Media Bytes

The Honolulu Star Bulletin profiled CC swimmers and former high school teammates Puni Almony '07 and Ali Wilson '07 on Dec. 22. "I've gotten everything I want, both in the pool and on campus," Almony told the paper. "Swimming is an intense sport that helps you develop mental toughness. … I always set really high goals, which tends to get me in trouble, but you have to aspire to do better things."

On Jan. 4, Glenn Dreyer '83, Charles and Sarah P. Becker '27 Director of the Arboretum, was quoted in an article in The Day and interviewed on "NBC 30 Connecticut News" about the abnormally warm weather in the region that has caused some trees to blossom. "There are plants that are getting kind of confused by different environmental signals," Dreyer said.

Jefferson A. Singer, professor of psychology, was quoted in a Dec. 19 article in The Hartford Courant about the ritual of decorating outdoors during the holidays. When people decorate with lights and other holiday decorations, Singer said, "We are saying the season is upon us. This is the marker: Our house is decorated. It's sort of a way of shepherding in the holiday season."

A Dec. 26 article in The Day profiled Kendall "Kip" Doble '07 and his work as a mentor to Nathan Brilus, 10-year-old New London boy. "Nathan sees me primarily as a great friend, and that's great for him," Doble said. "But for me, it's being a friend, being a role model, a mentor, a tutor."

On Jan. 7, The Boston Globe published an article about Damien DePeter '95 and his upcoming induction into the Connecticut College Athletic Hall of Fame. "The NESCAC experience was a fantastic one, and its focus on the student-athlete allowed me to do other things I needed to do," said DePeter, "to study, to work, to have fun, and the ability to excel on the lacrosse field."

Lisa Wilson, the Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of American History and a specialist on colonial British North America, was a featured commentator in the History Channel documentary "Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower," which aired in November. On the mysterious death of the wife of the colony's first governor, William Bradford, Wilson said, "People have suggested suicide over the ages. A lot of people would say given the Pilgrim's passionate beliefs, she could not have committed suicide. Many people when driven to despair do things that are contrary to their beliefs."

College Trustee Linda Lear '62 was interviewed about Beatrix Potter on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" program on Dec. 28. Lear spoke about the early years of the famous children's author, who is the subject of her new book, Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, (St. Martin's Press, 2007) and about her passion for natural history.