th'1t have never broken, and that have

been a comfort to me al/ my life.

Mark Eyskens

Belgium (res. /957) Harry Edmonds Award, 1990 lnternatlonol trustee since 1993

Following in the path of his father, Mark Eyskens studied at Columbia University and returned to Belgium to enter poli• tics. Having been active in most Belgian governments since 1976, he has served

IN 1924,

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE TOOK ITS PLACE ON THE NEW YORK

skyline.Abby and John D. Rockefeller,Jr., the Cleveland Dodge family, and others, had provided more than $3 million for its construction and staffing. The sixteen-story, towered building-a testament to its founders' belief in the motto chiseled above its door-welcomed its first residents late that September.

The lower floors contained spacious, handsomely appointed lounges, a dining room, large auditorium, gymnasium, library, meeting rooms, and game rooms; the ten upper floors provided accommodations for 525 men and women. Harry Edmonds, the first director, was assist-

as minister of economic affairs and finance, and like his father. as prime minister. He also recently served as minister of foreign affairs. In addition to his posts in the government. Eyskens has held the position of professor of economics at the Catholic University of louvain since 1976. He is an advisor to the Societe Generale de Belgique, and a member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Science. Arts, and literature.

21

International

H o u s e

wAssi LvLEo HJI EF

ed in the operation of the House by staff members from the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club. Privately incorporated, with a board of trustees that was independent of any of the educational institutions attended by the residents or in its neighborhood, the House was an experiment in human relations.

Harry Edmonds wrote: "To have dreamed such a dream, and to have seen it come to pass in one's own lifetime, is beyond anything which one might aspire to, or hope for, a creative consummation, however, utterly impossible except for the response which it met in the hearts and most wonderfully generous financial backing of its donors;

Russia (res. I 932)

Mr. and Mrs.John D. Rockefeller,Jr."

Harry Edmonds Award, I 995

Leontief was born in St. Petersburg in

HARRY AND FLORENCE EDMONDS 1905.After enrolling in the University of Leningrad at age fifteen, he was arrested

AND THE INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE STAFF

welcomed the first residents into the handsome, well-appointed building.

It was soon apparent that the care

several times for anti-Communist behav-

FROM ABSTRACT

ior. He left the Soviet Union in 1925 and

1ssuEs JPP&ILI PfE a dynamic community. The individual

moved to Germany, where he earned his Ph.D. in' economics at the University of Berlin. In the 1930s, Leontief came to New York to conduct postdoctoral research. It was while living at I.House that he met the woman whom he married. Remaining in the United States, he served at the U.S. Department of Labor from 1941-47.At Harvard University ( I 946-75), he was professor of economics and chairman of the university's Society of Fellows. In 1975 he was named University Professor at New York University, where he taught until his death in 1999. Leontief is perhaps best known for his input-output theory of production economics, which is the basis for many countries' economic planning.

He was an associate of the United Nations and recipient of numerous honors, including the French Legion d'Honneur,Japan's Order of the Rising Sun, and the Nobel Prize in Economics.

22

given to planning and furnishing resulted in an attractive residence and

rooms were small, so residents sought the larger, usually more comfortable public spaces where, as the founders of International House had dreamed, they talked about their similarities and differences. They shared stories, participated in programs together, and celebrated the disintegration of prejudices and other barriers to understanding.

In large measure, of course, International House had grown from the youth ministry of the YM.C.A. and those individuals who dreamed and planned together to build the House-Edmonds, the Rockefellers, the Dodges, all of whom professed values firmly rooted in American Protestantism. Brotherhood-loving

one's neighbor--'--was a Christian

value to these founders, although their intention had never been to proselytize. They had not fully defined the measure of tolerance, or appreciation for those of differing beliefs, that came to be basic policy for International House. Perhaps some of them unconsciously harbored a mixture of Christian-missionary spirit and American patriotism; perhaps they thought that an unspoken purpose of International House was to introduce foreign students to the "American way oflife."

The need for a policy professing the International House dedication to religious freedom became apparent when the Gideons offered to place a Bible in each room. It also provided an opportunity for Edmonds to guide trustees gently toward an affirmation of large-scale

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

On September 15, 1924, International House opened the doors of its grand new building at 500 Riverside Drive.

The structure actually comprised three buildings-each

with separate walls-

under one roof. Facing the Hudson River was the women's side of th.e building, where valet services, sewing rooms, and accommodations for 125 residents were housed.The men's facilities, with 400 individual rooms and a tailor, barber shop, and bazaar on the ground floor, faced Claremont Avenue. The common section of the building included a 1,000seat assembly hall, a gymnasium, a library.and a dining room.The NewYork Times wrote that the new building "will house under one roof men and women of more different countries than perhaps any other structure in the world."

tolerance. At first, several of the trustees responded positively to the Gideon offer, thinking it a fine idea and not deeming it so much a matter of pressing a particular religion on residents as of extending another evidence of hospitality. But Harry Edmonds argued successfully that no single religion-Christianity included-should be given preference over others. His 1927 statement, "The Religious Policy oflnternational House," remains a powerful assertion for the individual's right to freedom of religion.

Edmonds attributed the confusion over the Gideon offer to "a lack of understanding of the fundamental philosophy of the House."

His near-collegial relationship with the trustees enabled Edmonds to speak frankly and to remind them of International House's mission: "to improve the social, intellectual, spiritual, and physical condition of men and women students, from any land, and without discrimination because of religion, nationality, race, color, or sex." His policy statement further asserted that,

23

International

House

In his later years, Harry Edmonds recalled the .story of residencTom Jones, a Quaker from rural Ohio who moved into I.House shortly after it opened in I 924.

After settling in to his room on a hot September day.Joneswent to take a shower and in the bathroom encountered a black swdent, who greeted him by asking, "How do you do, Mr.Jones?" Unaccustomed to sharing facilrties with people of color.Jones Was Infuriated. "I have to get out of here.

I'm in the wrong place," he said to himself.

As Jones thought about the incident more, his anger slipped away,and he became stricken with shame. He then sought out Edmonds and shared the story, describing his spiritual reawakening and saying,"If you think you could tolerate me here this year, I would be most pleased to stay."

As it turned out, Jones and the student he had encountered shared adjoining rooms and a number of classesat Teacher's College.They soon became close friends.

A year later, Jones became the president of Fisk University in Tennessee,a leading African-American college in the United States. His contributions to the education of black Americans were subsrantial.Wlth the help of John D. Rockefeller,Jr.. he consolidated the fund-raising appeals of all black colleges, which helped the schools greatly increase their funding.

Edmonds quoted Rockefeller as telling him, "My whole investment in lntemational House would have been worthwhile

... one of the objectsof the House is to improvethe spiritualcondition of its members;the second,this spiritualimprovementis to be carriedout without discriminationbecauseof religion.From this we deducethe propositionthat InternationalHouse is a spiritual undertaking,but we should not insist that that religionbe solely Christian.Thereforeit may be calledHouse of Godfor all creeds,a temple of the Spiritfor all Nations.

Obviouslyreligiousintolerancewould be incompatiblewith the declaredpurposeof the House. Religiouspropagandais tabooed.

Religiousexploitationis not permitted.This doesnot mean that religiousmeetingsare discouraged.On the contrary,the activitiesof the House show asfair a proportionof religiousmeetingsunder the auspicesof differentgroupsas one would expectin any community.

Now all this is in conformitywith the best thoughtof the choice youth who comeherefrom all overthe world.They quite naturally resentbeingexploitedfor any purposewhatsoever. vVhilethey come hereto study,one of their underlyingreasonsfor selectingAmericais becausethey desireto comeinto contactwith its democratic idealand principlesof liberty.It doesnotfollow that ourgovernmentor any of the variouspoliticalgroupsneed to organizesubsidiesto insuretheir imbibingof thesedemocraticideals.The same appliesto religion, education,and what we may describein generalasAmericanculture.

Therefore,one of the cardinalprinciplesof International House is,particularlyin mattersof religion,that it i; and ought to be open andfree and unattached.Its purposewill not be servedto the highestdegreeunless the studentshave thefullestfreedom and independenceandfeel that whateverthey arriveat is the resultof their own independentthought and action. . , .

InternationalHouse representsa laboratoryexperimentconductedovera period of seventeenyears.Its work has beenenthusiasticallyacclaimedby its severalthousandmembersandfriends. ... Its extension is bound to come,becauseits principlesharmonizewith present day tendenciesawayfrom imperialismin religionand politicsand towardthe realizationthat man's highestpossibilitiesareto be realizednot by the developmentof his controlovermaterial things but by the growth of his spiritualpower.

If it was only for the devel•

opment of a man like Tom Jones."

It was just such idealism that lay at the heart of the success of International House.

24

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

THE RESOUNDING SUCCESS OF INTERNATIONAL HOUSE WAS EVIDENT ALMOST

from the moment it opened, which all but guaranteed that it would soon be viewed by its enthusiastic founders as a model to be duplicated.

Convinced that a network of independent houses would enrich education in the great university center and would further world peace, Rockefeller commissioned Edmonds to seek other places where International House might be reproduced.

International House Berkeley. After visiting numerous American

university towns to survey needs and resources, Edmonds suggested to Rockefeller that Berkeley, California, provided all the needed ingredients for the success of a second International House. Again, Rockefeller supplied funds for the acquisition ofland and for construction, but this time the organization was not independent. Instead, International House Berkeley was set up under the control of the University of California-Berkeley, its title vested in the board of regents of the University.

At first the Berkeley community resisted the endeavor. Objections

Germany (res. 1936-37) Council o(World Members, 1966--94 Trustee 1976-94

International Trustee, I 979-94

As one of the leading international per-

to housing women and men in the same building as well as hints of the racial prejudice of some members of the community stiffened

ness community, Casper developed the

Edmonds's resolve. Rockefeller supported him when he flatly refused

exploration, mining, and trading of metal

to have the Berkeley house located in a spot he considered peripheral to the life of the campus. International House Berkeley-an eightstory, domed, Mediterranean-style building with rooms for 450 to 550 men and women-opened in 1930, situated in an ideal location overlooking both campus buildings and San Francisco Bay.

sonalities in the minerals and energy bu. i-

smelting ore for the Metallgesellscha~AG in Frankfurt. He became responsible for all nonferrous metal activities by 1956 as a member the company's board of management. Casper also held the position of

Edmonds's assistant in New York moved to California to become

chairman of the board of the Panconti•

the first director of International House Berkeley, ensuring the spread of the tradition of Sunday Suppers and the annual Candlelight Dinner.

to his great achievements as a business-

International House Chicago. In 1932, two years after the opening

man, he was one of the founders of the

ofinternational House Berkeley,John D. Rockefeller III, on behalf of his father, dedicated a new International House at the University of Chicago. Many of the first 510 residents of the $3 million neo-Gothic building had been members of an international student organization

nental Mining (Europe) GmbH. In addition

German Peace Corps.Among the many honors bestowed upon Mr. Casper are the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the German Federal Republic, the

similar to that which preceded International House New York. Bruce

Commander's Cross of the Order of

W Dickson, a Y.M.C.A. worker and foreign-student adviser, had founded the Chicago student club in 1927. Like its New York model, the

of the Order of Merit. He died in 1994.

Merit, and the Knight Grand Commander

organization had grown from Sunday Suppers and special programs for

25

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

KATHRYN andSHELBY CULL(lt1 ]~YI~ Kathryn Waterman

Davis

United States (res. /930-32) Harry EdmondsAward, /995 Born in Philadelphia in 1907, Mrs. D_avis received her undergraduate degree in international relations from Wellesley, her M.A. from Columbia, and her Ph.b. from the University of Geneva. It ~s

in

Geneva, in 1930, that she met Shel.by Cullom Davis, who convinced her to do further graduate work at Columbia. They lived at International House and married two years later. Mrs. Davis has been active in numerous civic activities, including servite 'as chair of foreign policy for the Westchester League of Women Voters, president and chair of the

Shelby Cullom Davis

a firm specializing in insurance securities.

Women's National Republican Club, and

United States (res. 1930-32)

In addition to sharing his talents with

chair of the Westchester Children's

Trustee, /975-94

International House, Mr. Davis also head-

Association, ~he is author of The Soviets

Chair of Investment Committee,

ed a foundation bearing his. name that

at Geneva and numerous articles for the

1975-91

supports higher education and research

journal ForeignAffairs, which is published

Upon completion of his studies at

on public policy and economics. Three

by the Coundl on Foreign Relations. She

Princeton and Columbia universities, Mr.

years before his death in 1994, Mr. Davis

has also written articles for The Reader's

Davis earned a doctorate in political sci-

was elected an honorary trustee.

Digest and The Amerfcan.

ence at the University of Geneva.A for-

When recalling his years of residency

In 1989, the Davises presented Inter.

mer economist with the Investment

at International House, Mr. Davis said,

national House with a generous gift to

Corporation of Philadelphia and treasur-

What I liked particularly was the ease of

finance the restoration of the auditor-

er for the Delaware Fund, he was the

contact with students from many lands, the

ium, now known as Kathryn and Shelby

economic advisor to Thomas E. Dewey,

possibility of going into the cafeteria for an

(;ullom. Qavis Hall. Now in her nineties,

assisting in his presidential campaign.

evening meal, for example, and sitting down

Mrs. Davis cqntinues to visit the House

A member of the New York Stock

at a table with foreign students represent-

for special oc:'casionsand to interact with

Exchange since 1941, he remained politi-

ing many different nationalities. The conver-

the current residents. ,_:..: ..-

cally active and, in 1969. was appointed

sation was always interesting, and I formed

ambassador to Switzerland by President

many good friendships during the nearly

Nixon. In 1947 he founded and began

year and a half that I lived there. In fact,

leading Shelby Cullom Davis & Company,

one of the "friendships" included my wife.

27

International

House

DIETRICH BONHOFFFER could share ideas. November 10--the anniversary of I.House New

Germany (res. I 93 I)

Born in 1906. Bonhoeffer received his undergraduate degree in Germany, then completed his swdies at the Union

York-was adopted as International House Day, and the separate houses each urged alumni around the world to celebrate with recreations of the Candlelight Dinner. Soon reports came in about alumni gatherings in Oslo, Stockholm, Mexico City, Beijing, and other cities. In 1937 the American International Houses joined forces to publish The InternationalQuarterly(renamed The InternationalHouse Quarterlyin 1945), a periodical devoted to articles about international affairs as well as news about individual House activities.And even though the movement was set back, or at least slowed, by World War·n, increasing numbers of scholars crossed national boundaries and more young people everywhere sought the advantages of graduate-level education. After the war, the International House movement would grow both in strength and size.

Theological Seminary in New York, He returned to Germany as a student minis• ter and lectured at universities in Berlin, then traveled co London in 1933 to work as a foreign minister, all the while gaining a reputation in Germany and abroad as a Christian theologian.

Strongly opposed to Hitler's aggression in Europe, he published a statement of his profound resistance to Nazism in

IN THE I930S,

AS THE WORLD CHANGED UNDER THE PRESSURES OF THE

Great Depression, the Rockefeller family's interest in International House continued. Sometimes John D. Rockefeller,Jr., took his family to International House for Sunday dinner after attending church services at neighboring Riverside Church, which he built in 1930. Frequently he stopped by for lunch at the House as well. In June 1930, after one such lunch at the building he had helped erect, Rockefeller wrote to Harry Edmonds:

1941.Linking action to word, Bonhoeffer traded places with a condemned man in a Nazi concentration camp and denounced Hitler's inhumanity. Hitler responded with accusations of a secret alliance with the British government. On March 5, 1945, Bonhoeffer was arrested and later hanged for treason. He is still recognized for his example in opposing evll as well as for his profound theological thinking. Bonhoeffer's letters from his death cell are widely read. along with his

The otherday when Dean Russell lunchedwith me at InternationalHouse, two ofthe young men who wereactingas waiters cameto me at the end ofthe meal and asked that I give them new

dimes in exchangefor old ones which they had in theirhands.I told them that unfortunatelyit was myfather and not I who had the new dimes,but at their request,gave them two old dimes,which wereall I had,for their dimes.

This incidentI was tellingFatherlast night, and he asked me to send to eachof theseyoung men a new dimefrom him. I am enclosingthe dimes herewith.Do you supposeyou canfind out the two young menfor whom they areintended?

other philosophical writings, such as Act

and Resist,Emulation,The Common U(e, Ethics,and Resistand Surrender.

28

Dimes of any origin undoubtedly had value for students in the thirties. The Great Depression left no part of the world untouched, and

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

graduate students had a difficult time balancing their immediate economic conditions with the requirements of the studies they saw as a path to a better, more secure life. During this worldwide financial crisis, graduate students tended to be even poorer than usual. With less money to spend on recreation, residents looked to International House for more than housing, food, and intellectual stimulation. They wanted opportunities for informal chat and a place to have fun without spending a lot of money.

Harry Edmonds was attuned, as ever, to the wide range of residents' needs and responded characteristically to a petition from many of them. He studied the matter carefully, analyzed its financial implications, and placed it in the context of both the International House policy of granting freedom to its mature residents and determining offerings in light of sound business propositions. Then Edmonds diplomatically consulted John D. Rockefeller III in a letter dated May 2, 1934:

DearJohn, Do you see any reasonwhy we should not sell bottledbeer,just as we sell any othercommodityat InternationalHouse? Recently a petition askingfor the sale efbeerat the House has been circulated among the students.It has about300 signatures,but my impression is that a good many efthosewho signedwereindifferent.Nevertheless,I think therearea good many who would like to be ableto have beerwith their meals,orpurchaseit in the WaffieWing at night.

We have looked into thefees, which would be 1240 a year.

John Hay Hall at Columbiasells 2 brandsefbottlesat 12 centsand 15 cents,6 oz. draughtbeeris 5 cents,and 10 oz. is 1o cents.But we aresort of steeringawayfrom draughtbeerbecauseit is messy and smelly.The costof a 12 centsbottle is 6 2 / 3 cents,which leaves5 1/ 3 centsto coverservice,breakage,license,etc.This would require the sale efabout 4,000 bottlesto coverthe licenseonly,which would be an averageof about 10 bottlesa day the year round.

Ten or twenty yearsago we would have been conservative about this suggestion.PersonallyI don't see any reasonwhy we should not sell it, if thereis a demandfor it, like any othercommodity,becauseI think we can trust our student body not to abuse the privilege.What do you think?

Unless the Executive Committee or the Trusteesobject,and provided the Student Council approves,at their next meeting as I 1

29

International

House

feel confidentthey will, we will plan to have bottledbeeron sale in the Summer Session.

The Great Depression and the financial pressures felt by International House during the thirties did not particularly menace the House's existence. The real crisis was the same one faced by each of the governments of the world as it became apparent to residents and staff alike that war was brewing. Individual and institutional souls were searched; the motto ofinternational House threatened to become a question: can brotherhood prevail?

Other questions hammered the community as well: if war engulfed the world, how should International House respond? If evilnot brotherhood-prevailed,

REASSURANCE

how could International House continue

to exist? If only force could stop the spread of that evil and the destruc-

An I.House resident from England,Mary

glimpsesof a world of facesquestioning,and I

And I shall wish that someonewouldcome

Schroeder, reflected the feelings of many

with no time to answer,no time to grow

tap dancingby my door.

~siqe~ts who were concerned by the .

friendshipsin this garden,saveone or two.

darkness of the war-threatened I 930s.

And afterwardswhen I come to placeswhere

the most belovedof institutions,brood over

For the 1935 yearbo~k she wrote:

a Filipinois rare as caviar,I shall think,"Oh,

telephonecalls lost and messagesnot

for one good Filipinonow-just one!"And I

received.Andyet thesethingsare not the

When stormscome howlingup ~glish valleys

shall wish myselfback at the Tuesdaytea or

most important Theyare the material things

and rairi-comespelting againstEnglishwin-

the SundayNight Supper,wish myselfback

againstwhich countermovesare possible.

dows,I shall be remindedof my windy

with macaroni,cheese and apple.

Americanhome--trees bent in our lnter-

But then I shall say to myself-"Cheer up.

It's queer how one can get testy evenwith

It's the spiritual thingsthat matter.And when I am home I shall beginto wonderif I

nationol Housegarden,and gustshammering

Afterall you're in a quiet placenow.Nobody

have done all I could to feed the flame that is

at our InternationalHouse windows,hammer-

tap dancesalongthe corridor at dead of night

InternationalHouse.Did I cut peopleout?

ing,hammeringlike a hostileworld on the

Nobodyopenswide her doorsto shout and

Was I unkind?Did I as a hostessdancewhen

fragile structureof peace.Andwhen I am

sing.Funnyplace,the House,withso many

othershad no partners and perhaps-even

nearer the dissonanceof EuropeanclamorsI

public roomsin which to be socialand not a

in our internationalhome--were lonely?Did I

shall rememberin lamplightthe Home·Rooi):I

singleroom to be quiet in, not eventhe Home

form my own cliqueand stick to it?And now

' where Frenchand Germansare friends and .

Room,nor the DuncanPfyfeas a daytime

that I am out in the world what spirit is it

all racesmingle.This will be my predominant

refuge,not eventhe library.Andyet the House

that I take with me?

impression.This will outlast all the annoy-

was for students!"I shall think about all that

Then will come the answer."Youhave

ances,the trifles that at the time seemed

and congratulatemyselfon my quiet fortune.

taken away only what you were able to give.

large and afterwardswere forgotten.Then

And then perhapsimperceptiblyI shall find

But what you put in the Houseis yours

perhaps I shall regret not havingmade more

myselfagainin the gym amongthe war cries

forever."

of my opportunities,and have many uneasy

of the Indiansenjoyinga game of Badminton.

30

LIVING

tion of people devoted to protecting peace and civilization, what would become ofEdmonds's dream and Rockefeller's house for that dream? Would people dedicated to peace-to pacifism-be forced into violent action? Would International House take sides and close its doors to those it deemed wrong? And how would it determine what was "wrong" -or "right"?

As before, residents represented many nations and numerous political points of view. During this time of strife, from the beginning of Hitler's rise in Germany and his expansion throughout Europe to the outbreak and execution of all-out war, residents of International House searched for meaning and struggled to find appropriate responses to this engulfing conflict. What had gone wrong with the world? How could it be made right again? What could one person do? Of five hundred who lived together in peace and respect, who shared each other's light?

The questions were as difficult to form as the answers were to uncover. Everywhere in the world, opinions differed about what was happening, what German and Japanese aggression meant, and what forces.threatened democracy from both East and West. How should society be organized and under what orders should people operate?

When should one nation or government police another? The questions and answers were posed, measured, and argued in the InternationalHouse Quarterly.

The first issue of the publication was published in the spring of 1937 and included a foreword by the chairman of the board of trustees oflnternational House, Henry L. Stimson. Under the cloud of threatening war, surrounded by the moral and pragmatic questions that pestered I.House, the former Secretary of State of the United States wrote: Internationalcooperationis one efthe most delicatetasks efhuman statesmanship,particularlyin this age when, in many countrieslike our own, the great body efthe citizens sharesin and influencesthe actionof their respectivegovernments.Permanentlysuccesifulcooperation must depend upon an intelligentmutual understanding among the differentnations of each other'snational interestsand problems.

But how much allowance could be made for the "national interests and problems" of Germany? And what could the world expect from Hitler's Germany? To examine these issues, International House

IN

THE

FUTURE

NEH§l L spMsoN

Chairman of the Board, I936-48 Honorary Chairman, 1948-50 Born in New York City in 1867, Henry L. Stimson became a prominent statesman and an architect of U.S.foreign policy during the 1930s and 40s.After serving as U.S.Attorney in New York, Stimson was appointed secretary of war under President Taft ( 1911-13), then fought briefly in France duringWorldWar

I.

From 1929-33 Stimson served as secretary of state under President Hoover.

He became known for the Stimson Doctrine, which affirmed that the United States would not recognize as legal any claims to territory gained through aggression. Stimson then became President Roosevelt's secretary of war ( 1941-45), in which position he guided the expansion and training of the U.S. Army. Despite the weight of these significant responsibilities, he devoted his considerable expertise to I.House for many years as chairman of the board.

31

International

House

sponsored a symposium on German expansion on March 6 and 7, 193 7. An I.House resident, Ernest 0. Hauss er, reported:

The group agreed... that the centerof gravity of the Third Reich'\dynamicswas the continentof Europe.It was urgentlyasked whether Germany actuallywould becomewhat Germanpronouncements abroadwant to make [us] believe:the greatpacifyingpower in Central Europe.The similarity ofJapan's-position in the Far East would not pass unobservedand conclusionswere not arri1Jed at with regardto this point on the agenda.

In the autumn of 1937, writing the foreword for International House Quarterly,Robert G. Sproul, a leading figure in higher-education administration, tried to find hope in the sorry situation:

The similaritiesbetweenracesand nations,betweenman and man, are alwaysgreaterthan their differences.

Friendshiphas e1Jera truer, juster speechthan that which rings in the clashof arms or the clink of the trader'scoin.In the quiet intercourseof diversepeoplesof many tongueshailing.fromfar, strangelands,inheritorsof different traditions,differentfaiths, and infinitely 1Jaried patternsof living,lies the hope of the world'speace and progress.

The idea of InternationalHouse is not the sole key to international understanding,nor is its contributionso great that the attitude of men towardone anotherwill be re1Jolutionized 01Jernight.

But it restsupon a principlewhich cannot be controverted,namely, that the similaritiesbetweenracesand nations are alwaysgreater than their differences; and throughthe encouragementof intercourse on some basisother than barterand trade,thisfact can be impressed upon indi1Jidualsand upon public consciousness.

But even idealism wore another face. Dr. Hildegarde Bunzel, moved by a parade ofWorld War I veterans in Germany, did not feel the same threats that darkened the mood at International House. She saw instead a future for her homeland and the world in Hitler Youth.

However dissonant her forecast might have been to other minds at International House, she was nonetheless given space to express her opinion in the Quarterly.

32

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

The iciness of a New York winter pervaded the mood of many seasons during the 1940s.As people around the world ,(

began to panic, confusing nationalism

I

-r-

with fascism and pride with hatred,

r...:..--.

