Celebrating 150 Years  |  Alumni Memories

Donald Strasser '68

Stentor Editor (1967)

I had absolutely no journalistic ambitions when I walked into the Stentor office as a freshman in 1964. There was no passion to write an exposé, no desire to express political views, and no wish to pen the best sports story of the year.  Instead, I was an awkward, shy, and unassuming adolescent, who was longing to “fit-in.”  The period was tumultuous - the threat of being drafted to Vietnam; race riots in the cities, and injustice and poverty to be found everywhere. I found myself not deeply invested in these important contemporary issues because my own private world was too fraught with anxiety and the feeling of being alone.

Despite my personal problems, at the Stentor I learned how to write a lead, use punctuation, and “put the paper to bed.”  The tension was high as we dreamed-up that last article to fill an empty space. There was always conflict about the subject of the editorial, what the focus of the paper should be, whether there were sufficient facts to merit a story and throughout it all struggles among diverse personalities.  Yet the conflict seemed to pale when the paper was finally published and there were feelings of pride, when we received the occasional applause.

In that small, uncomfortable office, with our mascot, Bezus, a runt-like mutt running about at our feet and illegally hidden on campus, I discovered a spirit and camaraderie unlike any other in my life.  Somehow, the pursuit of a common goal, the heated debate and arguments, and the energy of our youth created an environment which was safe and nurturing. What I did not know until much later was that those relationships developed in the Stentor office were just the right mix of ingredients to equip me with skills for the future. I also learned that I was not alone – that not all of us were cool, beautiful, self-assured, or comfortable in the world.  And, so what, if we weren’t.  At the Stentor I found a place where I belonged and where I finally began to grow-up.