Letters to the Editor

Documentary recounts life story of a storied life

“Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain,” a documentary about the life of the 1957 DePauw graduate, civil rights leader and adviser to presidents from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama, aired nationally in late December and is available to rent on Amazon Prime. The documentary, a chronological retelling of Jordan’s life, was directed by Dawn Porter, who recently made a documentary about the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. It features interviews with President Bill Clinton, scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and others.

DePauw sponsored the WFYI-Indianapolis presentation of the documentary Feb. 18. “We were honored and delighted to be presenting sponsor of Vernon Jordan’s amazing life story,” said Deedie Dowdle, vice president for communications and marketing. “He has shared many moments of that life in his personal interactions and involvement with our DePauw community over the years, including his memories of his time as a student, and his story is one no one should miss.”

Pen to paper

More than 1,000 letters have been exchanged between 90 DePauw students and 500 Greencastle kids through Tiger Pals, a pen-pal program developed after the pandemic thwarted DePauw’s volunteer mentoring.

Some “moving and beautiful” relationships have developed between the correspondents, said Chelsea Naylor ’14, the program’s creator and coordinator of community-based learning.

When a fifth grader said he didn’t get along with his sister, his DePauw correspondent told him to keep the faith; their relationship will improve with time. Another DePauw student and his Tiger Pal chose to greet each other in a different language in each letter.

DePauw M AGAZINE

Fall 2020

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Public Servants: DePauw influences alums to serve others / Reflections on racial justice / Success stories from 40 years of DePauw nursing / and more

The Public Servants

TO THE EDITOR:

Thank you so much the article on DePauw’s School of Nursing in the fall issue. I’m so glad the university is remembering this part of their history! It brought back good memories to see the pins, caps (did we really wear those things?) and the students in uniform outside the Indianapolis dorm, Wile Hall (nicknamed by us “Wild” Hall!)

I have often thought through the years how well DePauw’s nursing school prepared me for my career. My classmates remain some of my closest friends and I’m very proud of their accomplishments and impact on our profession. – Jane McEwen ’77

“The Public Servants” focus for the fall issue was spot on. I really enjoyed reading your well-crafted profile stories of the alumni/faculty who have contributed meaningfully to our society. The pairing of the Veronica Pejril and Jane Noble Luljak stories was brilliant! – Bob Steele ’69