I.House residents tried even harder to

,

;

.7' .w,,.. ' \

create a space within which brother-

~.!

hood could prevail. Their quest was only

~~~

heightened when nuclear warfare gave everyone a horribly realistic picture of what havoc the new technology of war had come to wreak.

Then, with torchesin theirhands,twelveabreast,came... several hundredsefyoung boys in their dark blue uniforms.They marched ... the vast lawn and, as they ascendedthe steps,aflaring stream of lightpointed the way to thefuture. vVhat a sight!vVhat a symbol! Foodfor thoughtfor the millionpeople who witnessedthe scene.And what thoughtsare in the minds efthosewho organized this magnificentpageant?

"Work" is the watchwordof this year~Party Meeting at Nuremberg.I am convincedthat,just now,it will prove an immense moralforcefor the realizationof the FourYearsPlan. It has become

33

International

House

a traditionto choosethe watchwordlike a decoration for a.finished product,but not like a promiseor a sloganfor unrealizedplanning; that is why the slogan"Peaceand Understanding"was r<jected.

John D. Rockefeller.Jr., greets residents

But for those around the world who would not have rejected

of International House, among them Reidar Gundersen (behind and to the

"Peace and Understanding," fear replaced anxiety. As Hitler's actions

left of Rockefeller), who became the first

made clearer his program for social order, the International House community was ill-prepared to think about the concept or existence of

I.House alumnus to be elected to the board of trustees. In 1937-the

year this

photograph was taken-Gundersen ated the first alumni effort.

34

initi-

evil. After all, the Christian-student movement and the Y.M.C.A., Harry Edmonds and the Cosmopolitan Collegiate Club, and the dedication_ to improving society that prompted the Rockefellers, Dodges, Osborns,

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

and others-all the forces and personalities behind the development and realization of International House-represented human zeal for goodness over evil, for peace over violence, and for the benefits of social progress over barbarity.

In the thirties the leaders at International House made a determined effort to stay on course, to continue to operate under principles of pacifism and tolerance, and to keep the house both multinational and tolerant of all points of religious and political belief. In the last half of the decade, the numbers of new members from foreign lands measured the success of one aspect of the International House policy: 208 new members joined in 1935-36; 224 in 193~37; 263 in 1937-38; and, in 1938-39, 332.

While not similarly measurable with numbers, the effectiveness of other policies appeared exactly where International House sought to be influential-in the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs of people.

HARRY EDMONDS 's FAITH IN INTERNATIONALISM

AND PACIFISM SEEMED TO

expand in the face of the evil that was poisoning the world. Although in 1935 he had gladly turned the administration of International House over to John Mott, Edmonds contin-

KEEpER Qf JHE FAIJH ued to devote his full energy and

attention to the dream that he and Rockefeller shared. With Rockefeller's support, Edmonds traveled to spread the idea of international houses for young people, while Rockefeller stood prepared to finance new institutions in the sites that Edmonds found suitable. Rockefeller and Edmonds held that by placing young people in communities defined by tolerance and civility, the values of peace and brotherhood would in time spread across the world.

In 1936, while visiting the newly founded La Maison internationale in Paris, Edmonds wrote: "[Y]ou conclude that I am an optimist? Absolutely! Give us time and we will disarm the world! .... [T]he trouble is, pacifists don't live long enough."

Residents seemed to be as optimistic as Edmonds; they, too, hoped against mounting evidence that something would prevent the war that seemed inevitable. War was unthinkable; they knew from experience at International House that, given the time and opp~rtunity. to learn the rewards of brotherhood, people could live in peace and tolerance. They could still unite and stanch the tide of hatred and violence. In the 1938

35

International

House

yearbook, Einar Jensen, a student from Denmark, articulated the views of most of the International House residents when writing, "There is more nervous tension today throughout the world than at any time since 1914 .... Let's make our gen era ti on more successful ... so that Brotherhood will prevail."

International House's family of supporters also kept faith in its mission and did what they could to promote the well-being and continuity of the community on Riverside Drive. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller seemed to redouble her attention to details: she sent curtains from her· house to International House; anonymously she donated money for . student scholarships; and, lest anyone forget even momentarily that the human spirit requires sustenance, she sent concert tickets to be given to students. She called Edmonds to inquire about Florence's failing health, sent crates of oranges to the Edmonds family, and turned to Edmonds John L. Mott, director of International

for advice about a tutor for young David Rockefeller.

House from 1935-55.

JOHN

AND

CELESTINE

MOTT

came to International House with demonstrated multinational experience and interest.John Mott became director of International House in 1935. While dean of students at Cornell University, Mott had special responsibility for advising foreign students and was regarded as one of the pioneers in that field in this country. As the Edmondses had done in New York, the Motts had opened their home in Ithaca, New York, to foreign students, providing a friendly gathering place as well as food and practical advice.

Moreover,John

Mott had extensive foreign experience. After

graduating from Princeton, he was a student in Aberdeen, Scotland, and at Oxford University. Unlike Harry Edmonds, however,John Mott-who

liked hunting and talked fondly of guns and shooting-

was not a pacifist. In World War I, he had been a member of New Celestine Mott ably directed Interna-

York's "Fighting Sixty-Ninth," an infantry division extolled for its

tional House while her husband fought

valor and stamina. After the war, he traveled around the world with his

in World War II. After his return, she

father before setting up a cooperative-housing

founded the New York Council for

ables in Naipur. In this capacity, he learned the rudiments of sani-

Foreign Students.

tation and building c<:mstruction as well as health education and skills

program for untouch-

associated with good management. While in India, Mott also hunted big game. During one foray he shot a Bengal tiger, which he had mounted and later displayed in his office at International House.

36

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

Taking leave from the directorship of International House during World War II, Mott returned to India where he served as a lieutenant colonel and official historian on the staff of the commanding general of the India-Burma theater. During her husband's absence, Celestine Mott assumed responsibility for the management of International House and, by all accounts, was as efficient in her handling of day-to-day operations as she was diplomatic in her advocacy of International House values throughout the difficult war years. When John Mott returned from military service and resumed his position at International House, Celestine faced the social pressures that befell many women in that position. Like "Rosie the Riveter" and other women who had left their homes to "do a man's job" for the duration of the war, Mott found herself pushed aside and figuratively, if not literally, returned to the kitchen.

But she did not retreat passively to her former role as "wife of the director" and guardian of teacups and cookies, while leaving policy decisions to the men involved in the leadership of International House.

Instead, with her husband's encouragement, she helped found the New York Council for Foreign Students, which she served for some years as its director.

Under Celestine Mott's directorship, the council coordinated the foreign student work of some thirty universities, colleges, and organizations in the metropolitan area and planned a wide variety of receptions, orientation sessions, and programs to assist with housing and other problems students encountered while living and studying in New York.

THROUGHOUT

THE 1930S,

PRESIDENT

MOTT WROTE

FREQUENTLY

TO

Frederick Osborn, a trustee and, like Rockefeller, a sturdy and true believer in the work begun by Edmonds in the early days of the

-

Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club. Mott's letters reflect his escalating worries about attempts International House JESJI NGINJE RNAIIONAL HOUSEby to cope with the troubled world. In 1937, Mott told Osborn, "The morale of the students and staff seems to be excellent, and I think that in spite of the difficult international situation, we shall be able to do a good job."

One year later, Mott again confided to Osborn the preceding period had been "another really crucial and important year. If this world situation gets much more complicated, we all are going to need all the wisdom and poise we can possibly have to keep this place on

37

Internal

onal

House

even keel." In 1939, Mott wrote:" [This] may be the most important year the House has ever faced. I hope that we can keep this spirit which you and others have built into this House the same during these war years."

As the presidents of the International House alumni associations joined voices in the Quarterlyto "hope the values of International House would not be lost with the onset of war [and that] friendship would defang the beasts of war," the administration and residents of International House New York, wanted to do something to protest tqe war and, simultaneously, help as many people as they could. Although many residents struggled to stay afloat with inadequate funds, they still took action. In 1939, the House held a benefit for China and spearheaded a fund-raising drive to relieve suffering all over the world.

In 1938,worried about the oncoming

springbringthem back to life and clothe

the duty of the individualis clear-to make

warJohn D. Rockefeller.Jr., offered his

them anew with verdure.The tender and

himself in every way as fine and useful as

"credo" for inclusion in the winter issue

sacrificialqualityof a mother's love does

the resourcesand opportunitiesavailableto

o.f_theinternationalHouse Quarterly:

not change.The GoodSamaritanstill binds

him make possible.

,I believein the creativepower of human

up the woundsof the man who has fallen

'Butwhat is the use?'you say.'What can

among thieves.Do we not continueto wit-

one life,howevernoblylived,mean amongthe

intelligence.I believethat ideals of justice

ness the transcendentbeauty of the sunset

myriadof human beingson the earth?'Every

and rightsare bound to win in the long run

and to hear the happy voicesof innocent

individualwho is honest,fearless,peace-loving,

againstinjusticeand might I believethat we

children?Can anythingtake from us good-

who is imbued with the spiritof brotherhood

can yet make this worlda worthyand beau-

ness, truth and beauty or separateus from

and of serviceto his fellowmen, is an influ-

tiful home to live in instead of a place to

those undergirdingsourcesof strength

ence for goodin any groupor party or nation

f,ght and starve in.This is my creed.

which the great religionsof the worldhave

of whichhe is a member and helpsto insure

revealedto us?These are thingsthat

the wiseuse of its power.

_This: ,reed is based first upon the conviction.that there are certain fundamental

end.ure.They live on,(or they are eternal.

If, then, in the developmentof the indi-

a,;d underlyingthings whichdo dot change.

My creed is based,likewise,on a belie(

Look at the mountainsc;mdthe valleys:they

in the innate,fundamentalfinenessof indi-

organizinggroupsand mass action,how

do not chonge·.:Turn your eyesto the heav-

vidualpersonality.No home,no family

doublyimportant it is that brotherhood

ens:the sun stillshines upon mankind by

group,no socialor businessorganization,no

shouldprevail.It willprevailonlyin propor-

day and the moon by night,nor inhere a

politicalor nationalparty,no nation,can

tion as all who are interestedin a peaceful

star missingfrom its pccustamecf.p/~ce.As

rise above the /eve/of the men and women

worldcomposed of friendly,happy people

surelyas the fallwinds strip thi{le¢ves from

of whom it is composed.Therefore,although

are willingto give time,thought,effort,and

the trees, whichthe snowsof wintercover

organizedsocietyhesitates,confused,at the

to make sacrificesin orderthat it may ulti-

as with a shroud,willthe miracleof !he

crossroads,undecidedas to the next step,

mately prevail.

38

viduallies the hope of raisingthe levelof

LIVING

Throughout the 1930s, Mott and residents came to face the near certainty of worldwide war. Programs of the time typically show the House's concern about the world situation. In 1937, they turned attentio~ to a symposium on German expansion. They engaged in discussions on topics such as "the responsibility of the intellectual in a world at war," with participating residents from Canada, France, Germany, and India. They took on fascism in "The Totalitarian Challenge: An Objective Evaluation of the Moral and Material Appeals ofTotalitarianism and Democracy," again with resident speakers from the United States, France, Persia, and Germany.

While these programs may have affirmed values that initially had brought the residents into the community of International House, they also assisted the students in surmounting the intellectual hurdles that led to acknowledgment that war-no matter what people of good will and peaceful intentions might do-was on their horizon. And war-no matter how its causes might be analyzed-was a brutal refutation of all that International House stood for.

Through analysis and debate, residents of International House came to face a hard fact: war would cause chaos on many levels.While no one could imagine the extent of World War II's physical tolls and spiritual defilement, the young women and men at I.House reluctantly recognized that the forces of nationalism and greed threatened to crush decency and civility.And they knew that, as armies clashed and people died, as human rights were savaged and human dignity lost in piles of corpses, International House might also be lost. They continued to debate and agonize: could violence be stopped other than through violent means? How would the war end? And then what? Would the world ever be safe again? Could sanity be regained? Would International House survive?

IN

THE

FUTURE

8ll§LivEs

United States (res. 1933-38) Born in Illinois in 1909, Burl Ives was a student at Columbia's Teachers College in the 1930s,at which time he was also a resident at I.House. This was also when his career in music and broadcasting got its start, through his work in radio. He went on to become a leading American balladeer, an Academy Award-winning actor, and a highly respected authority on folk music. His endeavors in this last area were in part informed by his experiences at I.House, where he "discovered that while [the] foreign students were steeped in the traditions of their various cultures, the national dances and folk songs,the same did not hold true of American stu-

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE WAS STILL IN ITS INFANCY, NOT YET TWENTY YEARS

old, when it was swept into the moral chaos of war. Director Mott shared the founding leader's dedication to brotherhood. But, unlike Edmonds, Mott did not believe that idealism alone could be a bulwark against barbarity. He was not the 1920s kind of pacifist that Edmonds was, nor was he fueled

by Edmonds's limitless optimism. Nonetheless, Mott vowed that Inter-

DARK SHADows EVERYWHERE

dents ... [who] either did not know or [were] ashamed to admit, that there was a folk culture in this country. I believe this was because they thought of folk as crude. The foreign students, on the other hand, also knew nothing about our folk culture and, because of this, thought we had no tradition behind us."

national House would stay intact, even as the world seemed headed

39

International

Hoi;se

PHILIPPINES

M. MARGARET CARL. Public health

Boac. Martnduque, Philippine Islands ALAYDE BORGES CARNEIRO, Nwsing 322 av. 7 de Setembro, Nileroi, Brazil

BRAZll.

JAMES KENNETH CATON. Architecture 423 Otley Road. Adel. Leeds 6. England

ENGLAND

RAYMOND BERNARD CATTELL, Psychology

ENGLAND

9 Java Gardens, Paignton. England WANG CHAO, Education North Street, $!tang, Cheki<Xll<I,Chino

CHINA

VlllG!NIA IRENECHAPMAN,'-f'ineatts 520 S, Park Avenue, Herrin, Illinois

II.L!NOIS, U.S. A.

[ 26 l

Pages from the 1938 International

C:::hina, stopping over .at Fre)'lcl\-con-

very poor-high.ways. But they were glad

House Yearbook showing Chao Wang

-tr6lleo Haiphong:

,-to ·.behome, and noted that "the scei;tery

J-~F·.

• oflnt~rior

(this page, second row center) .and <

,:.-

China is gorgeoos_oBothof us

•• ~;;,,_;,.,(..,,;

Here the people·'aredivided intQ three di(- •

felt grateful to the Japanesemilitarists at

ferent group$,, . ,The Frenchmen-,ar.e ,those

this point, because without their creation

Worldwide tumult in the late 1930s and

wlio ruie•t/ie place,so they are,rich.•Tfie

of the China'Jh~i.dent we would not h'av.e;

its culmination in World War II had pro-

_Chinese there are CQiepymerchants;many

chanced to visit sucl:i ~ nice place:•

Che.ng (facing page, second row ~~J}t~r:r{:_

found effects on the constituency of

of them have small stor~s an,dlive a very

They met a friend frofTI New York

I.House residents. During the first

simple life.The m9jority -~fthe Annamites

wliowas on her way to:teach at the

decade or so of the House's existence,

are coolies.Tlieir life is miserable.Theyare

Western Union University.She i11vited

for example, more Chinese students

somewhatlike tlie Negroesin the S9.up1.

them to .s,hareper car and a week late,r

By the late 1930s, however, this was no

They continued their journey by narrow-

a performance sponsored to rcaisefunds

longer the case. On a personal level,

gauge railway to Kyr:iming,capital of

for soldiers' winter dpttiing.Although

Yunnan·Provfnce, "one -of·China's cult1.1ral

the idea of the benefit 'reminded them of

were resident than any other nationality.

{:,;rliati}<residents of International House

;:}:.'.:\{}//:'~

they artived .at·Chongqing. They .atten'ded

had to cope with the loss of friends to

centers today, since many of C~!1:_1a'$

a sim·flar.fu11d-r_aising performance at

war arid broken friendships resulting

famous ,educational institutions haye

I.Hou~i~_the event they attended ~;i~

from clashes in national loyalties.

been transplantec:i to that city on

actually very different in nature.

T. C. Cheng's and Chao Wang's expe-

atcount of the war .. •. .'[Also] the most

riences exemplify this. In 1940,the two

important .key_city for China for com mu<·

Part of the program ~a~ a short play by

residents returned to their native China,

n.ication-.with the outside world."

Jqpanesecaptives:Befofewe saw it, we

sending letters to friends at .International

The,y:oung men met many old friends

thought that the poor Japanese.were f2rced ta put it on, but we were wrong.it -wasan

House that provide a telling glimpse of

• in Kunmihg, some of whom worked on

life under military rule in their homeland.

the highway~.otl)ers in fac,tories or ·a's

antiwar play,was writter:i and qirected by the

After visiting the San Francisco

teachers. Two weeks later the former

Japanese.The cast.were pl/Japanese.The

W6rld's Fair, Cheng and Wang sailed to

I.House residents continued by bus on

women'spqrts were .dopeby men in

40

LIVING

FRANCES PEI-YUEH CHEN, Banking 6031 Drexel Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

IN

THE

FUTURE

ILLINOIS, U.S. A.

I-PING CHEN, Political science No. 3, Lane No. 179, Connaught Road, Shanghai, China

CHINJ!.

JOE K. CHEN. Educati?n

CHINA

548 Riverside Drive. New York, N. Y.

ILLINOIS. U.S. A.

LOUISE CHEN; Banking

6031 Drexel Avenue, Chicago, Illinois CHINA

TUN.G-CHIHCHENG, Business administxdtion San-Ho, Woo-Hu, Shanghai, China

TEXAS, U.S. A.

GAN YING (MARGAflET) CHEW, Banking 318 Central Avenue, El Paso, Texas

womens costumes.Sirice .the.audience· could

have been constru,aedand 'numerousfacto7

and other government ciffieial~.th'edaSF

not underst.andjapanese, a returned _student

ries of ~ar/o,us, kinds have been bujlt ~P in

organized fqr tbe middle-rank officials

from.japa11gave an introductory tdlk before

the past two years.Weunderstandthat the

from ·different provinces of China, pro-

•it .wasperformed,Theplayers did the work

20 million dqf/ar loan·figm American Exporl

yJded valuable information abounhe war

so earnestlya,ndenergeticallythat the ~hole

& Import ~an/<.will be used c;:hief/yta

and the work or' reconstruction_. Chao

audiencewas moved.We cou/dnot but feel

improve transportation in Chirfp.Youmight

Warig,then we,nt to work in the main

that what they were aetifig..werethe real •

, 'be interested ill he.aringthat a Chinesesci-

office of tbe natioriaJ rrHHtarycouncil as

feelingsofthefew Japaneseon the stage.

entist has succeeded.in making a ·su~stitl!te

an English sec;:reta/:y.

The men's success in

of gaso/irjefrom some kind of vegetQbleoil.

bei;oming employed led tl:\em to report

·Following the audien"e's vigornus

Many of our busesand .ttucks are run by

,back to International House that:

applause,a Japanese-actor steppedtor-

such oil althpugh the proportion is still

war-d and afftrmed the impressions of-the

rather small.

For an epucatedman to find a job in China

se_emto enje>your little stunt,'' he told

T. C. Cheng found e·mployment as a ~pe-

trained menJn·evety field at present We

the ·au~ience."I hope that this is,the

cialist.in China's foreign trade co~mis-

hoPe,.that,you Will-tellthe Chinesestudents

'1:ieginningof our efforr to terminate the

,•sion and was invited by Geheral Li-Huang

in'the Housethat they qre almost assured

war which is.going on ·here in China .... ,

Wei, chairman of.Henan Province, to

to get a fairly,goodjQb after they come back

and eventually we will succe,edin build-

assist_,him.Since banking and ffnan'cehad

to Chi110.: War-doesnot bring unemployment

ihg up a real friendship between the peo-

been his major fields ,of concentration as

•to ·China.BecauseChinais fighting and

ple of our two courjtries;'-niusk

a student, he "wished fo get acquaintei:I

buildingsimultaneously.

ChiangKgi-sh~ksaid

ears ~f.these former I.House resid_ents,

with the fih'aneialconditions.of sClhina

that.JTiilitaryvictory will be-futile if we do not

pptimists who saw all-aro~nd them signs

)efore

/nii/d lip our nation while we are fighting.

young men-"!

todo,yis not a problem.at al/..China needs

am so gl;id •that xou all

to the

of hope for, the future of their homeland,,

entering into the :political field."

Chao Wa,ng:-,ve~tto the Central Political 'rrai"ning class,to .receive)!, !T\'Onth

No further.letters from Chao Wang and

The Work of reconstructionis.progressing

of training under the per.$onal instruc•

T. C. Cheng are foul;)d in t~e archives at

very rapidly in interJorChina.Many roads

1:ion of GeneraHssimo Chiang Kai-shek

lnletnational House.

41

International

Ho

u s e

LEON POLK SMIJH

toward disintegration and would stay true to its commitment to peace.

In 1940, with war a near certainty for the United States and with the evil of fascism inescapable, he confided to trustee Frederick Osborn:

As the crisisin the worldgets worse,and if,for example,the totalitarianpowersgain permanent ascendancyin Europe,the effectson the United States and on InternationalHouse must befaced. lf, duringa period of ''peace,"a group efopportunistswereresidentat the House, who attemptedto breakdown the moralsand the humane democratic spirit efthe House community,would the House stand "tolerantly"by,or would a specifi,c effortbe made to maintain the spirit and philosophyon which the House basesitself?

The answeris, efcourse,yes.

United States (res. 1936-38) Born in 1906 in Chickasha, an Indian territory

later incorporated into the

state of Oklahoma, Smith learned the languages and ways of the Chickasaw and Cherokee Indians.They instilled in him a deep understanding of communal living and equality, which he applied in both his art and his commitment to civil rights.

Then, in 1942, as Mott prepared himself and the House for his departure to serve in the Army, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller left the board of trustees. It was the end of an era and the beginning of an uncertain time in the leadership of International House. Mott's letter of May 28, 1942, to Mrs. Rockefeller expresses his concerns for the future of the House as well as his assessment of its essential strength. Mott was sincerely sorry to see Mrs. Rockefeller leave the board, but felt confident that the Rockefeller family would continue to be involved and supportive.

After graduating from Oklahoma State College, he pursued graduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

He then became a professor of art education in Georgia, where he made many drawings that sprang from experiences with racism. Smith's later work moved toward hard-edge abstraction; important examples are in the collections of New

It has beena sourceefdeep regretto me, that, during my seven yearsat the House, your health and heavy responsibilities have made it impossible for you to see as much of the House and its work as you wereable to in the earlierdays.It has been a privilege to work withJohn and David, and to know of your interestand backing,even though most Boardmeetingswereout efthe question.

I know that you and Mr. Rockefellerwill continueto have a deep interestin this remarkableinstitutionas long as you live.

York's Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum, among others. His distinctions include the National Council of Arts Award. In appreciation of the opportunities

provided by International

House, prior to his death in 1996 Smith gave the House ten prints of his works.

42

The Rockefeller's eldest son,John D. III, had joined the board in 1932; their youngest, David, was selected in 1940. Turning to the cause that united them in a working friendship, Mott continued:

I neverbelievedin the possibilitiesand potentialitiesefthe House morethan I do today.In a way,I can be moreobjectiveabout the

LIVING

House and its work because,as you probablyhave heard,!feel that my duty lies,during the importantnext year or two, in theArmy which isfighting to preservea worldin which an International House is possible.. . .

As you probablyknow, my wife has beenchosento carryon in my place.This idea did not originatewith me, but, the moreI have thought aboutit, the more!feel that she is betterqualifiedto carryon the House during thesedifficulttimes than anyoneelse in the picture.She will have a very loyaland hardworkingstaff.The finances efthe House are in much bettershape than we daredhope they couldbe a year ago.As a mattereffact, we areslightlybetter offthan lastyear,and varioussavingswhich will be effectedby my leavingand otherpossibleeconomieswill put the House in afairly strongposition to meet the possibleuncertaintiesefnext year.

IN

THE

FUTURE

NNAMQ! 4ziKiwE

AS WORLD WAR II ENGULFED THE WORLD, THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL

House was at least able to remain independent. Other houses did not tare so well. Although all of the International Houses had been founded on the same articles of faith and with the same mission, each dealt with different problems during World War II. The Berkeley House was occupied by the U.S. Navy after 1943, so its residents were moved to nearby fraternity houses. About half of its students were

Nigeria (res. 1941) Educated at Lincoln and Pennsylvania universities, Mr.Azikiwe explored a wide range of vocations, including that of history teacher, banker, and chairman of a newspaper company. He began his politi-

WORLD WARII:

from foreign

I UE 194Ps AJINIE BNAJI 9NALU9YsE

countries and they, along

to the Western House of Assembly in

with the American students in the California house, felt anxieties that were particular to their homelands. Threats of air raids and blackouts,

hold the position of governor general,

however, were less horrible to the Berkeley House community than seeing Japanese students and staff taken away to internment camps.

International House at the University of Chicago clung to the intellectual superstructure of brotherhood and invited a series of thinkers to speak to residents. Those invited were asked to share their

cal career in 1947 when he was elected to the Legislative Council of Nigeria, and

1952. He became the first African to

and was elected first president of Nigeria in 1973.A man of many responsibilities and concerns, he also wrote thirteen books regarding history, politics, poetry, and meditations.

wisdom and to put matters of brotherhood and world war into an understandable perspective. In 1938, Bertrand Russell discussed the Munich Conference; in 1942, Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk spoke on the future of Europe. But toward the end of the war, International House Chicago, too, was taken by the government to house Army meteorologists.

43

Internarional

House

La Maison internationale in Paris, founded on the eve of World War II, was occupied by the German army by 1940.

But one failure stood out starkly in the minds of all associated with the International House movement. In the years preceding World War II, Harry Edmonds-buoyed

by the success of the International

Houses at Berkeley, Chicago, and Paris-traveled extensively in search of opportunities to establish still more resident communities of peace and tolerance. John D. Rockefeller,Jr., was continually apprised of possibilities and remained ready to support the extension of the International House movement. In the late 1930s, Edmonds had interested a group of Japanese industrialists in the possibility of International House Tokyo. But on a visit to that city in 1938, Edmonds realized that the Tokyo house would not come into existence. On his way around the world and home, he wrote to the trustees of the New York House from London:

Underthe circumstances efthe tragicsituationin the FarEast, it may seem incongruous for me to tellyou efmy visit to Tokyoin the interest efan InternationalHouse. ... The heartsefthefriends efoursacross the Pacificarebreakingthesedays,but surelythey arethe "righteous men" who arethe hope efthefuture in the reconciliation and harmonization efJapan and China. ... [O)J course,thereis nothingto do but to lay asidetheprojectfor the momentand hope. ...

Apparently immune to becoming disheartened, Edmonds's maxim seemed to be, "When at war, prepare for peace." He wrote to John Mott:

I am still young.I am_firedwithfaith and enthusiasm,and I expect to see ... Houses in China andJapan, London and Berlin and Vienna and afew otherplaces.Might as well think that way as to think the worldisgoing to hell which it isn't.A Jew governmentswill crack.But I think we shall avoida worldwarand times will improve.

T1ietimes aren'tout efjoint so much as thefaith and will efmen.

But Edmonds did not gauge the world situation accurately. Before the war, when others saw only a dim future for International House, Edmonds had insisted that "International House is one of the few places in the world where the nations can draw together without fighting." About that, he was right.

44

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

Edmonds's faith in International House was echoed throughout the various houses. For example, in 1940 the residents of the Chicago House gathered for their annual Candlelight Dinner. Words spoken on the occasion could as easily have been spoken in the New York House:

The year which has elapsedsincelast the Candle Ceremonywas presentedin this House has been a difficultone.The principlesfor which this House standshave been under constantand increasing attack in the worldat large;overtlyby thosewho believethem wrong;insidiouslyby thosewho believethem impracticable.

Yet it stands to the everlastingcreditof hundredsof youngpeople,representingeveryvarietyof nationality,race,and creed,that they have greatlydaredto attempt to live out in their day-to-daylives within thosewalls the principleson which the House isfounded.

This doesnot mean that we have beenunawareefthe stark and bitterrealitiesof the worldsituation,nor efthe challengethat they present.Forceshave been loosedin the world,which not only deny ourprinciples,but also areseekingto destroyand makeforever impossiblethe sort of environmentin which they may bepracticed.

Ours is a tremendoustrust.The circleof thosewho, breathing the air effreedom in a land not yet directlythreatened,can still think sanely,and in whose heartstherestill is roomfor compassion, is growingsmaller.Our burdenefresponsibilityincreaseswith each lossefcomradesby death,or despair,or the passingefreason.

the world. She was Par.isbureau chief,

Despite turmoil around the world and the resultant potential for

..c61umn'ist for the New YqrkTimes,from

UnitedJtates

(res. 1941-42) .

Harry EdmondsAward, ·1990 The noted jc\u,rnalist earned her graduate degree at Columbia durinfher· re.sidency at lnternatlonal 1:-fouseand has since received• honorary ·degrees·fr'oll)' Princeton a'rid·C:olumbia universities ar\d D~rtinouth College.After her stint during World War II as an Associated. Press corre~p,ondent, she reported for n1:1J1)erou~ newspapers and magazrnes around

foreign ,affairs cl')'lumnist, and senior

anger and disagreement among its students from many lan~s, International House New York remained intact and peaceful. It was not co-opted as barracks for the military and therefore remained a testing ground for the ideals on which it was founded: was it possible for young women and men from warring countries to live together in

which she retired.in 1994. Her many honors ilidude .an Aspen Institute ·Fellowhip, the Legion of Hon0r from 'France as weU-a$ top awards from her profession, including those from the

familial tolerance?

.Qvers·easand Nationa.1Press clubs·

Throughout the difficult war years, staff and residents alike reaffirmed their commitment to the tenets of International House in their

recalls, "and .. : learned that foreign

daily activities. As the philosophy of International House was tested by the fear, anger, and residual nationalism of individuals, its center of tolerance and peace held. The strife of the period proved again the practicality of maintaining peace, furthering communication, and instilling appreciation for each other among diverse citizens.

"I ·came to International House;" ,sh,e.

r~i~-

tio_nsis really about feeling. at ease with pe:op,e from c;,tl:\ercountrres,'seeing them as people rath~r than as foreigners,:lt changed my life, opening dpp.ortlinitie:S and enriching my .experien~e."

45

International

House

Residents from war-ravaged countries faced psychological, financial, and security problems of a staggering magnitude. In varying degrees, each student depended on the support of the International House community for physical and psychological sustenance.Alone, often without money or means for receiving funds from home, and sometimes unable to communicate with family and friends in peril, many of the young women and men from foreign countries suffered anxiety, confusion, and deep-seated fear.

International travel, which was mostly by ship, was dangerous-if not impossible-after

1938. Mail was uncertain. Some residents, eithrr

owing to political conviction or pragmatic decision to ,make the best of a terrible time, chose to remain in the United States for the duration of the war. By the time the United States entered the war, many of the Japanese, German, and Italian students who had chosen to remain at Some American residents answered the call of their country's armed services but still maintained their commitment to I.House precepts of peace.

International House began to report home addresses in New Jersey and New York. Some of them almost certainly received refugee status.

Residents from countries at war lived with fear and uncertainty about their families and homes and, if they received mail at all, letters bore marks that read," opened by censor" or "opened by examiner" and quite often, "return to sender" or "retour inconnu."

