Good news

It excites me to read about the tremendous progress the college continues to make with new and beautiful facilities. The richness and quality of the education at Cornell is evident in the articles on faculty, and in stories about students around the world. After reading the recent Cornell Report I only wish that I were young again to take advantage of the opportunities and environment that Cornell has. Having had the good fortune to pass through the halls of Creighton University, Tufts University, MIT, Harvard, and Stanford, nothing makes me as proud as the degree from Cornell that hangs on my wall. My pride is further bolstered by the articles in the Report. I think you are doing a fine editorial job. I see nothing wrong with optimism. Reading good things about good people is OK with this alum. Keep up the good work.

Dr. Douglas J. Ramos ’77
Omaha, Neb.

Cornell campus extolled

Having spent four years at the other Cornell in the 1990s, I had been searching for an excuse to visit the older of the two schools ever since I formally began studying the history of higher education last year. And when a colleague at the University of Illinois needed a ride to Iowa City, I volunteered even before I knew of the proximity of Mount Vernon to his destination. The dream for that visit to Cornell College became a reality for me, then, on Saturday, July 30.

The east side of campus dusted by a January snow.

Although the campus was well-nigh deserted (since I arrived at 5 p.m.), I enjoyed walking amid the majestic trees and impressive buildings on the Hilltop, reading commemorative plaques and tracing the history of the school. And the setting! Friends had warned me how flat Iowa (supposedly) is, with nothing but cornfields for miles and miles; eastern Iowa must prove some sort of exception to that stereotype. The setting of your campus seems quite idyllic; and the folks in Mount Vernon proved to be incredibly friendly and hospitable. What a lovely community!

Unfortunately, my visit to your campus and community was all too brief, so I hope I will have another chance to revisit the area and to reinvoke the nostalgia of my own undergraduate days that the name “Cornell,” whether referring to the school in Iowa or in New York, will forever stir in my heart.

Steven E. Gump
Champaign, Ill.

Corrections to 2004-05 Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors

Martha Huizenga ’89 should be listed under the Royal Purple Society.

Two listings in the Presidents Society were incorrect. The husband of Peg Dunlap ’73 should be listed as David Monical. And, Thomas Martin is Class of ’68, not ’67. Sorry, Thomas!