Notes from a Reunion of Note, 50 years
On Thursday, May 17th, my daughter and I left for Northampton, Mass for my fiftieth reunion at Smith College. I spent one year at Smith at Smith in Gardiner House. If I knew what I knew now, I would not have left Smith, transferred to Bryn Mawr (looking for intellectual freedom, I thought), gotten married before completing a semester at Bryn Mawr and not returned to school until twenty years later. But at age 19, you think that you are both mature and worldly.
But, at my reunion, I realized how lucky I was to have a year at Smith: that my former classmates were both unique and wonderful and had accomplished many things in their years from Smith. And that Smith itself had accomplished many things as well. Smith now has a much better science department, engineering department, economics department, environmental/landscaping department as well as the existing excellent arts programs. We were escorted and assisted by current students who were enthusiastic about Smith, informed about world problems, and great conversationalists.
Smith, itself, is growing, which necessitates building. New buildings are “green” buildings and leftovers are recycled rather than disposed of. A new environmentally sound heating, cooling and generating system will be in place this fall. So take heart. From my generation to the current generation, we are all concerned about the environment and climate change and are doing our best to improve both the environment and the world climate.
It is not just Smith students, past and present who are aware. A friend of mine who works for US Environmental Protection Agency, on his own went to Tennessee to be trained by Al Gore and company in presenting “An Inconvenient Truth” and he would love to share this experience with any organization interested. Andrew Krieder is married, has two children and lives in Phoenixville, PA. He works in the Brownfields Program and drives a Honda Element (just like me).
“Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the entire world” Albert Einstein
Sarah Caspar
The HealthyFrog
May 21, 2007
