Class Note 1990
Issue
May-June 2022
This month I asked ’90s, “Out of all the people you’ve never met (living or deceased), who has had the biggest positive influence on your life?” Here is Part I of your responses.
Marcus Weiss writes, “What a beautiful question. At this very moment Tony Robbins holds the top spot. In very recent times he helped empower me to pivot my whole life into conscious hope and positivity. (But I can think of an endless list of people, as everyone I come across has impacted me dearly!)” Michael Keller writes, “Neil Peart. If you just think he’s a rock drummer, you don’t know his story and who he was.” Mark Sternman writes, “Paul Farmer.” Lauren (Waller) Smith writes, “The person who first figured out how to make coffee.” Larry Specht writes, “Astronaut Chris Hadfield, author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything. A great book about taking every chance to learn a new trick.” Nancy Groth writes, “Paul McCartney and John Lennon.” Christian Henrich writes, “Christ.”
Jen Gittes writes, “This was a hard one, but it didn’t take long for me to decide: Dr./Dame Jane Goodall. Although I haven’t followed her closely or even read any of her books, every time I see, hear about, or am reminded of her I feel proud and hopeful. And it turns out that her latest book is indeed about hope. That one I plan to read as soon as possible. Jane Goodall has been true to herself and to her instincts and interests throughout her life. In the 1950s, while in her 20s, she left England for Africa and entered the male-dominated worlds of ethnology and anthropology with little preparation but with huge interest and dedication. She has experienced all of the joys and traumas life puts in one’s path, including love, marriage, motherhood, higher education, divorce, illness, real danger, criticism, humiliation, recognition, and mind-boggling awards. Through it all she has persevered and remained true to her integrity and to her North Star in her efforts to acknowledge, respect, and protect animals, the environment, and nature in general. She is truly an inspiration and a comfort.”
Scott Facher writes, “Always happy to see your name pop up in my email, Rob. Due to people like you, here’s my response: J.D. Salinger, because I chose to go to Dartmouth hoping I’d bump into him at Lou’s, which never happened. Instead I made friends who continue to bring the greatest joy and inspiration to my life.” Susan Domchek writes, “Rosalind Franklin.” Christopher Farrens writes, “Fred Pillsbury Carleton III. His turn of phrase, ‘The damage is the tradeoff for the fun,” has inspired generations. From raconteur to lonely goatherd, he’s been around!” David “Danger” Sherwood writes, “Bruce Springsteen.” Sam McLean writes, “At the moment I’ll go with Charles Darwin. His discovery of how enormously complex life forms evolve from simple processes both explains life on Earth and provides the conceptual scaffolding for much of what us medical researchers do.”
—Rob Crawford, 22 Black Oak Road, Weston, MA 02493; crawdaddy37@gmail.com
Marcus Weiss writes, “What a beautiful question. At this very moment Tony Robbins holds the top spot. In very recent times he helped empower me to pivot my whole life into conscious hope and positivity. (But I can think of an endless list of people, as everyone I come across has impacted me dearly!)” Michael Keller writes, “Neil Peart. If you just think he’s a rock drummer, you don’t know his story and who he was.” Mark Sternman writes, “Paul Farmer.” Lauren (Waller) Smith writes, “The person who first figured out how to make coffee.” Larry Specht writes, “Astronaut Chris Hadfield, author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything. A great book about taking every chance to learn a new trick.” Nancy Groth writes, “Paul McCartney and John Lennon.” Christian Henrich writes, “Christ.”
Jen Gittes writes, “This was a hard one, but it didn’t take long for me to decide: Dr./Dame Jane Goodall. Although I haven’t followed her closely or even read any of her books, every time I see, hear about, or am reminded of her I feel proud and hopeful. And it turns out that her latest book is indeed about hope. That one I plan to read as soon as possible. Jane Goodall has been true to herself and to her instincts and interests throughout her life. In the 1950s, while in her 20s, she left England for Africa and entered the male-dominated worlds of ethnology and anthropology with little preparation but with huge interest and dedication. She has experienced all of the joys and traumas life puts in one’s path, including love, marriage, motherhood, higher education, divorce, illness, real danger, criticism, humiliation, recognition, and mind-boggling awards. Through it all she has persevered and remained true to her integrity and to her North Star in her efforts to acknowledge, respect, and protect animals, the environment, and nature in general. She is truly an inspiration and a comfort.”
Scott Facher writes, “Always happy to see your name pop up in my email, Rob. Due to people like you, here’s my response: J.D. Salinger, because I chose to go to Dartmouth hoping I’d bump into him at Lou’s, which never happened. Instead I made friends who continue to bring the greatest joy and inspiration to my life.” Susan Domchek writes, “Rosalind Franklin.” Christopher Farrens writes, “Fred Pillsbury Carleton III. His turn of phrase, ‘The damage is the tradeoff for the fun,” has inspired generations. From raconteur to lonely goatherd, he’s been around!” David “Danger” Sherwood writes, “Bruce Springsteen.” Sam McLean writes, “At the moment I’ll go with Charles Darwin. His discovery of how enormously complex life forms evolve from simple processes both explains life on Earth and provides the conceptual scaffolding for much of what us medical researchers do.”
—Rob Crawford, 22 Black Oak Road, Weston, MA 02493; crawdaddy37@gmail.com