Woodside Cottage Ghost Story...

Woodside Cottage (ArtStor)

Gather around the metaphorical fireplace young ones. For tonight I have a scary story for you, first relayed to me by my wonderful HCO, Anastasia Nikolis!!!! John Whitney Pettit will do the explaining (Warning: it's a pretty tragic story)...

http://www.wirenot.net/X/Stories/Ghost/Ghost_H-I/Haverford_College.shtml 


Have fun with your 2nd floor classes English majors ;).....

Uplifting image time... WOOOOOOO!!!!! (PRWeb.com)

 For more information about Woodside Cottage: http://hcap.artstor.org/cgi-bin/library?a=d&d=p782

Ridiculous Alum of the Day: William H. Harris

For today's ridiculous alum of the day, I've decided (on the advice of a certain Claire Perry) to focus away from finance and instead look towards life-saving alums. After some quick research (aided greatly by Rilka Spieler and Josh Thorn), I found someone incredible: William H. Harris.

Harris thinking about ways to be an even bigger badass (ORS)

William (Bill) H. Harris, Haverford Class of 1949, received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently ended up completing his residency in orthopedic surgery at the famed Massachusetts General Hospital. After this robust education, his career really took off. 

To summarize, Harris pioneered pretty much everything having to do with hip surgery. Also, by everything... I really mean EVERYTHING. 

According to the Orthopedic Research Society (which gives out an award in Harris' honor):

"The contributions of William H. Harris, MD, to hip replacement are vast and range from the identification of the nature of osteolysis to the development of surgical techniques and implants. He invented the cement gun which replaced finger packing and improved cementing technique. He designed the first modular metal-backed acetabular component, which gave surgeons the ability to replace the polyethylene liner without having to remove the entire component."

Sounds impressive right? Well, that is just the first of four paragraphs detailing Harris' amazingness. In addition to his lengthy list of surgical accomplishments, Harris has published over 400 scientific publications and three textbooks relating to orthopedic surgery and arthritis and won the most prestigious awards in his field multiple times... each. Seriously... wow. 

Finally, Harris' accomplishments were so profound that Haverford actually named the Harris Wing in the INSC after him, in addition to having him as a longtime member of our Board of Managers. Cool!  

Harris and his wife (in the center) celebrating the opening of the Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center with their family (Haverford)

Also, on a personal note, I actually met Dr. Harris at a Board of Managers student lunch! It was exciting!

For more information about William H. Harris:

http://www.ors.org/awards_harris.html

http://www.haverford.edu/news/stories/23281/51

The Story of the New Dorms...

A model of one of the new dorms (Haverford)

Gather around for I will be telling a fun tale! The story of the NEW DORMS!!! (well, specifically how they are being funded)

Most of us know the basics: wealthy alum donates money... Haverford constructs shiny new buildings... shiny new buildings are emphasized on campus tours... etc.

Yet, what is the real story? Where did these millions come from? Arms Deals? Blood Diamonds? Drug Trafficking?

Well, that last one is actually half-right. This is because the major gift for the construction of the Tritton dorm (named for Tom Tritton the president preceding Emerson) came from the family foundation of Steve Jaharis, Class of '82.
Jaharis is a family medical practitioner in Illinois. "Wait!" you might say, "How did a simple general practitioner get $10 million?" Well, the foundation is mainly funded by Michael Jaharis, Steve's dad and founder of several successful pharmaceutical companies, who is currently worth $1.9 billion. So, essentially yes drugs=Tritton.

Michael Kim's $7.5 million for his dorm, which will be named Kim, came from a common source for many large grants of money from Haverford alums, namely the exciting world of finance! Kim, Class of '85, Harvard Business School graduate, and Fulbright scholar, founded one of the largest private equity groups in South Korea, MBK Partners. Pretty cool. So, Kim=Private Equity.

To summarize: Rich Haverford alums... like all of our alumni... ROCK!!!

Ca$h Money (Bankaholic.com)

For more information about Michael Kim or the Kim dorm:
http://www.mbkpartnerslp.com/test/team.asp?tar=sub_michael
http://www.haverford.edu/news/stories/43081/51

For more information about the Jaharis family or the Tritton dorm:
http://www.haverford.edu/news/stories/30861/51
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_Michael-Jaharis_5YGH.html

Ridiculous Alum of the Day: John C. Whitehead

We all know the Whitehead Campus Center... however have you ever wondered about the life story of the guy who it was named after? Well, John C. Whitehead has had a pretty awesome life so far.

