I feel that both the editorial and graphic design of the OAM have, lately, been better than ever. The photography, page graphics, and editorial approach combine for an effect that is stunningly dignified and incisive.
One frequently hears in the not-for-profit publishing world that good public relations and thoughtful, significant content are a contradiction difficult to avoid. The OAM team breaks through this difficulty simply by breaking through it, like William Carlos Williams' saxifrage plant breaking through a rock. In doing so, they transcend faddishness and stuffiness nicely. Frequently, they attain an editorial standard far beyond the best one normally finds in an alumni magazine.
William H. Faber '68
Iowa City, Iowa
Editor's reply: Bill's letter took our collective breath away--check out the masthead on the previous page for a complete list of all the individuals who labor, and learn, on the Oberlin Alumni Magazine.
Of all of us, though, I think I cherish his applause the most. I consider it a going-away present, coming as it does in time for publication in the last issue I will edit. I'm not going far--actually, I'm not going anywhere. I'm still with the College, still with the Office of Communications, but I'll be editing other publications we produce, including Around the Square. Nearly everything I know about editing and publications management I learned at the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, and, after seven years, I'm eager to branch out and work on other projects. I'll miss the contact with fellow alums that the magazine affords, so I'll keep my hand in the OAM, or at least reach in and give it a tickle every now and then.
Do I get a last request? I hope so, because I want to urge you to continue corresponding with the OAM staff. Letter writers need not praise the staff to get attention; we want you to tell us what you don't like about the magazine, too. Your views on content and approach have helped us improve the magazine (this issue's Commencement-Reunion supplement is a direct result of readers' request for more coverage of the weekend's events), and the magazine staff under a new editor's leadership will continue to value your contributions and feedback long after I've gone.