Family Matters
Thank you for the careful analysis of legacy admissions [“Family Ties,” September/October]. I was accepted to Dartmouth early admission in 1987, the fall of my junior year in high school—that is, admitted without a degree and allowed to skip my senior year. At the time, Cubans did not qualify for the federally protected minority status covered by affirmative action, so on both counts—Dartmouth roots and race—I did not benefit. I worked hard, perhaps harder than most, to merit admission. We need to be fair and stop admitting students because of a family-conferred entitlement. We need to reflect racial diversity, giving folks whose families were denied their merits a truly merit-based opportunity. Dump the legacies and give historically marginalized groups their due. Be fair.

LIL GUERRA ’92
Gainesville, Florida 

I am a virtual poster child for legacy admissions. My dad, Richard F. Ledyard ’50—yes, that Ledyard—loved Dartmouth fiercely and wanted me to attend. I grew up on stories of John Ledyard’s adventures. Legacy admissions build loyalty to the institution. In an age when everyone moves around, changes jobs frequently, and change is a constant, a multigenerational connection that can foster loyalty certainly has value for any institution. 

Dartmouth is an elite institution. The idea that getting rid of legacy institutions makes admissions more equitable is simply a fiction. Elite institutions are just that—elite. Anyone from any background who is admitted had some advantage that others did not. The playing field is not an even playing field, and the relatively small number of legacy admissions are a very small part of what is an unequitable system. 

An institution that admits just 6 percent of its applicants, all of whom are probably qualified to do the work, is fundamentally not equitable. It is elite. Removing legacy admissions will not change that.

GEORGE S. LEDYARD ’74
Bellevue, Washington 

Matthew Mosk’s article about legacy admissions is the best piece I’ve ever read in DAM. The article addressed one of the most important
issues facing the College with an unflinching exploration of the many considerations in play. It was written to the highest
journalistic standards and concisely brought out a wide range of perspectives and authoritative commentary.

Honestly, I have always
assumed the alumni magazine was a mouthpiece for the College, and this article turned that assumption on its head. I hope you will continue to solicit and publish articles that challenge the administration and educate its alumni to address key issues the College faces.

LISA BAKER ’89
Bozeman, Montana 

My father was a Dartmouth graduate (class of 1923), loved Dartmouth, and thought that a Dartmouth education was the best thing he could ever give his son. Dartmouth has long been known for the fervency of its alumni. Much to my father’s joy, I was admitted.

As I read “Family Ties,” I was struck by the discussion about maintaining the Dartmouth community through legacy admissions. It strikes me that sons and daughters of Dartmouth grads (including recent and future ones) should be part of the student mix, although how and in what number is the issue. But I also had another thought about the Dartmouth community and how to maintain and strengthen it. What about the sons and daughters of the College employees? Are they not part of the Dartmouth community? And is there any legacy admission for them too? Wouldn’t that help maintain the Dartmouth community? 

DAVID ROBINSON ’59
Sausalito, California

The Art of Teaching
Thank you for publishing the tribute to John Wilmerding [“The Voyager,” September/October] by Denis O’Neill ’70.  Jim Nachtwey ’70, my wife, Cathy Rasenberger, and I (parents of Marc Sevastopoulo ’20), proposed in 2022 that Dartmouth award John an honorary degree. We knew how important this honor would have been to him. The list of honors bestowed upon John by museums, academic institutions, and patrons of the arts is testimony to his monumental contributions

to the study and understanding of American art.

As pointed out by Denis, John’s devotion to teaching over his long life was paramount. One has only to hear from his former students how much they valued his classroom guidance and in many cases his contributions to their careers: teachers, gallery owners, museum curators, collectors. What is more noteworthy in education than a teacher’s dedication to and guidance of students? 

DIMITRI SEVASTOPOULO
New York City

Faith and College
How interesting to read of the journey Tony Jones ’90 took from church to nature [“Divine Nature,” September/October]. My experience at Dartmouth was the exact opposite. As I entered Dartmouth in 1953 to become a research chemist, I was only a nominal believer in the Christian faith. But through the wholesome influence of a student-led Bible study group and the writings of C.S. Lewis in freshman English, I discovered the reality of the person of Jesus Christ. This led to an entire shift in my vocational plans from chemistry to ministry, much to the shock of my family, all of whom were engineers. After Princeton Theological Seminary and earning a doctor of ministry degree, I have had the joy of pastoring four Presbyterian churches, leading numerous groups to the Holy Land, and lecturing and preaching on four continents.  

Tony and I do share at least one passion. While serving churches in Minnesota and in the Adirondacks, I loved to take youth groups on wilderness canoe trips, where we too encountered the Living God. If I were not in my late 80s and unable to portage a canoe on my back, I would love to join Tony on another wilderness trip! 

LARRY SELIG ’57
Winter Springs, Florida 

Above Politics
Liz Cheney received an honorary degree at the graduation exercises this past June [“Serve and Volley,” September/October]. In Wyoming’s 2022 Republican primary, voters turned her out as their representative in Congress by a margin greater than two to one. They have no confidence in her. In the eyes of Wyoming, Cheney is a pariah. Her political career is over. It saddens me to see our beloved Dartmouth become involved in politics. Dartmouth justly takes pride in being a center of higher learning. It should remain above politics.

WILLIAM LOYER ’56
Cheyenne, Wyoming