Spring Greetings! We report that all is well at 307 East John in Champaign. We have had very interesting and enjoyable programs during the school year of 1995-96. As the end of the semester and school year approaches, plans are underway to further beautify the yard at 307, and none other than a loyal alumnus, Bill Erickson of Champaign, will do the job. Bill is a professional landscape architect and has previously improved the appearance of the surroundings of the house with generous donations of spring bulbs. Bill was also instrumental in enriching the soil in preparation for the first "Cosmo" vegetable garden inaugurated last summer by bringing in rotted mushroom compost and manure. There is great enthusiasm for taking part in "the garden" project among house residents.
A very interesting situation has recently developed: an alumnus, Professor Fred Riggs, who lives and works in Hawaii, has signified a desire to write an article for Cosmo Connections. He has a multitude of exciting experiences, and we appreciate his willingness to allow us to share his activities and philosophy. We hope to include his contribution in the Fall 1996 issue.
This offer has stimulated an idea that we have already entertained--namely, why don't some of you write about your experiences, either concentrating on an especially appealing one or writing about your type of experience in general? Many times in Cosmo Connections and in its predecessor, President's Newsletter, we have asked for your contributions--probably in the form of more personal letters; this time we are using the term "article," which carries an aura of publication and might appeal to some of you. In any case, we would be grateful, entertained and happy to hear from you along this line.
We have had cards and letters from several alumni during the past months, especially at Christmas time, and we assure the following persons that we were highly pleased to hear from them: Norma Rantisi, Arsani Sarkar, Ahmed Attila, Jungok Bae, Leopold Rorher, Maria Vorenjurri, Esa Jokivuolle, Stacy Birch, Judy Gordon, Brett Yuskiewicz, Jocelyn Chong, Maria McCormick, Maike Tapkenhinrichs, Angus MacLean Thuermer, Uta Dierker, and Antoinette Tessmer (who, along with husband Stuart, is the proud parent of a new baby boy).
John Cervantes, Master's Degree 1938, sent an excellent photo of the class of '38, with the names of all those in the picture indicated. John, who was not here for the 1980 reunion, has lived in California for many years. We have tried to persuade him to visit us, and we still hope to see him here some day.
Exciting news comes from alumnus Bruno Albrecht, whose native country is Switzerland but who has been working in Italy since he left the U of I. He sent us the announcement of his forthcoming marriage to an Italian girl, Donata Rossetti. They will live in Cremona, Italy, the city famous for its makers of the world's best violins in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. We wish Bruno and his bride our very best.
We thank all of them, and we plead for you to follow suit and let us receive welcome cards and letters from you. If it's in the form of an article for Cosmo Connections, fine.
To you alums, if you could be here in C-U, probably most interesting of all of our regular events would be the Thursday evening coffee hours, held in the living room of the house. More than once we have had a speaker from the University Police Department--not because our residents are on the shady side of the law--but because those officers have a great deal of useful information to dispense, most all of which is especially helpful to foreign students, who are not familiar with U.S. laws. Another especially interesting coffee hour program was a lecture-demonstration by Paula Hammon, a local club member who is also a professional massage therapist.
So good luck this semester and have a very pleasant summer, wherever you are.