The Ever Suave John C. Whitehead

To briefly summarize:

• Haverford Class of 1943, Harvard Business School Class of 1947 (Fun fact: he was first appointed as a professor at Harvard... and then he got his MBA... badass)
• Served in the US Navy where commanded 54 men ... at 21 years of age (liberal arts education?)
• Rose up the ranks at Goldman Sachs to become the Co-Chairman and Co-Senior Partner
• Served as the United States Deputy Secretary of State during the Ronald Reagan administration.
• Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, United Nations Association, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 
• Head of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation after 9/11
• Won a massive amount of awards for serving his country     including the Presidential Citizens Medal and many honorary doctorates 

So... in short: He ran the biggest and most important investment bank in the world, played a key role in 80s foreign policy, and led Ground Zero reconstruction efforts among other things. Wow.

An older... but still suave John C. Whitehead

For more about John C. Whitehead:

Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Whitehead

Harvard Business School Profile: http://www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurs/pdf/johnwhitehead.pdf

Fun Fact of the Day: Haverford Rocks at Creating Physician-Scientists

 "Haverford has long been a powerhouse of physician-scientist training. Per capita, the College is tied with Harvard and Stanford for the number of MD-PhD and DVM-PhD students it trains—the highest ratio in the country." -Haverford College News Room

I don't think much commentary is really needed: statistically, Haverford is the best at creating physician-scientists out of every single college or university in America. You know... the type of physician-scientists that the country has a shortage in and are critical in curing diseases.

For more details about Haverford's awesomeness: http://www.haverford.edu/news/stories/46541/51

Steve Emerson... MD/PHD... noted stem cell biologist... and Haverford class of 1974 (Haverford)

Fun Fact of the Day: Henry S. Drinker

 Drinker House

We all know (and love?) Drinker House, the traditional home of the Haverford Baseball team, and a major social gathering spot on select Saturday nights. Drinker is also known for hosting "First Drinker," the traditional party that marks the beginning of the school year (and end of Customs dry week). Yet, have you ever wondered where the name "Drinker" came from?
 

The esteemed Henry S. Drinker

Well, it's a pretty cool story actually. Drinker was named after Henry S. Drinker, who was a member of Haverford's class of 1900 and a prominent Philadelphia attorney (the firm he founded, Drinker Biddle, is still thriving today). Drinker was also a prominent musicologist.

Here is when the story gets crazy:

"When war once again engulfed Europe in the first half of the 20th century, Henry Drinker’s love of choral music earned him a [part] in the well-known story of the Trapp family. In October 1939, family patriarch Georg von Trapp asked Henry Drinker to intervene when the family was detained at Ellis Island with visa problems. Their Philadelphia lawyer and benefactor would repeatedly come to their rescue during the war years." -Drinker Biddle 

So, Drinker essentially helped rescue the von Trapp family. Truly something intriguing to ponder the next time one is partying in Drinker (or watching The Sound of Music).

For more information about Drinker: http://www.drinkerbiddle.com/about/history/#Henry%20S.%20Drinker

Fun Fact of the Day: Oscar Goodman

  

Oscar Goodman with a few friends (LA Times)

"AS MAYOR of Las Vegas for almost 12 years, Oscar Goodman has made it his mission to personify what he calls this “adult playland” in the desert. He prances through the casinos with scantily clad showgirls draped on each arm (although he is happily married). He claims to drink a bottle of gin every night (but “never before 5pm”). In his office he sits on a carved throne and gives visitors a symbolic gambling chip that depicts him, with his trademark Martini glass, as “the happiest mayor of the greatest city in the world”." -The Economist


Oscar Goodman is clearly a BAMF (even more so than a normal mayor of the city of sin). However, Fun Fact, he is also a Haverford alum, class of 1961!  Personally, I think he deserves at least one honorary doctorate. Imagine his speech!

Read about how Goodman displays Quaker values: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Goodman#.22They_should_break_her_legs.22

Read more about Oscar and his city: http://www.economist.com/node/17800101?story_id=17800101&CFID=155197796&CFTOKEN=40752758

  I'm not sure JSAAP would approve... (ArtBrokerage.com)

Introduction...

Hello Everyone!

People (primarily the other Ben on Gummere 1/3, the illustrious Ben Weissman) have been telling me to start a blog to record and distribute all the random information that I find about Haverford. So I have.

With my first post, I just want to make something very clear. Haverford is a truly amazing place. I'm having a stupendous freshman year and I can't speak highly enough of the Customs Program, the Honor Code, our wonderful professors and administrators, and my fellow Fords, all of which have made these past few months incredible. A special shout is due to Gummere 1/3, also known as the best hall at the best college ever! (Don't you love Quaker modesty?)

Enjoy,
Ben