March/April 2011
Letters to the Editor
Thank You, Mr. Kluge
I remember John Kluge ’37 not as a beneficiary of a scholarship but as the recipient of an act of kindness that changed my life. I met Mr. Kluge at a function at Columbia in fall 1958. When he heard of my interest in WKCR he offered an invitation to visit “my” radio station, WNEW, and to tell them that John Kluge sent me. When a group of WKCR people arrived and told the receptionist that John Kluge sent us, the general manager of the No. 1 station in New York personally conducted the tour.
A thank-you note I wrote to the general manager resulted in the offer of a job writing traffic reports on weekends. I held that job and summer jobs covering vacations in the news and production departments until my third year of medical school, when I no longer had time to do it. It also led to the media portion of my medical career, which included a stint as medical reporter for Channel 9 news in Los Angeles and as on-air medical editor and anchor on Physicians’ Journal Update on Lifetime Medical Television.
When I left WNEW I was able to pass along the job to a succession of Columbia students, some of whom parlayed that job into outstanding media and broadcasting careers as they continued the tradition of passing the job on to a successor WKCR member.
I wish I could have told Mr. Kluge how many Columbia students benefited from his kind act. Thank you, Mr. Kluge.
Dr. Arthur L. Wisot ’61
Former program director of WKCR
Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
How Sweet the Sound
My wife and I attended the sold-out annual Barnard-Columbia Candlelight Concert at the Union Theological Seminary chapel on December 11. I am a College graduate and my wife is a Barnard graduate. The performance far exceeded our expectations; it was truly magnificent. It led off with my favorite carol, Veni Emmanuel, followed by a Mozart solemn vesper and a Beethoven mass, and concluded with an organ performance by masterful conductor Gail Archer. To the best of my knowledge of the classical music canon, these works are relatively obscure and rarely presented. How adventurous of Ms. Archer to dust off these neglected treasures and give them life.
It was uplifting to see these vibrant young people perform with such dignity, grace and skill. It is inspiring to see that the classical music repertoire is being embraced by new generations and that that embrace can include liturgical works not often heard. I am grateful that political correctness did not limit the repertoire to the likes of Jingle Bells and that the University supports such a muscular music program.
I did not grow up in a classical music household but was fortunately introduced to classical music when I worked for a summer for the then-president of Barnard, Millicent McIntosh. The family was very much enamored of classical music. It immediately resonated with me and continues to do so. Exposure to classical music and appreciation of it are not gifts given to everybody. I have the University to thank for bringing me to a long arch of musical enjoyment, yesteryear and today.
Arthur E. Lavis ’61, ’65 Business
Montvale, N.J.