Letters From Readers

Letters from our readers

In Tune With the Chapel Organ

Thank you for including two wonderful articles, “A Vision Fulfilled” and “Celebrating the Chapel Organ,” in the fall 2011 issue of the Chronicle.

I am a member of the class of ’83 and loved the chapel as a place of worship and meditation—and some all-nighter study sessions in the basement! My uncle was an organist, and I enjoyed hearing him play the organ in the chapel. I also enjoyed visiting Agnes Flanagan down in southern Oregon to thank her for her family’s generosity.

All the best to you and thank you again for your good work!

Rev. Scott Herr BA ’83
The American Church in Paris

Celebrating the remarkable chapel organ gives me occasion to extend thanks for a gift I received from Lewis & Clark.

I was a first-year chemistry major with the good fortune of having a music major roommate. Thus it was Fred May who called my attention to Robert Enman’s marvelous symphonic music course for nonmajors, which involved attending Oregon Symphony concerts (often with Fred). Across the hall in Platt-Howard, another member of the class of ’73, Kirk Smith, who was not a music major but a student of the organ nevertheless, introduced me to Buxtehude, Widor, Reubke, and others. I was, of course, in the audience at the inaugural concert of the chapel’s new organ. (Separate story: as the photographer for the college’s public information office, I got to photograph the organ’s construction.)

I have never doubted my choice of major, though I’m compelled to say that I left the lab a long time ago. Now, thinking about the Casavant organ and recalling recent organ and chamber music recitals and symphony concerts I have attended, I realize that my concert going—which began at a college with a strong music program, musically sophisticated classmates, and a nonpareil new organ—may be the most enduring of a lifetime’s varied vocational and avocational pursuits.

Thank you, Lewis & Clark, for so much more than just that chemistry degree.

Chris Ritter BS ’73
Bern, Switzerland

Thank you for the wonderful story on the Casavant organ in the Agnes Flanagan Chapel. I remember seeing the chapel and organ for the first time and just staring up in awe!

In 1977, when I was in the L&C Choir with Gil Seeley, a choir trip was planned to Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Switzerland. It was indeed a pipe dream for me (pun intended) because I could not afford the cost of the trip. Several of us were from Medford (hometown of Agnes and George Flanagan), and the Flanagans stepped forward and offered to help us with the cost of the trip.

All Agnes asked in return was a visit when we got back so we could share with her our experiences singing in the beautiful churches in Europe.

The trip was a dream come true for me, and I still have a daily journal and photos that I open now and again. We did have our meeting with Agnes upon our return, and she could not have been more gracious and welcoming. She dearly loved meeting and helping students at the college. The chapel and organ are a wonderful reminder of this generous couple.

Julie Schott-Rawls BA’80
Portland

The Impact of Overseas Study

I loved the article on the new Morocco program in the fall 2011 Chronicle and was excited to see the stats on L&C undergrads studying overseas. It was actually the overseas programs that made the difference in my decision to attend Lewis & Clark. I also read the article on Stephen Beckham’s retirement; I was one of the students on his 1998 Kenya trip. I also studied in Belize as part of a coral reef biology class I took at the college.

I just cannot overemphasize what a huge impact studying and living overseas has had on my life. From 2002 to 2004, I lived in Kitakyushuu as a participant in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. Since I returned home to Hawaii in 2004, I have been the high school program director at the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council (PAAC). My job is to create programming to engage high school students in global issues, largely through interschool conferences and simulations.

However, it is the Summer Study Tour to Asia that I coordinate and lead each summer this is most directly related to my experiences as an overseas student. I have led seven study tours to Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, China, and Taiwan. I have also traveled with students to the 5th World Youth Congress in Istanbul, and to Doha, Qatar, with an Arabic language, leadership, and study abroad program that PAAC runs in partnership with OneWorld Now! in Seattle.

I have seen the powerful impact international travel can have on young people—of course, in myself but also in my students.

Natasha Chappel Schultz BA ’99
Honolulu

Fab 50

Just read “The Fabulous 50” in the fall 2011 Chronicle. Rock tha mic! Thanks for the reminiscence and road map all in one.

@Fergaloid via Twitter