connected to science

Thank you [to Bennett Lorber ’64, H’96, in “Trust in Science,” summer+fall 2020] for sharing your wisdom and facts in these uncertain times. … I especially appreciated that you connected science to our shared beliefs and values. I’m working to bring about a Blue Tsunami for Nov. 3 to save our democracy, our society, and our planet. Onward! Forward!

— SHANNON LOUDEN ’85, via bulletin.swarthmore.edu

VETERANS FOR PEACE

The Philadelphia chapter of Veterans for Peace is now officially the Thompson Bradley Chapter 31 [named for the late professor emeritus of Russian]. Tom was an active member for decades, and we all loved him and miss him very much.

— BILL EHRHART ’73, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

weighing in on investments

Managing an endowment portfolio is difficult. Managing a portfolio with the ethics police peering over your shoulder and advising which investments are “worthy” is next to impossible. My education at Swarthmore taught me that around every political, social, or cultural issue there will be diverse opinions and passionate disagreements. The decades since have taught me humility in that some beliefs that we viewed as unquestionable in the 1960s have in fact become questionable or even been rejected as time passed. Donors to the endowment should not have to worry that their money might be used for causes they oppose or removed from causes they support according to the whim of the political judgment du jour. Let the money be used for the one purpose we all agree on, the financial security and stability of the College. Students, faculty, and alumni can directly support any cause they wish. Let the endowment be for Swarthmore.

— JOEL JAFFE ’65, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Friends Across Boundaries

My classmate Stephen Arbuthnot ’70 and I are grateful that the Bulletin touched upon some of Yukio Okamoto’s accomplishments at the apex of Japanese-American diplomatic relations (“Their Light Lives On,” summer+fall 2020). While reminiscing about our lifelong friendships with Yukio, we reflected on how Swarthmore’s two-year program for Japanese foreign officer trainees embodied and advanced the College’s humanistic values through authentic friendship across national boundaries, intellectual engagement, and historical perspective.

During World War II, Swarthmore trained Navy officers in engineering, likely preparing many of them to fight in the Pacific Theater. We can be proud that the Japanese Foreign Ministry recognized Swarthmore as a place to develop its young foreign service officers to represent Japan in a new era of peace and (hoped-for) internationalism — and that Swarthmore welcomed them. Yukio was at Swarthmore in 1968–70, during the height of protests of America’s war against an Asian nation. In tributes to Yukio, a common theme is how he managed to be an effective advocate for Japanese interests without hiding his love for America. That combination undoubtedly elicited trust in him by his American counterparts, making it possible to conclude difficult agreements, such as over the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.

Yukio’s character, humanity, and wide-ranging passions imbued both his friendships and his professional accomplishments. Looking at your photo, I hope your readers can discern, as Stephen and I do, the empathy, curiosity, and understated humor that lurk behind his stoic visage.

— ARTHUR BLOCK ’70, New York, N.Y.

Jesus (Jesse) Rivera

KEEP LOOKING UP: There are the Horsehead and Flame Nebulae. While teaching Introduction to Astronomy this fall, Jesus (Jesse) Rivera, visiting assistant professor of astronomy, helped students use the Peter van de Kamp telescope to view planets, the moon, and some galaxies, too.

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