CBPK AMRANANQ

From the declarations of war in Europe and Asia to President Roosevelt's announcement

of the entry of the United States into the

Thailand (res. 1947-50)

war, both foreign and American students hungered for news, making

Educated at Thammasat University of

the radio the center of life for the International House community.

Bangkok and at Columbia University, Mr.

Residents shared the inconveniences of war-rationing,

Amranand taught at the former institu-

tice air raids, good and bad rumors-and

sirens and prac-

they shared whatever hard

tion until 1959. From 1957 he served as

news could be found in newspapers or on the radio. They followed the

Thailand's chief of the import control

progress of the war, battle by battle, country by country, and heard

office until taking on other challenges for

President Truman tell the world of the inception and first deployments

his homeland, including the offices of the

of nuclear arms and, soon after, they listened to the broadcast of the

chief of trade policy, secretary of com-

unconditional surrender of Japan.

merce, and ambassador to the United

But in a community of friends, can there be "winners" or

States. He now lives in Thailand, where

"losers"? Can one friend gloat or celebrate the defeat of another? In

he practices law.

1981; an alumnus from the 1940s recalled one example of the human truth that sustained International House: "In the elevator at I.House after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an enthusiastic young lady of this country proudly spoke of the miraculous feat. However, we were all brought to our senses when a young lady of Asiatic background quietly asked how would we feel if it had been New York?"

46

LIVING

Throughout those difficult years, residents at International House learned that "winning" was not synonymous with peaceful living; that triumph had no meaning beside brotherhood, and that, in the final analysis, nationalism was more destructive to the human mind than bombs. As the storms of war raged, International House held firm on the foundation Edmonds, Rockefeller, and the Dodges had laid for it at its inception.

From the beginning of the war, International House staff and trustees contended with painfully practical matters. The. war threw many of the foreign students into bleak financial circumstances that made them incapable of paying tuition or International House fees for room and board. Mott and other administrators appealed to trustees and, as expected, many responded with support in the form of scholarships, often anonymous, for needy residents. In addition, Mott did his best to find within the annual budget funds that could be shifted to scholarships, or could be used to hire students.

Not just the foreign students felt the force of the war, however.

Iv:1-any students,American and foreign, interrupted their education, left International House, and joined armed forces.

When John Mott left for military service and turned the administration of International House over to his wife, Celestine, she became the first and only woman to lead the House. Under her stewardship, International House remained a calm island in a sea of virulent hate.

No one recalls-and there are no records of-any form of violence among students during this time. The House remained true to its goals, giving shelter, side by side, to those who might be enemies in the outside world. But within the walls of International House, where residents knew each other, there were no enemies and, against terribl~ odds, the barriers of nationalism were not honored.

IN

THE

FUTURE'

Celestine Mott, in her dual role as director and hostess, pours tea for Godfrey MacDonald, executive vice president of Grace Lines.

AAGE NIELS 89UB Denmark (res. 1948-49) After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Copenhagen, Bohr pursued his studies and research in London. He then returned to Copenhagen where he became a research assistant and then instructor in theoretical physics at his alma mater. He directed the Niels Bohr

EMERGING INTO THE COLD WAR FROM THE NIGHTMARE OF WORLD WAR II,

Institute from 1962-70 and, like his

International House faced a daunting increase in the number of students seeking admission and, simultaneously, a host of problems for both the physical plant and the mission of the institution. In retrospect, the trustees and staff turned problems into challenges and opportunities. Still holding fast to the idealism on which the House had been founded, they recast it to meet a new, war-tested student group. This transitional period led to what the

father, won both the Atoms for Peace Award and the Nobel Prize. In addition to these prestigious honors, he has also been awarded the Pope Pius XI Medal, the Danni Heineraan Prize, and the Rutherford Medal. His book Rotational States of Atomic Nuclei was published

in 1954.

47

International

House

EDITRIAL NewYorkTimeseditorial.May 17, 1950:

INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE

The lesson that InternationalHouse on MorningsideHeights has been teachingus for the last quarter of a century was never needed more than today.It was the first of

four such institutions now flourishing,and one could wish that there were forty or f9ur

hundred of them where thousandsof students from dozens of countriescould live,

study and play togetherwith the motto: "That brotherhoodmay prevail."

The challengeis alwayswith us-how to expand this real fellowshipof individualsto an internationalbrotherhoodon an official ba$iS.The Egyptianstudent and his Israeli friend at InternationalHouse are a natural and impressiveexample of brotherhood.If some day they are appointedthe Foreign

Ministersof Egyptand Israel,their backgroundat InternationalHouse willhelp,but {.,-

the nationalrivalriesand problemsof the two countrieswillremainas formidable obstacles.However,insofaras personalities can affect politicsand in all the myriad ways that understandingpromotes peace and takes us towardthe goal of"one

Western liberaldemocracyproves. It is

world,"an institutionlike International

hard to see how we are goingto eliminate

tion must do good becauseits fundamental

House has its great value.

that antagonismfor many years to come.

concept is a good one. InternationalHouse

Our century,more than any other,has

It is a fine thing to know that an institu-

But there is still the chance that the

is in that category.The longerit flourishes

been reachingout for some way of breaking

weapons of friendshipand understanding

the better for all of us.The congratulations

•down the barriersof race,language,nation-

forged by many such organizationsas

that are being extended on the twenty-fifth

ality,color,cultureand traditionsthat divide

InternationalHouse willweaken the Iron

anniversaryof the first residenceare unre-

the world.On the politicalplane we have

Curtainbetween East and West. That would

served.May the InternationalHouse flour-

f~iled for the time being,as the divisioninto

be the civilizedway to end the division

ish for many,many more years!

two worldsof totalitariancommunismand

between the two worldsof today.

48

LIVING

IN

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FUTURE

seventh president of International House, Don Cuneo, identifies as its "golden age"-the

years from 1945 to 1960.

As in the past, the Rockefeller family showed interest in the strength of the House and in its postwar status. The baton of family leadership for International House passed to David Rockefeller.

Mustered from years of military service, the chairman of the board's executive committee, David Rockefeller, returned to civilian life and committed more of his family's resources to International House. Like his father, he made it clear that he expected responsible financial management and good business practices to be brought to bear in support of the House's mission. As an indication of the seriousness with which he took his responsibilities at International House, young Rockefeller engaged Wilbur C. Munnecke, a consultant from the University of Chicago, to examine all aspects of the House, assess its strengths and needs, and help set goals for its future.

Munnecke's first interim report, issued early in the summer of 1946, provided a well-annotated map for understanding International House at the beginning of a new era in its history. Noting the New York House's unaffiliated status, he gave voice to the question many were asking: would it be advantageous to International House New York to have a formal relationship with Columbia University? This question appears to have been spurred by two issues, both of which were likely to have been discussed by the board as they faced uncertain finances and the inflation that followed the war. First, for those who might have seen a merger with Columbia University as desirable, there was the obvious relative permanence of the great university, presumably a strength that would assure maximum stability for International House. Moreover, International House had been chartered and assigned tax exemption as a charitable institution, not as an educational entity, causing some trustees concern that this distinction could prove troublesome for International House on its own. Columbia's tax exemption, however, was certain.

But, countered Munnecke, International House's tax status was not in question by authorities and, further, its history attested to its stability. Finally, the consultant reasoned, International House New York had advantages that the other houses did not, especially in the numbers of foreign students who were likely to select New York City schools for their graduate studies and, therefore, to be potential residents. The board of trustees might find it easier to erase responsibilities by effecting a

49

international

House

direct affiliation with Columbia University, he acknowledged, but such a move would put the whole idea of International House at risk. It would, he pointed out, "tend to change International House New York, into Columbia University's [facility] for foreign students." It was not, in Munnecke's succinct opinion, a good option. Rather, he suggested, International House needed to work even harder to reach beyond the Columbia University student body to attract foreign students from the many educational institutions in New York City and serve the ideals on which it was founded.

Munnecke challenged the administration by making two specific recommendations. To save money, he urged the business manager of International House to work with his counterparts at the other Morningside Heights institutions to devise the means to reduce expenses through cooperative purchasing. To increase revenue, he advised the admissions director of International House to seek out the foreign-student advisers in the New York City educational institutions and do a little low-key marketing.

Munnecke also advised the trustees to pay attention to the existing physical facilities. Do not, he told them, think about expansion, even though there had been persistent discussion about adding stories to the existing building. Instead, he counseled, fit programs to existing space, and improve that space in order to make sure that all programs occurred in the best possible surroundings. Munnecke pointed out that building costs were high in post-World War II New York, and-save for a donation that would cover all costs and prevent the necessity of a mortgage-the

addition would require a capital investment of about

$750,000, and would yield a return of about 3%. Moreover, he said, money should not be spent on modernizing the exterior of the building but, rather, on making the public spaces inside the House more efficient and attractive.

Munnecke also urged the staff and board to improve the food services, the elevators and, by purchasing steam from Columbia, the heating system. Aware of the crisis arising from an increase in student applicants, Munnecke went on to suggest forms of temporary housing that could be installed on the existing tennis courts to provide one hundred additional rooms.

Munnecke's practical suggestions also extended to the House's financial management policies and practices. Noting that International House was in good fiscal condition, with income exceeding expenses

so

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

l Her belief that practical measures

dents here will be of the greatest source

could be taken to further peace prompt-

of help as they go back into their own

ed her to observe that "one of the things

countries and as they help us in the

... we can most profitably do is to bring

Uni:ed Nations, in our own government,

young people together and have them

to be more understanding leaders in a

really know each other. That is why I have

world that really strives for peace."

felt that we did not have enough International Houses:•

presaged a theme that became increas-

Mrs. Roosevelt explained that she

ingly important to, and discussed by, the

thought "young people are apt to devel-

men and women in her audience: resi-

op the power for understanding and the

dents of International House should be

power of friendship more easily than

looked upon-should

look upon them-

older people." She felt that youth is the

selves-as future policy makers and lead-

time in an individual's life when "a real

ers. From them much has been and will

understanding of the background

continue to be expected in the future.

At International House's Annual Dinner on

differences-the

April 5, 1951, Eleanor Roosevelt spoke

people can really be reached."

about the role of students at International

With these remarks, Mrs. Roosevelt

likenesses-between

She underscored her faith in students

House in a world striving for peace. Mrs.

in general and residents of International

Roosevelt was serving as the U.S.repre-

House in particular:"Perhaps the stu-

Below: Mrs. Roosevelt seated with

David Rockefeller at International House's 25th-Anniversary Celebration.

sentative to the United Nations at the time. She was an outspoken member of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, which she chaired for five years (1946-51).

"I have been here several times before:• she said,wryly understating the frequency of her visits to International House, which began while she was First Lady and continued until shortly before her death in 1962. A favorite of the residents, she often appeared unannounced, chatted with whomever happened to be in the rooms, and invited many students to her home at Hyde Park.That April evening, as she embarked on her topic"A World for Peace"-she knew she was among friends.

51

Internal

onal

House

May 1950 was a month of celebration at

feller Ill, Bernard Baruch, Gen. Dwight D.

I send throughyou my warmest congratula-

International House.Among the twenty-

Eisenhower, Gen. George C. Marshall,

tions to InternationalHouse on its twenty-

fifth anniversary events was a luncheon

DavidRockefeller, George S. Franklin.Jr.,

f,~h anniversary.Friendshipand under-

attended by many notable figures, all

John Foster Dulles, Winthrop Aldrich,

standingbetween the peoples ofthe free

closely associated with I.House. The

Frederick Osborn, and Frank Fackenthal.

world,whichInternationalHouse and its

head table was graced by (above, left to

The Founder's Day dinner and pro-

members are so effectivelypromoting,[are]

right) Chauncey Belnap.John D. Rocke-

gram on May 16 was perhaps the high

essentialto the triumph ofthe great causes

point and culmination of the three-

in which we all believe.

week-long celebration.Two hundred distinguished guests attended this dinner

Le~: Several dignitaries addressed the

hosted by the student council and the

assembly including General Marshall

trustees of International House.

52

(right), John D. Rockefeller.Jr.(center),

Among the tributes from world lead-

the evening's guest of honor, and John

ers read at the dinner was the following

Foster Dulles (left), advisor to the U.S.

letter to Chairman of the Board George

State Department and future secretary

C. Marshall (rightmost in picture at left)

of state, who delivered the keynote

from Sir Winston Churchill:

address.

LIVING

for the past several years, he stressed that, surplus notwithstanding, it was impossible for International House to operate at a "profit." As a matter of policy, he reminded staff and board," every dollar of income is in some way expended on behalf of a ... student." With this in mind, Munnecke recommended an increase in room rent (from $7.59 to $8.55 a week), a decrease in maid service, and raises in staff wages. He also recommended certain changes in accounting practices.

As hoards of Gls returned to college and increasing numbers of graduate students from abroad sought to enter International House, Munnecke's report not only helped staff and trustees set the course for the postwar years, but supplied evidence of continuing Rockefeller involvement in the community on Riverside Drive.

IN

THE

FUTURE

GEORGE C MARSHALL Chairman of the Board, /949-54 Honorary Chairman, /'954-59 The outstanding effectiveness of Inter····.h~tip~al1-1¢im(NewYdrkst~i;ns•!nl~rg~ me;sure frQ~ the strong i~aderth/piit< ·_. __ -'

... •

•,'.

-

-.-

•

.. ...._ ·_,,'.,f'

sN'h~~_,;BJ9yed' throughout its history.,B~ •• ..c •• ·-·~,.\· even in that admirable tradition, George C. Marshall's contributions, based on a combination of high idealism and tested pragmatism, set a benchmark.

After distinguished service in.~i~h},f :'W.oi-ldWars, General Marshall,as.,, .. ' •• •£: ~--.''' ' ',. • . ·, ·.

IN THE SPRING OF 1950, AS INTERNATIONAL HOUSE CELEBRATEDITS TWENTY-

fifth anniversary, many former residents looked back to what seemed to have been the innocent, idealistic years before World War II. Pondering the history oflnternational House, however, was more than a nostalgic indulgence; it was a process of testing the premises on which the House was founded against the foreseeable future.

As the chill of the Cold War settled over the world, the goals of International House once again seemed threatened. With the artificial division into camps of "us" and "them," how could a small group of

coLQWAR AN P"GoLp ENYEARS"

people offer an alternative? Could anyone be heard when arguing that brotherhood was a practical alternative to suspicion and hate?

Residents and alumni took stock, not of the quantifiable and managerial nuts and bolts that had occupied Munnecke, but with the soul of the I.House community. No one questioned the historical reality of the idealism, pacifism, and hope that had fueled the dream and realization of the institution. Nor did anyone doubt the goodness implicit in the motto "That Brotherhood May Prevail." But everyone who cared deeply about International House and its mission wondered how the community on Riverside Drive would meet the postwar era's influx of American and foreign graduate students, young women and men who had survived a terrible war and hoped for a better world.

Arous Ariadne Asadian was among the former residents who looked back on her life in the early days of International House. Her assessment of the House appeared as "The Kinship of Men," an article

Presi!'.lentTruman's ~ecretary of state, proposed a humanitarian blueprint for the reconstruction of war-ravaged Europe, which came to be known as the Marshall Plan. He engineered aid to :Gr,ijec~,and Turkey,the recognition of the newly formed nation Israel, and the discussions that led to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In 1950, serving as secretary of defense in the Truman administration, he helped prepare for the United States' involvement in the Korean War. In a 1947 speech at Harvard University, Marshall said, "Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but. against hunger, poverty, desperation, an~ chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political a,n~ social conditions in which free institutions can exist." Although describing U.S. foreign policy,~ti~ords -~vi4~~c:{~?vil0/;J •

:'

.

\/•':•

'<,i>.~'..(''

ues Marshall brought to his years with 1,lrl:o!,!s~ as well as the commtmient th;it won him the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize.

53

International

House

purlished in the International House Quarterly. Asadian articulated what many other alumni felt as International House renewed its mission to serive a new generation of young people.

I Before Asadian forged her career in education in Rhode Island, Pernsylvania, Ohio, and New Mexico, she was a foreign student in the United States and one of the earliest members of the Cosmopolitan Club. It all began, she recalled, in the fall of 1914. She lived in Brooklyn and attended Pratt Institute when she received an invitation card to a Sunday Night Supper at the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club. "In those days," she admitted, "new places, new situations and, at times, new faces filled [her] with a vague anxiety."

Harry Edmonds-"a tall, slim, blue-eyed man"-greeted

her,

a~ked her name, and filled out a very simple form. He helped her feel at ei(se.She was relieved to learn that she was not required to pay dues; like tie majority of students-foreign and American-she had very little money. She looked around and saw other students-Chinese, Syrians, Greeks, and other Europeans as well as Americans. She returned regularly for meals and conversations and, as the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club became a second home for her, she found that the superficial differences among the students were less significant than their similarities. '~The Club," she wrote, "was growing like a lusty child on the dynamic idea of brotherhood;' a quality that, she believed, suffused the programs.

But brotherhood was not confined to the formal programs: it was an attitude, a way of life, the lingua franca of friendships among members of Ballroom dancing continues to be a favorite pastime at International

the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club. She wrote:

House

today, just as it was for these residents

I was a bewildered and exhausted stranger in flight from Old World

in the early 1950s.

tragediescaused byfanaticism, hysteria efhate and fear, ignorance and greed, when I arrived in America. I was alone in this new strangeness. . . . Like all young things I was groping to possess something efthe vast world. ...

India ceased to be a huge land

mass on a flat map and became,with afriendly smile, "My home is in a meadow of tiger lilies.Just villages are near it, but we are only fifty milesfrom the TajMahal at Agra."

Young people at the Club, she said, were, "building little bonds in a friendly exchange of knowledge, making laughing comparisons of differences in amenities, customs, and diet. We taught each other the Armenian yogurt, the Arabian couscous, and Chinese sweet and sour

54

LIVING

habits, while we all were acquiring or refusing to acquire the American sandwich habit. It was for all of us an exciting adventure in friendship."

Even during the years of World War II, she believed, there was no cynicism. And she remembered her friends-Joseph Singh and Ali Pattet of India,]. M. Chen and Sam Pang of China, Pierre of Haiti, Goodsia Ashraph of Persia, Bedros of Armenia-all of whom, she said, "had boundless faith and enthusiasm for the salvation of mankind." She said that International House broadened her conception of humanity, acquainted her with the grassroots of culture in every land, and melted her nationalistic preconceptions. The Club took her from "selfism" to "otherism": "As the organization grew by leaps and bounds, a sincere faith in its capacity for good throughout the universe grew also.The logic of the matter was that if students from sixty countries destined to become leaders could work and play together without conflict, why not all nations?"

Moreover, she wrote, all of the young women and men were "expected to fulfill a high mission in the future for the unity of the world, the establishment of peace, and the outlawing of war .... " As the Club became International House, its mission intensified. It was:

IN

THE

FUTURE

Chief of.the Philippine Mission to the United Nations, wrofe to General George Marshall, April 6, 1950:

It is Withd sense of vindicationthat I felicitate "InternationalHouse"on the occasion bf its 25th Anniversary.

The steady growthof tl)is·renownedorganization,whichis now at the peak ofits effectivenessunder your inspiringleadership,is the most eloquent proof of the 'validityof its motto, "That BrotherhoodMay Prevail."The crusadefor peace, to whichf have devotedmy whole

career,rests on the propositionthat brotherho'Odamong men and among nationsis not a utopiandream.but a realizableobjective ln the worldof today.It is most gratifyingto see this convictionborne out by the prestige

and influenceattained by such enterprises

a laboratorywherethe kinship of men [was]observed;wherepeace reign[ed}in spite of the presenceof many nationalities;whereall [were]free within the law,in a democraticatmosphere.This House of hope and worldfellowship offerseveryopportunityto meetgreat mindsfor knowledgeand inspiration. ...

Finally on the mental screenof eachmemberof International House, the wordsPEACE, UNITY, BROTIIERHOOD, INTELLIGENT COOPERATION, FREEDOM, PROGRESS, JUSTICEmust be written in big lettersand displayedconstantlyas remindersin our busy life.

Thus will the ultimategoal of thisgreat House befulfilled throughout a regenerated, soberedworld.

as "lnternationa/.-House."

Lastingpeace cannot be secureduntil men have learne_d to understandone another, and t.o work togetherin amity.Yeara~er

year,"InternationalHouse"has contributed in increasingmeasure to the realizationof this ideal.Bymaking it possiblefor students fram all countriesto livetogetherand col"/abordte.inconstructiveventureson the basis of complete equality,"International Hous.e"is helpingto lay the foundationsof ·peaceand a better life for all men regard-

Arous Ariadne Asadian accurately recalled the idealism and fervor oflnternational House's past; but could the postwar world be turned on the same wheel? Had the brutality of World War II destroyed hope for brotherhood and peace and filled people around the world with cynicism, suspicion, and hatred?

In the 1950s, International House residents were sharply aware of the dangers of the era, and they analyzed and argued about various

less. of race, nationality,religionor political

beliefs.

It is a Pleasureto wish"International

House"many more dewdes of fruitfullife.

55

International

House

Ralph Bunche, a trustee from 1954 until 1971, addressed International

House

residents on numerous occasions. His work at the U.N. made him acutely aware and appreciative of the ways in which residents "practice tolerance and live together ...

as good neighbors."

factors shaping their world. On the one hand they recognized the potential social advantages born of technological advances and increased speed of communication and transportation; on the other they understood the human factors-suspicion, fear, hatred-that " could generate a nuclear conflagration.

Some students believed that only totalitarian government could prevent mass nuclear suicide. Others argued that only a democratic systemhowever flawed and cumbersome it might be-could offer people the fullest possibility of a good life. Some concluded that diversity,although traditionally celebrated as a primary humanistic value, threatened order and prevented individuals from contributing to the greater welfare of society overall. Others acknowledged that a society composed of self-centered individuals has the potential for chaos and insisted that a civilization's creativity and energy issue only from individual freedom.

What factors, residents asked themselves and one another, could generate both social order and freedom for individuals? How could the conflict be resolved between totalitarian and democratic ideals and social systems? Might the solution be found in the microcosm of International House?

As their predecessors at International House had done before them, the postwar generation invited world leaders to come and discuss contemporary issues in order to help them understand and meet the challenges of a troubled world.

RALPH J. BUNCHE, THE INFLUENTIAL

AMERICAN

JHECHALLENGE diplomat and United Nations official, frequently visited 500 Riverside Drive. He viewed International House as a mini-United Nations and, during the summer of 1950-the year in which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize-he eloquently articulated the challenge that faced I.House. Addressing the residents, he

56

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congratulated International House on its twenty-five years of promoting friendship among people of different religions, cultures, and nationalities. "The world needs very much this kind ofliving," he said, "this kind of experience. We are in a bad state today because there is so little of it among the peoples of the world."

I hope that the next twenty-five yearswill see the peoples of all the world learn how to live togetherinternationallyand peacefully.

I say that it can be done.And I say that becauseit is human attitudes and not human nature with which those who are engaged in the effort to layfirm foundationsfor peaceare concernedin cultivating the soilfor a just, stable,and peacefulworld order-human attitudes and not human nature.

Human attitudes can be changed.The bad attitudes which characterizepeople today are the directrefi,ectionof the bad lessons which are learnedin all the societiesof the world.These bad attitudes,in turn, are responsible for the deplorablestate of human relations whichprevailseverywhere.

Bunche said that learned attitudes had produced a grim state of affairs, with nationalism and greed spawning "dangerous animosities, hatreds, mutual recriminations, suspicions, fears, bigotries, and intolerances." Although humankind has mastered nature, he said, we have "not mastered the art of human relations." He stressed that this was a matter of learning:

In the realm of human understanding,the peoples of the world remainshockinglyilliterate.This has alwaysbeen and today remains man-sgreatestchallenge:how to teachthe peoples of the world the mostfundamental lessonthere is, the lessonof the essentialkinship of mankind. ...

Now, we needpeacedesperately,but the worldhas always neededpeace.Today,however,the questionis no longera simple questionof peaceor war,as it has been in the past. The questionnow is a questionof sheersurvival,the survivalof civilizationand of mankind itself.I need not mention that time isfrighteninglyshort.

Bunche knew that he was preaching to the converted, no doubt.

But his audience was attentive to the speaker corroborating their val-

57

International

House

Executive Committee Chairman David

ues, and encouraging them to hold fast to the philosophy of Interna-

Rockefeller (center, right) seated next

tional House:

to Chairman George C. Marshall at a 1950 meeting of the board of trustees.

To Mr. Rockefeller's left: Celestine Mott, Frederick Osborn, Leonard Beck, Mrs.

0. Currier McEwen, Roger Malustrade, and Cleveland E. Dodge. To General Marshall's right: Chauncey Belknap, Mrs. Harvey Davis, Spencer Byard, Mrs. Edward M. Foote, and George S. Franklin.

58

I say that we may improvise;we may build diplomaticdams one cifteranother;and we may pile internationalpact upon international pact and we may employ the most ingeniousdiplomacy;and the United Nations, as it has been doingand continuesto do, may scurry about valiantlywith its war-fightingmachineryand put out a warfire in Indonesiatoday and Palestinetomorrow,and Greece, Korea,or Kashmir the next day.We know that new warfires will breakout, that they will continuetoflare up.We know also that thereis alwaysthe possibility,if not the probability,that one day one efthesefires,fanned by afurious windstormof human passion, may wellget out efhand.Then we know that thefinal havocwill be upon us.

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Bunche told the assembly that world peace was unattainable without "one really secure foundation for a peace that will endure."

Attitudes, he said, could be changed. "No purely mechanical device, no international charter or pact, however perfect, can serve to save mankind from itself."

Aligning himself even more strongly with his audience, Bunche proclaimed, "I remain an optimist. I am an optimist because of my faith in people and my belief that attitudes can be changed." Even so, he continued: "I am under no illusions about mankind. I do not for a moment underestimate the capacity of every one of us for evil-doing ... [but] I think it no exaggeration to say that, unfortunately, throughout the ages organized religion and organized education have responded inadequately to this challenge."

Bunche described the ideals of the UN. and his dream as a "world in which peoples would practice tolerance and live together with one another as good neighbors, as the students of International House do. If this ideal is far from realization in the world at large, in the world outside of this House, it is only because of the state of mind of mankind."

IHJE§NAJIONAL HousE's Goop-NEIGHBOR roucv DAVID ROCKEFELLER WAS LIKE HIS FATHER IN HIS RESERVE AND SENSE OF

responsibility.As the youngest of John D. Rockefeller,Jr.'s children, David had known International House all his life. Frequently he sat in on meetings about the Riverside Drive institution and had gone with his family to meals in the I.House dining room. After World War II, David was elected chairman of the executive committee of the board of trustees. He continued his father's insistence on good management in support of an idealistic mission for the institution; he also inaugurated a bold plan to improve the community surrounding International House.

In "A Community Project," an article published in the 1951 winter issue of InternationalHouse Quarterly,he explained his intentions-and, in the process, revealed much about his personal values and sense of responsibility.

"At a time when tomorrow may bring atomic death and destruction," he wrote, "it is hard to concentrate on planning and building for a better world in which our children and grandchildren might live more happily and harmoniously." But that was precisely what David Rockefeller advocated because, as he argued, "the free society which we

59

International

House

Residents Mona Hoo of China and Mha:dau Pradam of India after a tennis match on the courts at International House, November

1953.

are willing to defend with our lives from aggression from without is in danger of crumbling from within unless each individual and each community nurtures the will to freedom and accepts the responsibilities incumbent on us as citizens."

David Rockefeller held that all members of a community share responsibility for that community. "For this reason," he said, "I find the cooperative effort between the people and institutions of Morningside Heights ... heartening."

Following World War II, the character of Morningside Heights changed dramatically.This section of northern Manhattan extending· from 110th Street on the south to 125th Street on the north, and from Morningside Drive west to the Hudson River, had been a largely middle class,homogeneous community. It was home to Columbia University, Teachers' College, Riverside Church, Union Theological School,Jewish Theological School, International House, and other educational and intellectual bastions. The widespread changes that came with the 1950s caused some residents of Morningside Heights to feel threatened. As the black and Hispanic population increased, Morningside Heights felt a surge of fears rooted in years of racism and poverty.

Many landlords in the area chose not to refurbish and improve aging buildings and, instead, converted apartment houses to singleroom-occupancy dwellings-:--or S.R.O.s. Taking advantage of the resulting low rents, more African-American and Hispanic families moved into Morningside Heights. Overcrowding in other rental properties occurred, and in a short time, the middle class pulled up stakes and moved.

Because of his family's long-standing interest in the institutions of the area and his personal conviction that the situation could be improved for all involved citizens and institutions, David Rockefeller stepped into the fray. He persuaded the area's educational and religious institutions to join him in the creation of Morningside Heights, Inc. He recognized that each institution existed to serve different purposes. "The easiest course for them to follow;' he acknowledged, "was to go about their own business without undue concern for their neighbors or their surroundings." He continued:

