Amherst Magazine, Spring 2007

Cover art
FEATURES
Raising the Bar
Raising the Bar
Writing a senior thesis takes focus, imagination, a high threshold for pain—and also sheer pluck. This spring, around 200 members of the Class of ’07 decided to take the leap. Here are a few of their stories.
By Emily Gold Boutilier		  
Coming Together at the Seams
Coming Together at the Seams
Ben Cherington ’96 works at the epicenter of one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sport, in arguably the most rabid baseball town in America. How a former Amherst pitcher became a central piece of the Red Sox machine.
By Josh Fischel ’00
An Even Better Home at Amherst
An Even Better Home at Amherst
Though she has been dead for more than a century, people still dream of receiving a note from Emily Dickinson. After decades spent tucked away in a trunk, three of her letters—including two poems—have found their way to campus.
By Daria D’Arienzo and Margaret R. Dakin
 
DEPARTMENTS

College Row
Beyond the museum—China’s Internet— Teatime with Shakespeare—Robert Frost returns—Setting murder to music—Michael Kiefer moves on—Career advice online— Deep thoughts—New on the Web—Work in progress—And more. Also: From the Folger and Verbatim.

Faculty Profile
Ethan Clotfelter, assistant professor of biology and neuroscience.

Sports
Smashing through bedrock.

Amherst Creates
Type sculptures by Lloyd Schermer ’50—Piers Ingersoll Lewis ’53 on Shakespeare—A surgeon’s tale from Sidney M. Schwab ’66—Photos by Beatriz Wallace ’04—Short takes. Also: Short Takes.

What They Are Reading
Alexander Chee, visiting writer.

Letters
Serving in Iraq—Coming to terms—Food network—Men’s basketball—Class notes—Love and the amoeba.

Profiles in Philanthropy
Allen J. Hart ’82
 
SPECIAL FEATURES & ONLINE EXTRAS

9/11 Photos
In “Eyewitness,” our profile of David Friend ’77 P ’10, we asked to see the photos you took on September 11, 2001, and in the days that followed. Bob Kaufman ’83 sent close-ups from ground zero. Jed Miller ’88 sent photos of the second World Trade tower as it fell.

Class Paper: “Evolution at Amherst College” (PDF)
After reading our feature on the religious and scientific beliefs of former Amherst president Edward Hitchcock (“Etched in Stone”), John Kroll ’66 sent us a related paper he wrote in 1965 for an American Studies seminar.

Wayward Mariners
Ben Softness ’06 and David Imbert ’05 have written about their experience last fall rowing in the Amherst College Alumni Eight at the Head of the Charles in Boston.

Parting thoughts: An interview with Tom Eagleton
Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton ’50 died on March 4 at the age of 77. This interview with Eagleton appeared in the Summer 1986 issue of Amherst magazine.

Recent Multimedia
Watch video of President Marx’s talk, “Charting a Course for Amherst's Future.”

Watch/listen/read Marx’s Commencement address, hear speeches by honored guests and members of the Class of 2007 and see lots and lots of photos—all on our Commencement pages.