L&C Magazine

Summer 2008

Featured Stories

Message from the President

President's Letter, Summer-2008

The Transformative Power of Science

I have always been intrigued by kaleidoscopes. I remember being fascinated by the ever-changing symmetrical patterns I saw through that magical eyepiece. Later on, when I figured out how the configuration of mirrors created those patterns, I was no less impressed by the ingenuity of mind that could conceive such a wonderful contraption and then construct it out of tin, cardboard, a bit of plastic, and a few pieces of colorful glass. If anything, my admiration for the kaleidoscope was enhanced by understanding how it worked.

On Palatine Hill

Alumni News

Profiles

Bookshelf

  • Ancient Philosophy: Essential Readings With Commentary

    Nicholas Smith, Miller Professor of Humanities, coedits an introduction to ancient philosophers and their texts, from Pre-Socratic thinkers to the Neo-Platonists.

    Wiley-Blackwell, 2008. 472 pages.

  • Red Weather: A Novel

    Pauls Toutonghi, assistant professor of English, offers a tragicomic debut novel, which paints a loving, cockeyed picture of the Soviet immigrant experience in the twilight of the Cold War.

    Three Rivers Press, 2007. 272 pages.

  • Raising Writers: Helping Children Learn to Write

    Ruth Shagoury, Rogers Professor of Education, explores how primary educators can nurture young learners through the transition from spoken to written language.

    Allyn & Bacon, 2008. 144 pages.

  • Kyleah’s Mirrors

    William Burt BS ’76 chronicles the odyssey of Kyleah, a young girl who awakens an ancient evil slumbering in the mountains above her village and who seeks the fabled firebird to combat the scourge. This is book six in Burt’s King of the Trees series for readers age 8 and up.

    Winepress Publishing, 2007. 255 pages.

  • Convictions: A Prosecutor’s Battles Against Mafia Killers, Drug Kingpins, and Enron Thieves

    John Kroger, associate professor of law, steers us through the complexities of life as a federal prosecutor, where the battle in the courtroom is the culmination of long, intricate investigative work.

    Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2008. 480 pages.

  • Cacti, Agaves, and Yuccas of California and Nevada

    Stephen Ingram BA ’83, author and photographer, examines the natural history of California and Nevada’s cacti, agaves, and yuccas, including their origins, ecology, and conservation. The book features more than 60 species, complete with detailed text, 262 color photos, 16 botanical watercolors, and 52 range maps.

    Cachuma Press, 2008. 244 pages.

  • Beyond Bullets

    Jules Boykoff MAT ’98 writes about the suppression of dissent in America.

    AK Press, 2007. 400 pages.

In Memoriam

1950s, Class Notes, class-notes, In Memoriam, Profile, Summer-2008

Music Professor Emerita Kilbuck Mourned

Edith Kilbuck B.M. ‘52, professor emerita of music, died March 23 of respiratory failure at age 76. She served on the college faculty from 1963 until her retirement in 1989.