It must be said in allfrankness that it was largelythe realization that MorningsideHeights was surroundedby an underprivileged areawhich was rapidlyspreadingits effectinto the very heartof

60

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MorningsideHeights itselfwhich causedthe institutionsto bestir themselves... [and] to study the problemsof theircommunityto see how theseproblemscouldbe solved.

By the 1950s, International House had

Rockefeller did not mention the power held by a "suggestion" from a Rockefeller that some action be taken, but he did point out that what may have begun as "defensive action" soon became a positive effort to share resources and solve mutual problems. The institutions discovered, he said, "that they could ... further their effectiveness in their special fields of interest by contribution to the physical and social rehabilitation of the area."

With Rockefeller support, Morningside Heights, Inc., organized and hired a staff and director. Studies were undertaken and completed and data collected. Morningside Heights, Inc., discovered that the region was home to people of many different backgrounds but, while more than half of the area belonged to the institutions of the region, the women and men who worked in those establishments were moving out of the neighborhood. The corporation undertook a vast program to

become an important part of the Morningside Heights community. This aerial photograph shows I.House (at top, to right of Riverside Church's steeple) nestled among it's neighbors, including the Columbia University campus (at center) and those of the Jewish and Union theological seminaries.

61

International

H o u s e

NANDKHEMKA

India (res. 1954-56)

International Trustee since I984 Nand Khemka was born in India in 1935 and received his M.B.A. from Columbia in 1956.After graduation, Khemka returned to India to join his family's business,the Khemka Group/SUN Group.

Two years later, Khemka began developing partnerships with trade organizations in the Soviet Union, from which the company imported Industrial equipment.

This partnership continues and the Khemka Group/SUN Group maintains direct long-term investments in postGlasnost Russia.Now chairman of the company, Khemka holds strongly to his dedication to international cooperation.

He is honorary consul general In New Delhi of the Republic of Iceland, a participant in the World Economic Forum, a longtime member of the International House Council of World Members, and a trustee of International House. In 1998 Khemka hosted President Don Cuneo on a trip to India that resulted in the formation of two new I.House alumni chapters.

62

improve schools, housing, and safety.The director and staff of Morningside Heights, Inc., identified specific tasks that clustered under an umbrella that was as idealistic as the mission of International House: they would find ways to make Morningside Heights a good and safe place for people from diverse backgrounds.

With extensive data about population, schools, housing, and safety in the area, Morningside Heights, Inc., led a campaign to improve education and safety, and to improve the conditions of life for those pressed by poverty as well as those who enjoyed middle class security.

David Rockefeller did not flinch from the truth, but insisted: "As a result of overcrowding and all that it means,juvenile delinquency and petty crimes have been far too prevalent in the neighborhood and constitute a serious problem for residents of the community as well as the institutions themselves. As one of its early projects, Morningside Heights, Inc., was instrumental in setting up a committee on public safety."

While improved lighting and a better system for reporting violations oflaw and order helped, Rockefeller knew that the neighborhood would not undergo real improvement until the causes of crime and poverty could be addressed, if not abolished. "Of course," he said, "the basic problem cannot be cured until the conditions in which people live are improved."

Rockefeller, who was widely respected for his expanding collection of contemporary art, also held certain aesthetic truths to be self-evident. People cannot live by bread alone, he reckoned: "The appearance of a community has a lot to do with its self-respect as well as with property values. Much can be done in an area without costly new building projects, merely by determining on the part of property owners and shopkeepers to improve the appearance of their buildings and shops."

Although pointing to the modest improvements fostered by Morningside Heights, Inc., Rockefeller reminded International House residents "that the real test of the community's sense of responsibility is in its attitude toward the housing problem." Like Ralph Bunche, David Rockefeller reminded International House residents of one of their primary articles of faith: education changes human attitudes. Or, to put it another way, people learn from experience.

The cycle of poverty had to be broken in the community surrounding International House, and all people should be able to expect to live safely and in sanitary conditions, to be educated, and to become contributing citizens. He catalogued the problems-including fear of dis-

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placement by longtime residents and the psychologically corrosive presence of racial tensions-facing all those who sought to bring about the desired changes. "Admittedly," he said,"patience, tolerance, and understanding on all sides will be required. The area cannot be changed over night, but once the trend is reversed, each successive step becomes easier."

Again, the chairman of the executive committee of International House was giving voice to the values on which the institution had been founded. And, like Harry Edmonds and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., before him, David Rockefeller understood the great potential of the microcosm to influence the macrocosm:

John J. McCloy, Chairman of the Board of

ings and conferencesat governmentaland

International House New York, spoke at

businesslevels,but I have frequentlyhad

a luncheon on January 5, 1966, at which a

the feelingthat at an institutionsuch as the

capital gifts campaign for building a new

InternationalHouse in New Yorkthere goes

lntl!rnational House in Philadelphia was

on day a~er day,month a~er month,almost

launched. During his speech,"The Mis-

hour a~er hour,the actualprocessof good

sion of International House:• he said:

internationalrelationson a more significant and lastingbasis than these in the intermit-

It is somethingof a paradoxthat as man

tent officialexchangeswhichfrequently

arrivesat a point where he can circumnavi-

accent a differenceratherthan remove it.

gate the earth 206 times in less than 14

The InternationalHouse,whetherin

days,nationalismand nationalprejudices

Philadelphiaor New York,is no longeran

be tryingat best. ... In desperationthey

seem to be increasingratherthan diminish-

experiment in internationalunderstanding.

tend to "cliqueup" with students from their

ing.Commentators,seeking controversyand

It has becomea concrete,well-established

own area. ... But unless a person is really

sharpened issues,are constantlystressing

experiencein internationallivingwhere

warped-some unfortunatelyare--when he

differencesof viewpoints;internationaldem-

young people of promisefrom their respec-

livesand communes with a varietyof

agoguesstill berate their audienceswith

tive countriesdo go throughthe sometimes

Americanand other students of differing

hostilereferencesto other nations'motives,

quite difficultbusinessof understanding,of

nationalities,when he eats with them, lives

and if ever a situationjustifiedthe mainte-

tolerationand of joint effort, whichis the

with them, studies with them, enters with

nance of congeniallivingplaces where stu-

concomitantof such living. ...

them into the activitiesof the House,he is

dents of all nations can communicateand

The influx of students from abroadhas

much more apt to come out with a tolerant

exchange ideas,the present worldsituation

now reached very high proportions.Foreign

appreciationof other people'spoints of view

not onlyjustifies,but demands,it!

students come here and start their studies

and attitudes with,here and there,some

I have spent a good part of my life in

in what,for many of them, are strangeand

very strongand lastingattachments.

internationalaffairs. .. in aid programs,

challengingsurroundings.

Their livingcondi-

diplomaticexchanges,internationalmeet-

tions,particularlyin largecities,are apt to

63

International

Ho

u s e

TAKE SHI NAGANO

The tangibleresultsachievedthusfar hereon MorningsideHeights arenot negligibleand they convinceme that we can do what many people believeto be impossible-that is, reversea downwardtrend and make a happy and healthy communityout of one which threatened to destroyitself.Perhapsmost importantin this experimentis the total approachto the commonproblem.Everyoneparticipates from the humblestto the most outstandingcivicleader,fromthe smalleststrugglingorganizationto the mightiestinstitution.There is everyhope that this projectwill bringus closerto the kind ofcommunity we wishfor our childrenandgrandchildren.

Japan (res. 1953-55) International Trustee, 1979-9 I Life Trustee, I 99 I Council of World Members, /976

Like International House, Morningside Heights was a microcosm and an experiment. Could the lessons learned from the failures and successes of each micro-community be transferred to the global community?

Nagano joined Mitsubishi Metal Corporation in 1945,immediately following his graduation from Tokyo Univer;ity's engineering department. In order to further hone his talents, he came to the United States to obtain a Ph.D. in pyrometallurgy from Columbia University and lived at International House during his two years of studies.

When he returned to Japan,Dr. Nagano became the general manager of Mitsubishi's Metallurgy Department; he was later appointed managingdirector in 1973,senior managing director in 1977, and executive vice president in 1981. In 1982 he became president. When Mitsubishi Metal merged with Mitsubishi Mining and Cement in 1991 to form Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Dr.

WHILE

TRUSTEES,

STAFF, AND RESIDENTS

OF INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE

struggled to understand and help solve the problems of their immediate neighborhood, it was clear to Harry Edmonds that International House provided a feasible model for solving problems faced in the international arena as well. For him, International House proved that differences could be overcome and people could learn to live together in peace and brotherhood. His optimism was undiminished by age, and Edmonds was inspired to continue his efforts to spawn international houses in many countries.

After an absence of thirty-seven years, he returned to Paris and La Maison internationale, where he was pleased to find "the stream of young people wending its way from the various

THEWORLD ASNEIGHBORHOOD

hostels to the International House for their meals, a swim, the theatre, or some other activity." He believed that this "intellectual rubbing of elbows" among the nearly four thousand students in the Paris institution could only result in improved human relations throughout the world. He elaborated:

Nagano was named chairman. His loyalty to International House resulted in generous support by the Japanesecorporate community during International House's successful 1987-90 capital campaign.

64

It was impossibleto appraiseits valueor to sum it up statistically.

Nevertheless,thereit was!-taking placefrom day to day,constantly, naturally,breakingdown the little moleculesofignorance' andprejudice that most men havewith respectto one anotheruntil theirhorizons arebroadenedby contactwith othernationalitiesundersuchfavorable environmentsas a UniversityCity and an InternationalHouse.

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As always in such circumstances, Edmonds was "stirred by the thought of the collective good that will come, someday, when these students become alumni and take the spark of world brotherhood out into all countries and all professions." After all, he pointed out, the process of world rehabilitation had begun:

Of the sixty thousandalumni of the threeAmerican InternationalHouses,scatteredaroundthe world,Parishas hershare.There are the Frenchalumni of New York, Chicagoand Berkeley.There are the alumni in Parisof many nationalitiesassociatedwith the UN, UNESCO and othersimilarorganizations.

And then therearealso the hundredsof alumni of the Cite universitaire.

Edmonds concluded that, although the world was gripped by the Cold War, there remained ''a widespread interest in the establishment of International Houses ....

It isn't size that matters, but purpose and spirit."

John J. McCloy (right) accepts his

IN SPITE OF CRISES THAT THREATENED ITS EXISTENCE, INTERNATIONAL

House had persisted. Some modifications in its administrative structure had been effected, its business practices modernized, and the language that described its mission revivifyed, but the size, purpose, and spirit remained intact over the decades. Similarly, the style of those who gov-

appointment as chairman of the board of International House, 1954. His predecessor, General George C. Marshall, is seated at left.

erned changed little. By the mid-1950s, the House had had only four chairmen of the board of trustees:

SIA BILIIVAN D (HANG E George C. Wickersham, a distinguished New York lawyer who had served as attorney general of the United States; Henry L. Stimson, secretary of state from 1929 to 1933, and secretary of war during World War II; George C. Marshall, U.S. Army chief of staff during World War II and architect of the Marshall Plan; and John J.Mc Cloy, chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank, who had assisted Secretary ofWar Stimson during the Second World War and had also been a presidential advisor. Each in his own way personified the philosophy of the House.

When John]. McCloy accepted the position in 1.954,he told his fellow trustees that he felt "embarrassed ... to follow in the footsteps of George Wickersham, Harry Stimson, and George Marshall," which he likened to "following in the footsteps of Agamemnon,Ajax, and Achilles."

65

Internal

onal

House

I.HOUSE STAFF At the heart of International House are those who served as staff members over the past seventy-five years. Each of these men and women has graciously upheld the I.House traditions of service and excellence.

Clockwise from top le~: Harry Edmonds (center) poses proudly with the International House staff, 1927.

Health Office Staff, 1950. From left, Edna Sinclair, Jane Williamson, Tso-Yen Lui.

Chief Engineer Henry ("Hank") Ricl}ardson was an I.House staff member for twenty-five years; a staff award is named in his honor.

President Don Cuneo (front row, center) with the 1999 International House staff

Butch, the staff cat, at his post, 1967

66

I

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McCloy also admitted that, while he could say a lot about international relations and international friendship and exchange students, "I think all of us are so deeply involved in these concepts that I don't need to talk about it .... [T]his is a place where we can take certain things for granted and go on and follow the course which we know is the true course for this day and age and in the light of all the ominous aspects of international life today."

With those words, McCloy summarized the formula that, from its beginning, fueled the board of trustees of International House. Its members were friends, often connected through family or business interests, and such connection and mutual understanding permitted them to function using their base of shared assumptions, values, and ideals for International House.

DURING

THE DECADE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

WORLD

WAR II, ALL

members of the International House community-trustees, staff, residents, alumni-reflected extensively on the past as they attempted to ~nvision and plan for the future. After intense introspection, the community came together in much the way McCloy had described the functioning of the board.

In the fall of 1955, Howard A. Cook succeeded John L. Mott as president, ushering in the "golden age" of International House.

NFW Dl§F(TOR NFW FNFRGY Whenallthedoubtswere tested and the problems cataloged, all members of the International House community simply knew that they shared the faith that International House, more than ever, had a role to play in the world.

But they also knew that, by the mid-1950s-even as powerful board members had reaffirmed the purpose of the House and their commitment to it-International House was drifting. Its past was lustrous and everyone agreed that it could be an important force in the changing world. But what exactly should International House be doing? What kinds of programs should it offer? What should it expect of its residents? Staff and residents asked themselves and each other: Where is International House going? How will it reach its goals? Who is in charge? To make matters worse,John Mott had suffered a heart attack and faced early retirement, which seemed to staff and residents to underscore the House's need for leadership.

As the Motts prepared to hand over the leadership oflnternational House to a new director, two trustees in particular set out to recruit one person in particular to lead.Around October 1, 1955, trustees Chauncey

ALUMNus PXC§QXX One of Howard Cook's favorite anecdotes derived from a trip to Pakistan during the rule of Prime Minister Ali Bhutto. A high government official told Cook of the powerful impact International House had had upon the prime minister and his world outlook. Upon his return, an excited Cook scoured the files but could find no record of the prominent alumnus.When he later mentioned this to the government contact, the official somewhat embarrassedly replied, "Actually, the prime minister slept in someone else's room."

67

International

H o u s e

IERZY KOSINSKI

Belknap and Al Nickerson persuaded Howard Cook to leave the State Department and preside over International House. Cook proved to be a brilliant choice as he had the precisely correct combination of experience in international relations and personality. While he was friendly and open, almost always smiling, Cook nonetheless was thoughtful and careful about making decisions. He recalled his initial reaction to being wooed by the trustees: "I had wanted to see the House before I accepted the job, so I just wandered in without anybody knowing I was coming [in August or September 1955]. I walked in and wandered around, and·

Poland (res. /958) Harry Edmonds Award, 1990

Polish-American writer and social activist Jerzy Kosinski was born June 14, 1933, at Lodz. He was six years old at the outbreak of World War II, during which he was separated from his parents artd, as a Jew, forced to flee the Nazis by himself. His autobiographical novel, The Painted Bird ( 1965), vividly recounts the terror of World War II to a Jewish child.

Kosinski moved to the United States in 1957, learned English while a resident at International House, and published two nonfiction works, The Future is Ours, Comrade:Conversationswith the Russians ( 1960) and No Third Path ( 1962), under the pseudonym Joseph Novak.

Other works of fiction include Steps, which won the National Book Award in 1968, and BeingThere ( 1971).Among his later novels are The DevilTree,Cockpit, PassionPlay,Pinball,and The Hermit of

asked questions ... because I was interested to see what it was like."

His first impression "was not very good;' he admitted. He saw run-down public areas and a sloppily dressed elevator attendant; along with other telltale signs that spoke to this experienced administrator of an organization that had been neglected and was in need ofleadership determined to revive an institution that was languishing on its reputation, uncertain about its future, and drifting toward shabbiness. "But," he said, "that didn't deter me because I had asked questions about what was going on, and I was assured that Mr. Rockefeller had just made a donation to cover the rehabilitation of the House."

Cook also learned that David Rockefeller had commissioned and received the Munnecke study. Cook was definitely interested in the mission and future effectiveness of International House and thought he might be able to do something. "At that time, one whole floor was closed for lack of occupants .... The staff was going through a difficult morale period because they knew that the future of the House was being discussed, and nobody knew exactly what was going on ....

[But] it looked as though they had made a decision to do something about the House:' Cook, who would_ ~reside over the "golden era" of International House, quickly showed himself to be a liberating force within the community, a man of action and conviction, and an excellent administrator. He commenced work at International House and took up residence on the eleventh floor of the men's side. This gave him "a very good view of what was going on in the House," and within a few days he had developed a rapport with the students, as he recounted:

69th Street. ~osinski, a loyal alumnus, gave his last address at I.House three months before his death in May 1991.

68

T¼/1,it seems in those days the women wereon the west side of the House and the men wereon the eastside efthe House, and there was completeseparationbetweenthe two. {A lockeddoorseparated

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the two sections.)But at that time therewas one ... women'sfloor all the way acrossthe House, in orderto satiify the demandfor women'srooms.They had installedbellswhich would ring if someone openedthe dooron thefire escapeto go up to thatfloor!

Cook noted that all residents were older than twenty-one--"in fact," he pointed out, "the average age [was] twenty-six."-so he issued an edict: "Disconnect the bells, because people have to be able to sleep."

Thus he ushered in a new age at International House.

But Cook's treatment of the bells did not cause an immediate change in staff thinking. Somewhat later, during installation of automatic elevators, a staff member at the House quietly reminded Cook that the elevator operators had performed another function: keeping the sexes segregated. Again Cook stated the obvious: adults live here and adults are free to shape their own lives.

Still later, in the 1970s, Cook agreed to resident requests for a mixed floor, saying, "It's easier for us to have a mixed floor, because if Jou suddenly have more applicants of one sex than the other, a mixed floor gives you flexibility." He noted, however, that the idea was favored by most American and European residents, but that "most of the other countries were not interested in mixed floors." Cook, however, believed that residents should be given freedom to solve their own problems and that it was incumbent upon International House to provide an atmosphere of personal freedom predicated on personal responsibility.

Howard Cook joined International House after Morningside Heights, Inc., had been formed and initiated a number of projects, including building middle-income housing-Morningside Heights Gardens-and persuading the city to build a public housing project. By increasing simultaneously the availability of both low- and middleincome housing, Morningside Heights, Inc., hoped a diverse and balanced neighborhood could be maintained. It sought to supply better homes for those presently living in decaying buildings and to persuade local people employed by the educational and spiritual institutions in the area to remain in Morningside Heights. Cook recalled: "I was on the initial board of Morningside Gardens because the board consisted of members from the institutions. The whole development was to improve the area. They set up their own security system with the Morningside Heights patrol, and the institutions got together to do things to improve the community."

IN

THE

FUTURE

141suRo 1ovop4

Japan (res. 1956-58) International Trustee, I 99 I Harry Edmonds Award, 1990 After completing undergraduate work in mechanical engineering at the University ofTokyo,Toyoda came to the U.S.to earn an MBA at New York University. Upon returning to Japan,he became knowledgable about every major aspect of the Toyota Corporation's domestic and overseasoperations. In 1974 he directed Toyota's then-separate marketing organization and, in 1980,its manufacturing arm.

Toyoda was soon leading his company's joint venture with General Motors-New United Motor Manufacturing, lnc.---to produce its cars in California. In 1993 he became president of the full range o.f Toyota's operations and retired in 1995 as president and vice chairman.

"The years I lived in lnterantional , H<;>us~ as a student have remained a lifelong inspiration for me. Someday,the nations of the world may learn what [I.House] taught us ... a long time ago-the great possibilities that international cooperation offers," he says.

69

International

House

Cook believed that International House owed something to its neighborhood and after long, hard thought about what International House might offer, he decided that the House could make its gymnasium available to neighborhood youngsters. But . an attorney who was a trustee resisted the proposal on legal grounds. Cook remembers that, "he didn't want us to let kids

Cultural anthropologist

Margaret Mead

was among the guests who devoted tim~ and attention to I.House. Here she receives refreshments from President Howard Cook.

play basketball there under supervision because he said it was not part of the I.House statement of purpose. I thought, there's a gymnasium that ought to be used during the daytime when it's not being used by our students."

So Cook went to David Rockefeller. Not only did Rockefeller support Cook's proposal but arranged for New York attorney John French to replace as legal counsel the trustee blocking the proposal, thus giving Cook full support from Rockefeller and key board members in his efforts to share the House's resources with the community.

Even so, the House was not without problems arising from its neighborhood. "In terms of security, occasionally there would be a mugging," Cook admits. "We would have to alert students about not going about alone at night."

Like Rockefeller and Bunche, Cook believed that attitudes and values could be changed. Moreover, when he looked back years later, he believed that International House had helped change its neighborhood. In 1991, he recalled, "I started living in the area myself in 1967, and would walk my little dog at night, and I've seen the area generally improve over the years."

Cook had faced another problem when he took the helm at International House. After World War II, trustees had not only had to face philosophical issues regarding the role of International House, they had to recognize that the physical plant was in need of improvement.

Repairs and general maintenance had been deferred throughout the war years so that, by the beginning of the 1950s, the small problems that had accrued were rapidly turning into major capital expenses.

70

LIVING

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Despite excellent overall financial management, International House followed the same procedures as other not-for-profit

organizations:

when a major expenditure was required, the hat was passed among the trustees. Unlike the corporations captained by those same trustees, the not-for-profit

organizations on whose boards they sat did not set aside

funds for maintenance, which all but guaranteed that sizable maintenance and repair problems would mushroom to crisis proportion before receiving the necessary attention. Neither David Rockefeller nor Howard Cook sanctioned this practice, however, which was fortuitous for International House.

Not all trustees and staff, however, had consistently defined the problem or seen the solution in the same way as Rockefeller and Cook.

Facing enormous bills to repair and refurbish the building as well as disillusionment about the role of International House in the wake of a world war, some of the board, staff, and alumni argued that International House should be turned over to Columbia University.

Although Munnecke had dispelled the idea with solid reasoning, the belief persisted and speculative chat buzzed about this possibility.

In the early 1950s, before Cook's appointment as director, some trustees had preferred to turn their responsibilities for International House's future over to Columbia University, but David Rockefeller's faith in the institution and its mission came to the fore. Cook speculated, "I think the lucky thing about International House was that Mr. Rockefeller was faced with a demand, I guess by the trustees, for more money." And so, according to Cook, Rockefeller asked "his chief economist and financial advisor" Arthur Jones to analyze the financial status oflnternational

House.Jones hired Eugene Setzer, a graduate student at

Columbia, to assist him. Both men, according to Cook, "spent a lot of time on the project" and, as Cook further recalled, "the more time they spent at I.House the more enthusiastic they became about the place.

And instead of saying let's give this to Columbia, they said this is a fabulous institution. What we need to do is put money into it ... and hire a new administration, set some guidelines."

This instance of David Rockefeller's leadership "was a major turning point in the House," according to Cook. Fortune smiled on International House, he believed, when "Mr. Jones became personally interested and saw the possibilities for this institution ... [because] Mr. Rockefeller made a commitment

... of at least $850,000, with another

$500,000 added later as work progressed."

71

International

Ho

u s e

ALAN McLAlNE

Cook knew just how important the financial support was, and he understood, too, that David Rockefeller had stepped faithfully into his father's shoes. International House would prevail. Cook appreciated the stage that had been set for his arrival: "That was one of the fortunate things about the timing of my arrival. I arrived and they said you have all this money to spend."

Freed of the immediate necessity to raise money, Cook "went about trying to figure out the best things that needed to be done ini- . tially," embarking on an ambitious campaign to replace elevators, rep~ir brickwork, refurnish rooms, etc.

(res. I 955-56)

While he was overseeing the physical renewal of International House, Cook studied the human factors that made the institution

In an introduction to the 1955 Directory

vibrant. He noticed with anmsement that residents seemed to come

of Members, Student Council chairman

from different countries in waves. A large population of Italian residents

and future Canadian ambassador to

was followed by many students from India, then a swelling of the Northern European population once again altered the demographic

Czechoslovakia Alan Mclaine wrote:

profile of International House. "One of my problems," said Cook, "was prejudices and misconceptions to find our-

trying to balance the group ... especially trying to get more students from Latin America." He found that "there were not that many Latin American

selves far removed from accustomed social

students in New York City. They were all in the southern states."

We arrived at International House with our

and cultural environments. But the opportuni-

Turning to the close relations International House enjoyed with

gious, and political backgrounds, has seem-

the United Nations, Cook went to several representatives from Latin American countries and enlisted them in a program to attract students

ingly become a most significant factor in alle-

from their homelands. The "Noche Perun.a" was typical. He explained

viating basic prejudice . ... In these days,

his scheme: "We got all the Peruvian people in New York to come up

when there is so much theoretical discussion

and have a big dinner and dance. Then it was all written up in the Peruvian press ... and I think we attracted one or two Peruvians to International House.''

ty of contact, regardless of our social, reli-

of"coexistence" and "international understanding," it seems a great pity that it should be so restricted in practice . ... Each and

But, as Cook knew, "it was always a problem to get certain

every one of us should return to his native

nationalities to the House.'' Even so, he persisted because he believed

country with the desire to further the reali-

residents would benefit from the greatest possible diversity. "When the African countries became independent," Cook said, "we invited

ties which we found here, and earnestly strive to promote kinship of a world-wide nature."

Kwame Nkrumah to the House; we had the president of Guinea ... to try and attract people from Africa."

In 1992,shortly before his death, Alan and

In 1956, Cook welcomed to International House refugees dis-

his wife Tudy (pictured above) hosted the

placed by the uprising in Hungary. The gymnasium was transformed

Council ofWorld Members conference in Prague.The Mclaine East/Central European

into a dormitory and the young women and men who had fled the totalitarian oppression of their homeland were offered both hospitality

Leadership Program is named for them.

and a taste of freedom. Although the makeshift accommodation were

72

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

crowded, the spirit of International House helped the refugees begin to overcome their traumatic experiences and gave them a glimmer of hope for a better future for themselves and their homeland.

Cook was a resolute leader, a deeply compassionate man. Shortly after his arrival at I.House, a female resident committed suicide. Deeply troubled by the awful event, Cook set out to learn everything he could about the young woman. "I couldn't understand," he mused, "how an institution that was caring about people, and how the people on the floor didn't see what was coming .... It was a terrible thing and it was a great shock to everyone in the House."

Cook talked to student counselors in universities. International House, he reasoned, was an educational institution, a community engaged in educating young women and men to enable them to develop their best qualities, overcome national chauvinism and prejudice, and take responsibility for leadership in their careers and countries. It fol-

In 1956,at the unveiling of Harry Edmonds' portrait, three "generatio'ns" of I.House leaders (Edmonds, left, Howard A. Cook, and John L. Mott) compare notes. All told, these three manned the helm of I.House for fifty-three of its first fifty-six years.

lowed, he thought, that International House had to provide a formal system to assist residents in dealing with personal problems. Cook established a "floor host" system-a program of peer leadership that developed into the now highly successful work of peer counselors and resident assistants.The floor hosts were instructed to get to know everyone

icHAK ApziEs

on their floor and to help residents with nonacademic problems.

Macedonia (res. 1963-67)

But Cook pressed his questions about why the young woman had committed suicide and became convinced that the House, in selecting

Dr.Adzies enrolled in the graduate program at Columbia University after

its residents, had inadvertently created a problem. "There was one thing that really bothered me," he said, "the dead woman was a social worker,

at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

and I discovered that the House was full of social workers. There were

Since 1970 he has been a professor of

about forty of them ... and they were all analyzing everybody-'That

managerial studies and a consultant for

person is sick .. .'. Pretty soon they were saying everybody in the House was sick! I said, 'Get rid of some of these social workers.' "

the governments of Israel and Ghana.

Cook understood that I.House needed residents of different intellectual and social interests as well as those from different cultural and

ciate for the Institute of Managerial

ethnic backgrounds. "We had practically no business students, no law-

and founder and director of the Adzies

