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Bohemian paths Donald Gutierrez's memories of the stimulating off-campus intellectual life of the 1950s ("Bohemian Berkeley,"April) very much agree with my own. Especially important to me was Kenneth Rexroth's weekly program on KPFA. Ostensibly reviewing the stack of books the week's mail brought, Rexroth used the hour (tape recorded on unreliable equipment in his San Francisco flat and aired without editing) to discourse widely on writing, painting, and politics, fleshed out with personal anecdotes. For a wide-eyed 17-year-old, he was the perfect tutor. Indeed, the splendid general education that Berkeley gave me was largely guided by professors Kael, Hill, and Rexroth, and given substance by the world-class libraries of what Rexroth liked to call the Hearst Memorial Institute of Mining and Technology. Victor Golla '60 Arcata Gutierrez lauds the 1950s' critical groups which helped launch the social-political rebellion that followed. With loathing we read about that rebellion in the overseas Stars and Stripes. From our outpost line we could see "the evil empire" which gained credibility from the tantrums in Berkeley. That empire murdered 15 million of its own citizens in its gulags. It snuffed freedom struggles in Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Hungary. Against it, better Americans than those whose names Gutierrez drops stood sentry while perpetually deferred students collected scholarships and soaked up marijuana and cool jazz in North Beach. Better Americans answered the bitter call to Korea and Vietnam. I salute them all. Why not tell their stories? Richard Jones '54, Colonel US Army (retired) Benecia I attended Berkeley concurrently with Mr. Gutierrez and was part of the "largely compliant, even apathetic" student body. I studied engineering and belonged to a fraternity--polar opposite from the nonconformist existence described in the article. While Gutierrez socialized at the Circle Bookstore and Phleahouse, I socialized at Jule's and at my fraternity house; while Gutierrez worked at the Cinema Guild, I worked at the Engineering Materials Laboratory; and while he rubbed elbows with poets and artists, I was acquainted with budding professionals of every stripe. I have always wondered what I missed by following the conformist path. Now I know the answer: nothing. He and I have achieved the same end result. The point is that Berkeley offers a broad, questioning experience to all who partake. Gutierrez is justly proud that Berkeley forged in him a dedication to truth, justice, and beauty. I am equally proud to be dedicated to these same qualities, even though they evolved through a less bohemian path. Alan Gradwohl '55, M.S. '58 Marina del Rey The wrong fall guy In his lively account of the amalgam and counterpoint of University and bohemia in '50s Berkeley, Donald Gutierrez has chosen the wrong fall guy. His example of the "pompous, ignorant, parasitic" English professor is precisely the opposite. Thomas Parkinson was one of the new poets of the late '40s and '50s, and, as he became an eminent teacher, critic, and historian, supported these poets as a friend and as an intercessor on their behalf with every aspect of the establishment, including readings, publication, and jobs. His close, unflinching relationship with student progressives and activists nearly cost him his life. Robert Duncan, the great poet and poetic force, was probably "embarrassed" when Pauline Kael "sharply rebuked" him for having spent "a few hours" with Parkinson at his home because of his long, enduring friendships with both of them. Kael and later Ed Landberg were also guests, along with many, many characters from the literary scene--local, national, and international. The usual reason for adverse criticism was that he had chosen an economically secure vocation. Parkinson wrote the first "serious," or at least widely read, essays on the poets of the 1940s Berkeley Renaissance, and, a decade later, the first critical study and anthology of the Beats. He stepped up Allen Ginsberg's career from local to international by arranging for him to read HOWL on the BBC. Over many decades, Parkinson's sensitive, penetrating lectures and essays on Rexroth, Duncan, Snyder, Burroughs, McClure, Spicer, and Everson, still being reprinted, helped them make and keep their place. In 1961, students protesting the McCarthy HUAC hearings asked him, as a respected faculty member and potential witness, to monitor their demonstration outside San Francisco City Hall. His appearance there--he was hard to miss--led to savage, scurrilous criticism in the far-right right-wing press. Armed with these pamphlets and a sawed-off shotgun, intending to