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The James S. Sherman Associate Professor of Government Philip Klinkner was quoted in a recent Newhouse News Service article discussing Pearl Harbor hero Dorie Miller. Miller, an African-American mess attendant, served with distinction during the Japanese invasion by saving several soldiers and manning a machine gun until ordered to abandon ship. Miller never received the Medal of Honor. The article quoted Klinkner as saying Miller's experience typified that of soldiers of color during WWII. "Despite not being able to share in all the blessings of being American, they helped defend their country," he said.

The Smiegal family residing in the "A Better Chance" house on the Hamilton College campus has been named "Family of the Year" by the Family Nurturing Center of Central New York Inc. A Better Chance is a locally funded program that brings minority, inner-city high school students from New York City to Clinton High School for four academic years. The four young boys that live with the Smiegal's nominated the family when they heard of the contest.

A group of alumni were treated to the first Reunion tour of the College Arboretum. This tour, led by arborist Terry Hawkridge, Assistant Director of the Physical Plant, took alumni on a walk of the campus to see some of the older and more interesting trees.

Hamilton College welcomed back over 1,100 alumni sons and daughters and their guests when it hosted the annual Reunion Weekend June 3-6. Celebrants enjoyed President Stewart's State of the College Address, 20 Alumni Colleges, performances by the Alumni All-Star Jazz Band and national recording artist Jen Shankman '94, tours of the new science facilities, Root Glen and the Arboretum and much more. 

Heidi Ravven, professor of religious studies, has published an invited essay, "Hegel's Epistemic Turn --or Spinoza's?" in a special issue of the journal Idealistic Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy devoted to Spinoza and Idealism.  The essay appears in volume 33:2 - 3 Summer-Fall 2003.

William R. Kenan Professor of Government Cheng Li was quoted in a recent BBC World News story concerning the poor health of former China Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang. Zhao was heralded for reforming the Chinese economy and recognized for his attempts at political reform, but he was placed under house arrest 15 years ago for his sympathetic attitude toward students before the Tiananmen Square massacre. Li explains that Zhao was flawed in his inability to control the Tiananmen protests and was actually a target of the students despite his progressive political stance. "He will always remain a tragic figure in Chinese history," said Li.

Brad Sinrod '92 was recently featured in an article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The article profiled Sinrod through the careers he has pursued since graduating from Hamilton, from fund raiser to internet start-up tycoon to real estate developer, and the MBA program that helped him along the way. Sinrod received his master of business administration last May from Penn State Great Valley and was voted outstanding management student of his class.

The Syracuse Post-Standard published an editorial  by Carlos Yordan, visiting assistant professor of government, in which he described a strategy for a successful transfer of power in Iraq. Yordan agrees with President Bush’s plan to install a democratic government but disagrees with the way he is trying to achieve the goal. He suggests the Bush administration reconsider the June 30 transfer of power and calls for an increased U.N. presence, an increased coalition presence to combat insurgenices and the installation of an internationally and U.N.-backed leader to referee disputes among Iraq’s religious groups, organize elections and develop a new constitution.

Bryan Alexander and Bret Olsen from the Mellon Foundation Northeast Regional Center for Educational Technology will conduct a train-the-trainer workshop on “The Multimedia Narrative” to members of Hamilton’s HILLgroup on June 2-4. Hamilton will also host instructional technology participants from Colgate and Skidmore College.  This workshop is designed to assist instructional technologists and librarians in their efforts to support the use of multimedia in the academic program.  HILLgroup will be offering workshops in “The Multimedia Narrative” to faculty in Fall 2004. 

Professor of French John O'Neal travelled to Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in May to conduct research in the area which inspired to a large degree Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Reveries of the Solitary Walker. While there he viewed the only extant copy of the original manuscript of Reveries, which is in Neuchâtel's library. He also visited the town of Môtiers, where Rousseau lived for three years and was "stoned." O'Neal then travelled to the Island of Saint Peter in the Bienne Lake, which figures prominently in the Reveries, and where Rousseau engaged in botanizing plants and flowers for his herbaria. O'Neal also participated in the annual meeting of the Swiss Rousseau Society in Geneva in May.