ERSATZ FRUIT

I read with interest “Chilean Fresh” by Kathleen Holder [spring ’05 issue] as I had just bought some beautiful Chilean nectarines. Unfortunately these beautiful objects had absolutely no taste. Put them in a paper bag and they magically pass from tasteless fiber to rotten glop without ever becoming ripe. Sound familiar? Chile has apparently fully achieved with UC Davis’ help what we all enjoy in California: ersatz fruit, in abundance. As U.S. production methods are spreading around the world, the only place one can get any nutritious and tasty fruit is in the backyard. UC Davis bears a lot of responsibility for the technology that produces the appalling fruit that one finds in the market, and one hopes that someone will begin to ask if taste and nutrition could be considered along with profits.

Carl Hansen

Tu Jarvis, associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, responds: I’ve certainly eaten beautiful fruit with little taste myself, but I know that is not a goal of those who breed new varieties or who develop new production and post-harvest techniques. To the contrary. However, lots can go wrong with weather, crop management, post-harvest management and the like, and fruit isn’t always what we would like because it is so sensitive to each of these factors. Scientists at UC Davis place great emphasis on taste and there are many examples where taste has been markedly improved over the years. I don’t know whether the Chilean varieties of nectarines that the writer purchased are from California, but most of the grape varieties are (and most of the time they’re great).

FRUITFUL STUDIES

Like most people, I enjoy fresh produce, and I do enjoy agricultural produce from Chile.

I am always amazed at the high quality of the agricultural foods from Chile and don’t mind spending a little more in cost for such delicacies.

At this time, if I may, I would like to thank Manuel C. Lagunas-Solar and his staff at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, UC Davis (i.e., the chemistry and agricultural program, pulsed ultraviolet light and radio frequency treatment studies) for their hard work. Many of the foods studied are from Chile. Their cutting edge research ensures high-quality produce in the future.

I say “hurray” to UC Davis and to the Chilean farmers for sharing with me its cornucopia of “Chilean Fresh” foods.

Douglas Seppala,
Electronic Technician,
Crocker Nuclear Lab, UC Davis

NAKED DISAGREEMENT

I am a first-time writer and the father of a current UC Davis freshman. I went back to page 35 of the winter issue to have a look at the photo that caused Mrs. Dana Baldwin so much consternation. I really don’t see what the fuss is all about. I disagree with Mrs. Baldwin that publication of the photo of the nude dancers was either irresponsible or insensitive. First, the images on the photo are pretty hard to see because the images are very small and are black-and-white images shot at night. After intense staring, all I could make out was one female breast and perhaps a tiny side view of the male genitalia, or was it a shadow? Frankly, I’ve seen more exposed, unambiguous flesh at swimming pools and beaches, and at large public malls where it is pretty routine these days to see nursing mothers breast-feeding their babies. No appeal to prurient interests in that setting, and no such appeal in the case of this photograph, I would submit.

Is Mrs. Baldwin prepared to put blinders on her children’s eyes when they enter a mall, or go to the beach or to the local pool? The small photo of the nude dancers was tasteful, it was relevant to the “Aggie Spotlight” at issue and was appropriately included in a publication that, by its terms, is intended for mainly adult readers, viz, “for alumni, faculty, parents of students, donors and other friends of the campus” (see page 4 of the spring 2005 issue). Although it cannot be gainsaid that UC Davis Magazine is intended primarily for adults, I see no particular problem in showing the magazine to children. If a parent objects to her kids seeing a particular photo, or reading a particular article in the magazine, she can always skip over the offending part (or excise it from the magazine, if necessary).

Lee R. Roper
Alameda

ACTIVISTS APPLAUDED

What a feeling! From UC Davis Magazine [winter ’05, pages 26–27] beamed the names or faces of some friends I will always love and admire. These champions—Yvonne Marsh, Joan Scott, Matty Oden, Hardy Fry, Stan Oden—along with Chancellors Mrak and Meyer and many others made life worth living at Davis in the ’60s and ’70s. They infused the Davis community with a humanity and global awareness “the Farm” has not seen before or since. They were right about Vietnam, the reach of civil rights, affirmative action, individual and academic freedoms and the dangers of the extreme right. Don’t worry Hardy, the time is growing near again and our “kids” will be there—this time in the board room.

Ranya Alexander, Ph.D., M.D. ’74

TREASURER QUESTIONED

Whereas it is perfectly appropriate and often interesting to read about Aggies who have gone on to notable careers, the spring 2005 issue’s Q&A with U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral contained at least one paragraph better suited for the corporate media than UC Davis Magazine.

