Published: March 1, 2013 By

Jagger at Folsom

Folsom Friends听I鈥檓 sitting on a plane reading the latest issue [December 2012]. I always enjoy the stories in each issue, but your story about the Rolling Stones show at Folsom really captivated me because I was there!

I remember it like it was yesterday, with a large group of friends dancing in the aisles all day. I even bought a T-shirt with my limited cash because it was advertised at the time as the 鈥淟ast American Tour.鈥 I saved that T-shirt for many years and never wore it, thinking it would be a collector鈥檚 item until it became clear that 鈥渓ast鈥 is not a word the Stones understand. In time I threw the shirt away because either it got smaller or I got bigger.

Thanks again and keep up the good work.

Eric M. Corrigan听(贵颈苍鈥88)
Irvington, NY


Regarding the听picture of Mick Jagger听in the December 2012听Coloradan, three decades have passed since the 1981 Rolling Stones show in Folsom Field, but I recall Mick singing, 鈥淚 said, Hey! You! Give Doug a photo credit.鈥

Doug Conarroe听(Jour鈥83, MBA鈥04)
Editor, 1981听
Coloradan听测别补谤产辞辞办
Contributor, 1982听
Coloradan听测别补谤产辞辞办
Lafayette, Colo.听


I enjoyed听your piece on the Rolling Stones听and the reprise of听Doug Conarroe鈥檚 (Jour鈥83, MBA鈥04) Mick Jagger photo from the 1982听颁辞濒辞谤补诲补苍听yearbook.

I was flattered that you borrowed from my story, 鈥淎 Rolling Stones Weekend鈥 but was surprised that the 1982听Coloradan听was not at least given credit. I can assure you I was the only person among those 60,000 who had a transistor radio or even remotely cared what the Buff football team was doing. Your piece gave me a reason to look back at my story and reminisce.
Good memories.听

David D. Piper听(Econ鈥82, Law鈥87)
Westminster, Colo.


Having a Heart听

鈥淗eart Health Gets Personal鈥澨 is a very interesting item in the December 2012 issue [page 13], detailing professor Leslie Leinwand鈥檚 heart research. Below is another instance of a similar medical breakthrough in relationship to heart failure that should interest your readers.

BiDil, which is medication that treats African Americans with congestive heart failure, was the first 鈥渞ace-specific鈥 prescription drug to be approved by the FDA in its history. The maker of BiDil, a biotech company called NitroMed, was incubated out of my inner-city biotech facility in Boston.

Professor Leinwand鈥檚 research is personal to me because when I played basketball at CU one year my team physical revealed a heart issue. After lengthy testing I was approved to play.

Philip S. Hart听(Math, Soc鈥66)
Los Angeles


Stunning Views

The photography of the听Coloradan听is particularly stunning. Having already received four Alumni Association calendars, I鈥檓 not really in the market for another. However, might I suggest, since I assume you have the rights to the images that you make individual images available for purchase. I would think quite a few people would consider purchasing one or more. A win-win situation.

Second, for the first time I audited two classes this fall at CU-Boulder. It was a great experience! I found both professors very welcoming and talking with some of the students a good experience.

And lastly, a criticism: the title of the听article on the Nobel Prize听was not fair to Dr. Wineland. He won the Nobel Prize, not CU. And, as the article states, he is a 鈥渓ecturer,鈥 really an employee of NIST who collaborates with the CU faculty and staff. It certainly is a good thing for students to have access to men of his caliber, but let鈥檚 be fair to him.

Mary Ann Ganey听(惭贰诲耻鈥72)
Boulder


Congratulations to you and your staff for putting out a very much improved听Coloradan, including听PaulDanish鈥檚 (Hist鈥65) tongue-in-cheek piece 鈥淓xtracting Fields of Black Gold.鈥

Peter Dietze听(A&S鈥59, Law鈥62)
Boulder


Football Defense

Having watched the soap opera, circus carousel of coaches in the CU football program for several decades now, I am disturbed by the darker tones rising from the firing of听Jon Embree听(Comm鈥88). Race is an awkward and complex issue in athletics. Having the 鈥渨orld-class鈥 football team envisioned by CU President听Bruce Benson听(Geol鈥64, HonDocSci鈥04) requires both the recruitment of talented black athletes, an effort largely relegated to black assistant coaches, and an influx of large amounts of money from boosters and television contracts.

Where things get uncomfortable (and this extends to the play of black quarterbacks in pro football) is a prevailing doubt of the leadership skills of black athletes and coaches. Coach Embree was running a 鈥渃lean鈥 program, had raised the overall GPA of his young team and had the respect of his players.

Increasingly, however, a university鈥檚 image and financial backing have become tied to the 鈥渟uccess鈥 or failure of its football program. Embree鈥檚 teams were not very good but much of this can be attributed to the youth of his players and the obvious lack of strategy from the offensive and defensive coordinators, and no program in disarray can be righted in two years. His firing was premature, has racist undertones and is a shameful, scarring blemish on the university and its business model.

Robert Porath听(A&S鈥69)
Boulder