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CORRESPONDENCE
(Jim Robinson ’60 writes regarding the deaths of two men who have had close ties to the School) To the Editors: I was saddened to read of the death of my classmate, Nino Scotti ‘60. A lover of antiquities and the finer things in life, he was also a respected appraiser. He probably was the best-educated person I have ever known. He never stopped learning and enjoyed passing his knowledge on. A simple question on a piece of furniture could produce a wealth of information that was full of historical insights. He valued his standards and he was not shy about adhering to them. I had the pleasure of visiting with Nino and his mom just a few years ago at the immense Victorian at 179 Hope Street (in Providence, RI). So many memories of fun times there! Dr. and Mrs. Scotti had 11 children and Nino was the first of four sons to attend Portsmouth. While I can remember his Dad returning from work and taking the time to greet each child and make them feel so special and loved, there simply was not enough time and hugs to go around and Nino, as the eldest son, would enjoy filling in. My words do not begin to describe the happiness in this amazing family and house– their hospitality to so many of the Abbey family over the years. I feel lucky to have been one of Nino’s friends and to have had the chance to get to know his family as well. In addition, I write about my counterpart at the American University in Beirut, David Dodge (who died on January 20, 2009), stepfather of two Portsmouth alumni (Dr. Richard White ‘78 and John White ’80) and one of the finest Arabists in the last century. Not only had he mastered Arabic, the world’s most difficult language, but he also fully understood the culture and politics of the region. In 1980, I had the privilege to visit Dr. Dodge at AUB. I had gone there to see how they ran their campus and also to visit their agriculture school, since we were just starting up a Desert Development Center at the American University in Cairo, where I was just completing my third year as Senior Vice President. Nothing prepared me for the terrible devastation from the civil war one could see on the trip in from the airport. To be honest, I felt blessed that I worked in Cairo, which was also considered a hardship post, especially as I listened to gunshots fired each night after curfew. I had been in Saigon before the Tet offensive and not seen the amount of bombed-out buildings that were all over Beirut. Dr. Dodge was the fourth generation of his family to serve at AUB, which had been founded by his great-grandfather. He had left a safe job as President of the Near East Foundation in New York to work at AUB, which honestly was a dangerous place to work. Promoted to be acting president, he was one of the first Americans to be kidnapped in Beirut in 1982. His successor, Dr. Malcolm Kerr, whom I worked with at AUC, was murdered on the AUB campus in 1984, shortly after Dr. Dodge’s release from captivity. Overseas service is critically important and not without danger and discomfort, as we see above. I wanted to salute David Dodge and his ancestors for their devotion to AUB and for his language skills. Just like our own Father Joseph Healey, MM, ’54, who has spent his life serving in East Africa and also mastered the local languages, we often never see or hear of the fine work so many Americans do overseas out of the limelight. I am proud that my university, Georgetown, has produced one of the largest contingents of Peace Corps volunteers in the country, including my service in West Africa (‘64-66). I would hope more of the Portsmouth family develop a love of languages and overseas service, where the capacity to change lives is relatively greater than here. In the meantime, let us take pleasure in recognizing the achievements of David Dodge and perhaps reading more about others in the Portsmouth family who have also served overseas that we have never heard about. – Jim Robinson ‘60
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