2 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | EDITOR’S LETTER Intrigued by the drawings and ham radio call signs found etched on walls in the Clayton University Center at Packer Hall, we put out a call to alumni on Instagram and on the pages of the spring issue of the magazine: Could anyone shed a light? Who might have spent time in those fifth-floor dorm rooms that had been sealed up for decades? “I try to imagine the students who may have slept there,” said Lois Black, director of Special Collections. She had been fascinated by the opportunity to make a connection to the university’s early history. Opening the rooms during renovations was like opening a time capsule, Special Collections Librarian Ilhan Citak said. Imagine our delight, then, when we learned from a reader about a way to put a name to those ham radio call signs. Writer Christina Tatu was able to track down two of the alums.1 Read her story (page 34) to see where the journey has taken us. I was thinking a lot about what Black and Citak had to say as we put the final touches on this issue. In many ways, your alumni magazine is a time capsule too—of moments in EDITOR’S LETTER Reflections Mary Ellen Alu Editor We’d love to hear from you. You can send an email to communications@lehigh.edu. Lehigh’s storied history; of physical changes to campus; of students, faculty and alumni striving to make a difference. It is, in part, why Special Collections has digitized more than 100 years’ worth of the magazine. This issue captures the launch of Lehigh’s first University Research Center—The Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience (page 22)—and so much more.2 Writer Stephen Gross catches up with Matt Salvaterra ’03, who made headlines playing football at Lehigh.3 Now, inspired by an 1800s Parisian style of gardening, Salvaterra tackles organic farming (page 10). As I write this letter, I am feeling especially nostalgic, which is why I bring up the richness of this magazine. This issue marks my last as editor, a position I have held for the past three years, though I have been involved with the magazine for a decade. I am retiring. It has been a privilege to bring you these stories, which have been so varied—a profile on “Super Producer” Ricky Kirshner ’82; an oral history of “When Lehigh Beat Duke”; an in-depth look at Lehigh’s partnership with community leaders for “Sunrise on the South Side.” Thank you for reading. 1. In the ’60s, the “ham shack” was on the basement level of the Clayton UC, across the hall from the campus radio station, WLRN. Page 34. 3. Matt Salvaterra ’03 was such a popular football star that Lehigh created a bobblehead in his likeness—the only one ever made for Lehigh football. Page 10. 2. One study underway is looking at the issue of “social vulnerability”—who might be more vulnerable and have less resilience to recover after a disaster. Page 22. Issue Notes Matt Salvaterra ’03 excelled both in the classroom and on the gridiron while at Lehigh. Page 10 CHRISTA NEU
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