yers. We had all engineers, teachers, and social workers," he explained.

Institute, a motivational program for

"For the future of the House," he argued, "we needed a balance among the professions ... so we had to attract students from ... other schools

senior corporate executives, in Santa

to live in the House."

books and articles to his credit.

receiving his undergraduate education

He has been chairman and senior asso-

Diagnosis and Organizational Research,

Monica, California. He has numerous

73

International

H o u s e

IAMEs !:§A§JPN

England (res. 1955-56) Trustee, 1987-99 After g~aduating from the University of California, first at Davis and then at Berkeley, Barton furthered his education with agricultural studies at Hunter College. Upon departure, he served with the British government in East Africa. In 1966, he joined Prudential-Bache in San Francisco and went on to become vicepresident of its commodity division in 1974. He retired in 1987 as president of Prudential Capital and Investment Services.

In addition to his successful business career, Barton remained actively .involved with International House.As a trustee,

While Cook faced specific issues, characteristically he tended to solve each one in relationship to a policy and to think of policy for the House in terms of the long-term good of the community. He knew that the greatest possibility of success would arise from a diversity among residents of the House, and that meant that it needed a large applicant pool from which to select those who could both best contribute to and most benefit from the idealism and goals of International House. Again, Cook analyzed the situation. "There was no admissions promotion at all," he concluded. "I felt that there were some people out there who would like to live in the House, but they hadn't heard about it. One of the first things I did, having come from the Department of State, was to make sure that all the USIS [United States Information Services] libraries and all the student affairs people in State were apprised."

Heeding earlier advice from John Mott, Cook also joined the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA), an organization headquartered near New York University. When the university could no longer provide space for NAFSA, Cook invited the organization to move its offices to International House.

"It was very helpful having NAFSA at I.House," Cook said, "because it brought all the board members ofNAFSA to the House for their meetings. We sent out a lot of material to NAFSA people so that if they had undergraduate foreign students who were going to be doing graduate work in New York City, they would know about the House."

Cook understood that the cultural changes and pressures in the world at any given period would affect the demographic profile of International House. Several decades before Cook's presidency, for instance, a large population of Chinese had been resident, but after the political split in China, the number of Chinese students dropped sharply and none came from the communist mainland. After World War II, many European and Japanese students came to I.House, and Cook's tenure saw a marked rise in residents from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

he chaired the Council of World Members for more than a decade, during which time he helped lead council meetings in New York, Prague, and Singapore.

He also served on the board's development, programs, and personnel practices committees. He died in 1999 at age 69.

74

THE OPERATIONAL

overhauls Cook instituted to modernize the administration of International House went far beyond his successful fund-raising and bold marketing campaigns, and the changes he effected would have shaken many institutions less firmly built on ideals or less fortunate in the personnel on their boards.

LIVING

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FUTURE

Cook calculated that, by the late 1950s, a significant portion of the annual operating budget derived directly or indirectly from the Rockefeller family. It was a measure of the family's generosity and longstanding commitment to the mission of International House that they not only supported the community financially but, also, that they enlisted their friends to serve on the board. Looking ahead, however, Cook knew that the House needed a wider base of support,just as it needed a bigger applicant pool from which to select residents and ensure diversity.

As Cook pointed out, "the board members basically were the family friends of David and Peggy Rockefeller. There was George ["Benjy"] Franklin, David's roommate at college. There were the McEwens [Dr. and Mrs. 0. Currier McEwen], the lawyer Chauncey Belknap. It was a small board ... of about fifteen."

Cook discussed the issue with David Rockefeller and they agreed that no current trustee should be asked to resign. In order to strengthen the board, they decided to recruit more people and double the number of members. "David and I saw eye to eye on this whole subject," Cook ·said.They agreed that Cook alone could never "do with a nonprofit organization all the things [Cook would] like to do." In order to extend his reach, Cook thought the chief administrator of a not-for-profit organization needed "good people, not only working for you, but on the board who also work for you." As an experienced administrator, Cook also recognized that both staff and volunteers "ought to get something out of it themselves. Either interest, contacts, anything ....

[They need to] feel it's a rewarding activity for them, not in terms of money but in terms of experiences and contacts."

As Rockefeller and Cook enlarged the board, the president deliberately set about making board membership more fun. The new members of the International House family added both diversity and richness to the leadership. One of the first new members recruited was Stan Rumbough, former chairman of the Citizens for Eisenhower Committee. He and his wife, actress Dina Merrill, were old friends of Cook's, and "knew an awful lot of people." Many of those people were enlisted to sponsor benefits, host dinner parties that introduced new people to International House, and to donate talent, time, and money to the institution.

When Cook had become president of International House-the first of its leaders to hold that title-he

was encouraged by the board to

"do pretty much what I wanted to do, and it was marvelous. They left

75

International

House

things up to me, and didn't want to discuss a lot." But Cook by no means worked in isolation. In addition to continual communication with and support from David Rockefeller, he worked well with John].

McCloy, Chairman of the Board.

YEARS AFTER COOK'S RETIREMENT AS PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL HOUSE,

Above: After a long and distinguished diplomatic career, during which he served as the ambassador to Laos, Morocco, and the United Nations, Charles Yost became chairman of the I. House board in 1971.

Below: Before his election to the I.House chairmanship in 1975, George Ball was a successful lawyer who served as U.S. undersecretary of state for economic affairs ( 1961-66) and representative to the United Nations.

in thinking over the strengths of the institution, he reflected that he had been fortunate to work with the men who had chaired the board during his tenure. Like every good administrator in the not-for-profit sector, Cook understood the need to involve board members in policy making and, at the same time, to serve as a barrier between them and the day-to-day operations delegated to staff.That Cook was successful is a tribute to his patience and wisdom and, also, an indication of the excellence of the people who volunteered to serve International House. Cook understood what each director had contributed.

"McCloy was a marvelous person," he said.When Cook took office, he recalled, David Rockefeller cautioned him, "Howard, I got Jack McCloy to be chairman of the board provided he'd have not much to do. So you can't call him up, you can't ask him to do something. If you want him to do something, you'd better speak to me first."

Cook respected Rockefeller's wisdom and asked nothing of Mc Cloy. After a period of merely chairing meetings, however, McCloy became increasingly interested in what lay behind the decisions before the board. According to Cook, McCloy began to ask questions, then began to want to understand fully the operations of the House.

"After about a year or two," Cook recalled, "I said to David, 'Look, McCloy's getting interested. I'd like to be able to ask him to do certain things.' He said, 'Well, alright, fine."'

By the end of his chairmanship, McCloy was deeply involved in International House and, as Cook summarized," did more and more."

In 1971, Charles Yost, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., succeeded McCloy and, according to Cook, "was a wonderful chairman, very interested in the House," but his responsibilities at the United Nations made it very difficult for him to devote the time and attention he felt I.House warranted.Yost was followed in 1975 by George Ball who, at the time of his election to the chairmanship of the board of Inter-

76

I.IVING

national House, was at Lehman Brothers.

"I remember going down to have a meeting with George Ball," Cook said, "when he practically fell asleep when the t\vo of us were talking ... because he was writing a book ... and was so overworked." But, Cook emphasized, Ball found time and energy to help Cook and Trustees Joseph Verner Reed (then David Rockefeller's assistant) and Jonathan Mason to build support for International House in Japan. Ball made it possible for Cook to go to Tokyo and talk to Foreign Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, Ball's friend and a former foreign student in Oregon. "That," said Cook, "was our first meeting in Tokyo, and that sort of set the stage .... That was the greatest thing George Ball ever did for the House."

Cook was delighted when Henry Kissinger agreed to serve as ~hairman of the board, and regarded the winning of his interest as another manifestation of the Rockefeller family's abiding concern for the House. Cook explained: "The key people were basically the Rockefeller family and Benjy [George] Franklin, because Kissinger had done a special study for the Council on Foreign Relations. Benjy had met him, and David Rockefeller had talked to him .... [Kissinger] had done some special work for Nels on Rockefeller ... so basically it was the Rockefeller family."

For more than seven years, Kissinger's concern for International House was as welcome as it was surprising to Cook.After all, the former secretary of state was a busy man but, like McCloy, he seemed to fall in love with International House. "In terms of actual board meetings," Cook thought, McCloy and Kissinger "were a little bit alike, in that they both had a good sense of humor, and they both were excellent chairmen at board meetings .... They would do things for us ... Uike write] letters and introductions and thank-yous .... In terms of running the board and doing things, McCloy and Kissinger were tops."

Cook recalled meeting Kissinger before the statesman's election as chairman: "He was very responsive and said he would do practically anything that we asked." Kissinger's promises proved to be accurate, Cook said, "I had a good relationship with him and he did a lot for us.

In terms of overseas fund-raising ... I asked people like David or Kis-

IN

THE

FUTURE

A late-I970s meeting of the board of trustees: Chairman of the Board Dr. Henry Kissinger (left), President Howard Cook (center), and Executive Committee Chairman Robert W. Purcell (right)

PATRICK BUCHANAN United States (res, I 962) Educated at Georgetown and Columbia universities, Buchanan earned a master's degree in journalism, which led to posts at the St. Louis Globe Democrat. After working for Richard Nixon in 1973 and later for President Ford, he held posts at both the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. In 1985 he returned to

Washington, D.C., to serve as assistant to President Reagan and director of communications at the White House.

After achieving a position as a leading conservative voice in American politics and press, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1992 and 1996. His publications include The New Majority, Conservative Votes, Liberal Victories, and Right from the Beginning.

77

International

House

UEHBXA,KIssIHGE8

singer to write letters of introduction for people. People either love Kissinger or do not like him .... I think having Kissinger as the chairman was prestigious but a disadvantage for us, in some cases, in those countries where he wasn't liked."

But former President Gerald Ford, who succeeded Kissinger as chairman from 1985-89, according to Cook, "was marvelous in terms · of what I was doing overseas, because everybody respected the fact that we had a former President of the United States."

COOK'S CONTINUAL WORK WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND HIS VIGOROUS worldwide

fund-raising efforts did not diminish his attention to the daily operations of International House,

Chairman of the Board I 977-84

or to its mission. He knew that all of his STAYING ONCOURSE

Born in Germany in 1923, Henry Kissinger became a U.S. citizen in 1943.

work was for one purpose-preparing young women and men to be leaders who strove toward a world in

After obtaining a Ph.D. in political sci-

which brotherhood might prevail.

ence from Harvard in 1954, he became a leading authority on national security

Understanding the pressures that lay behind student unrest in the 1960s, Cook took stock of the programs and operations of Interna-

and U.S. strategic policy and served as a

tional House. He was gratified to find that the staff understood its goals

consultant on security matters to Presi-

and that residents eagerly contributed to the dynamic atmosphere of the

dents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.

House and he saw numerous evidences of personal antagonisms dissolving in friendship nurtured by common interests.

In 1969 President Nixon appointed Kissinger assistant for national security

Everywhere he looked-the

living areas, in the main lounge,

affairs. Kissinger went on to serve as

the coffee room where students sat talking for hours-he

head of the National Security Council

people interested in other young people. He saw them talking and listening, sometimes arguing, trying to understand their differences.

and as secretary of state, during which time he helped shape U.S. foreign policy.

saw young

Cook took special pride in the quality of the residents on scholar-

In addition to his efforts to end the

ship. One student, for example, had spent his undergraduate years at

Vietnam War, for which he received the

Earlham College. After his sophomore year, his tuition scholarship

1973 Nobel Peace Prize, Kissinger also

ended and his family could no longer send money so he supported

helped achieve friendlier U.S. relations

himself by working as a laboratory assistant. During the previous semes-

with the Soviet Union and China.

From 1977-84, Kissinger was Inter-

ter at International House he had supported himself by working long hours at his homeland's consulate. He was also active in House pro-

national House's active and highly visible

grams and student government. Now, in the final semester of his doc-

chairman of the board. During board

toral studies, an International House scholarship made it possible for

meetings and talks to residents, he mesmerized audiences with his erudite

him to devote himself fully to his studies.

Cook considered the situation of the twenty-one-year-old

observations on world affairs. He has

dent from Korea who, except for an International House room scholar-

been an honorary trustee since 1985.

ship, was entirely self-supporting. Convinced that he must get his

78

stu-

LIVING

degree in order to get a good position in his highly competitive homeland, the young man carried an uncommonly heavy academic work-

IN

THE

FUTURE

L.W."BIl L"FRO HLICH

load. After all, the Korean student insisted to Cook, his two younger brothers would soon need his help to get good educations.

Cook then turned his thoughts to the young woman from Israel who taught for seven years and studied music in Israel and London, but had never assembled her string of college credits into a degree. While taking eighteen and twenty credits a semester, she would get up at 6:30 each morning and travel for two hours to her teaching job on Long Island, which paid expenses not covered by her tuition sponsor and an International House room scholarship. She said the hardships were worth it: a good position awaited her in the Music Teachers Training College in Tel-Aviv.

Cook was also familiar with other signs of health for International House. Residents' experiences at the House carried into their careers.

Germany (res. /935-37)

Cook cited L. W Frohlich, who, while head of an international market-

Born in Germany in 1913, he studied at

ing organization, went to Tokyo to visit a Japanese branch of the compa-

Goethe University in Frankfurt. In the

µy. He neither spoke Japanese nor knew the protocol of doing business in that culture and realized that he needed help. From an International

1930s,after leaving Germany to oppose conscription into Hitler Jugend,he fur-

House booklet for alumni, "Worldwide Passport to International House

thered his studies in France and the

Friends," he obtained the names of the women and men who had been

United States,where he received his

residents at International House in New York and expressed eagerness to entertain other former residents of the House.

degree from the Columbia College of

Frohlich located a Japanese I.House alumnus, who invited him to dinner. When Frohlich confessed his problems to the businessman, the

Trustee 1962-71

Pharmaceuttcal Sciences.

Frohlich devoted his leadership skills ro the medical pharmaceuticals industry

Japanese alumnus summoned members of his staff and instructed them to help Frohlich set up meetings and learn the basics for communica-

-~::::':;::::::

tion, thus ensuring the success of Frohlich's trip to Japan.

;,, 'alman\ater at Columbia,and the Royal

"What happened to me in Japan," Frohlich reported, "has happened to many of our alumni in other countries. There is a bond among International House people that is stronger than anyone can describe."

M

Societyof MedicineFoundationin London.

For I.House, he helped establish the

~~,¢~¼n'!iK· ofWorld Members, alumni confer:_-:::?,> ;:;,::.i'.•:::t:

ences in Italy and Japan,and the alumni

EACH DECADE TESTED THE POLICIES UNDERGIRDING

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE

and repeatedly proved its mission to be cogent for each new generation of residents. Restriction of admission to

newspaper. After his death in 1971,the L. W.Frohlich Health Service was established in his memory, as was the charitable trust

graduate-level students assured that residents

bearing his name,which has given hun-

were mature. Another advantage was the House's

dreds of thousands of dollars in scholar-

good fortune in being able to select its members. The American students-approximately a third of the resident population-were chosen

ship assistanceto I.House.The gymnasium and fitness center are named in his honor.

79

International

House

DAG HAMMARsKioLp for their ability to foster good relations among all kinds of people. It [Letter from Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the United Nations, 1953-61]

April 18, 1960

Dear Mr. [John D.J Rockefeller, I am happy to join your many friends in a deserved tribute to you as the Founderof InternationalHouse.

Some 28,000 students from every part of the world have lived at International House in a spirit of friendshipand under-

standing and tens of thousands of others-non-resident-have

benefited from

the profammes and the atmosphere of the House. In additionto the direct values of this experience to which thousands of students have paid tribute, the influence of

InternationalHouse continues to be reflected in the later years of the students

who lived there. It thus has made its contribution to a sense of world community

and to a more peaceful world order.The success of the United Nations is dependent upon the strength of the feeling of

world community.In contributingto the growingrealityof world community, InternationalHouse also contributesto the success of the United Nations.

You deserve our gratitude for the vision,foresightand practicalassistance that has made InternationalHouse a reality and a significantforce in the world today.

80

helped if they knew a foreign language, had experience in another culture, or demonstrated interest in and knowledge of cultures other than their own. The foreign students were often recommended by alumni or by leaders in their homelands who believed them to be excellent candidates for the experiences International House would provide.

As the House pursued its resident-selection policy of selecting residents to ensure diversity of intellectual interest as well as national origin in the model community, it was often compared to the United Nations. And, indeed, International House enjoyed a strong relationship with the United Nations, a connection in which Cook took pride. At one point, he tallied forty-four International House alumni working at the UN. of whom eighteen were the leaders of their legations. Ireland's Frederick H. Boland served as president of the General Assembly in 1960. Another International House alumna, Canada's Elizabeth P. MacCallum, represented her country at the United Nations. Belgian Gaston Eyskens served his country as prime minister in 1949 and again from 1958 to 1961. He presided over the granting of independence to the Congo and, later, became prime minister for a third time.

Although it was possible to cite examples of International House alumni in important roles at the United Nations or in their governments at home, it was impossible to calculate the influence International House might have on world affairs.By the 1960s more than 40,000 alumni of International House New York were scattered throughout 115 countries. Many had pursued political and foreign service careers.

In 1967, when the Arab-Israeli conflict erupted, students from both cultures resided at International House. Would they begin to fight with each other as well? Would they abuse one another? The center of International House held: every evening Arabs and Israelis gathered in the lounge to discuss the problem. They were honest with one another, each group voicing the real and imagined injustices that they felt had been inflicted upon them by the other side. Each side softened a bit; each side recognized the futility and destructiveness that arises from hatred. While neither group had a solution, neither one believed that violence would solve problems. Deeply moved by the honesty and goodness of the young people, Cook said: "If young people like these can weigh their differences quietly, without violence or passion, the future holds a real promise of peace."

LIVING

THROUGHOUT

IN

THE

FUTURE

THE

1960s, as in previous decades, hundreds of leaders from the realms of business, politics, education, and culture visited International House and interacted with residents. In 1959,John McCloy established the Marshall Visitors Program, which was responsible for bringing such luminaries as Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Harrison Salisbury, and James Reston to address the men and women residents at the House. Guests sometimes lived at the House for a

A long-standing tradition at I.House, the

few days and always met informally with students, with whom they talked

Candlelight Supper, is perhaps the most

at length. Such programs as the John J.McCloy Memorial Lectures, the Corporate

s

PE CIAL G YE STS. SPECIAL

co

NVE RSATI 9 NS Seminar Lectures,

perfect symbol of both the House's mission and its capabilities.A light passed from student to student is symbolic of each person accepting equal responsi-

the Leadership in the Arts Program, and the Distinguished Visitors

bility in bringing understanding to one

Program have maintained this tradition by hosting such celebrated pub-

another and to the world.Alumni have

lic figures as Ralph Bunche, Alistair Cook, Margaret Mead, Cornelia

displayed the strength of this symbol by

Otis Skinner, and Isaac Stern, among many others.

creating Candlelight Suppers in all parts

Talk is-and

always has been-a

staple of the International House

of the world.

way of life. People talk to solve problems and to get to know one another; they talk and listen to learn and to teach. Perhaps it is only at the Candlelight Supper that silence speaks and residents quietly vow to spread the International House ideals.

As light begetslight, so loveJriendship,and good will arepassed from one to another.Utewho have comefrom many nations to live in one Fellowshipin InternationalHouse promise one anotherto pass the light whereverwe go.

81

International

House

TERRIBLE

TURBULENCE

DESCENDED

ON INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE,

its neighborhood, and its world in 1968. "That Brotherhood May Prevail" seemed less a motto and more a strange relic from the House's lost innocence. Residents felt the horror of the murders of Martin Luther King,Jr., and Robert F.Kennedy, both of whom had been idols of the residents. These men were proof that goodness had a voice, and light a face, in a dark world.

On April 6, 1968, and June 8, 1968, respectively, the young people of International House gathered to mourn and send messages of sympathy to the widows of their heroes.

•

TURB ULENTTIMES Through their tears and aching hearts, they Nigeria (res. 1963) Harry Edmonds Award, 1995 Achebe is the author of many novels

including; ThingsFallApart, which has been translated into fifty languages,No

Longerat £ase,Arrowo(God,A Man ofthe People,and Anthll/softhe Savannah.

Among the numerous awards and dis-

tinctions bestowed upon him are Nigeria's highest award for intellectual achievement-the

Nigerian National

Order of Merit-as

well as the Jock

Campbell New Statesman Award, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. and more

than twenty honorary doctorates from universities in Britain, Canada, the United States, and Nigeria. Achebe's broad range of abilities and lntere,sts is

knew that the dreams of peace and goodwill articulated by King and Kennedy had been assaulted, and many of the women and men of the House renewed their determination to work for peace, brotherhood, and justice.

To Mrs. King, they wrote:

The membersand staff efInternationalHouse New York wish to extend their deeplyfelt sympathy to you and yourfamily. Our goal efbrotherhoodwas ablyservedby Dr. King's leadership.At this tragictime, we rededicateourselvesto the causeofjustice and peace for which he sacrificedhis life.

To Mrs. Kennedy: The membersand staff of InternationalHouse New York wish to extend theirhearifeltsympathy to you and your children.Senator Kennedy was deeplyconcernedabout the needsand aspirationsef youngpeople both hereand abroad.His leadershipwill be sorely

missed.At this tragictime, we renewour commitmentto the ideals to which he dedicatedhis life,

attested by many other roles, among them those of Rockefeller fellow alld UNESCO fellow, producer and direc-

tor of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, professor of English at the University of Nigeria, the University of Massachusetts,and Bard College, and visiting fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge University.

82

This same year also saw a wave of student unrest and, as the sit-ins and protests brought about little discernible change, the threat of despair and cynicism increased. "Dropping out" of society and its problems had never been an option for International House residents; rather, they had always been dedicated to action and to the spread of brotherhood.Alumni consistently upheld the House's philosophy by choosing discussion and reason over violence, and by transforming disappointment (even outrage) in current conditions to work for change.

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

But young people in the 1960s were deeply troubled by the United States' involvement in Vietnam and by resistance within the country to universal civil rights. Both cultural and political power, it seemed to many college students, belonged to a tightly knit band of undeserving, self-satisfied men who perpetuated the status quo in order to ensure their continued hold on power. Student activists talked of revolution, and others decided they might tune out, turn inward, and let the world be damned by those it had chosen-or

allowed-to

be leaders.

This grim atmosphere grew darker on April 23, when students at Columbia University,just a few blocks to the south oflnternational House, defied the administrative authorities and occupied buildings on campus. The police were summoned; over seven hundred students were arrested. The administration suspended the students, which led to still more students protesting that action on May 24. Again the police were called, more arrests followed, and clashes between students and police were often violent.

During the first week of the crisis, International House students worried about canceled classes and discussed continually the events at Columbia. But they remained aloof from the fray until April 30, when police action against students seemed unnecessarily brutal.

More than 150 International House residents who attended Columbia organized a protest meeting in the auditorium. Shocked students gathered to discuss-often

heatedly-the

use of force against

their colleagues at Columbia and what they considered to be the university's administrative indifference to the needs and welfare of students.

Following the meeting, and based on the consensus that arose from it, residents drafted a resolution that, in part, held Columbia's President Grayson Kirk and its trustees responsible for the crisis because of "their continuing failure to listen and respond to the opinions and grievances of both the local community and the academic community." It also urged a "restructuring of the University ... whereby faculty and student participation in decision making is increased."

Approved by a majority of residents attending a second meeting on May 2, the resolution was sent to President Kirk and the trustees of Columbia University. International House residents also elected a representative to serve on the Columbia Student's Strike Coordinating Committee. But later disagreement with this group over basic philosophy spurred the I.House representative to change his affiliation to the more moderate Students for a Restructured University. James Thomas,

83

International

House

Through much of I. House's history, new

then a resident at International House, wrote in the resident-produced newsletter, The InternationalHouse Globe:

re.sidentsfrom other countries have devoted many hours to the study of English.ir/o;der; to be able to read ~~-L\> !';'",'-' assignments for classes,understand lectures, and take notes. For many years, International House offered one-on-one

help to these students.

Programs created to assist the for~ eign students also fostered new friendships among the residents. House

'al4\$nt: ).

'}/,

Earnest discussion,morethan passion,seemedthe mood efthe House. Few efus manned the barricades, and, in general,Joreign studentswerelessinvolvedthanAmericanstudents.Jiverethey floored in debateby the arcanelanguageorparliamentaryprocedure, or were they blasefrom experienceof student unrestat home?

More likely,they identifiedlesswith the University,orfeared that participationwould be seen as inteiferencein American domestic politics.However,in time of crisisit is hard to act neutrally--especiallywhen "businessas usual" is seen as supportfor one side.

.,:,

recount the story of the young midwestern woman who volunteered to

AS STUDENT UNREST AROUND THE COUNTRY ESCALATED, EDUCATIONAL

work jn the tutoring program English in

institutions felt their foundations crumble. With their missions seemingly assaulted from all sides, colleges and

Action. At one session,shemet a man

'-'' ... -.-,_ -~~~ ..

-> was eager to learn so that he could

sTu PENTA&JIY P THEfuTu §E universities often 1sMAN

complete·his graduate work in sociology.

made major changes in response to pressures from alumni, students, or

who understood almost no Englisl'l,buct.-

"I gave him an hour of English ~ic.e a •week:' the young woman recalled.When asj(~~J9iit~~wtoring

worked out, she

s111),~~i1:R{ill}' and said,"Very well. At the end.of the year we were matrlec!:'i Over the years, graduate programs came to require greater expertise in English,which led to residents whose primary languageis Cither'tban.English"'.'

•. ·>;-J . .

'• t\)::,;; ...,~;;,i/:\.:--::..:' ~ arriving at I.House with a st'ronge'ft'ommand of the language.At the same time, English-speakingresidents became more attuned ~o their multilingual environ-

faculty, without regard for the long-term health of the institution.

Howard Cook and the board of trustees recognized the critical nature of the student unrest. They held in trust the values and mission of a community in which differences were discussed and appreciated, one in which violence-even

abusive language-was

not acceptable. Cook

was bruised nonetheless by the shouts and curses of angry students.

Drawing on his good working relationship with the board of trustees, Cook turned to them for counsel. What should International House do in this time of accelerating crisis? Did the student revolution-more than two world wars-threaten

the continuation of the House's policies?

Acknowledging that many of the student grievances were indeed justified, but not willing to alter philosophy or practices at International House in response to student anger and frustration, they decided that

ment. As a rl!'sult, English in Action

change at International House, while necessary, would be purposeful.

·evolved into the LanguageExchange

The administration of the House, in continual conversation with stu-

guagesare regularly exchanged among

dents, would undertake a careful analysis of the institution's needs, resources, and mission. Once again, the habits and practices of good.

residents, often over meals in the dining

management served International House well.

frdgrarn. Today,as many as a do:zen lan-

In April 1967, for example, the trustees established a long-range planning committee, chaired by Zelia (Mrs. Oscar) Ruebhausen. In

84

LIVING

addition to identifying anticipated needs and setting the stage for a major capital campaign in celebration of the approaching fiftieth anniversary of International House, the committee was charged with guiding the community in extending its tradition to meet the needs of a new generation of students.

As had always been the case, International House wanted to assist students in the attainment of their academic and professional goals in New York City. But everyone recognized that student expectations had changed, along with their ambitions and values. More young people expectedeven demanded-higher education: it was a demand that exceeded the supply. Mounting pressures of competition to gain a place in the country's graduate schools resulted in many students feeling that the admissions committees of colleges and graduate schools measured only a candidate's intellectual achievements and paid insufficient attention to the extenuating circumstances of the student's social or financial position. Angry students insisted that existing admiss.ions policies rewarded conformism, and were racist, sexist, and essentially unfair. Moreover, once admitted to a degree program, students contended that their success was measured in terms of their ability to conform to outmoded norms for a given discipline.

In the minds of many student activists, it was all a conspiracy-a wicked plot to keep the world in foment, thus rewarding greed, nationalism, and prejudice. This cabal was captained by the same men who permitted corporations to savage the environment and their workers and who looked the other way while African-Americans and women were trapped at a lower status. They saw this group as supportive of a stupid and unjust war in Vietnam. I.House trustees and staff neither belittled nor denied the potency of the students' anger. The committee agreed that students-especially those from foreign countries-faced

