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Letters
"Poignant Irony"
As usual, I read most of the Alumnus with
pleasure and profit. You run a good maga-
zine!
   I was struck, however, by the poignant
irony of your March/April cover photo and
the accompanying quotation: poignant, be-
cause the elms and so much of the grandeur
of the pre-World War II campus are gone;
ironic, because the Madison campus is in-
creasingly littered and unkempt, like a
sports stadium after a game. It is odd that
people who know what is good for El Salva-
dor or West Germany neither know nor
care that they are turning the campus into
an eyesore.
PAUL HASS MA'62
Madison
Reliving Those Days
I would like to compliment you on the ar-
ticle "I.O.U. Contour Maps, Chaucer and
Pride," by Marie Hefferan Walling '48, in
your March/April issue. I think this was the
most terrific article on campus life since I
left school in '32. There have been many
pictures and memories but nothing so well
done or that could have you relive all those
days that have fast become "long, long
ago."
   Ordinarily I am not the type of person to
respond to a magazine article or take the ef-
fort to write when I should. Neither do I
care to admit these old memories do give
me a little heartache-and it keeps getting
bigger as time goes by. This article did ex-
actly that.
   The author has that one-in-a-million
way of putting in words what many of us
think and realize but could never express in
writing.
   Thanks again for that very special ar-
ticle.
JERRY LARKIN '32,'34
La Crosse
The Enemy?
Regarding the remarks of Yuri Kaprolov,
from the Soviet Embasy, ("Confronting
Catastrophe," March/April), anyone who
believes the Russian military buildup is
purely defensive has forgotten the Cuban
Missile Crisis of 1962.
   Certainly "It's easy to think of the Rus-
sians as 'the enemy'," as Professor Ringler
says. It is very easy if you understand the
Russians because it is 100% true. Their
only aim is world domination and they do
not deny it.
WENZEL F. SMEJKAL '48
Spooner
Preserve the Rain Forests
We need more articles in the Wisconsin
Alumnus like the one in the March/April is-
sue by Karen Suomi on "Dr. Gartlan's
Damp Crusade."
   This article is not only well written, but
factual. It graphically describes the typical
rain forest.
   I have been in several rain forests in
South America, the Philippines, and Bor-
neo and can attest to the fact that unless we
preserve them, in a few years we will have
mighty few left, which will adversely effect
our climates.
   In fact the whole magazine was well
done and I really enjoyed reading it.
LAWRENCE J. FITZPATRICK '38,'41
Madison
UW "Fix"
I'm a pleased and avid reader of your maga-
zine; I look forward to its bimonthly arrival.
The purpose of this note is to make a sug-
gestion: how about devoting a full page in
each issue to a nice photo of some campus
scene! Over time, this would keep the read-
ers up to date on new construction and pro-
vide a glimpse of campus to hang on office
walls, etc. (I need a "fix" of UW regularly!)
   My best regards and warmest thanks,
for a fine magazine, to you and your staff.
JAMES T. VANCE PHD. '80
Dayton, Ohio
MAY/JUNE 1983 / 31
Day with the Arts
       September Z7