LettersReed welcomes letters from readers about the contents of the magazine or college. Letters must be signed and may be edited for clarity and space. Our email address is reed.magazine@reed.edu.
Remembering Dorothy Johansen
From Brewster Smith '39
From Robert Ornduff '53
More Doyle Owl TalesFrom Lance Montauk '71"It is stone, homely, and weighs 150 pounds, stands three feet high, has a black base and eyes, with yellow claws. It has many coats of paint, like the bars in a jail re-painted time and time again due to the excess man-hours available, and it is broken apart and glued back together." Looking for Work, Lance Montauk, 1971 Around 1967 mountaineering students displayed the owl from the library tower. They had slicked down the slate roof with oil so no one could climb up there to get it. A helicopter came, plucked the bird off the roof, and landed it in the field near the Osteopathic Hospital on Steele Street. In the ensuing car chase a new red convertible was destroyed, a Reedie was temporarily hospitalized with head injuries, and possession of the owl passed to a group of students pictured-with the owl-on page 7 of the 1968-69 Griffin. The new group made three full-sized plaster replicas of the owl and used them for "showings," actually destroying at least one model. The viewing public's wail of despair on seeing the destruction turned to gasping relief when the true owl materialized in the distance, only to quickly vanish. I was so obsessed with the owl that it's in my senior thesis-certainly a premonition of later equally non-productive fixations.
Student Guides Provide Impressive View of ReedFrom Douglas R. Brown '68I'm not sure if other small liberal arts colleges appreciate the impact of the students they select to lead tours for prospective students and their parents. I do know that when we toured Reed in the summer between our son's junior and senior years in high school, the quality of the student guide, a philosophy major, stood so much higher than those encountered at other schools that the choice of an intellectually challenging school became a quick drill in the car leaving the Reed campus. Of course, it is entirely possible that the caliber of students we met on tours at other campuses was exactly representative of their student body, but I certainly hope not. The fact that our Reed tour confirmed for our son all of my stories about the "Reed experience," and the maturity and confidence of a Reed senior, removed for him any thoughts about attending other schools. I hope Reed continues to provide an accurate and impressive picture of the school, its students, and their experience through the tours it gives, as this provides a confirming experience for those who seek a Reed education. | Home Page |