start "the third world war," a former student appeared in the doorway of Tom's office. The first shot blew off half his face. The second murdered Abner Dean, the student who was talking to him. Parkinson returned to politics on behalf of the students during the Free Speech Movement. He was a key player in the faculty's successful intervention with the administration. Some of Tom's more conservative colleagues on the faculty did not speak to him for years. Yes, in the '50s, and before, and now, there have been and are some really stuffy professors. Thomas Parkinson was not one of them. Six feet seven inches of professor may have looked pompous. But in his poetry and essays, in his politics, in his academic and personal allegiances, he was the "wild man" of the English department. Ariel Parkinson Berkeley Scientific breakthrough The "Talk of the Gown" in the April issue reports a scientific breakthrough. In "Up with the Blue and Gold," I read of a new satellite blasted into orbit 40,000 feet above the Earth. This would be truly amazing, as commercial airliners might be able to reach that altitude (under eight miles) on a good day. Bruce Walker '68, M.A. '69 San Pedro The editor responds: We like being truly amazing, but what we should have said was that the satellite was carried by a NASA aircraft to 40,000 feet; the plane dropped a rocket which then carried the satellite into orbit at an altitude of 373 miles. Male sexuality The article on DE-Cal classes ("The campus learns a lesson," April) provided some valuable information in light of the recent controversy over a male sexuality class. The idea of DE-Cal classes generally strikes me as a valuable one: Students with a particular knowledge base or research interest can certainly provide a beneficial and educational experience for their peers. These classes can enrich the campus as a whole by broadening the range of voices and ideas heard at Cal. It sounds like those involved have realized that "democratic education" should not mean "anything goes." A more selective and rigorous approval process will make the classes that are offered that much more legitimate and meaningful. David Cohen '91 Palo Alto When I left South America, one of the expectations that I carried with me was the hope of real, qualified, well-rounded education. No more ad-lib curriculum. No more incompetent instructors. No more lack of references. No more nonsense in exchange for tuition. I am happy to report that all of those goals were accomplished during my years at Cal. The foundation in the sciences and critical thinking that I received there continues to serve me to this day. I would be the first to say that any student ought to go to any class they choose to attend. But I flatly reject the idea that they should choose to teach the courses as well. They do not see well enough to lead the blind at this stage. Yong Lee '81, M.D. Chula Vista Please post the articles on pages 45 and 46 [obituaries of Carl Van Heuit '51 and Professor Desmond Clark] on the bulletin board of the "male sexuality" classroom. All they need to know about being men is right there. Marilyn C. Steinau '49 Tiburon What counts Thank you for the wonderful article, "The mathematical mind" (April). As a student in Group Theory in 1946, I remember suggesting that our Saturday class (remember Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday classes?) be canceled since it was the first Big Game since the war. The professor and the entire class (about twenty students) looked at me in wonder. I'm happy to be able finally to put it down to eccentricity. Lucille Rae Woods '47 Palos Verdes Peninsula Hail to the chief In 1962, I was in the packed stadium when JFK came on campus. It was a special moment in my collegiate career. If I had been at Berkeley during Clinton's visit in January this year, I probably could have been found throwing up in the restroom. Incidentally, besides lying under oath, infidelity, and draft dodging, what are the other criteria for receiving the Berkeley Medal? Marian Jacoby '67 Baton Rouge, Louisiana I was appalled to find two pictures of Clinton taking up valuable space in the April issue ("Talk of the Gown" and "CalZone"). One would have been sufficient and none would have been preferable. I found "Bohemian Berkeley" and "The campus learns a lesson" to be equally troublesome. Fortunately, my experience at Cal did not involve the type of campus culture described in those two articles. I positively enjoyed the article "Head coach" [on athletic director Steve Gladstone], which, in my opinion, correctly describes the Cal educational experience. Ed Bostick '39 Bakersfield |
 Allen Ginsberg (Berkeley, 1957)
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