Edifice Complex
For 36 years, 14 of which were overseas with the Department of State, the UMass Amherst magazine has been a reminder of a “good life” in Amherst and valuable education (even though I was put on probation for “stealing” corn from the campus farm well after the general harvest time!).

Your great historical article (“Building Consensus,” Fall 2008) is wonderfully nostalgic. There is one item, and perhaps you’re being deluged with minutia comments about an article this large, concerning the Student Union building (where I worked, part time as WMUA station manager) which was built the year before I arrived.Professor Cleary’s article states that the building’s cafeteria was called the “Hatch and Pipe.” That’s almost correct. It was actually called the “Hatchet and Pipe,” probably alluding to the Native American themes that permeated campus at the time. (Our athletes were called the Redmen.) Hatchet and Pipe possibly related to “burying the hatchet” and “smoking the peace pipe” lore of our early population, and the “Hatch” was a great place to do it.

Keep up the neat work!
Bradley D. Rohrer ’62
Annapolis, MD

After reading your series of articles on the architecture of UMass Amherst, I thought I would share my layman’s view of the campus. Architect David Fixler is quoted as reminding us to “think deeply about what buildings mean.” I agree, and I did this on campus for four years while a student. More than 20 years later, I’m still thinking about our buildings. Unlike some of the expert contributors to these articles, however, I never celebrated our “thrilling, weighty buildings of concrete.” To my untrained eye, our skyscrapers and sci-fi structures have no place in the Pioneer Valley; they are physical non sequiturs. To me, these were nothing more than government construction projects of the most insensitive kind.

It never impressed me that “world-renowned” architects designed many of our post-1960 buildings. Ugly is still ugly. The Fine Arts Center, Southwest Residential Area, and that oh-so-tall library are the result of bureaucrats letting egocentric architects run amok on our campus. Few architects become “world-renowned” by designing traditional structures. They have to be outrageous to be noticed, and these edifices certainly fit the bill. However, the real scandal here is that University of Massachusetts administrators actually used our money to build them.

Perhaps the saddest thing is that my years living among these monstrosities left me with the same coolness toward UMass Amherst that they themselve radiated toward me. Ours is not a campus I long to see again. Indeed, it is time to “think deeply” about our buildings and the impact they have on us before another building goes up.
Larry Zieff, Esq. ’87
Essex, VT

In “Building Consensus,” your timeline of campus construction omitted the Frank L. Boyden Physical Education Building.

This structure was particularly significant because it was deemed to be one of the largest of its kind in the country. In addition, it was named in honor of the long-termed member of the UMass Board of Trustees and the headmaster of Deerfield Academy for over 60 years. I hope it is worthy of mention in future articles.
Richard Boyden ’65
Williamsburg, VA

What a wonderful article “Building Consensus” is! I never really appreciated the historic nature of the campus, even though I am a historian. I used to feel it was an architectural hodge-podge and was not pretty or significant in comparison to its four sister schools in the Valley.

The concept that the buildings at UMass Amherst represent an architectural and cultural timeline is a fascinating one. This idea gives the structures important meaning.

My great-grandfather attended school when UMass Amherst had just three buildings. It is through luck, not preservation, that one of them is still standing. The effort being made by Professor Joseph Larson ’56, ’58G and his constituents is a worthy one. As a fellow preservationist, I applaud them.

On the same idea, it was also gratifying to see more funding going toward preserving and improving the existing infrastructure. It will add to the campus’s beauty and reinforce the importance of campus structures.
Alan Woodruff ’87
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Village of Bellerose, Long Island, NY

Love Letter
I am writing to compliment you on a fine publication. Most days I am happily retired (from my profession, not from life!) and busily engaged with family and community activities. But when the UMass Amherst magazine arrives, I am briefly transported to the days when Old Chapel was the center of my academic universe and life was full of limitless possibilities. It is always a good trip, and I thank you for it.
Nadine Newton Russell ’59
Old Orchard Beach, ME

Tanks for the Memories
All of the GI Bill people (Fort Devens 1946-48 and Amherst 1948-50) owe a debt of thanks to Bill Mellen ’49 for digging out the terrific photo of the Air Force ROTC cadets with visiting pop-music star-to-be Patti Page (Summer 2008). This delightful lady became a real superstar a year later (1950) with her blockbuster “Tennessee Waltz,” which latter-day folks can still enjoy on YouTube.

In regards to the ROTC: The choice was Air Force or Armored Cavalry. The latter had a couple of M-24 Chaffee light tanks whizzing around nearby fields (sitting on one of them was Ms. Page in Bill’s photo). Bill’s letter says that becoming an ROTC officer appealed to World War II enlisted vets…true! But there was also a monetary payoff. Squeezing by on the GI Bill stipend was tough. We picked a lot of “shade-grown” tobacco and apples in the Connecticut River Valley to help make ends meet, and the ROTC pay (probably $20 or $30 a month) helped a lot.

I chose the Cavalry; got my gold 2nd lieutenant’s bar along with my diploma on June 5, 1950; 20 days later the North Koreans invaded South Korea; and in April 1952 I found myself commanding five M-4 Sherman tanks retreaded from World War II as part of the 5th Infantry regiment in the “punchbowl” of Korea.

Again, thanks for the memories provided by Bill Mellen.
Ron York ’50
Altamonte Springs, FL