TO T H E EDITOR
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor,
A comment on this fall’s issue, if I may: WOW!
—Walter N. Morrison ’45 Truro, Massachusetts Dear Editor, The Pot Pourri sales campaign in 1952 was capped by posters in every bathroom stall, which read: “As you sit with bended knee—think of buying the Pot Pourri.” Brilliant!
—Mike Bromberg ’52 The Sea Ranch, California Dear Editor, Flagstaff Court has been a geographic reference point for many years. I am sure alumni, students, and faculty fondly remember its signature paths bounding two rectangles within the court and running diagonally across each of them, eventually meeting at the flagpole in the middle. My twin brother Nat and I graduated with the Class of 1964. Because we were identical twins, it occurred to us that the measured distance of our normal walking stride must also be identical. So we decided one day to test out the theory. Starting at one end, we marched off in different directions. We had mapped out a fairly complicated route, each of us going up and down mirror images of the various diagonals until, after several turns, we met precisely at the middle, shook hands, and flashed a sharp synchronized salute at the flag. Unbeknownst to us, [Headmaster] John Kemper was standing in front of Day Hall observing. He laughed and said, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life. You guys just might have a career in the military.”
—William Semple ’64 Warrenton, Virginia
In my very first class at Andover, Mr. [Robin] Crawford, my advisor and history teacher, handed out weather and crop reports for the previous 10 years for a nearby Massachusetts town and asked us to describe its socioeconomy. Others began to write, and I sat there not knowing where to begin. This was nothing like the rote-memorization history classes I was used to, and was coming on top of plenty of culture shock an international student can experience in their first month. I tried to catch the teacher’s eye and ask for a pointer or two, but he had no intention of helping with this intro assignment. As others around me scribbled faster, I started to panic, increasingly sure of two things: I will never pass this class, and I need all my focus to avoid sobbing that very minute. At the end of class, I waited for all to turn in their work before I stood up. With a blank sheet in my hand, tears now streaming down my face, I tried to get out the words “I don’t know how I’ll do this,” meaning the class or maybe Andover as a whole, but Mr. Crawford looked me in the eye and firmly said only, “You’ll be OK.” Over the next year, he taught us sternly and unforgivingly (his feedback on papers often consisted of entire paragraphs crossed out with “uhm…no” written next to them), but also with thoughtful encouragement (“get it written, not right” is something I’m still actively practicing). He was both generous and demanding, in the way that only someone who cared deeply about our future could be. And I was OK. More than OK.
Macro Mystery Can you identify the campus location of the item below?
If you think you know, send your answer to: andovermagazine@ andover.edu
Stumped again! No winners of the fall 2014 Macro Mystery!
Mr. Crawford came and went in my life, but I’ll never forget him. Thank you, and rest in peace.
—Selena Hadzibabic ’02 New York, New York Editor’s note: Please see Robin Crawford’s obituary on page 119. 1972
Search & Rescue Read about its 50-year history (page 42)
ERRATA Fall 2014 On pages 18–19, we should have noted that photographer John Hurley shot the photos of Iris Deng, fingerprinting with instructor Rebecca Roy, and making shoe impressions. On page 51, we neglected to note that student activities director Chris Capano, student program coordinator Stephanie Wong, and instructor in theatre and dance Erin Strong organized—and their departments partially funded—the Abbot Bazaar. Well done! And on page 84, we should have noted that Emma Kaufmann-LaDuc ’17 took the photo of the Chris Gurry ’66 gathering at the Andover Inn.
This little primate is one of two matching oak newel posts at the bottom of the Graham House Counseling Center’s main stairway. Constructed in 1915, Graham House was originally the home of AUV (Auctoritas, Unitas, Veritas), the PA secret society pledged by President George Bush ’42.
Please share your thoughts with us Andover, the magazine of Phillips Academy welcomes your comments, suggestions, and involvement. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, and style. Please e-mail andovermagazine@andover.edu or call 978-749-4677.