Talk Back: Responses to our November | December Issue

By Alcalde Staff in Jan | Feb 2013, Letters, Letters to the Editor on January 2, 2013 at 4:20 pm | No Comments

Readers were struck by the excerpt from Pulitzer Prize-winning Longhorn Karen Elliott House’s new book, On Saudi Arabia.

Gordon Novak, BS ’69, MA ’71, PhD ’76, Life Member, writes: “Excellent article; good to see the Alcalde mentioning peak oil. Serious gas shortages are likely in the near future; every family should have at least one electric car. As one person put it, ‘Most of the world’s oil is owned by crazy people who hate us and are constantly at war.’ What could go wrong with that?”

Howard R. Lowe, BS ’48, Life Member, told us about a fellow Texas Ex involved with Saudi oil. “One of my classmates was Abdullah Tariki, later Saudi Oil Minister and one of the founders of OPEC. Even though our political views were night and day, we remained friends [until he died in Cairo a few years back].”

Plugged In

Our special report on energy had readers debating which advancements would keep us on the right track.

William E. Spears, BS ’58, disagreed with the notion that horizontal drilling was made possible by government funding. “Horizontal drilling was a private industry technological series of incremental advances over a time period in excess of 60 years,” he wrote. “GPS has provided the process an order of magnitude advance.”

Breaking Free

Rose Cahalan’s story (“Kids in Cages”) on juvenile justice reform introduced us to UT’s Michele Deitch, a lecturer at UT’s LBJ School of Public Affairs who is on a mission to keep Texas kids out of adults prisons and jails.

“I can only imagine the types of things they are introduced to in adult prisons,” said Chloe Chavez, BBA ’09. “Generally speaking, it’s horrible all around.”

Bell Chevigny was moved by UT alumnus Jorge Antonio Renaud’s firsthand account of life behind bars (“In Prisons, Youth Are Prey”). “Forceful piece, powerfully felt and written. These teens are so lucky to have you, Jorge—and perhaps you to have them. Keep on keeping on!”

Makeover

In 40 Acres, Jordan Schraeder’s story on renovations to the Texas Union made some Longhorns homesick.

Tres Churchill, BA ’02, said, “I love the Texas Union. So many memories, I remember seeing Outkast there—I think it was 1998 or 1999—for free.”

Marilyn Baldwin Lewis, BS ’79, Life Member, remembered an earlier facelift. “The last renovation started during my freshman year and lasted most of my college career. It was fabulous when it reopened. Almost gagged when I realized that it’s been about 37 years since that last overhaul. Wow!”

Brian Pillittere, BS ’86, said, “The Union still has a distinctive scent even after the 30 years since I first entered its doors. Good times.”

A Look Back

We discovered a haunted Forty Acres in our “Ghosts Roam This Campus” photo essay.

Jim Gilbert said, “This is fabulous. My daughter (class of 2010) only hears of how things looked good in the gold days when Dad was there. Now she can have a bit of perspective.”

Susan Heller wrote, “I was there in the late ’60s and haven’t been back to the Drag since.  The Co-op in the old image is just as I remember it.”

On Facebook, Andrew H. Grimes, BS ’95, observes “they sure used to dress better.”

That’s The Spirit

Rose Cahalan’s profile of yell leader and war hero Bob Bearden (“Tex! ’Horns! Fight) brought his many fans out of the woodwork.

Lloyd Pratt wrote: “That’s my Bob! He wants everyone to have a good time, and not to worry so much about winning. At 90, he still has the positive outlook of a 23-year-old. He’s been my own personal war hero for 67 years, and I admire him tremendously.”

Bob Peterson, BA ’72, was grateful and enthused. “Thanks, Bob for your service to the USA and to Texas,” he wrote. “You have inspired me to try some new things—not involving fireworks! Best wishes in your new decade. You set a great example.”

Tweet of the Month

@janette_m

It’s a happy day when my copy of @TheAlcalde arrives in the mail. #HookEm

Correction

September|October 2012

In “ROTC on the Rise,” we failed to mention that Alan LaVern Bean, BS ’55, a lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, the fourth man to walk on the moon, and now a renowned painter of moonscapes in Houston, was a product of UT’s Naval ROTC program. We regret the omission.