IN

THE

FUTURE

For manyyears the Dodges annuallyhosted a picnicfor I.House residentsat their home in Riverdale,NewYork."Home hospitality"is a tradition carried on today by trustees suchas Scott Frantz,who has entertained residentsat his home and aboard his yacht,the Ticonderoga.

Top: Cleveland Dodge (fifth from right), Mrs. Dodge (center), and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Edmonds (left} were among the guests at this Dodge picnic.

Bottom: Residents provide musical entertainment at a 1968 picnic.

85

International

House

academic and social pressures far different from those encountered by students during the early days of International House. Thus, they concluded, International House should stand firm on its philosophy-after all, that was its reason for existing-but assist students in some specific ways.

that it should take action to

The committee recommended that International House provide a series of workshops for foreign students to better acquaint them with American higher education and improve their English language skills.

Open to students on a voluntary basis, the workshops would clarify such practical matters as semester hours, credits, grades, and registration procedures; the style of different forms of instruction such as the seminar, workshop, lecture, and discussion group; the use of the library; preparation of reading assignments and term papers; and the purpose and use of examinations in American graduate schools.

The committee also recommended the creation of six faculty fellowships, one each in the fields of education, social work, business, law, the natural sciences, and the behavioral sciences to establish and provide leadership for professional interest groups at International House.

Fellows should be chosen from the faculties of the major graduate and professional schools in New York City. Each would meet with his or her group six times a semester for informal discussions aimed at relating current issues in her or his field to problems and conditions students might encounter in their own countries.

The committee also urged the creation of a leadership seminar devoted to areas of particular concern to students returning to developing countries. Through eight meetings a year, the seminar would call student attention to such issues as population control, environmental problems, and changes in education and educational needs of people throughout the world.

The committee, aware of alumni experiences upon their return to their home countries, suggested that International House develop a "predeparture workshop to develop human relationship and communications skills that would assist the returning student adapt and apply his American training to his home country."

Dr. James L. Davis, vice president and program director of International House, was designated to implement the committee's suggestions. But it was Howard Cook who carried the heaviest burden during the turbulent sixties. Don Cuneo, now president of International House, was a resident during that difficult period. He remembers

86

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

that it was a painful time for Cook who, because he was an administrator, was singled out for student invective. Even so, Cuneo says, Cook took the attitude, "gotta talk, gotta understand," and led International House through a perilous chapter in its history.

ENTERING

THE I970S,

INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE PREPARED TO CELE_BRATE

fifty years as a community dedicated to promoting peace and goodwill

PREPARATION FOR

among the people of the earth. David

LEADERSHIP INA GLOBAL SOCIETY Rockefelleraccepted the position of honorary chairman of the Golden Jubilee Celebration, the theme of which, appropriately, was Preparation for Leadership in a Global Society.

Charles Yost and Howard Cook both welcomed participation of residents in planning and launching the celebration. At that time, more than 500 graduate students resided in International House, representing 87 countries, including Ethiopia, the USSR, Cuba, Nepal, Czechoslov~kia, Israel, and Bangladesh, and almost every kind of career was represented. All residents were required to give twenty hours a semester to tutoring neighborhood children or working with local schools or other organizations. Some also volunteered to help other students in the House where needed, especially with English language skills.

coMMENQAJIONs In 1974 both tlie U.S. Senate and House

countriesand all races;and

Resolved,That the [Senate/Hauseof

of Representatives unanimously passed

Whereas /nterMtional House, which

Representatives)of the UnitedStates com-

commendations to celebrate I.House's

was started for the llumanitarianpurpose

mends lntemQtionalHouse on the service

fiftieth anniversary. The citations, both

of alleviatingthe lonelinessa( students In

whkh ft performson behalfo( international

incorporating similar language.resolved:

New YorkCity,has evolvedinto a global

understnndingand worldpeace and extends

society in microcosmand, for ~fty years,

wann congratulations to lntemationalHause

has served to providestudents with an

on the occasionof its GoldenJubilee

YorkCity,on the service which it performs

opportuniryto learn to live with their peers

Anniversary.

and extending congratulationson the occa-

from all nations;and

CommendingInternationalHouse, New

Whereas fifty thousand alumniof

Both Commendations were delivered at

Whereas InternationalHouse at 500

InternationalHouse livingin one hundred

the Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebra-

RiversideDrive,New YorkCity,was founded

thirty countrieshave undergonethis unique

tion in New York City, November 1974.

sion of its GoldenJubileeAnniversary.

in 1924 to providea residenceand gather-

experimentin multinotionalhuman re/Q•

Ing center for graduQtestudents from QI/

tions:Thereforebe it

87

International

House

As in the past, residents oflnternational House in the 1970s enjoyed the cultural treasures of New York informally as well as through programs sponsored by the House. Many, too, were invited to American homes for dinners and informal visits. In short, International House, at fifty years of age, remained vital and purposeful.

There was much to celebrate and, as Howard Cook pointed out, "Now ... the instantaneous communications revolution and the result-

For many years, the annual Alumni Ball has been a favorite I.House social event with varying themes from year to year.

Above, residents Laura Watts (res.

1988-93), who would later lead the New York Area Alumni Council, and Adeyinka Akinsulure (res. 1990-91 ). enjoy the festivities at the 1991 ball.

ing global society have made International House vastly more important .... It has become a necessity. It's an idea that has met its time. It is now generally agreed that graduates without a world perspective havla! not been properly trained for their profession."

As usual, Cook understood precisely the relationship of International House to the larger world. In the fifty years of its existence, it had proved its effectiveness through the achievements of its alumni. In the next twenty-five years, Cook's assessment would affirm his view that "the superjet, television, and the communications satellite have shrunk the planet's size to the point where today's International House residents come not so much as representatives of exotic cultures but as members of a single global community."

Yet the concept behind an everyday, applied philosophy of International House remained the same. At fifty, International House had weathered the crises generated by the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and the academic and civil turmoil of the 1960s. After half a century the House was mature and strong, its beliefs well tested and proven. It was, as Dag Hammarskjold reminded the community, "a significant force in the world." In demonstrating daily that understanding and friendship could exist despite differences of race, language, creed, and culture, International House was more important than at any time in its history.

With this record of achievement as her foil, Dr. Detlev Bronk, former president of the National Academy of Sciences, spearheaded a campaign to raise $7.5 million to ensure the future oflnternational House. Loyal alumni and friends not only contributed to the future of International House, but all around the world, they organized candlelight dinners to honor the House and recommit themselves to the goal That Brotherhood May Prevail.

Some of the celebrations around the world included: in Argentina Prof. Horacio C. Reggini organized a candlelight dinner for fellow alumni in Argentina, as did dozens of others, among them Rex Charles Olsson

88

LIVING

in Australia, Gaston Eyskens (Belgium), Thomas B. Felsberg (Brazil),Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Gabrielse and Philip F.Brady in Canada, Hernan Elizalde (Chile), Prof. Otakar Matousek (Czechoslovakia), P.H. KjaerHansen (Denmark), Eith Aitken (England), George C. Ehrenrooth (Finland), Pierre Mariotte (France),Walter Casper (West Germany), Louis D. Hall,Jr. (Haiti),William Choy (Hong Kong), Olafor Stephensen (Iceland), B. S. Sidwa andV. T. Krishnamurthi in India, Namiji Itabashi (Japan), Shadrach N. Okova (Kenya), Nihad N. I. Pasha (Lebanon), Isaac Dorfsman and Pablo Jacques in Mexico,Johhannes Lakke (Netherlands), Mrs. Steinvor Elligsen (Norway), Ittikhar A. Mukhtar and Ghulamali K. Panjwani in Pakistan,Jose Concepcion (Philippines), Kazimierz S..

Studentowicz (Poland), George Y L. Wu (Republic of China), E. G. Malherbe (South Africa), Myong Whai Kim (South Korea),Joaquin Tena Artigas (Spain), Sven G. Malmberg (Sweden), Emil Kuster (Switzerland), Prok Amranand (Thailand), Carolos Vaz-Ferreira (Uruguay), and Mrs. Pearl B. Larsen (Virgin Islands).

In the United States, Richard Bernheimer,James McCloy Davis, Mr. and Mrs.John Fiske, Susan Fleisher,Jerrie A. Green, Philip Hardberger, Allie Miller Holley, Femmie P. Kittrell, Rudolf Kuhlman, Dorothy M. Leahy, H. Clay Simpson, Starling Sims, Florence Sinclair, Paul and Daisy Soros, Carl E.Veaqzie, Lucia Whitmarsh, and Drew R. Yeun also sponsored candlelight suppers.

IN

THE

FUTURE

l~el~ncf(re, •.1945) • - ~.• -.· -· Trustee, / 969~

Sigur~ur Helgason recaJfs th~ sheer fun e>f.'.~eing a resident. "It was a part of New • ,, York," he says,''l!:ndfo[ someone from lcefand·whg had

~{~tr'.:.~~~fi~ such11

•.city, it Ja$::\II :f.uri4ii:id)N~nderful!'' • •

'.~.::-::

•. /

.-:~--~-,-\.::. ;:/~"_;,_-.,r,i.

·f

~

'

Born in Reykjavik in 1921, Helgason·· <~'/·.~ .. t: \ '/~?.\:.2-~?:J '. ~it~pi:ted>c;·o1t1~1$ia Univetsity•immedi~t~;tf~~lo~i~f«;),c1_W:\r II.After completin~ his ~tucli'~~ in·bi'.!;inessadminis• tration, Helgason began his rapidly rising career with Icelandic Airlines,~(/ which he be~aJife president {n {9.6+(In addition /'.·:·.

tfl~ad;~lt~'e airli6~it~fci~~h ;~.:·~{:l?: .-,\/: '·

-·.'.~::::

,,1::-~

..

years t?:f g,:owt~"t"-;Jif[?,teerity,; Helgason is' also.'chairman of thf M!-lstiqueMarine Com·pany,headquar~er~.clin the Grenadines.

Despite .his intensely busy career, Heigason has found.fi~e.to WO';k for the benefit of the International.Air

HOWARD COOK, GENERALLY ACKNOWLEDGED TO HAVE BEEN A NEARLY

perfect leader for International House, enjoyed unwavering support from the board of trustees. As Kathleen Burns Buddenhagen, current trustee and niece of venerated Trustee Bill Frohlich, says:"Trustees learn a lot, have a chance to grow. They care about International House. In some ways, being a trustee is like being a member of a family-and many of us are members of families that have always been represented on the board, have always been interested in International House. We have a sense of continuity." In leading the community, Cook matched this and invested his prodigious energy in ensuring that International House-as well as the concept of brotherhood that it served-would prevail.

Over the years, as events and conditions threatened to erode the foundation of the House, both Cook and the board engaged in soulsearching and pragmatic problem solving. The resulting combination of

CHANGING LEADERSHIP

Transport Association, the Vniversity ,9f foeland, the American-S·candinavian Foon~atlon, the keli~ai¢~n'iefl.~in~ Sod~~)•\arif?f:course, lnternation~1 House;'..l,l6ag with being ari ~·c:ti-.{ thl$tee; he ls 'co-chair of tb·e Council ofWorld Members and an ardent supporter. of musical programs., H~ternembe~s fondly his years at International House a'n'Jjreas~"r'es:)M educational exP.~rience ~s well,a;J~{

fur1ih~ h~·cfas a ·r.esident.As a trustee,

·.<;,:·

"i:,-

;:

•

,H~lgason has taken particular interest in international programs sponso.fe'd by 1.Hou·se..

89

International

House

fearless introspection, rational analysis, and bold moves to adjust to changing conditions kept the House on course. As its mission was questioned, its purposes remained clear. As policies and procedures were altered in order to keep the mission vital, the goal remained in sight.

During Cook's administration, International House underwent modernization in all its aspects-programs,

governance, policies, and

physical plant. Recognizing the residents' maturity, he loosened restrictions on them and encouraged them to make their own choices about the conduct of their personal lives.

In 1978, Cook brought Thomas F.Olson onto his staff as chief • executive officer, intending, Olson believes, to turn over the day-to-day operations of the House to the new CEO in order to permit Cook to devote more time to fund-raising. For decades, Cook had been interested in building an endowment to support scholarships. Now, with Olson overseeing programs, staff, and general operations, Cook undertook a worldwide campaign to develop and maintain alumni interest in International House and to build the scholarship fund.

For the next two years, Olson served as Cook's deputy, an unenviable position, Olson says, in which his responsibilities exceeded his

EDMONDS 1979 DEATHF HARRY Althougfl he offkially•~-~ft~ij)11935,

Edmonds's zeal for the cause, fifty-some

Ha.ffyEdrTJonds contiliu.ec! .t~ circle the

similar facilities had begun around the

glob; to promote-~worldwl~e

world.

network

of residences and program centers for

In addition to receiving an honorary

graduate students. He died at the age

degree of Doctor of Humane Letters

of 96 at his home in Clifton Springs,

from .his.alma mater,.Lehigh..University, .

New York.

Edmonds was awarded the Order·of

With financial and moral backing

Merit by the Republic of Germany for

from the Rockefeller, Osborn, and

his contributions to the international

Dodge families, Edmonds transformed

exchange of students. On his ninetieth

a Y.M.C.A.-sponsored ministry to

birthday, he received a citation from the

students into a thriving institution.

City of New York, its inscriptron citing

By the time of his death, it was

"his words and endeavors [that] com-

estimated that more than fifty thousand

bined a lively resourcefulness so wel•

stud~nts h,1qliyed i~ International

come to the vitality of this city of the

House New York alone, and thanks to

world."

90

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

authority. Olson came to International House from a long career in foreign-student relations. As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, he participated in campus government and joined the National Student Association, which he represented at the International Student Conference in the Netherlands.When

he returned to

the United States, Olson enrolled in the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.

Later, as a staff member at the Ford Foundation, Olson participated in a variety of projects in Tanzania, Nairobi, Beirut, Paris, and the Netherlands. During this period, Olson became aware oflnternational House. He liked what he learned of the tradition and mission of the House and, thus, eagerly accepted Cook's invitation to take an administrative post in the community on Riverside Drive.

It was natural, many thought, for Olson to succeed Cook as president in 1980, at the end of his twenty-five year presidency. His mark was indelible and his reputation burnished equally by his accomplishments and by the affection alumni, staff, and trustees felt for him . .Following the bruising he experienced in the tumult of the 1960s, however, Cook turned his interests outward and devoted more time to fund-raising than to monitoring programs, building maintenance, and services for residents.

Olson explains that he faced problems that might beset any new chief executive officer as well as a few that were singular results of International House's history and mission. First, he said, the House was struggling with financial problems and with changing times. Again the questions of whether International House should be folded into Columbia University came to the fore. Could I.House remain independent without a major infusion of endowment funds?

While President Emeritus Cook remained active in fund-raising, Olson faced alone the problem of putting International House on a truly self-supporting basis, he says. Many I.House services, from mail to the dining room, were heavily subsidized from general operating funds.

Olson says he set out to organize each operation or division so that it would support itself, a goal perhaps engendered more by idealized theory than by practical considerations.

Olson also emphasized programs, he says, and set out to put more responsibility into the hands of residents for the substance and logistics of seminars, lectures, and informal discussions with interesting women and men from government, business, and other fields. Crediting his

91

International

Ho

u s e

assistant, Mohammed Sadeek, for helping him run International House, Olson also thinks he had a stroke of sheer good fortune. At a time when the budget was strained, a Hollywood film company rented International House as a location for a movie, bringing $150,000 to the coffers.

Before he could complete his agenda, Olson admits, he felt the pull oflarger challenges and, in 1982, left International House to help found the Young Presidents Association. Today Olson has interests in an electronics firm in Boston and a publishing house in Egypt, but he remains interested in International House and proud of the work he accomplished in his brief term of office.

THOMAS OLSON HAD CAUSE TO BE PROUD OF THE LECTURES, DISCUSSIONS,

seminars, and other programs International House provided for its residents. As had always been the case at I.House, its programs grew from members of the House's "family." Daniel P Davison, president of the United States Trust Company and husband of Trustee Katusha Davison, spoke on "The Making of a Banker in the 80s."

Although Thomas Olson directed International House for only a brief time, he left his mark through numerous renovations to the House.

Alumnus Don Cuneo, then a partner at the New York law firm Shearman & Sterling, spoke on "The New Imperialism: Extra-Territorial Applications of U.S. Law." Among other prominent business leaders who shared experience and ideas with the International House community was Trustee David McKinney, who discussed future strategies and recruiting tactics at the IBM Corporation, his employer. Alumnus David Murray, a partner at Egon Zehnder International, Inc., spoke on a similar topic: "Effective Career Planning-Strategies for Long-Term Success"; and Reuben Richards, executive vice president at Citibank, whose wife was an I.House trustee, addressed a group of students during a day-long briefing at Citibank.

Alumni, too, returned to International House to enrich the intellectual lives of those who followed them. Philosopher, scientist, writer, and professor emeritus at Rockefeller University Rene Dubos (1927-29) talked about his recently published book, Quest. Prok Amranand (1947-50), a representative on the International House Council of World Members and ambassador from Thailand, traveled from his station in Washington to be a speaker in the International House Forum series.

92

LIVING

OLSON EMPLOYED

GHANAIAN

STUDENT

AND INTERNATIONAL

IN

THE

FUTURE

HOUSE

resident Nich Adi-Daki to oversee several renovation projects. At the end of two years, Nich expressed pleasure at what he had accomplished. "It is wonderful to see I.House looking so beautiful. And," he added, "the job is significant preparation for my careerin hospital administration."

REFURBISHING, RENEWING Under Nich's guidance, the two main THEENDLESS TASK centers of resident life-the main lounge and the dining room-were renovated with the help of a grant from the Commemorative Association of the Japan World Exposition (1970). At the project's completion, the main lounge had a new color scheme, new tables, lamps, and carpets; the furniture had been reupholstered in beige, blue, and rust.

The dining room had a new look as -well and service was improved with new equipment.

Olson saw to other changes as well.

Alumni returning to 500 Riverside Drive noticed an improvement in security and a reorganization of administrative offices. The Mural Room, with a grant in memory of a beloved former staff member, Barbara Chapin Babbott, was redecorated. The Home Room, recently dedicated to the memory of Harry Edmonds, had been restored to its earlier elegance.

New soundproof practice rooms now made life better for music students. And the forty Program and Residence Fellows now occupied a large new office where they planned and coordinated programs and events for residents.

During the early 1980s, too, the Harlem Tutorial Program gained new strength. While he was a resident, Don Cuneo began this program, which, by the eighties, had come to host thirty fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children from nearby P.S. 125 for their weekly meetings with I.House tutors. The neighborhood children and the I.House residents worked on reading and writing or math skills, and they talked.

Friendships developed, adding another dimension to the still vital motto of International House.

Former residents returning for the 1971 Alumni Dinner remarked upon improvements to the House's appearance.

From le~: Sigurdur Helgason (res.

1945), Rene Dubos (res. 1929), and Ronald Goudreau (res. 1964).

93

I n t e r n a t i o n a./

H o u s e

In 1968, then-resident Don Cuneo

outings with their I.House tutors. For

Clockwise from top le~: Andrew Plaa

"thought of the idea [ of] a reverse Peace

the residents, the program was an

with a young student at the I.House

Corps," tailored to the needs of the

opportunity to provide direct assistance

Christmas party; residents tutoring

Harlem community. His idea flourished

to the Harlem community and gain

students, 1986; enjoying aJ[eld

and by the 1980s nearly thirty fourth,

deeper insights into U.S. culture, thus

New York City park, 1968; making pa;ty.

fifth, and sixth graders from nearby PS

challenging stereotypes and prejudices in

decorations in 1982; I.House resident

125 took part in weekly meetings and

harmony with the House's mission

Don Cuneo, 1968.

94

;

.t~-tp.cie:ii< .••• <:- .-

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

In 1982, Henry Kissinger summarized Tom Olson's presidency of International House:

Tom Olson has servedInternationalHousefor five years,nearly threeefthem as president.Tom made many contributions for which we will rememberhim. With great thought and care,he directed extensiveand complexrenovationsefthe House, to ensureexcellent facilitiesand services for the next generationsof students.His astute fiscal managementhas assuredthegoodfinancial health efInternationalHousefor someyearsto come.Perhapsmost important, Tom was able to directstudents' dynamic,youthful energybeyond enjoyingI.House as a pleasantplaceto live.He gave them a stake in it, andforgedfor them an activeroleat making International House a valuableand worthwhileexperience.

LIFE AT INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE WAS AT ONCE SMOOTH AND PURPOSEFUL

throughout the 1980s. During a typical year in this decade, more than eight hundred varied intellectual, cultural, and recreational activities attracted residents who, perhaps more noticeably than in the two preceding JIMEs AHEAp 8YSX

decades, ambitiously prepared for careers.

However disparate individual pursuits might be, International House remained a community of people drawn together to learn from one another. And, despite the temptation toward self-centeredness that accompanied the era's intense careerism, residents in the 1980s remained idealistic, and convinced that I.House-where erhood might prevail-was

they learned how broth-

important to the global community.

Similarly, trustees and world leaders continued to participate in lively discussion with I.House residents. It was not unusual for David Rockefeller to spend an evening with students at the House, or for a group to take advantage of a specially organized tour of the backstage at the Metropolitan Opera. Groups held Japanese tea ceremonies, enjoyed an exhibition of woodblock prints, and practiced Kendo, a form of Japanese fencing. There were poetry readings and concerts, and trips to Washington and Boston. Exciting speakers, who seemed to have all the time in the world to answer questions, came to the House to speculate on ideas and listen to the residents. During this time, speakers and guests included: Nelle Nugent, producer of such Broadway plays as

NicholasNickleby and The Elephant Man; Noha Alhegelan, scholar and wife of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States; and the 95

International

House

U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize Poul Hartling.

Ferial Saeed, an international affairs student at Columbia University, directed the International House Forum program. He describes his ambitions thus:

I wanted the Forum to be as diverseas possible)as that's one of the strengthsof the program.The guest speakerswerepopular in very differentways. Nelle Nugent talked aboutgetting her start and told lots of Hollywood stories.For those of us who spend our time in politicaleconomyor law or business)it was very refreshingto learn about the entertainmentworld.Noha Alhegelangave somefascinating insightsinto Islam and ... Poul Hartlinggave a very straightforward talk on the refugeeproblem.

Ferial, who grew up in the United States and Pakistan, tells a story about a student who was very surprised that an Arab woman was to give a talk for the Forum. "He didn't think Arab women were allowed or even able to speak in public. After the talk, he came up to me and said he had been wrong, and thanked me for having invited him to hear the speech. It was the best compliment I've gotten all year. That talk changed his perception about something, and that's what I.House ... is all about. The only way you can change people's ideas about issues is to show them what it's really like."

Members of the International House board, as usual, took active roles in changing attitudes and extending horizons for residents. Henry Kissinger spoke informally about international relations in the 1980s and answered questions long after his session was to have closed.

Alumnus Sigurdur Helgason, president of Icelandair, met with residents to discuss issues affecting the airline industry in the then-current economic climate. Advertising executive John Elliott provided a tour of Ogilvy & Mather International and talked about what happens behind the scenes in advertising. Trustee Midge Richardson, editor of Seventeen magazine, held the attention of journalism and MBA students as she talked about career paths in publishing. "I always enjoy my visits," said Richardson. "Somehow coming to I.House reinvolves you with the idealism of the world." Of course the "idealism of the world" was transmitted from individual residents to the community in the form of formal and informal exchanges of culture.

96

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

Sakura Park has been an integral part of International House since 1935,when it was built with financing from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. In 1960 the park became home to a stone lantern that was presented as a gift to the people of New York from the people of Tokyo. By the 1980s the park had been in decline for years and a committee was established to renovate the park. A grant from the Greenacre Foundation (founded

by Abby Rockefeller Mauze, mother of Abby O'Neill) made it possible to return the park to its previous beauty.

Today Sakura Park, named for the Japanese cherry trees that adorn it, is a have.n for I.House residents, many of whom find it .to be a romantic spot as well. In fact, residents who meet at I. House and later marry are known as "Sakura Sweethearts."

Right (top): Director Tom Olson p.resents the plans for renovation (from left: Kent Rhodes.Abby O'Neill, Olson, and Chairman Henry Kissinger); (bottom): Presentday residents enjoying the fruits of the renovation.

Above: Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko of Japan at the rededication of the park in 1987.

97

International

House

Other visitors, too, enjoyed their times at International House, whether they came to discuss serious international matters or to engage in more entertaining discussions of popular subjects. Residents heard Carlos Diaz Alejandro, member of the Bipartisan Commission on Central America, discuss the commission's important report on economics. They gave similar intense attention to William Sloane Coffin,Jr., senior minister at neighboring Riverside Church, as he described a world gone mad and called for greater understanding among human beings.

But they also enjoyed the lighter fare brought to them by Eleanor Elliot, the first woman director of Celanese Corporation and the Life • Insurance Company of New York, who was also known also as an authority on etiquette. Presumably residents showed their best manners as they listened to her tips on behavior and career advancement.

Isaac Asimov-author

of hundreds of books including studies in the

sciences as well as bestselling science fiction novels, spoke to a standingroom-only audience. Jokingly, the friendly and popular writer suggested that his success was based on "sheer genius."

Cultural events at International House have always drawn on the resources of the world, as in the time-honored programs known as Cultural Nights. Each month, residents from a specific country exhibit and demonstrate the cultural treasures of their homeland. "I am fascinated

by I.House cultural events," said Agnes Tulio, a 1980s student resident from the Philippines. "When you celebrate your own culture with people from other cultures, it has a special meaning. The experience leads you out of what is sometimes a narrow orientation into something that is broader.You realize that we are alJ different, but we're all the same."

The theme of individuality secured in the context of universal humanity crops up again and again in these monthly cultural evenings as residents share with the larger I.House community the special features of Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece,Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Spain, or Turkey among many others.

The pleasures of cultural diversity regularly appear in the form of food, slides, art, dance, or music.

For many years, International House sponsored the Night of Nations-originally

called the Festival of Nations-an

event that was

open to the public. People from all over New York City entered the doors of 500 Riverside Drive to visit booths set up by residents from each country currently represented by residents in the House. Visitors virtual1y traveled around the world tasting food and drink, listening to

98

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

music, watching dances, and admiring crafts.There might be a palm reader from India, a Berber singer from Algeria, a French fashion show, Japanese videos, a string quartet from Israel, or a Korean martial arts demonstration. Although it was renamed All Nations Festival in the 1990s and is no longer a public event, it remains one of the most cherished aspects of I.House tradition. Residents take time from their rigorous graduate studies to devote great effort to their contributions, whether displays, performances, demonstrations, or other evocations of their homeland's cultural heritage.

THE TRUSTEES OF INTERNATIONAL HOUSE HAVE CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED

prudence in forestalling crises and wisdom in dealing with those that occurred. Following Howard Cook's retirement, the board understood-as did Tom Olson-that a change in leadership was not a crisis to a stable institution, but a change that nonetheless called for the trustees' attention vis-a-vis the new presi-

TRU STE ESATWORK dent's agenda. Planning was not a new

.

.

.

'

l.init.~cfSta.fes(i:es. 1965.,.66) After completing her. undergraduate :studies at Sa.nFrandsc;O College for

concept to members of the board of trustees at International House, since it had always been among the

W6meni<;:l9hertyworked

most useful and well-availed tools available to the board.

Good institutional planning-like good personal budgeting-is predicated on distinguishing between dream and plan, on identifyingand, when possible, quantifying-the variables that determine the status of an institution. The trustees of International House understood the nature and function of planning and, therefore, recognized that it is always in process and is never finished. They did not seek to set a plan in stone and, come hell or high water, stick to it. They wanted to know what they needed to do in the immediate and longer-range future, and

· Cbf(Jrribia University. Following her part-

they wanted to know how they might acquire and use the necessary financial resources to carry out that work.

As in the past, these concerns gripped trustee attention in the early 1980s. And, as in past planning projects, one of the trusteesthis time, Midge Richardson-led a committee through the process of examining the resources and needs of the institution, making suggestions for improving policies and operations, and defining both goals and needs for the future. Richardson's committee agreed to examine the I.House mission and environment as well as its long-term financial health.

The committee endorsed President Olson's suggestion that International House embark on a program of formal educational, personal,

C§r'ps:bef6re.continuing

with the Peac:e her education.at

.riership ih'.the firm of Alan Patrkof Associates,'she betame deputy adnii.nistrator ohhe U.S.SmaUBusiness Adminis-

In 1979.she founded Tessler and

• tfati6h.

. Cl6her.ty, a·Nt\c¥t Y6rk-based investment • ~~nking,f1rrn.Wnile finding great success 'in .busJries.sand finance, she remains ,•:

active in. public servi~e ·and h:i.s placed ,.. . ·.

•

'¥cialeii'1ph£si$

,

on promoting economic '

<J.evelopinentin the u.s,and overseas...ln ·.•· ; th~. 1990,s M,}~ec~nie president 3:od, ..iatel co 0chafrwofuan ·. ,_ ·:-·',•. ..of Patricof.and . Co: '

'

'. Wntures, avi?nture capital firm, • 'A,t.l:HousJ,Gloherty .·. . '

. ~

/ ,• ..

'

'

•

'

has been . active '

•on.the. pi-ogr~ms .and long rallge..,planning ., :c~.rnrriitt~es anith~ ·,19.98search comf:ili~-

'.tee: (i,r.;111¢~ .irfiilirmari.

She ($a charter • • member oftl\e,VVomen 1s .lntetmitional Leadership Prpgram Advisory Couodl.

99

International

House

Gordon Evans presided over a successful _fund-raising campaign and the purchase of I.House North during his tenure as president of International House.

and professional development for residents.The program would lead to I.House internships for outstanding residents and would emphasize the development ofleadership, diplomacy, and communications skills.

In addition, the committee urged that the condition of the city park in front ofl.House---its "front yard"-be improved. Richardson observed at the time: "Through the years it has become overgrown, and has drifted away from the original 1920s concept of the Olmsted Brothers, who designed it. I.House doesn't exist in isolation. The committee felt strongly that we ought to do something about helping to revitalize the immediate neighborhood, so we took on the task of renovating the park." Subsequently, a grant from the Greenacre Foundation enabled I.House to engage the landscape architecture firm of Quennell and Rothschild to develop a design that would make Sakura Park a quiet oasis for all the people in the community.

