Road to poverty

Many thanks to Jennifer Klein and The TCU Magazine for the report on a poor Peruvian community in the Andes. I especially was amazed by its outstanding photography intended to show "that richness and beauty flower amid the poverty." I appreciate the interest in such a remote corner of the world, usually unknown or forgotten even by Peruvians from the big city like myself. I hope this article has contributed to the understanding that Latin America is more than Mexican food and Shakira (which by the way is neither a Peruvian nor a Spanish name but Lebanese).

Jose Ricardo Espinoza '98 (MBA)

Pat on the back

You are doing a first-rate job with the magazine. It's the best of its kind in the country. Hope you win many awards.

Jay Crum '58

Bright future

The summer edition of The TCU Magazine has just arrived, and my husband and I were simply dazzled by the images of the campus, particularly the fold-out page on The Commons.
When my husband, John Bohon, accepted a position at TCU in 1965, neither of us had ever been to Fort Worth. I was the first to arrive to look for a home for our family. Shading my eyes against what appeared to be a never-ending horizon without benefit of shade anywhere, I called my husband who was still with the children back at Chapel Hill, NC, and told him, "This place looks like a penitentiary!" Truly, there were but a few stubby trees, the buildings were all the same yellow brick, and over the years its architectural history had been demolished in the name of progress. Where was its oldest building? Coming from the dogwood-shaded paths and soft ivy-covered halls of Chapel Hill, I feared we were in for a real culture shock. And, thus, began our thirty years at TCU.

We watched TCU grow, oh so slowly at first, and then with increasing vigor and imagination. We have now been gone for ten years, so each time we see another change, it seems truly dramatic. But this new vision--this new Commons! THIS is really something! What a beautiful campus you now have. Congratulations on the imaginative farsightedness that will open a new chapter in the university life.

Sally L. Bohon, assistant to Honors director, 1976-95

Ninja Verses

When I was at TCU, I co-authored Ninja Verses, a comic strip in the Daily Skiff. In 2005, I resumed Ninja Verses as a twice-a-week webcomic. The strips from the 1990s were recently made available in a paperback collection; 'as seen in the Daily Skiff' appears in a red bubble on the cover. The homepage for the comic is
www.ninjaverses.com

P.D. Magnus '96

The "C" in TCU

Awhile back in The TCU Magazine there was an article about TCU taking the "C" out of it's name. I still remember that article as I was shocked at such a thought. I did not attend Brite Divinity School; however, I did do well in the mandatory Religion Department course required of all TCU graduates. Recently I picked up over $ 300.00 worth of pre-paid fencing panels. I drove to mom's home to find out the lumber had already been delivered, and was struck with the realization that my truck was loaded with un-paid for materials. Next, came soul searching time as my mom would need to buy more and this mistake may or may not be figured out. On the way to return the lumber, I remembered the young dock helper wearing a TCU cap and telling me how he was a fan of TCU. This same guy met me at the gate and was surprised at my honesty. It was neat to say to him: "The letter C in TCU DOES stand for something that made it easy to make this decision: the word Christian. I wanted to share this story and hope that TCU never takes out the letter C.

Tony Mathison '82

Editor's note: The article, "Muddle in the Middle: The "C" in TCU," written by Chancellor Emeritus William E. Tucker, ran in the Winter 2001 issue of the magazine. Read it at www.magazine.tcu.edu/articles/2001-04-CV.asp?issueid=200104.

Schieffer Symposium

In the most recent edition of The TCU Magazine, your article concerning the presentation by "leading figures in American Journalism" was a bit disturbing. The panel you presented these students was hard core "left" with no "right" leaning personalities to balance the panel. Definitely not Fair and Balanced. Not a good way to guide your students, unless that is now the leanings of TCU. Considering the most recent scandals surrounding leaks by The New York Times, and the way the Times has handled the situation, not my idea of a great panel. Very disappointed.

James H. Lamey '64

Helmets for soldiers

My brother Christopher Frey '02 is currently a platoon leader in the Marines based in Kuwait. I was recently able to get a retrofit for his helmet that drastically reduces the chances of life altering head wounds. There is a man working to provide free inserts for all Iraq- and Afghanistan-deployed military, but that takes fundraising. Consequently there's a backlog (more requests than money). My hope is for us to raise $10,000. The inserts cost $70, not an insurmountable sum - $10,000 would retrofit almost 150 of our military! Please visit www.operationhelmet.com. You can read up on the program, and also make donations at the site. We hope to get our service people the best protection we can.
Hilary Frey Stallings '92

Record Town

Thanks for the great story in this issue about Record Town. Sumter and Kathleen Bruton were two of my favorite people. Sumter loved to talk and I have no doubt the business would not have survived if Kathleen had not been such an efficient sales person. Sumter would have stood and shot the breeze with me and others all day, but Kathleen had our purchases wrapped up, rung up and our change in our hands in mere seconds. I still have a large number of 78-, 45- and 33-rpm records I bought there. Unfortunately, I don't have a machine that will play any of them. But the memories are still there.
Dave A. Brown '57

Comment at tcumagazine@tcu.edu