Editor’s Note: The cover of the Winter 2007 issue of Emory Magazine was designed by Christopher Hickey.
The most recent issue of Emory Magazine is fabulous! Local food systems are vital to the health of a sustainable economy, and it’s fantastic to read about Emory alums who work in this arena. Since graduating from Emory in 2002, I have been working with Investors’ Circle—a national network of investors focused on solving major social and environmental problems. Investors’ Circle includes a number of venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, and entrepreneurs who are committed to the food sector. We
are currently working on a Kellogg Foundation-supported project called Slow Money—innovative strategies for investing in early stage, for-profit enterprises that support local, sustainable food systems. Read more about Slow Money at www.investorscircle.net.
Michael Bartner 02C
Boston, MA
In the Winter 2007 edition, you have written a great story about the POOCH program at Oxford College. The program seems to be a great way to educate students (and staff!) about some of the great dogs that are homeless. The Atlanta area kills nearly 100,000 dogs and cats every year, and most of them would make great pets. I’m sure the dogs involved in the program have benefited greatly too! Thanks for sharing this story!
Carolyn Upton
President, Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Humane Society
Dahlonega, GA
In the latest Emory Magazine, your writer says Mr. Johns is “chair of the board” and that he is a “‘cochair’ with Provost....” Alas, is Mr. Johns not a male? Can y’all not scramble English worse than it is already scrambled by calling people chairs rather than chairmen?
Bill Dekle 62C
Millen, GA
Editor’s Note: In keeping with our code of journalistic ethics, Emory Magazine, like other Emory publications, makes every attempt not to replicate sexist language in its communications. Taking the word “man” out of “chairman” is a widely accepted way to indicate that heads of business are no longer exclusively male. We are grateful to Mr. Dekle for his interest and for raising this point.
I read the Winter issue with relish. Once again you have addressed a pressing issue which should be of great concern to all of us. However, I was disappointed that “Cheeseburger in Paradise” promoted “blaming the victim”. Diabesity is not epidemic because of Americans’ appetites or inactivity. As Dr. Frederick vom Saal and others are demonstrating, diabesity results from an environment rife with chemicals which disrupt our bodies’ functions (http://www.ehponline.org/press/051805.html ; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070218140845.htm). We are all assaulted daily by these chemicals from the “Four Ps”: pesticides, pollution, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Until we acknowledge this and address the true causes of the epidemic, it will worsen while we treat the symptoms. We have less to fear from terrorists than we have to fear the producers who profit from our exposure.
Judith A. Lomas
Attorney at Law, Artist at Large
Decatur, GA
I enjoy Emory Magazine very much, but found the Winter 2007 issue confusing and unpolished in its lack of cutlines for most photos. Is the picture of the young woman on page 24 the writer, or a generic
illustration? There are more examples of unidentified people, or identifications buried in the text. Surely we can do better than this.
Leigh Sellers Roach 73OX 75C
Birmingham, AL
The “Food for Thought” issue was a great demonstration of the transformational power of food. Daniel Parson helped transform a crime-ridden area of East Lake Road—where I grew up—to a beautiful part of your local food system. Peggy Barlett is transforming students minds by connecting theory with reality. And Ciannat Howett is leading the charge to transform the entire university food system. It is hard to imagine the scope of benefits to society these efforts will produce—safety, security, health, prosperity, and best of all—it’s delicious! It is so much more sensible to build a healthy society than to cure a sick one. I commend Emory Magazine for recognizing the importance of food in society, and am very proud that Emory University is investing in a sustainable food system.
Emile DeFelice 90C
Owner, Caw Caw Creek Farms
Columbia, SC
I loved the article [“Food for Thought,” page 16] and entire magazine. Thank you so much for shedding some Emory-wide light on this subject that is so close to my heart. Also it was neat to be right next to my old friend Emile de Felice. I met him when I was at Clemson through CFSA and got to know his wife when all three of us were at the 2004 Terra Madre.
Daniel Parson
Manager, Gaia Gardens
Atlanta
Editor’s Note: In the Winter 2007 issue, on pages 36 and 37, we published the names of the Emory Alumni Board members. Six board members were inadvertently omitted from this list. They are: Charles H. Tisdale 72L, Kathy Tomajko 79G, Isam Mohammed Vaid 93OX 95C 99PH, Arthur M. Vinson 66OX 68C, William C. Waters III 50C 58M 60MR, and Tara L. Whitehead 93B. The editors sincerely regret the omission.
Altizer makes it clear [“The Revolutionary,” Autumn 2006]. Here is how things seemed after my first two years at Emory: Our planet circles one sun in a universe of a jillion suns, an earth in which life has been on-going for billions of years—countless millions of species of microbes, plants, and animals. All this was created—as a sort of hobby—by someone who looks and thinks like my grandfather. Like grandpa, this Mr. G can be generous but cranky, and wants us children to kowtow. But G is not so benign. If you don’t obey his rules and thank him constantly, he will have you incinerated forever. But he seems careless or tricky about telling us his rules—he let humans bumble around for half a million years before he announced his game. And he doesn’t appear often and tell everybody clearly; instead he speaks only to a few Eurasian males—doesn’t trust females, just a few guys who are supposed to tell everybody else. But tough luck if you were an Eskimo or a Sherpa living up in the Himalayas—eternal toast because you never got the message. This was seeming bizarre to me, when—thank goodness—Professor T. J. J. Altizer came to Emory in 1956 and clarified matters: Mr. G died a few thousand years ago! With Altizer’s crucial insight, one could infer why G seemed to neglect his hobby. He didn’t die suddenly; rather, after billions of years of healthy life, he developed some dementia in his final million. Thus when he created hominids, G was senile. Having his favorite human tortured to death was his last goofiness. Just as well that G is dead; let’s make the best of things on our own.
Porter Anderson 58C