The committee also reviewed the finances of the House and found that, while the House was in good fiscal order, the future would doubtless require additional fund-raising. Richardson, voicing the consensus of her committee, then suggested that International House refine its fund-raising procedures: "Our development efforts have always been organized in terms of a general need. We worked hard to define specific areas of need and to isolate projects that require funding within the House. That way, it will be possible to match up the giving of a company or foundation with a program that already exists at I.House."

She then reminded her colleagues of the task before them: "Next year on the committee we want to look more carefully at the next five to ten years and refine goals for the House and the program, and its life.

I.House is a dynamic and energetic place:We must constantly evaluate what we are doing and where we are going in order to make the best use of our resources."

GORDON

EVANS CAME TO I.HOUSE

IN 1982.

HE AND HIS WIFE BARBARA

had completed twenty-five years in the US.Agency for International Development (USAID) Service and were then stationed in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Although they had decided to leave the USAID, they had yet to determine where they would go or what they would do. Gordon Evans remembers the day when, "out of the blue," he received a call from Don Gonzales, executive vice president of Colonial Williamsburg, who explained that Abby O'Neill, granddaughter of John D.

100

LIVING

Rockefeller,Jr., and dedicated member of the boards of both International House and Colonial Williamsburg, had asked him for names of potential candidates for International House president.

Would Evans be interested in taking on the leadership of International House? "Don was very positive about I.House," Evans says,"its mission, its outstanding board, [and] the relevance of our six-country [Norway, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, India, and Cote d'Ivoire] experience to International House leadership."

Evans agreed to explore the possibilities and w~ not surprised when Trustee Jack Howell called to ask the Evanses to fly to New York to meet the search committee. Evans recounts the meeting with the committee: "They made us an offer that afternoon, after a lunch with Abby and at least ten other trustees .... So Barbara and I. .. concluded we'd just been with a terrific group of people. I'd worked for board , Chairman Henry Kissinger before, [and] the International House mission would be a constant challenge."

According to Evans, the board neglected to mention "four pending lawsuits-two major and two minor," and the fact that "many of Tom Olson's staff had already departed." The lawsuits were eventually settled, recalls Evans, and he was able to fill the staff vacancies-including controller, program director, admissions director, head of engineering, and development director-"and keep them more or less intact for the next eleven years. John Wells joined as director of public relations and my special assistant in 1989."

Evans says he also faced other difficult decisions, among them whether the House should undertake a capital campaign to celebrate its sixtieth anniversary. Moreover, he saw a need to strengthen "ties with major institutions where our residents studied or worked, through personal calls and visits." He also recognized immediately a need for adding new members to the board of trustees.

Evans recalls with pride raising more than $6 million in less than three years.He also worked to attract students from Eastern Europe,

IN

THE

FUTURE

December 12, 1984, on the occasion of Chairman Henry Kissinger's farewell dinner, among the guests were (left to right): Mr. and Mrs. Russell S. Reynolds, Jr., who chaired the event, Mr. and Mrs. David Rockefeller, and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kissinger.

IOI

International

House

HERMAN ROTTENBERG

notions; and_misirust <1ffdisc.· solve in ihe music and cl<!nc:e ...

',..

. ty ?f.ihei~orrip;ny, H.R.oh~erves that

invited H.R. to teach .a folk-

.. , "f.esidil(ltsfe~I a<great deal of pride whert. tli~y the. programmatic . .. - have. ': -

·'.· ~

de.voted most of hi{tirrie to

~~ii?~~,'.f!fll:i 1990,Herman. Rottenberg

,. -·-,

'

opJic\rIOnityit<Y celel;,rate their customs,.

former busihessman,has

Company,and.life

'

president Howard Coo.k

-,.

8~fi~1'\pN{Oance

,_,_,_

•F~HfH;s.ta•.R~i~rdJng,~he great populari-

dance. class,.the energetic

¢ult1Jtal Director, founder .of the

... ,.

•.·.··,,,.',

•Since 1964, whiml_.Ho.use

••·,\q~iQfu~s,d~~~~;a'nc!•folkways.''

the institution he ·unabashedly loves.

Th[C?~gh;hispr?feSsional eff9rts, HK

It is a mutual love affair'.For many

qoe~}ild~et h~fp spotlight, in hfs Words,

alumni, H.R. is the embo.diment o{tne

• . '.'.the:ifrfe[nat~?;alit½of !Mernational

smiles when asked about his foJe:at. '"';:•

fun and freedom that leayeri the sedous •

.Hou~~;.'.Thro.Lighthe warmth and gen-

I.House. "I teach dancing," he says. But ask

busine_ssof learning to live together ahd'

,: erosiiy ~fh{pe~sbnallty, he.encourages

~r/y,9ri''.'1~~ andthJ}'wttt to catalog '., .. _··-,': ·._,•--:·, ;•. ·< ' ·_-,';_. . ,, ',, ,,.'·', .·•-.·: ·' •,'.

honor diversity. For a tim~. the big

.i :~esiderits,ta'1¢tebra~e•their· humanity. In

the remarkable activities sparked by H.R.

international issues are subsumed by

,)99Ki'.i:19iiie·'~luml)i celebrated H.R.'s

b~grri.

~

To the many alumni who met their

getting the steps right, keeping ti,me; and

• ' ·etgfitieth'bi;thday by contributing a . ,_, . .-

$pauses iiJH.R.'s ballroom dance class, he

dancing together witho.ut doing one

t]l a swingtime Cupid. He proudly admits

another bodily harm.

attended more than two hun"ilrio,il'wPMlna< around the world. "They

H.R,'s Jove of folk dance l~dto the

.

'

;

n,1med;ro9mTri his honor

• ChJckwiie.(1/Q'irr tqp le~:

creation of the ALLNATIONSDan.ce Com-

H.R.;.iith ALL;NATIONS Dance Comp.any . .

.

{!,t'i{J:lit;:t~jdance, and differences disap-

pany, a popular folksdance program orig-,

••.(Falifiii!sta _atFallfie.sta 1980, . .; . .• ' I9H9);and .' .

. .. __ 1$ H.R.'s seemingly simple mesTh\\1;

inally composed of I.Hous.e residents

·.:.;vjtl:if.grreiTuJiq·•(l~ft);who would later

that carries a musical expression Ofthe •.

marry ~ien~a(Tan.{~enter),who has

House's diversity around the country_

}ee'ri.an internatio'aal trustee sin{:e 1998

>:,::.:/:'.·:••'> :i/:c··:;.~

•

,,·''.

}~;~} prejudice, nationalism, preconceived .,...,...,..'/, . . _:•«.

102

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

night each year, delicacies from every country are available.The lower floors are filled with colorful decorated booths, usually constructed over-night, that represent individual countries and provide settings in which students proudly display products, foods, and art works representative of their homelands.

In addition to the booths, two new performances begin every half hourone in the auditorium and another in the gymnasium.African drums and Asian flutes give sound to the air; Tyrolean yodelers, Spanish guitarists, or American jazz musicians may attract an audience.

People move about in a whirl of color, flavors, fragrances, and sounds.

If people work and play so well together, everything about the All Nations Festival argues, they can also The All Nations Festival is a venerable

became the Night of Nations, which

International House tradition, begun in

combined the original festivities with a

the earliest days of the Intercollegiate

fund-raising component that supported

Cosmopolitan Club, when it was known

resident scholarships.

as the Halloween Festival.This event

In its current incarnation,the All Nations

live in peace and mutual appreciation.

Clockwise from top le~: Mexican dance performance, 1980;

Festival is, once again, an event just for

Scandinavian group, 1937; Hawaiian resi-

national dress and create displays from

I.House residents and their friends,

dents prepare their booth, 1953

their respective countries. In the 1960s

although it still provides an opportunity

the festival was opened to the public and

to raise funds for scholarships. On this

gave residents an opportunity

to don

103

International

House

In 1985 former President of the United States Gerald R. Ford was made chairman of the International House board, in which capacity he served until I 989. ' He is shown here at th~ dedication of I.House's L.W. Frohlich Health Center with members of the Frohlich family.

From le~: Frederick Buddenhagen,

Ingrid Burns, Chairman (Gerald R. Ford, Robert Miller, Kathleen Burns Buddenhagen,Thomas Burns, Kirsten Davis, and Madeleine Burns.

"about 20 in 1985 and over 100 in 1991," and was especially happy to work with residents from Africa, "a continent on which we had served for a decade."

"When [in 1992] I went to say good-bye to David Rockefeller in his office," Evans remembers, "he just wouldn't let me go as he recalled one thing after another about his father's fondness for the place in the 1924-50 period .... As I was leaving, he refused to say good-bye in his office but walked half the length of the building, pushed the elevator button, and when the elevator came to the 56th floor then said, 'Gordon, you did a great job!' That felt good."

AFTER

INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE

CELEBRATED

ITS SIXTIETH

YEAR AS A

community devoted to brotherhood, it continued to do what it had always done, what it did best: demonstrate to young women and men from all over the world that differences among people are not as important as the shared human experience.

As the House progressed toward the last decade of the twentieth century, it was home for residents from eighty-four countries. The life of I.House still revolved around its program of activities geared toward bringing people together to learn about each other and the world.

Speakers from many disciplines spoke to students and, best of all, hung around to answer questions. The Harlem Tutorial Program prospered. Resident musicians joined the International House Chamber

104

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

Orchestra, while others took classes in aerobics or participated in various team sports.

House managers and peer advisors worked with a great variety of people, for whom they provided friendly counseling and practical advice on coping with the size and complexity of American higher education and New York City.

28, 1985, A HUGE SUNDAY SUPPER IN THE INTERNATIONAL House tradition welcomed former President of the United States ON JANUARY

Gerald R. Ford to his new position as chairman of the board of trustees. A standing-

GERALD 8.FPBProom-only crowd of residents overflowed

from the auditorium into the foyer and broke into a spontaneous ovation as the guest of honor appeared. Ford, elected eighth chairman of

couNciL OFwoRLo MEMBERS The Council of World Members, estab-

about determining which regions of the

lished in 1966,is a body of distinguished

globe are under-represented

alumni currently headed by Co-Chairs

I.House community. For example, before

October 2000, the council will meet in

Sigurdur Helgason (res. 1945) and Vreni

the fall of European communism in

Capetown, South Africa, where part of

Hemmes (res. 1989).The council mem-

1989,the council meeting in Berlin

its mandate will be to encourage more

in the

pore, the group set out to increase the number of East Asian residents. In

bership is representative of every

established the East-West Leadership

Africans to become residents during

region of the globe and presently

Program, the aspiration of which was to

the new century.

includes 150 members selected for

attract from, and seek scholarship fund-

their dedication to the I.House mission.

ing for students from Eastern European

They promote the International House

countries. This meeting also led to the

go.als,recruit new residents from all

establishment of the German alumni

parts of the world, and provide liaison

group, Freunde des I.House. The East-

between alumni and I.House.

West Leadership Program was aug-

The council's biannual meetings in

mented as a result of the 1992 Prague

New York alternate with those held in

conference, at which it was renamed in

such locales as Lake Como, Italy, site of

memory of conference host Alan

the first meeting ( 1966);Berlin; Cuer-

Mclaine (res. 1955-56).

navaca, Mexico; Hertfordshire,

England;

The 1989 council meeting, sched-

Kyoto; New Delhi; Prague; Rio de

uled to take place in China, was can-

Janeiro; Singapore; and Talloires, France.

celled following the violent quashing of

Council member Klaus Moessle

student demonstrations

in Tiananmen

(res. 1984),founder of the German

Square.At its 1996 meeting in Singa-

alumni group, Freunde des I.House.

In recent years, meetings of the Council of World Members have set

105

International

House

International House at a meeting of the board an hour earlier, succeeded Kissinger, who became an honorary trustee after his eight years of active chairmanship.

Following dinner, Ford spoke briefly of his own student years in the 1930s, saying: "I think your generation should relish the opportunity to build. There is an unbelievable prospect for progress, and all of you have the opportunity to participate." He continued, "Remember your convictions, respect the convictions of others. Have faith in the decency of others. Make the whole planet as full of friendship as this room is tonight."

Later, President Ford answered questions from residents. When he· was asked about his pardon of Richard Nixon, the auditorium grew quiet.

But Ford was among friends and he answered simply: "I felt it was my obligation to spend 100 percent of my time on the problems of250 million Americans, rather than 25 percent of it on one individual. I did it because I thought it was in the national interest. I have no regrets." This answer showed Ford to be just as forthcoming as the other trustees of International House. It is a time-honored tradition: trustees and other guests talk with students knowing that students often asked difficult-even sometimes embarrassing-questions.

Leaving high office and formality

behind, most speakers engage the I.House audiences openly and honestly.

Knowing the tradition, another speaker, Trustee Richard Simmons, took off his suit jacket and stood ready to answer the questions put to him. In short order, Simmons, president and chief operating officer of the Washington Post Company, was in deep discussion about the First Amendment and freedom of the press. He also faced questions about the status of women and blacks in the field of journalism.

Intellectual exploration of difficult social and political problems has required both residents and visiting speakers alike to be open and honest. When Bishop Desmond Tutu spoke at International House shortly before he received the Nobel Peace Prize, for instance, he called on the West to apply political, economic, and moral pressure to the government of South Africa to stop it from implementing what he called its "final solution."

Jack Matlock, a special assistant to President Reagan and a member of the National Security Council, sat down to talk with residents about relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Louis Segesvary, public affairs officer at the United Nations, talked about U.S. policy in Central America. Ambassador Lohia, representative of Papua New Guinea at the U.N., spoke about decolonization and development

106

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

in the Pacific; Dean of the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, Alfred Stephan, dealt with the redemocratization of Brazil; Congressman Stephen Solarz spoke about U.S. policy in the Philippines and South Africa; Carol Bellamy, president of the New York City Council, delved into politics in one of the largest cities in the world; South Korean human rights activist Kim Dae Jung was a speaker at I.House shortly before he returned to his homeland; and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the 1986 MarshallVisitor, addressed the issue of the necessity of an independent judicial system.

Music in New York. During this. time at

National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy

the conservatory she lived at I.House,

Center Honor, and has been named a

where she worked as a receptionist and

Commander of France's Order of Arts

found time to participate in numerous

and Letters, and was elected to the

musical events. Later, as an internationally

Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy.

acclaimed opera star, she returned to give a benefit performance for the House in the mid- I 980s. Price also appeared as the first speaker in the House's Leadership in the Arts series in 1992.

Many International House alumni remember hearing Price when she was a student, preparing for her later acclaim in numerous principal roles in the dramatic-soprano repertory, including those in Ai'da,II Tro~atore,Madama Butterfly,

Tosca,Don Giovanni,Porgyand Bess,and Anthony and Cleopatra,for which she

United States (res. /949-52)

created the titie role at the first opening

A'bove:At the International House infor-

Board of Trustees, I 963-66, I 991-96

night at the new Metropoli•tan Opera

mation desk in 1954, Miss Price assisted

Harry Edmonds Award, I 990

House, at Lincoln Center. She has gar-

fellow residents.

A native of Mississippi,Leontyne Price

nered equal renown for her solo recitals,

received her undergrad0ate education at

and has received nineteen Grammy

Central State College in Wilberforce,

awards for operatic and classic•alvoice

Ohio, and soon afterward continued her

recordings, three Emmy awards, the

musical studies at The Juilliard School of

Presidential Medal of Freedom, the

107

Internal

onal

House

DISTIN HEDGUESTS Over the years, residents of lnterna-

Nicholas Murray Butler

tlonol House have met and talked

Commander Richard Byrd

with the men and women who have

Shirley Chisholm

played important

Noam Chomsky

roles in the shap-

Rudolph W. Giuliani

ing of the twentieth century. They

Christo and Jeanne Claude

have included:

William Sloan Coffin

Arthur J. Goldberg Maurice Greenberg Alistair Cooke Joan Ganz Cooney Aaron Copland

Dean Acheson

Vartan Gregorian

Akihito, Crown Prince of Japan, Arthur Guiterman

and Princess Michiko

Joan Crowford

Averell Harriman Richard Hofstadter Richard Holbrooke Hamilton Hole Amory Houghton.Jr.

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi _ Walter Cronkite

Langstor1Hughes

Ossie Davis Nancy Dickerson

Isaac Asimov Jesse Jackson Jacob Javits

David Dinkins

Peter Jennings Kim Dae Jun,g

W. H.Auden

Angler Biddle Duke

Jacques Barzun Jacob Bronowski Pearl S. Buck

DwightD.

McGeorge Bundy

Eisenhower

Betty Friedan R. Buckminster Fuller Alier1 Gir1sberg

108

Helen Keller

LIVING

IN

THE

Ethel Kennedy

Thomas P.Pickering

Roger B. Smith

Rockwell Kent

William Prendergast

Gillian Martin Sorensen

Frederick Keppel

Manuel Quezon

Theodore C. Sorensen

Theodore Kheel

Charles W. Rangel

George Soros

Ed Koch

Theodore Reik

George Stephanopoulos

FUTURE

James Reston

hooc Stern

Fritz Kreisler

El/lot Richardson Jvy Lee

Robert A. M. Stern

Myrna Loy

Edward Durrell Scone

William H, Luers

Norman Thomas

Jack F.Matlock.Jr.

Marietta Tree

Margaret Mead

Lionel Trilling

Paul Robeson Karl Menninger V. K. Krishna Menon

Eleanor Roosevelt

James Park Morton

EugeneV. Rostow

Lewis Mumford

George L. Rupp

Kwame Nkrumah

Harrison Salisbury

Nelle Nugent

Daniel Schorr

Bishop Desmond Tutu Alice Walker

Pete Seeger Vernon Walters Roy Wilkins ShelleyWinters

Sondra Day

James D.Wolfensohn

O'Connor

Han Xu Beverly Sills

Robert Oppenheimer Cornelia Otis Amos Oz

Andrew Young

Skinner

Chung Hee Park Peter G. Peterson

109

International

House

Don Cuneo organized a symposium entitled "The Anatomy of a Death Penalty Argument Before the Supreme Court." Reverend Jesse Jackson dazzled residents with his oratorical skills as he urged foreign students in America to take their education back with them to their native lands, telling them that "the impoverished nations of the Third World need good, bright minds with integrity. I would hope that the basic orientation here is to get an education-not escape home, but to liberate home."

Talk is the fuel that drives life at International House, with topics ranging from international relations to American foreign policy and • politics to Manhattan bus schedules, comparisons of fare at local eateries, and where to get the best buys on blue jeans.

As International H~se moved into its seventh decade, its mission intact and its credo "That brotherhood may prevail" unchanged, the world continued to change. Short, mean wars kept the world dangerous, while technology continually made it smaller.

With International House's next decade in mind, in 1987 the trustees again determined to keep both mission and credo vital. They launched a $5 million capital campaign. With support from Chairman of the Board Gerald Ford, former Chairman and Honorary Trustee Henry Kissinger, Honorary Trustees David Rockefeller and Robert W Purcell, Trustee William Dodge Rueckert-grandson oflongtime Trustee Cleveland E. Dodge-led the campaign to success.

At the dinner that launched the campaign, Kissinger spoke eloquently about his interest in International House. He said to friends of the House: "I was eager to come here to tell you how much International House means to me .... I want to tell all of you ... how important this enterprise is in the contemporary world."

"DETOUR" EXHIBIJION To mark the 1992 Quincentennial of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World, Sandra AnteloSuarez worked with Barbara D. Duncan (trustee since 1982) to gather works by twenty-four contemporary artists from the Americas and install the varied pieces throughout the public spaces of International House. "Detour" consisted of works reflecting the organizers' contention that "the conjunction of the Old and New Worlds led to a radical shift in man's thought. The sweeping implications were not only geographical, but surpassed old boundaries and redefined history, civilization and the humanities."

Antelo-Suarez and Duncan did not want to develop a survey of 1'art of the Americas," but rather to "analyze the artistic phenomenon of the vertical axis that transcends hemispheric boundaries, with the emphasis on North- South rather than East-West." Their effort was "to analyze and consider, through the artworks shown, the similarities rather than just the dichotomies that exist within the inaugural cultural bases of the American Hemispheres in 1992."

110

Rockefeller recounted .for the audience how his father had founded International House in 1924. "Even in the 1920s," he said, "student exchanges were of great importance in bringing about improved international relations. Today, of course, those student exchanges are absolutely essential to our survival as a global community." Rueckert recalled his grandfather's early association with the House, and pledged continuity: "My goal, and the goal of the board of trustees at International House, is to pass this building, its goals and mission, on to the next generation of I.House residents in a condition that is better than the day it opened in 1924."

LIVING

JOHNC.WHITEHEAD,

IN

IN

THE

FUTURE

1989, AT THE END OF HIS

four years as deputy secretary of state and vigorous participation in strategies to improve relationships between East and West, John C.Whitehead was sought for membership on the boards of hundreds of not-for-profit organizations. Even the genial and famously well-

CHAIRMAN OFTHEBOARD

organized John Whitehead, however, could respond positively to only a fraction of the suitors around him. But, he says,he never regretted accepting election to the chairmanship of the board of trustees at International House. He said:

The missionefthe organizationappealedto me ... the whole businessof people-to-people contacts,the idea of lifelongfriendships established betweenpeople efdifferentcountries.In my high-levelState Departmentwork, I cameto appreciatethe importanceof grassrootscontacts _thata place like InternationalHousefosters.I want to make a modestcontributionto keeping that kind efeffortalive,vital, and strong.

After a lustrous career at the investmentbanking firm of Goldman, Sachs, & Co., where he began as a junior statistician and progressed to become a senior partner and co-chairman in 1976, Whitehead devoted himself to nonprofit work after 1984. At the State Department, as deputy to Secretary of State George Schultz, Whitehead was known as a hands-on manager with a deep dedication to both the special needs of developing countries and human rights issues.

When asked of Whitehead's election and acceptance, Gordon Evans said, "I consider John Whitehead a late-twentieth-century renaissance man. He is interested in the arts, in travel, and most important, in interpersonal relationships." Evans also praised Whitehead's optimistic nature and his "conservationist proclivity" in thinking about the future.

Above: Chairman of the Board John C. Whitehead (left), with United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, here being honored as the first guest of the International Visitors Program in 1990.

AFTER SIXTY-FIVE YEARS AS HOME

1.HousE NORTH to a few more than 500 residents, International House expanded its capacity to 750 by purchasing the

111

International

House

apartment house next door. The former Van Dusen Hall of the Union Theological Seminary became known as I.House North.With a waiting list of students wanting to live in International House and with four out of five applications from American students being turned down, the added space was a necessity.

Even so, the trustees debated and carefully studied the purchase before committing resources to the purchase of a new building. Finally, it was decided that the House would borrow $18.9 million through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, payable over 20 years: Although this meant carrying a large debt, it also meant that Interna.tional House increased space for residents and programs by 50 percent and introduced 105 kitchens into the living arrangements.

Over the years, I.House North has proved to be an attractive addition to the original building, affording apar~ment-style living to ·eiperiencesi'growitig•l!P'unde~·aparti:i~if • families and those individuals who prefer more space and more privacy. .•lri\lJ7~Ma~tfabiine;'.~se~p~fS()~tbAfft~a ./.,.

In order to ensure the continuation of community life, however, · 'wpenprqfessionaltermisJ:.layer'Stan •.'' ,,s~ltn:arr~ngeda tehni; schei'arshi~ fcir I.House North residents must eat some of their meals in the dining ·him 'at 0~',<(l;ng (:611eg~ ;~'NewYork, ' .. room and, along with residents in the original building, participate in ::? ,,::,,:,:,;,:, .. '-\·; • -•, • ":';::'"•:_;-:,':-:' ...··.·~,:, programs and events for all members of the community.

A~ergraduatlngv..<i~h·il'.i'Jegree'ip eeo:i . . nornics;M;~h~bane st(l~i~cl. fc;>Urnii.lisiJ at •

. ;,'.-, .-·;:.· ·-~-. :}i,

·<

-

'

'

•

', ' .':,

. __ ,. ' •

',';,;. .~.',,,:-;.-

.....

C:!>1,umbJa Orad4~t7 Scf~!>lofJg\lrnalisfo,,

AT THE ARRIVAL OF THE LAST DECADE OF THE TWENTIETH

CENTURY,

w~ International House was thriving. A three-year capital campaign ended

ind\bicame awnfel Du'rlngthli'~iine

1 :.

with over $1 million more than the targeted goal raised for renovations, scholarships, and program enhancement. Along with the Kresge Foundation, Japanese corporations, and hundreds of alumni, Ambassador and Mrs .

Shelby Cullom Davis provided funding to restore the auditorium, a

~asi:resldent,atl,House,'Whe}~ ,· "~ -:•·. :· . ·, -.,. ti'e~it .,...

• hi$"Wife Gal),wi(h.whom.he coauthol'.ed •

..

'

•·

>Jo~ill Biack'iandVv'nlte,jiriact¢onr;f . . ·' th.~ir'I)feto~ethel'. .•.. Matl)abaoe~s w:r'lting' hasap~ear~dJn.,

•· ih.e'New1~rlcTiines,vW_;h;n'gt~ri Pfii(

magnificent room built to resemble the church Abby Aldrich , ,f/e.'(ff4ay, artdJ:i.£~~wstihdWoridR~9£t Rockefeller attended in her childhood.

International House opened the 1990s with a gala celebration 'b~d~,K'lflir~oy a~cl.l{i/ff,r Boy/ii', . honoring five outstanding alumni-Belgian Foreign Minister Mark , ·A~~hia,w!\i<:h i:htz◊nldf hi.se~perieht's . • Eyskens, author Jerzy Kosinski, columnist Flora Lewis, soprano . ~r6ihni.up.in·Johanne~~~_r.g/e#a~il)f:· •• .•So11thAfrJ~a-,~ocHl~ing.it1Am~~ica,:,·,. ,:·>•.

Leontyne Price, and auto executive Tatsuro Toyoda. This memorable occasion in May 1990, organized by trustee and alumna Daisy Soros, .)h;a,dditioht9 wt}tir1~iMath_a~arre;:.

•• raised an unprecedented $140,000 for the Resident Scholarship Fund. ~'~f,,JttJi-es,.an.d cotidu~u·a1v~is1t//c..

An exciting new initiative, the Women's International Leadership (WIL) Program-established in 1990 with a grant from the Kellogg •:b\i~l~·esse,s.

He,freq~e'!itlfre ••'$fii;~at'lnt~iiiatl6~klRp~sei.

Foundation-became an ongoing success,offering scholarship assistance H~ ~asaJiq..acith,~edWiobest,;eliing... _-

~

>.

- •••

•.

,·.,

,,

'

:;-.

•

•

,•.

·.t ./·.:,

•

••

,._.

.... , . .,-.,,

•

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

and teaching leadership skills to a select and diverse group of women residents each year. It was clear that the singular nature of International House had not changed; rather, the factors that made International House successful continued to enrich the lives of its residents at the end of the century.

The financial support and the loyalty displayed by trustees, alumni, and friends signaled the health of International House, which was reflected in the potency of the discussions and lectures. United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar engaged residents in a dialogue on the changing role of the U.N. At the dedication of Davis Hall, Honorary Trustee David Rockefeller delivered the first lecture in the Corporate Seminar Series, which was established by Chairman John C. Whitehead in 1989. This series oflectures by current and former leaders of corporations with international interests has included among its speakers such notables as Walter Wriston, former chairman

DAISY SOROS Hungary (res. 1950-51)

from diverse backgrounds. Active in

Trustee since I 981

civic and cultural affairs in New York

She left her native Hungary to study

City and New Canaan, Connecticut, she

hotel management in Switzerland, and

also maintains a strong involvement in

moved to the United States in 1950.

the affairs of International House,

During her residency at International

where she serves the needs of students

House, she met her husband Paul (pic-

as an energetic and imaginative member

tured at right, with Mrs. Soros). "In those

of the board of trustees. She has served

days," she says,"men and women were

as co-chair of the Council of World

strictly separated. But we managed."

Members as well as on the development

Her memories of International

and nominating committees of the

House reflect her capacity for joy and

board, and was instrumental in launch-

her interest in other cultures. "It was a

Park and the Morningside neighbor-

ing the Harry Edmonds Lifetime

little haven for people from different

hood, and the Sunday Suppers-"a

Achievement Awards. Now chairwoman

countries," she says. She chuckles about

old-fashioned tradition." Her interest

emerita of the Council of World Mem-

nice,

"the smooching in the elevator," and

in music was enriched by living next

bers, she continues to advance the mis-

the elevator operator's wry comment,

door to Leontyne Price. "I could hear

sion of International House where, as

"Well, you're having your anatomy

her practicing," she recalls, "and we had

she says,"there is such a wonderful

lessons, huh?" But she also remembers

wonderful musical evenings."

focus for foreigners and Americans, dif-

dancing a Hungarian dance for John

Mrs. Soros's delight in music contin-

Foster Dulles, spring walks in Sakura

ues, as does her fascination with people

ferent people in the same position."

113

International

House

and CEO of Citicorp, and Dennis Weatherstone, chairman of J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc. In the honored tradition oflnternational House, these executives talked about their careers, gave their impressions of topical issues, and speculated about what they might do if they were embarking on careers in the nineties.Other activities included ballroom-dancing classes, camping and canoeing trips, excu;sions into various neighborhoods of New York City, films, and floor activities arranged by resident fellows. Residents continued to enjoy participation in the Harlem Tutorial Program.

Resident support services, an important feature of community life, was developed by resident social worker Peter Maramaldi into a sophisticated

Since 1990,when Daisy Soros and the

Howard A. Cook (President, 1955-80)

Carlo Rubbia (Italy, 1958)

board of trustees instituted the Harry

Kathryn Waterman Davis (U.S.A. 1932)

David J.Sainsbury (U.K:, 1970)

Edmonds Lifetime Achievement Award, it

Mark Eyskens (Belgium, 1957)

Tatsuro Toyoda Qapan, 1958)

has been bestowed upon luminaries in

L. W. "Bill" Frohlich (Germany, 1937)

Shirley Verrett (U.S.A., 1958)

many fields of endeavor, from interna-

Jerzy Kosinski (Poland, I 957)

John C.Whitehead (Chairman, 1989-98)

tional diplomacy and politics to finance,

Sachio Kohjima Uapan, 1960)

writing and journalism, and the perform-

Wassily Leontief (U.S.S.R., 1932)

Above: President Don Cuneo and his

. ilig arts.At century's close, the following

Flora Lewis (U.S.A., 1942)

wife Bonnie (second and third from

individuals have received this honor:

Yuzaburo Mogi Qapan, 1960)

right) with 1998 Edmonds Award

Takeshi Nagano Uapan, 1955)

recipients. Left to right: Carlo Rubbia,

Chinua Achebe (Nigeria, 1963)

Abby M. O'Neill (Trustee, 1958- )

Shirley Verrett, John C. Whitehead, and

Pina Bausch (Germany, 1962)

Leontyne Price (U.S.A., 1952)

Yuzaburo Mogi.

114

LIVING

system that addressesthe psychological and social issues of the diverse population. This system hassince been copied by other organizations.

IN

THE

FUTURE

poNALp L,cuNEo President Don Cuneo shared his vision

FOLLOWING

THE

RESIGNATION

OF GORDON

EVANS IN 1992,

INTER-

national House once again faced the need for a new president. The trustees formed a search committee chaired by Bill Rueckert, which included John Whitehead, Executive Committee Chairman Steven Eyre, Abby O'Neill,

DONCUNEO, ALUMNUS ANDTRUSTEE, LEADS I.HOUSEBill

Sharwell, Don Kummerfeld,Joan Gregory, and Russ Reynolds. These men and women-two of whom were from I.House founding families-all loved International House, believed in its mission, and supported it wholeheartedly. They let it be known that they would consider only excellent candidates and that, regardless of the time required, they intended to find and appoint the best-qualified person to head the ipstitution. The trustees set out to find a person of uncommon intelligence, energy, and experience.And before the year was out the International House community cheered when they announced enthusiastically that they had found precisely that person-Don Cuneo.

Cuneo was equally enthusiastic about International House and his new position. He was the first alumnus to be chosen to lead I.House, and he left a partnership in one of the largest and most prestigious international law firms in the United States in order to take the office.

"I told my law firm;' Cuneo said, "the only way you can under- , stand this is that I have an even longer relationship with International House than I do with the firm." At that time Cuneo had been at Shearman & Sterling for twenty-two years, fourteen of them as a partner. Cuneo's relationship with International House, however, had continued to flourish over twenty-seven years.

At the age of forty-nine, after years of participating in the fastpaced, often ruthless world of corporate litigation, Cuneo faced an important fact about himself: from the time of his student days at International House he had intended to do something worthwhile, to make a difference, to contribute to the making of a better world. He wanted his young children to know and experience this facet of his character and values. He did not want to be slave to his own success in the legal world, but desired to live by the values he hoped his children

of International House with residents at a Sunday Supper in 1993:

The motto of InternationalHouse, established by our founders,is That Brotherhood May Prevail. Some suggest,and I

