In mid-January, just as the alumni Bulletin staff shifted into “heads-down” mode to get this issue of the magazine out the door, I received an email from our managing editor, Mary Ellen Alu.
“Saw this in Class Notes,” she wrote. “Cool little story. Wanted to share.”
I’m so glad she did, because that great little story—a story, sent to us by Frederick “Fritz” Stocker ’47, that takes us all the way back to the Bethlehem of 1941, and World War II, and long-past traditions and so much more—served as a reminder of just how fortunate we, as editors of this magazine, and you, as readers of the magazine, are to have such a wonderful and committed group of Class Correspondents.
The stories they tell in each issue of the Bulletin do more than simply inform and entertain; their work also maintains and grows bonds between classmates and friends, fostering a sense of community that endures no matter how long ago they left Lehigh and no matter how far away from Bethlehem they now live. They are truly doing a great service not only for this magazine, but also for their alma mater. And for that, I wanted to offer a sincere "thank you."
I would encourage you to turn to the Class Notes section (1947) of this issue to read the story that Mary Ellen shared with me, and while I am sure you always make it a point to read the updates from your class—yes, we understand that when you get this magazine in the mail, you turn to Class Notes first—I would also encourage you to read through the rest of the section as well. Because in each and every issue, without fail, there is something in Class Notes that will make you laugh, something that will make you cry or something that will simply make you proud to be a Lehigh alum.
Of course, we hope you enjoy everything else we share in this issue as well: our cover story about the founding of the Umoja House, which has been so transformative for the campus community; a look at the fascinating research of David Zhang, a professor of decision and technology analytics in the College of Business; a conversation with former Congressman Charlie Dent ’93G; an interview with first-year Lehigh football coach Tom Gilmore; and so much more.
As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts, comments or criticisms by emailing me at tih313@lehigh.edu, or by sending mail to the address at right.
Thank you so much for reading. (Now go enjoy those Class Notes.)
