Hockey Story Headed for Hollywood?

The pictures were terrific! My son is an enthusiastic lacrosse and hockey player. He, too, really enjoyed the article. Hopefully the moral of the story will serve him well in his academic and sport pursuits.

Last night I read the article to my wife and we both came to the same conclusion: that there is a foundation in this story to make it into a movie. Maybe not a full-blown Hollywood production, but maybe one of those ESPN “Moments in Sports History” that we get inundated with by Delta Airlines on the cross-country flights. But, if Hollywood were to get hold of it, why not? Perhaps the Farrelly brothers could do something with the screenplay. In fact Bob Farrelly ’81, who actually came to RPI on a hockey scholarship as a goalie, could play the goalie. Get Jim Carrey as Ned Harkness, etc. Maybe it won’t be as big as Seabiscuit, but you never know…

Michael “Miki” Fedun ’81
Fredericksburg, Va.

I recently read the article “Glory Days” and was fascinated by the courage, fortitude, and perseverance against the odds for the 1954 hockey team. This certainly is a wonderful story with an almost fairy-tale-like quality. With the movie Miracle on Ice and its early success, plus the success of heart-warming movies such as Rudy, it seems that “Glory Days” is a story made for Hollywood. Everyone likes the underdog, the Cinderella story. Has anyone tried to promote this story to Hollywood? It’s nice to see where students achieve success on the field, but what they are really in school for are the (non-athletic) careers afterward. It’s a testament to what college athletics should be about. It puts all sports in perspective. It’s a story that sends a message to everyone who wants to compete for the fun of it, saying that you can, and that you may achieve much more than you anticipated.

Eric Holmes ’80
Liverpool, N.Y.

Pride in Architecture
How refreshing, that in the [Fall 2003 issue] of Rensselaer alumni magazine, its cover story (indeed, the body of the issue) was on the School of Architecture!

Every issue of Rensselaer I peruse for hints and bits of information about the school, but this coverage tops all. I am extremely proud of the work being done in the Greene Building since my graduation in 1971. I also (selfishly, to be sure) think that this is the best part of RPI. Much has changed: computers were those monster IBM 360s that could be seen through the windows of an adjacent building (I have forgotten which one); the wood shop in the top floor (run by Luigi, I never knew his last name) about the only place to make models. Now, a 3-D PRINTER!

Go ’Tute!

Gerardo Brown-Manrique ’70
Professor, Architecture and Interior Design, Miami University
Oxford, Ohio

Service Above and Beyond
The letter in the Fall issue of Rensselaer regarding Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity, reminded me of the extraordinary assistance they provided my daughter, Lynn, who entered RPI in 1982. Lynn is visually handicapped and entered to study computer science. Among the courses required was Physics using the famous Sears textbook. The Library of Congress provides tapes and audio equipment for blind students and after ordering in due time, the Sears text tape arrived at her dorm several days before the opening of classes. Unfortunately, it was the tape for Volume 2.

The people in Alpha Phi Omega, hearing of the problem (and the course was well known for its difficulty where missing a few days would be fatal) took turns in lengthy sessions reading the Sears 1 volume into a tape recorder. It was a magnificent effort considering the considerable number of symbols, formulas, and other nonverbal items.

Norman Zelvin ’51
Eastchester, N.Y.

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