Letters to the editor

Memories of Halsted's demons

I was drawn to Ashley Stimpson's article "Unknown Substance" in the Spring 2025 issue. I was delighted to read about Kirsten Smith's research into kratom, but even more so to read about Dr. Smith's life journey and desire for us to get beyond the prejudice of "if you can get high from it, it must be bad." The story brought back memories of my internship at Johns Hopkins, where I frequently passed through the halls of the building named after [Dr. William Stewart] Halsted, who, in the words of William Osler, "was never able to reduce the amount of morphine he took to less than 3 grams daily."

—Joseph L. Gerry, Med '74 (MD), Saint Francisville, Louisiana

Thank you, Mr. President

[President Daniels'] note in the Spring edition was so very good! Moving, but also simple and pragmatic. It made me recall my college days (not at JHU, btw, but an aside that my wife, Jana, attended SAIS, and D.C. is where we met) and being on a campus where all sorts of different stuff was happening. Where else does one find such engagement and commitment amid friends and colleagues, so personally focused?

—Tom Martella, Washington, D.C.

Home Run

I so enjoyed Brennen Jensen's tribute to baseball head coach [Bob] Babb. His article did a great job describing the type of coach and man that he is. His team was his second family, and he was a father figure to his players. Yes, his win-loss record was amazing, but it was this feeling of family that was his greatest accomplishment. I feel fortunate to have been Coach Babb's teammate for three years and part of the first baseball team to qualify for the [NCAA] DIII regionals. His baseball skills and knowledge were evident as a student athlete, and more importantly, his respect for his teammates and everyone he encountered. Thanks for the memories and all the success. Enjoy your well-earned retirement, Hooterville.

—Ed Chory, A&S '76, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Corrections: In the spring feature story "Jane Austen Lives On," the Netflix series based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is in development and hasn't been released yet, as the story suggests. Thank you, Pooja Makhijani, Engr '00 (and Austen super-fan), for alerting us to the error.

In the spring feature "Babb's Way," the name of former baseball coach Denny Cox was misspelled. We regret the error.