While Ms. Cabral is free to view her “most important responsibility” as delivering empty partisan propaganda, an outstanding alumni publication is not the place for perpetuating the ever-deepening American political divide.

Simply requiring the subject of any magazine feature with political overtones to stick to statements they can prove instead of inane “talking points” would help avoid future problems.

John Downing ’88
Bend, Ore.

DOG TALES

I truly enjoyed reading the excerpt from Sight Hound in the spring 2005 magazine and look forward to reading the book. My family continues to tell others of our experience with the wonderful staff at the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital. The staff at the hospital treated our family dog for a tumor in her leg when she was 8 years old. She lived until she was almost 16 years old. What a blessing to our family to have our family pet for an additional eight years! When her health began to deteriorate rapidly, we brought her back to the hospital where she was given a second chance.  Before we went inside, we walked her around the campus and let her sniff the smells of Davis as she had so many times before. Knowing that the staff cared so much for both the animals and their owners comforted our family during the last days of her life. Thank you for including this excerpt in your magazine.

Cynthia M. (Daniels) Boyle ’95

'TROUBLESOME' CREEK

The winter 2005 issue has some fine articles (“Walking in Two Worlds” and “Disappearing Act,” for example). . . . There is one implication in Sylvia Wright’s story “Disappearing Act,” however, that set off my riparian ecosystem alarm button. In her account of Winters’ Hunter family and their laudable efforts to protect their farm from development pressures, the statement is made that Dry Creek was established as the boundary beyond which development would not be allowed.

Later in Wright’s story she reports that, after the Hunters obtained their agricultural conservation easement from the Yolo Land Trust, the “troublesome” creek was realigned.

This story implies that creeks are useful for creating rich and productive farmland and for setting boundaries for protecting that land for farming, but as soon as they cause any problems by behaving as creeks (meandering, overflowing their banks and depositing more soil, etc.) they become a problem and have to be rearranged.

This disturbs me greatly. I spent nearly 20 years working as an environmental consultant specializing in streams and rivers of California. I had hoped that UC Davis had finally reached the point where it recognized the value of California’s streams, rivers and watersheds and was willing to come to their defense.

You may wish to refer to the UC Davis Agricultural Sciences Publication 4101, “Riparian Forests in California: Their Ecology and Conservation,” for further discussion.

Anne Sands ’62, Cred. ’63
Owner, Riparian Systems, and
founding member of Society for Ecological Restoration

GRAD SCHOOL HELP

I very much enjoyed reading Marion Franck’s article in the “Parents” section titled “Four More Years?!” [spring ’05]. She clearly identifies the salient issues to consider and the steps to take in applying to graduate school. I certainly agree that the process of applying can be a disorganized one, but I am happy to report that there is help! Parents might be pleased to know about Advising Services, a Student Affairs department that assists [UC Davis] students who are thinking about or negotiating the process of applying to graduate or professional school. I hope parents will encourage their students to use our services. Advising Services is located in 111 South Hall, (530) 752-3000, advisingservices.ucdavis.edu.

Phil Knox, Interim Director,
Advising Services, UC Davis

WRONG BOWL

I enjoyed the article on Dan Hawkins on page 35 [spring ’05 issue], the BSU coach, who will likely be coaching in a major football program in the future. This is another great reflection on the legacy of Jim Sochor. With regard to BSU’s game against Louisville that was mentioned, it was the Liberty Bowl and not the Holiday Bowl. It was a great game and one of the best bowl games of the 2004–05 season following the Rose Bowl game of Texas-Michigan.

Mark Simone ’83

DREAM DENIED

I entered UC Davis in 1994 full of ambition, hopes and dreams. I graduated from UC Davis in 1996 with a B.A. in history, still full of ambition, hopes and dreams. Now, nine years after graduating, I am still waiting to see the benefits of my UC Davis education. Where are all the great jobs that a UC Davis education is supposed to make available? After nine years of searching, I have yet to find such a job opening. I have yet to earn (cumulatively) the average reported annual salary for 1993 graduates ($77,191, taken from page 14 of the UC Davis Magazine, spring issue).

I am terribly dissatisfied with my UC Davis education. I thought that holding a degree would help me get ahead in the world. I was obviously wrong. My experience tells me that college is a big waste of time and of money.

Joseph Roeper ’96

The editor responds: I’m sorry to hear about your experiences, Joseph. For graduates who are struggling to find the right job, UC Davis and the Cal Aggie Alumni Association offer career assistance.