Alumni

I work for the [Pennsylvania Department of Corrections] and I applaud this work [“Fulsome Prison Blues,” Fall 2014]. Great, great job. We do need reform in the criminal justice system. We need to stop privatization of prison systems and various services in prisons. Trading stock and lobbying based on…

[The Fall 2014 On Wisconsin] is one impressive edition. I’m glad to see that the UW still has professors of great caliber. The article by Michael W. Wagner [“Does Democacy Work?”] was excellent and thought provoking. This article will be scanned and sent to many friends. [As I…

Loved the article and photos of your red foxes [“Bucky, Beware!” Fall 2014]. Since moving from Wisconsin to Colorado six years ago, we have had the privilege of meeting many red foxes in our backyard. They are not only beautiful, but [they] don’t cause any harm and interact with…

The photo [of the construction on Library Mall, “It’s Time for a Change,” News & Notes, Fall 2014] choked me up a bit yesterday. I was a member of the band Deyenasoar Feathers from 1987 to 1990 and am now an art professor at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

I…

Just saw the ultrasound of my first grandchild. Reminded me of the day I sat next to my wife and saw the smudgy images of my unborn daughter, now pregnant with my grandson. “Love at First Image” [News & Notes, Fall 2014] nails it in the bull’s-eye: an upcoming…

Although, as pointed out in the article “Behind the Screens” [Fall 2014], there is some criticism of MOOCs, I have found them to be a tremendous opportunity to continue the process of lifelong learning.

Taking part in the Coursera program has allowed me to take challenging science courses online…

This well-written compilation of articles [“Can This Democracy Be Saved?” Fall 2014 On Wisconsin] explores how divided our country has become. Somewhere in my lifetime, we turned the word compromise into an epithet that has turned politics into a blood war. We seem, as a nation, to be intent…

My daughter participated in the [Washington D.C. Semester in International Affairs] program last year, resulting in her catching “Potomac fever” [Classroom, Summer 2014]. She has since graduated, packed her bags, and moved to D.C., and is now in search of employment to pursue her dream of making a difference. …

I thoroughly enjoyed your acronym acrobatics editorial in the Summer 2014 On Wisconsin [Inside Story]. It reminded me of a friend who became a member of MAD (Mothers Against Dyslexia). To get this effort off the ground ASAP, they utilized a program called PREGNANT — Parents Reaching Every Goal…

Those who knew Charlie Mohr during Madison’s NCAA boxing championship run in the 1950s were privileged indeed [News & Notes, “Fighting Back,” Summer 2014]. There was no better example of humility and sensitivity on campus. His popularity actually embarrassed him. [He was a] shy, sensitive, lanky, deeply religious boy most…

“Empty Nests” [Summer 2014] mentions UW scientists who have kept the passenger pigeon’s memory alive. I’d like to add Carol Ryrie Brink, author of Caddie Woodlawn (1935), to this list. Brink describes the annual migration of passenger pigeons over a farm south of Menomonie in the fall of 1864.…

[In regard to “Musical Numbers,” Summer 2014]: Fascinating article. As a musician, I’ve always believed that music is a form of math, and math is also an art form. Music is math, and time, and physics. Incidentally, I just finished reading a novel that combines music and time travel.…

Bravo to On Wisconsin for the splendid coverage of UW mathematics Professor Jordan Ellenberg and his new book How Not to Be Wrong [“Thinking inside the Box,” Summer 2014]. In an age when even our college-educated citizens struggle with the seemingly simple concepts of economic free lunches and the…

I recently read “Off the Prescribed Path” [Summer 2014], and I am highly disappointed and offended. I am an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and am also Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe. I have worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Health as a physician assistant since graduation in…

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated “Coming of Age” [Spring 2014 On Wisconsin]. As the mother of a son on the autism spectrum, I found the information interesting. Parents of children with autism — and also special needs — live in constant worry about…

[In regard to “Radio Daze,” Spring 2014], Slichter Hall was already a women’s dorm in fall 1953 when I came to Madison. I was a disc jockey for WMHA in 1954. I brought in many of my own 45 rpm records to play, including my theme song by Jimmy…

Les Mayers ’56 asked in the Spring 2014 issue [Posts] if others shared his experience of using his jacket as a sail when skating on Lake Mendota. A friend and I used to “skate” next to the lake by Memorial Union by just standing on the icy sidewalk and…

Your article on Nuclear Engineering 234 [Classroom] brought back memories. In 1962, I was a graduate student in nuclear engineering, and we had this idea to open up the reactor for Engineering Week. We had the reactor operating and producing the blue glow. We thought this would really impress…