University of Minnesota Alumni Association

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Feedback on the Last Issue

In the sidebar of the article on the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, “Educating the Influential” [“J School Hits 100”, Fall 2022] I was surprised at the omission of Arnold “Eric” Sevareid.

Sevareid had already written columns for the Minneapolis Star in the form of dispatches from his 2,250-mile canoe trip with his friend Walter Port when he enrolled in the University of Minnesota at age 18 and wrote for the Minnesota Daily. (He believed he was denied the post of editor of the Daily because of his anti-war activism on campus.) After graduation from the University, Sevareid continued his studies at the Sorbonne, and after serving as the city editor of the Paris Harold Tribune, was picked by Edward R. Murrow to be one of his European bureau network, and later one of Murrow’s war correspondents. In the 1950s he was one of the first to criticize Senator Joe McCarthy’s witchhunts. In the mid-1960s, he concluded the U.S. should negotiate and withdraw from Vietnam. Late in his career, Sevareid was given the editorial spot at the end of the CBS Evening News. His 2- to 3-minute essays were deep and impactful, unlike anything we see or hear today. You can still find his farewell message online. 

Sevareid, who received numerous awards including a Peabody and two Emmy awards, and whose likeness emblazoned a first-class postage stamp in 2007, was one of America’s most distinguished journalists. His papers are housed at the University of Minnesota.

Craig Nelson, M.B.A. ’79, Chicago 

Ed. Note: Thank you for your letter. Sevareid was indeed a distinguished graduate of the University, receiving his degree in journalism from UMN in 1935. We regret the omission. 


Did anyone besides me see the irony in an article titled “Campus Safety Developments” [Upfront, Fall 2022] accompanied by a photo of three students riding scooters in the street not wearing helmets?

Doreen Malin, B.S. ’67 Ross, California 

Correction 

In our story “The Man Behind Goldy” in the Fall 2022 issue, we mention that students sold wristbands to purchase the iconic bronze Goldy statue on campus crafted by sculptor Nick Legeros. In addition to the students’ efforts, we should have noted that a number of alumni donors also helped fund the artwork. Minnesota Alumni regrets the error.

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