Prairie Management
I read “That ’70s Show” [winter] with interest. Like many of us who attended Carleton during the ’70s, I had an environmental awakening at the college that set a trajectory for my career — from prairie restoration in the Midwest to a conservation law practice in the Pacific Northwest.
McKnight Prairie and Cowling Arboretum were a source of recreation and refuge, and so, I must correct a couple inaccuracies in “Green Acres.”
First, McKnight Prairie is not a “restored prairie surrounding the campus,” but a Carleton-owned remnant prairie some miles outside of Northfield. Interest in this beautiful prairie led Carleton students to transform 10 acres of farmland adjacent to campus into what would become Hillside Prairie. I, along with others, initiated the first prairie planning here in spring 1978.
Second, Carleton staff members and students have used prescribed burns, a common practice across the Midwest, to manage McKnight Prairie, and more recently, Hillside Prairie for the past five decades.
The books we read and the actions we took in the ’70s provide lessons for today. Where would we be now if instead of turning up the heat when we got cold, we had simply put on a sweater?
— Konrad Liegel ’78
Treasure Trove
Thank you for the delightful summer Voice featuring the art of Carleton faculty members Fred Hagstrom, Linda Rossi, and Dan Bruggeman, as well as some of the many students who were influenced by them.
As an administrative assistant in the art and art history department from 2000 to 2015, I had the privilege of working with these extraordinary artists and educators. Featuring Fred, Linda, and Dan in the Voice is a superb testimonial to their careers and their work, and helps put some closure on their careers for all of us who know and admire them, and love their work. And to have their art included among the work of their students adds a special dimension to the tribute. This issue is a treasure.
— Patt Germann
Missing Classes
Lo and behold, the Voice arrived and the only class years earlier than the 1960s are in Farewells [Class Notes, summer]. Where are the unsung heroes and heroines of the 1940s and 50s? Have our doings dissolved into Carleton’s past with no imprint on its present or future?
From our generation came advances in computers, space technology, nuclear power, and government leadership. We built on the yearning to learn that we began at Carleton. Surely, the fact that these years are missing from Class Notes doesn’t mean our brains have atrophied.
In my ninth decade, I published a cookbook, two books of poetry, and my memoir. (It ain’t braggin’ if you really done it.) So, how about you focus on my classmates? We’ve done more than marry and produce progeny.
Carleton is an enduring symbol of those illusive feelings of loyalty, love, and endurance. The Classes of the 1940s and 50s need to be reminded that what we have and are accomplishing is not forgotten.
— Betty Brown Simm ’43
Editor’s Note: We print every item we receive for Class Notes — and we’d love to hear from you. Email us at classnotes@carleton.edu or write to Class Notes Editor, 1 N. College St., Northfield, MN 55057. We welcome news from any class year, but we can only print news submitted directly from the subject, so please don’t write on behalf of your friends or family members.