would agree,that the term brotlrerhood could be updated to somethingsuch as humanity. But that does not convey the

notions ofthe interactionand camaraderie,ofrespect for diverse opinionsand backgrounds,which personify this House.

The active expressionof your life here requirescourage,stamina,and integrity.It is your responsibilityto affirm and support

the community at I.House.just as you will later in life, whereveryou go. ...

Paramountto any communityis the notionofthe individual's responsibility to make it work.... Ultimatelythere must be a compact betweeneach individualin this community and the institutionitselfto giveand get in return.Trust.tolerancefor decisionsin the collectivegood,may not be consistentwithselfish interests,but must prevail....

Each day go forth to learn the intricacies of international(,nonce,go forth to master the Appassionata, go forth to explore the mysteries ofsmashing atoms.

But when you return each night,I urge you to share, contribute,and participate.Share the music of your country,contributeyour ideas about business ethics,participate in debates on nuclearproliferation.This is your home-relax here, have fun, and take responsibilityand initiative.

115

International

H o u s e

PAUL 8,voLcK~§

Chairman of the Board since 1998 "I am honored to be part of an institution that has such a far-reaching impact," says PaulVolcker, chairman of the board of trustees of International House since 1998."The skills, values, and life experiences that International House imparts ... prepare our young people for the challenges .and demands of a complex, changing world:' Since his election to the chairmanship,Volcker has taken a keen interest in the operations and mission of I.House. He is a frequent visitor, often attending Sunday Suppers or impromptu dinners with residents.

His employment with the federal government began with his service under John F.Kennedy and continued for the administrations of the next five presidents. He served as undersecretary for monetary affairs during his tenure with the U.S.Treasury. After retiring from the chairmanship of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, which he held from 1979 until 1987,Volcker returned to private life. He now provides his expertise and knowledge to numerous corporations and not-for-profit organizations.

116

would make their own. "First and foremost," he recalls, "I was ready as a human being to do something of a challenge."

Cuneo enjoys challenges.While he was an undergraduate at Lehigh University, he traveled to Africa to work for Operation CrossroadsAfrica, a program through which American and Canadian students participated in local development projects in Africa. For four months, Cuneo helped a village in northern Togo build a community center out of mud bricks. For a young man who had grown up in Scarsdale,NewYork,Africa was a challenge.The time in Togo changed Cuneo's outlook on almost everything and sparked a desire in him to spend his life making a difference.• Shortly after graduation from Lehigh in 1966, Cuneo came to New York to study law and business at Columbia. The dean of students at Lehigh had urged Cuneo to live at International House, where, the dean promised, he would meet people from everywhere in the world and extend his interest in other cultures. Cuneo moved into International House and has never been far from it since that time.

In 1968, when many other graduate students were abandoning ideals and shrugging off suggestions that an individual might make a difference in the world, Cuneo inaugurated the Harlem Tutorial Program at International House. He said, "I thought of the idea of a reverse Peace Corps."

Nearly thirty years after Don Cuneo first moved into International House, his respect for its achievements and his loyalty to its mission remain strong and clear. During those intervening years, Cuneo served as secretary of the board of trustees and provided pro bono legal service for the House before returning to serve as its president.

Ellie Spiegel, who worked at the' House for nine years, principally as director of programs and resident services, applauded the trustees' choice. "I think one big difference [between Cuneo and his predecessor] is the strong feeling that the new president is an advocate for the residents," she said.

This concern led him to institute the International Leaders Program in 1994. Residents involved in this program often are also participants in other I.House leadership initiatives, such as the Women's International Leadership and the McLaine programs. These residents take part in weekend seminars focusing on various aspects ofleadership and are required to attend a number of lectures and discussions presented by distinguished guests to I.House. In seeking to promote a community of leaders, develop self-awareness and cultural sensitivity,

LIVING

and to apply actively the leadership skills it teaches, this forward-looking program typifies the late-century ideals of International House in preparing young people for lifetime contributions to fostering friendship and cooperation across all boundaries.

According to all who work with him, Cuneo does his homework, thinks quietly and seriously about problems, listens to suggestions, and makes decisions firmly. He believes the tradition of International House can be-should be-extended into the twentyfirst century. He wants to attract "the best and brightest" young women and men to the House, where he expects them to prepare consciously, carefully, and effectively to be leaders in the world.

Ultimately, he says,he would like to see International House offer a mini-curriculum in leadership that every single resident of the House would take. Through such a program, he believes, "one can sharpen and clarify what it means to be trained to be a leader in the global community and impart some more specific leadership skills.And it doesn't need to take a lot of time."

IN

THE

FUTURE

A PLACE ATTHE TABLE After graduating from college and exploring Europe, India, and Latin America,Juliet Wurr (res. 1987-88) enrolled in Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. While a resident at International House, she met Raziki Shahani from Tanzania,who introduced her to other Muslim residents from around the world who invited her to an iftar."I • never imagined as I sat at that long table laden with food, that Ramadanwould become part of my yearly calendar," she says.

Now an American Foreign Service officer in Damascus,Syria,Wurr urges young Syrians to study in the United States and live at I.House. Syria,"has

CUNEO KNEW THE HOUSE WHEN HE MOVED IN. HE WAS A MEMBER OF

always been under-represented in the

the family.The warmth of that family, and its loyalty to its members, came to the fore when NewYork City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani joined the House's community to honor Howard Cook on the fortieth anniversary of his becoming president. Cuneo said, "Howard is quite simply an amazing individual.

He is courtly, gracious, generous, and [has] a wonderful wit. He has more energy than someone half his age."

House," she says."Now there are two

MOVING FORWARD, STAYING THESAME

Not all programs and events were family matters, however.

International House continued to attract leaders from government, business, education, the sciences, and arts to inspire and enrich residents. As a result of efforts by Trustees Abby O'Neill and Joan Gregory (1988), International House friend Sana H. Sabbagh, and alumnus Majed Halawi (1983-85), Palestinian leader Dr. Hanan Ashrawi addressed residents of International House, telling them: "One of the myths of conventional wisdom is that war, or the threat of war, generates cataclysmic changes or transformation. In our part of the world, it is peace, or the prospect of peace, that is going to be a vehicle for change and a challenge for the transformation of realities."

[residents], both of whom ... will represent their country well and, I hope, contribute to mutual understanding between people in this troubled region."

Wurr, who serves on the Council of World Members, reflects that "International House offers opportunities to put aside the labels and interact purely as human beings.... At the same time, there are the opportunities to learn more about conflicts and international disputes, and perhaps see a problem from a new perspective. Tempers flared sometimes.

I.House is not-should

not be--a utopia

, .. [but] a rehearsal stagefor a better world. Sometimes learning to deal with the heated emotions was as important as the moments of pure harmony:'

117

Internal

on

al

House

ABBY M.O'NEIILL Bill Frohlich, and serves, along with

the Asian Cultural Council, and former

past-Trustee Ann Frantz's very dynamic

chairwoman of the board of trustees of

young son Scott, and Life Trustee Phyllis

Bradford College.

Hirschfeld's son Tom, who chairs the audit committee. And Tim Purcell, the

International House remains steadfast.

great-nephew of Bob Purcell, our exec-

"If you look at International House for

utive chairman par excellence for many

a long time and study it, it is outstand-

years, joined the board just before Bob

ing. It's simply the most consistent and

died. The importance and excitement of

most effective method we have of get-

International House is contagious:•

ting people to live together." Smiling,

Abby O'Neill may have been swept into the affairs of International

Trustee since /958

Through all, her commitment to

she adds, "from comments made to me

House

by my son Peter [now a trustee] during

by her grandparents and parents, but

the period he was living at the House, it

she took up the cause with a decidedly

was clear to me that residents, who

personal fervor.

played a very rugged game of floor

She serves a number of not-for-

hockey requiring elbow pads and hel-

Harry Edmonds Award, /993

profit organizations, champions their

mets, quickly obliterated even the differences between the sexes."

The eldest grandchild of John D. Rocke-

causes, and uses her resources and

feller, Jr., Mrs. O'Neill was born in New

skills to strengthen and further their

York City and received her undergradu-

missions.Although

ate degree from Bradford College. She

chairwoman of both Rockefeller

served as a member of the board's

has been a trustee of International

Financial Services and the Rockefeller

development, house, nominating, and

House for over forty years and is proud

Brothers Fund requires continual and

executive committees. Her chairing of

to point out that "International

meticulous attention,Abby

O'Neill has

the leadership gifts committee was

has been a Rockefeller family affair since

given special attention to Oyster Bay,

instrumental to the success of Inter-

Harry Edmonds introduced the idea,

Long Island, where she lives, with active

national House's last capital campaign.

House

her positions as a

Mrs. O'Neill joined the board of trustees in 1958 and, over the years, has

Cleve Dodge bought the land, and

membership in such organizations as

Grandfather built International House.

the Family Service Association of

first non-alumnus to receive the Harry

It's been a major part of our lives. But,"

Nassau County, the Community Foun-

Edmonds Award. Five years later, at

she emphasizes, "we are not the only

dation of Oyster Bay,the Youth and

another Edwards Award gala at the

multigenerational

International House

In 1993,Abby M. O'Neill became the

Family Counseling Agency of Oyster

Rainbow Room, she was honored by

family. Cleve Dodge's grandson, Bill

Bay, and the Visiting Nurses of Oyster

her uncle, David Rockefeller, for her

Rueckert, is a very active trustee. John

Bay and Glen Cove. She has been active

forty years of service as a trustee.

French Ill is the son of John French,

in education and the arts, serving as

who was our counsel and trustee for

president of the G reenacre Poundation,

many decades. Kathy Buddenhagen is

vice chairwoman of the Colo,nial

the niece of our super-trustee, the late

Williamsburg

118

Foundation, a member of

LIVING

OVER THE SEVENTY-FIVE

YEARS OF ITS EXISTENCE,

IN

THE

FUTURE

INTERNATIONAL

House had drawn its community together. Current residents and staff, alumni, trustees, and friends all share friendship and loyalty to the House. As they have faced change together

HALL Qf HISTORY and reaffirmed the mission of the institu-

tion, they have sustained the House and been enriched by it. Finally, in 1997, it was time to celebrate the amazing history oflnternational House, and on November 4, members of the extended community, including three generations of the Rockefeller family, met to open the Hall of History in the Davis Hall foyer.

Joining in the opening celebration for International House's Hall of History were (from left) David Rockefeller, Kathryn W. Davis, Don Cuneo, John C. Whitehead, Abby O'Neill, and Bill Rueckert.

Others in attendance at the dedication and reception included Peter Miles and Charles Edmonds, both nephews ofl.House originator Harry Edmonds; Diane Cook and Jennifer Cook Vavra, respectively widow and daughter of the late President Emeritus Howard A. Cook; World Council Co-Chairs James T. Barton (1955), Sigurdur Helgason (1945), andVreni A. Hommes (1989); International Trustee Kenneth Taylor; Dr. Patricia Taylor, chairwoman of the Women's International Leadership Program Advisory Council; and former Programs Director Ellie Spiegel and her husband Hans. Thirty-five trustees, more than a hundred residents, and scores of alumni, friends, and current and former staff members were present for the festivities.

All had gathered to welcome the Hall of History to International House and to see the twelve panels that told the story of International

119

lnternat

onal

House

House.John Wells, director of public relations, had monitored the creation of the crisp, white panels, each displaying photographs and documents detailing the history of the House and its people.

David Rockefeller said simply:"International House has been an important institution in the life of our family for as long as I remember."

Then he acknowledged Trustee Abby M. O'Neill, calling her "a wonderful person and dear friend as well as my niece;' who joined the board in 1958. Rockefeller also noted with pride that Abby O'Neill's son-an I.House resident in 1992 and now a trustee---Peter C. O'Neill, had attended his first board meeting earlier that evening, marking "four generations of our family as active members of the board."

"THE WORLD'S

GLO§Ab HOMETOWN" Jane Rhetta, graduate student at Col-

in recreation, or perform civic duties.

"reference the ancient urban amenities

umbia's School of Architecture and pre-

"Concert nights, language-exchange

of Roman towns. Well, how else would

sen~ I.House resident, compares the

classes,martial arts and aerobics, the

we bathe except in the tradition of the

House to a village. Living there, she says,

local late-night cafe, a weekly movie cine,

ancient scholars of Rome?" She sees the

transforms residents into "citizens of a

and a ballroom for dancing ... the post

sometimes balky elevators as a "vertical

rare and treasured international commu-

office, laundry, pub/entertainment center,

metro system," with waiting at rush hour

nity-one

the TV and pool rooms, the study and

that leads to discussion about "news,

cultural exchange and a living community

of shared knowledge, [and]

library"-all

weather, politics, and sports."

of support and understanding." For

spaces,according to Rhetta, function to

Rhetta points out that when resi-

Rhetta, the physical environment of

integrate residents, drawing them into

dents climb to the roof patios they reach

International House sets the stage as a

shared experiences that form the "cul-

a high point, with "an opportunity to

unique sort of home-familiar

ture" of a village or small town.

view the big picture; expanding the vision

territory

in which "you can never get lost."

The Main Hall, the collection of public rooms-Dodge,

of these activities and

Furthermore, says Rhetta:"Above the

without having to expand the bank

town center district lies the bulk of the

account .... The views are panoramic and the sunsets are always beautiful."

Mural, and Home-

residential zone contained in the tower

serve as "broad avenuesof business,

portion of the buildings.The respective

civic, and municipal amenities of the

floors function very much like the

House, Rhetta remarks, "It's an environ-

town center," she says."They function

blocks, streets, and other dwelling areas

ment that is constantly evolving and

much like a downtown, with large gath-

of the town ... each possessingthe idio-

growing, its residents becoming global

ering spaces,eating and athletic facili-

syncrasies of a small neighborhood."

ambassadors to the world. It's an experi-

Concluding her tour of International

ties." Also similar to a downtown dis-

Even the vicissitudes of group living

trict, these public areas allow residents

tend to knit individuals into a commu-

miss, and will probably never forget:

to become neighbors as they share food

nity, Rhetta posits. "The ever popular

International House as a global home-

and drink, gossip or discuss work, engage

shared bathroom facilities:' she jokes,

town of the world."

120

ence I have come to enjoy, will certainly

LIVING

Rockefeller then noted that Trustee Bill Rueckert, grandson of Cleveland E. Dodge, who served on the original building committee and on the board for fifty-seven years, now chairs the board's executive committee. "Both your grandfather and my father would be awfully pleased to know that those early roots have continued," he said.

President Cuneo told all assembled that the Hall of History was the realization of his wishes "to convey the extraordinary history of the House and those associated with it to new generations of residents, alumni, and friends."

Chairman Whitehead congratulated Cuneo and Wells for their success in creating the exhibit. He urged the residents to study the panels carefully because they reveal how ...

IN

THE

FUTURE

WILLIAM D RUECKERT

Trustee since 1984 Bill Rueckert's joy in serving good causes

the historyof this House reallyreflectsnot only theparallelhistory of our country,but the historyof the world.If you look at the names andfaces in thepictures,you'restruckby how manypeopleofgreat significance toAmericaand to the worldhave beenassociatedwith this House.

follows the example set by his grandfather, Cleveland E. Dodge, who served as a trustee and honorary trustee for fifty-seven years. Rueckert has devoted humor, energy, and wisdom to International House since his election to the

Whitehead charged the residents in attendance as well as the members of the extended International House community "to make the most of your years here, and to recognize that International House is an important part of the transition you are making from being a citizen of your country to being a citizen of the world."

board in 1984. Numerous committees have functioned more effectively thanks to his work, including the executive committee, which he has chaired since 1995. He has also led or served on the finance, nominating, house, development, and long range-planning committees.

In addition to his I.House service, Rueckert also supports many other notfor-profit organizations in New York City, including the Cleveland E. Dodge Foundation.Teacher's College.Wave Hill, and the Y.M.C.A. of Greater New York, for all of which he serves as a director.

Rueckert, an expert on the operation of companies in the oil, chemical, and resort industries, is president of Rosow & Company and a director ofWestport Bancorp.

121

International

122

House

LIVING

IT IS A TYPICAL MORNING

AT INTERNATIONAL

IN

THE

FUTURE

HOUSE ON NEW YORK'S

Riverside Drive.Across the Hudson River, the New Jersey shore glows in warm sunlight; soft snow falls on Grant's Tomb and Sakura Park; and the sound of traffic swells on the West Side Highway, Riverside Drive, and Claremont Avenue. Inside the House, students are summoned from dreams by a variety of mechanized voices, music, clangs, clicks, and beeps, each in its own language steadily elevating the urgency of its call.

Doors open and close, flip-flops slap heels as young men and women emerge from

WAKE-UP CALL FORA NEWCENTU~theirrooms, making their way to showers. They mumble greetings to one another; someone sings scales; a radio blares and then subsides. Snippets of steam mingle in the corridors with fugitive fragrances from hair spray, after-shave lotion, and assorted potions, creams, emollients, and unguents designed to enhance the physical and mental person sprayed, rubbed, or doused.

Doors continue to open and close, books are dropped and retrieved.

Students scramble for the elevators, adjusting book bags, backpacks, instrument cases, and laptop computers in preparation for the walk or subway or bus ride to classes.

They cluster around the coffee machines in the dining room, order eggs, select boxes of dried cereal and juice, or put jam and butter on a plate. They submit bread or bagels to the toasting machine and await its uncertain treatment of their breakfast.

They eat alone, blinking back sleep; or they gather around tables and chirp and chatter about the day ahead. They check their watches, then set off for classes and jobs.

These young women and men are the same as, and different from, one another. They represent virtually every color and creed of the human species, but they all look like students anywhere, with their vivid-colored parkas, hiking shoes, blue jeans, sweaters, and sweatshirts.

For the most part, that is exactly what and who they are, above all other categorizations-students. They belong to a subculture defined by intelligence, energy, ambition, and idealism-similarities that, as International House has proven, diminish the significance of such differences as language, color, creed, and politics. Looking forward to what they will do, thinking about careers and challenges, purposing to change and challenge the status quo, they live in the future.

123

International

House

The alumni of International House pro-

SjamsiahAchmad (Indonesia, government

Fadhel Jamali (Iraq, prime minister)

vide an important link between the insti-

official), 1962

Sachio Kohjima (Japan,banking execu-

tution and the world. They return to visit

Hans Andersen (Iceland, U.N. represen-

tive), 1969

their old haunts and to share career per-

tative), 1943

Sinan Korie (Turkey, U.N. official), 1939

spectives with current residents. They

Robert Badminter (France, minister of

Wynona Lipman (U.S.,state senator), I 950

give time to the House, and often spear-

justice), 1949

Mark A. MacGuigan (Canada, minister of

head projects that benefit the communi-

Nita Barrow (Barbados, U.N. ambas,

justice), 1956

ty. They give money.They pledge loyalty

sador), 1962

Sigurdur Magnusson (Iceland, author;

to the House and faith in its ideals by

Thomas A. Bartlett (U.S.,college president),

critic), 1956

their actions.

1985

Norman Malinga (Swaziland,U.N. ambas-

PinaBausch(Germany,choreographer),1960

sador), 1970

trustees and many others generously

Roger Blanpain (Belgium, professor of

Sergio Mendes (Brazil, business consul-

advise staff on everything from what to

law), 1957

tant), 1963

print in the next newsletter to who

Frederick H. Boland (Ireland, president

Mitch Miller (U.S., bandleader), 1937

should be on guest lists for events or

U.N. General Assembly)

Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania,president), 1963

Several alumni serve on the board of

invited to visit the House and to address

Roscoe Lee Browne (U.S.,actor), 1956

Ashley Montague (England,anthropolo-

residents. Noted performing artists

Anker Buch (Denmark concert violinist),

gist), 1931

among the alumni return on special

1962

Masura Ogawa (U.S.,journalist; author),

occasions to perform for audiences at

Carlos De Bourbon (Spain,banking

1954

International House.

executive), 1932

Andreas Papandreou (Greece, prime

Chang Yi-Ting (China, National Assembly

minister), 1938

experiences as residents continue to

member), 1927

Hyman Rickover (U.S.,navy admiral), 1929

keep alive the International House spirit

Isaac Chocron (Venezuela,author; critic),

Issa Sadiq (Iran, author; educator), 193I

all over the world. This informal word-

1953

Henri Simonet (Belgium,cabinet minister),

of-mouth network helps to ensure a

Leonard Cohen (Canada, poet; novelist;

1942

constant stream of eager new applicants.

songwriter; recording artist), 1957

Paul Soros (Hungary, engineer; envoy),

Of the multitude of alumni who have

Edwin Colbert (Philippines, concert

1952

distinguished themselves in their chosen

guitarist), I 93 3

Annette Strauss (U.S., mayor), 1945

fields, only a few are profiled In the pages

Maurice Dartigue (Haiti, U.N. official), 1931

Werner Valeur-Jensen(Denmark,

of this book and space limitations pre-

Mattiwilda Dobbs (U.S.,opera singer), 1948

business executive), 1944

a

Rudolfo Brito Foucher (Mexico, lawyer;

Zaki Yamani (Saudi Arabia, government

directory would provide the raw materi-

university president; children's advocate)

minister)

al for another volume unto itself.

Those who benefitted from their

vents the inclusion of the others-such

Buell Gordon Gallagher (U.S., college

Louise Yim (Korea, university chancel-

Following, however, are the names of

president), 1936

lor), 1938

other exemplars who have devoted

Ibrahim Gambari (Nigeria, U.N. ambas-

themselves to promoting the ideals of

sador), 1971

International House.

Sookja Hong (South Korea, politician)

124

LIVING

LENGTHOF SERVICE OFFORMER AND PRESENT MEMBERSOF THE BOARDOF TRUSTEES OF INTERNATIONAL HOUSE

IN

THE

FUTURE

Hamilton FishArmstrong, 1925-34

David Rockefeller, serving since 1940

Mrs. Harvey N. Davis, 1925-68

Spencer Byard, 1942-70

Cleveland E. Dodge, 1925-82

Maj. Gen. Frank Ross McCoy, 1942-46

Harry E. Edmonds, 1925-79

Celestine Mott, 1942-54

Raymond B. Fosdick, 1925-36

Dr. Herrick Young. 1943-53

Frederick Osborn, 1925-81

Frank D. Fackenthal, 1945-57

Mrs.john D. Rockefeller.Jr., 1925-42

~ ""'"".,,..~ ...... l~.J.i

500 RIVERSIDEDRIVE,NEWYORKCITY

The first recorded meeting of members of the building committee was on May 16, 1921. Members were: Frederick Osborn, chairman; Cleveland E.Dodge, vice chairman; Raymond B. Fosdick, counsel; Harry

E.Edmonds, executive secretary. On July

George W. Wickersham, 1925-35 Mrs. Frank L. Babbott, 1925-28

/

1946-96

21, 1921, Mrs.William B. Rossiter joined

Dr. Wickliffe Rose, 1925-28

Maj. Gen. Julius Ochs Adler, 1947-55

the committee. On January 19, I922,john D. Rockefeller.Jr.,was added.

The International House Certificate of incorporation was signed on October 29,

Winthrop Aldrich, 1927-32 Lawrence Duggan, 1947-48 Mrs. Edward M. Foote, 1927-46 LeonardJ.Beck, 1949--64 Dave Morris.Jr., 1927-41 Gen. George C. Marshall, 1949-59

1925.The following were elected:

Chauncey Belknap, 1929--63 Porter McKeever, 1949-52

Chairman Raymond B. Fosdick, Cleveland E. Dodge, Frederick Osborn, Hamilton

Mrs. Henry G. Leach, 1929-34 Mrs. David Rockefeller. 1951-96

Fish Armstrong, Harry E.Edmonds, and

john D. Rockefeller Ill, 1930--78

Miss Helen Miller.

Dr. 0. Currier McEwen, 1934-43

Albert L. Nickerson, 1952--62 John J. McCloy, 1954-89 On May 13, 193I, the name of InterGeorge W. Perkins, 1954-55

national House's governing board was legally changed from board of governors to board of trustees.

Maurice Harari, 1954-55 Mrs. 0. Currier

McEwen, 193_+-67 The following chronologically records, to the best of our knowledge, every member of the board of governors/trustees since the inception of International

Barton Turnbull.Jr., 1934--40 Dr. Henry G. Gluck, 1934-35 john L. Mott, 1935-55

House.

Col. Henry L. Stimson, 1936-50

Arthur K.Watson, 1954-61 Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, 1954-71 Howard A Cook, 1955-96 Arthur Dean, 1955--61 Percy L. Douglas, 1955--64 Dr. Henry T. Heald, 1956-59 Mrs. Stanley G. Mortimer.Jr., 1956--61

Reidar E. Gundersen, 1937--61

Mrs. Oscar M. Ruebhausen, 1956-90 August Heckscher, 1956-85

125

Internal

anal

House

·Pr.CarronNewsom, 1956-62

David B.Truman, I963-66 Mrs.John T. Beaty, 1963-71 John French, 1963-84

Alibyl-1.0'Neill, serving since 1958 ~,.

Ruth W.Houghton, :,,. serving since 1970

:, .

Jonathan Mason, serving since 1970

Peter Flanigan, 1958-63

John I. Howell, H.James Szold, 1958-71 serving since 1963

Ellsworth Donnell, 1971-73 Ambassador CharlesW.Yost, 1971-75 .

Leontyne Price, 1963-96 StanleyM. Rumbaugh,Jr.,

Gilbert E.Jones, 1964-85 Robert G. Stone.Jr., serving since 1965

serving since 1958 Dr. AndrewW.Cordier; 1966-72 Robert W.Purcell, I 958-91

Stephen M. Dubrul,Jr., 1971-75, serving since 1986

Mrs. John F.Kennedy, 1966

John J. lselin, 1971-74

Mrs. Richard Rodgers, 1966-71

Herman Rottenberg, serving since 1971

Kenneth M.Spang, 1966-69

Dr. Jeanne L.Noble, 1972-73

:&;~hid Barnes, 1961-75

John Elliott.Jr., serving since 1967

John R. H. Blum, serving since 1972

~~rth'Bunker;! 96 l--63

Gerald Tsai.Jr., 1967-74

Edwin Morgens, 1972-75

L.Edwin Smart, 1967-70

Harvey Picker, 1972-77

David Rockefeller,Jr., 1968-70

Mrs. Bruce R. Hennessy, 1973-77

Robert M. Hettema, 1968-73

William M.Weaver, 1973-78

Sigurdur Helgason, serving since 1969

Edward A.White, 1973-75

ShirleyVerrett, 1969-72

Dr. Detlev Bronk, 1973-75

Hays Clark, 1970-80

Simeon Golar; 1973-75

Ann Haebler Frantz, 1970-88

Robin Chandler Duke, 1973-75

Mrs.Yves Robert, serving since 1970

Donald B. Marron, 1974-76

pr.John A. Krout, 1959-63 Mrs.:,,v.Rogers Herod, 1960-69

j6~n$irnrnons,; I?60.:-9I

,_ReirArl✓tirtnilv;.,_

I 961-64

Hr.s.

Fta~kf.

Larkin, 1961-69

PhyllisHirschfeld, serving since 1961

L.W.Frohlich, 1962-71 Dr. James Hester, 1962-71

Joseph Verner Reed, 1974-76

John Powers, 1962--65

Leonard Linton, 1975-96

Herman J.Sdimidt, 1962-72

EdmondJ. Nouri, serving since 1970

126

LIVING

IN

THE

FUTURE

Donald L. Cuneo, serving since 1977 Poul Kjaer-Hansen, 1977-97

Gerold E. Borsdorf,

Stephen C. Eyre,

Mrs. Reuben Richards, I 9774l3

19754l6

serving since 1984 Mrs. RobertW. Purcell, 1984-89

n ...

1r.~...,,

Mary Kay Farley, serving since 1979

S,omo,,

19754l5

William D. Rueckert, serving since 1984 Martha Redfield Wallace, 198~9

Jacques P.DePortu, serving since 1978

Dr. William G. Sharwell, serving since 1984

Shelby Cullom Davis, 1975-94

Thomas F.Olson, I 9784l2

Richard D. Simmons, 1984-91

Christopher F.Edley, I 9754l6

F.M. Kirby, 19794l0

President Gerald R. Ford, serving since

Frank H.Wyman, 1975-82

David E. McKinney, 1979-90

George W. Ball, 1975-77

Dr. Takeshi Nagano, serving since 1979

Mrs. Howard L. Clark, 1975

Rex Olsson, I 9794l6

Lawrence C. McQuade, 197H6 Kent Rhodes, 1976-91 James S. Smith, I 97H3 Norton Stevens, 1976-93 Walther Casper; 1976-79 James D. Farley, 1976-79 Mrs. Donald B. Marron, 1976-83

n

1985 Robert A Belfer; 1985-90 Kathleen Buddenhagen, serving since 1985

MidgeTurk Richardson, serving

Kenneth D. Taylor,

since 1979

serving since 1985

Sergio P.Mendes, serving since 1980 Daisy M. Soros, serving since 1981

John French Ill,

Gordon W. Evans,serving since 1982

serving since 1986

Patricia M. Cloherty, serving since 1982

JamesT. Barton., 1.986-99

Katusha Davison, serving since 1977 Dr. Henry A Kissinger, serving since 1977

Barbara D. Duncan, Kenneth Chenault,

serving since 1982

1987-90 Russell S. Reynolds.Jr., serving since 1983 FayeWattleton, I 9834l6

Paul D. Carter serving since 1977

Ahmed Juffali, 1984-94 Nand Khemka, serving since 1984

D

Donald D. Kummerfeld, serving since 1988

127

Internal

onal

House

Norton John Whitmont, serving since 1991 Cristina Zamani, 1991-93

L. Scott Frantz, serving since 1989 John C.Whitehead, serving since I 989

Timotheus R. Pohl, serving since 1992 Kunio Shimazu, 1992-94

Peter C. O'Neill, serving since 1997

Betty Allen, 1995-96

Kevin Ferrell, 1997-99

Arlene Barilec, 1993-96

Blaise Halluitte, serving since 1997

Dr. Lucylee Chiles, 1993-96

Thompson M. Swayne,serving since 1997

John F.Crawford, serving since 1993

Bien Kiat Tan, serving since 1998

Baron Edmond De Rothschild, 1993-97

Peter K. Scaturro, serving since 1998

Thomas Hirschfeld, serving since 1993

PaulA.Volcker, serving since 1998

Aly Ahmed Raafat,serving since 1993

Robert J. Krefting, serving since 1999

John E.Hickey, 1993-94

Elsie Crum McCabe, serving since 1999

Vreni Aukjen

Hommes, serving since 1989 Christopher Meigher Ill, 1989-93 Wm. W. K. Rich, 1989-92 Robert H. Dexter, serving since 1989 Joafi R. Gregory, serving since 1990 Dr. Frayda B. Lindemann, 1990-96 Hans W. Decker, serving since 1990 Hiroshi Sakurai, 1990-91 Charles A. Heim bold, 1990-97 Timothy C. Purcell, serving since 1991 Tatsuro Toyoda, serving since 1991

Kenneth G.Langone, 1994-98 Joseph T. McLaughlin, serving since 1994 Dr. Karin Zinkann, serving since 1994 Takeshi Nagaya,serving since 1994 David N. Dinkins, 1994-96 Leah Rush Cann, serving since 1994 Wal id Ahmed Juffali, serving since 1994 Peter W. Hegener, serving since 1996 Kathryn W. Toll, serving since 1996

William S. Moody, serving since 1991

John W. Kooyman, serving since 1996 Emily Lloyd, serving since 1996

G. Richard Thoman, 1991-98

Patrick W. McEnroe, serving since 1996

Barbara S.Thomas, 1991-93

Norman Greig, serving since 1997

Squire N. Bozorth, 1991-94

Kenneth M. Kramer, serving since 1997

128

INTERNATIONAL

HOUSE

NEW

YORK

LIVINGIN THE FUTURE SEVENTY

FIVE

John D. Rockefeller,Jr.,

in a remarkably

YEARS

prophetic speech in 1923, proclaimed his vision for International

House: "I see the

mission of International

House-That

BrotherhoodMay Prc11ail-extending each year in ever-widening

circles. I see other

such houses springing up in the international student communities

of the \vorld, and all

these centers joining hands with the various endeavors which are aiming to promote brotherhood."

His vision has stood the test

of time.

International

Houses have since been

built in a number of communities around the world. These institutions, along with the Council of World Members and the growing number of International House alumni who contribute their efforts and insights to the United Nations and other global institutions, together present a testament to the strength and endurance of the International House movement.

In 1924 International

House opened its

doors to students from around the world.

Today, three-quarters

of a century later, its

dedication to diversity, the celebration of culture, and fostering international

communion

remains steadfast. Cultural historian Lee Hall presents extraordinary

portraits of the

insightful and innovative people who have been integral to the success of International House, a roster that includes such people as Harry and Florence Edmonds, General George C. Marshall, David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, and many others.

Living in the Future also shows how International House has overcome adversity time and time again as it welcomed students from as many areas of the world as possible during World War II, the Cold War, and numerous other conflicts. Much of the House's strength, Hall discovers, is based on the conviction of residents, directors, and trustees that brotherhood must prevail above all else. Commitment to this idea has created an environment in which the international base of students live together and learn ways of overcoming barriers created by nationalism.

Living in the Future begins with the idealistic dream of founder Harry Edmonds and follows the story of International House to the present day, as it explores its heritage as a paradigm for the real possibility of attaining world peace. Illustrated with more than 145 rare photographs from the archives of International House New York, many never before published, the book explores the rich tapestry of perspectives woven together within the House at any given time. Its focus on residents reveals the breadth of the House's population, which has included Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and the leaders of many nations.

Lee Hall, formerly Senior Vice President of the Academy of Educational Development in New York and President of the Rhode Island School of Design, is both a painter and a writer. Her numerous books on art and cultural history include Athena: A Biography,

Olmsted'sAmerica:An "Unpractical"Man and His Vision of Civilization, and Elaine and Bill: Portraitof a Marriage. jacket design:Peter M. Blaiwas,Vernon Press,Inc.

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:z: WHERE NEW

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