The Face in the Glass
It is the disquieting habit of the compilers of the twenty-fifth-anniversary reports of College classes to publish a photograph of a class...
It is the disquieting habit of the compilers of the twenty-fifth-anniversary reports of College classes to publish a photograph of a class member as a senior and another one showing how he or she looks today. Stephen Michael O'Donnell '76, who has made his living mostly as a TV writer, notably for David Letterman, sent in the up-to-date photograph (right) and began his report as follows: "How much lovelier to begin this summary with 'I have discarded...' As in 'I have discarded prejudices, harmful delusions, material possessions,' etc. But the truth is that what I've been doing feels more like 'accumulation.' I have accumulated books, flesh, odd warts, moles and blemishes, souvenir coffee mugs, heartaches, Bic pens, CDs, videotapes, computer disks, good art, goofy art, some happy memories, and some real stinging hard ones....Sometimes, here in my forties, I feel like some wisdom and depth is accruing to me. (Accumulating?) Other times, I feel like the same old dope."
You might also like
Navigating Changing Careers
Harvard researchers seek to empower individuals to steer their own careers.
Easing the Energy Transition
How the Bezos Earth Fund hopes to seed economic transformation
“Out of the Ashes”
A Harvard series explores South Korean cinema in the years following the Korean War.
Most popular
More to explore

Preparing for the Energy Transition
Expect massive job losses in industries associated with fossil fuels. The time to get ready is now.

AI in the Academy
Generative AI can enhance teaching and learning but augurs a shift to oral forms of student assessment.