Letters: Memories of Jim Carignan
Opinions from Our Readers
Farm Semester
I thoroughly enjoyed the Winter 2011 issue and the story 鈥淕ood Eggs.鈥� My love affair with chickens began on a bulletin board at 乐播传媒 in the spring of 1945. Because of the war and the draft, 乐播传媒 students could graduate in two and a half years by attending summer sessions. I had been at 乐播传媒 for two summers, but that was enough. I wanted some other experience.
A small note on the bulletin board asked for volunteers for the Women鈥檚 Land Army. This meant working on a farm in Maine to help with the labor shortage. I landed on a family farm in Fairfield. For three months I took care of 1,500 chickens, helped in the fields, fed the bull, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
If I hadn鈥檛 been at 乐播传媒 it wouldn鈥檛 have happened. Were I at 乐播传媒 now, I would certainly be involved in social-justice issues. The students who are involved will be influenced for life, as I was by working on a farm.
Rohna Isaacson Shoul 鈥�46
Newton, Mass.
Carignan鈥檚 Way
I wish to share a few lessons that I learned from a lifetime mentor and friend, Dean Emeritus of the College Jim Carignan 鈥�61, who died Aug. 14, 2011.
I got to know Jim professionally in 1999, when he asked me to join a civic leadership institute in Lewiston-Auburn. During our work together, he talked about his own growth as a leader. In the trajectory of his story, which became a case study during my doctoral studies, I saw parallels to what leadership theorists have learned about good leadership: At its core, it is about people and relationships.
In his 33 years at 乐播传媒, Jim moved from a top-down, command-and-control leadership style to a collaborative and relational approach. As Colin Powell has said, 鈥淟eadership is not about organizations…. It is all about people 鈥� motivating people to get the job done.鈥�
Jim learned that leadership sometimes means serving as an intermediary and a facilitator of process 鈥� a servant leader.
For example, I鈥檓 sure some alums recall when seniors, years ago, turned Wood Street into an out-of-control block party during Senior Week. The rowdiness attracted a great number of Lewiston police, and they were on the verge of arresting students when Jim showed up.
He asked the police for 10 minutes so he could work with the students to get them to take control of the situation. In the end, he got the street cleared and the stereos turned down, and the police were able to drive away without making arrests.
This is what Jim said about that event: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in a crisis situation, you鈥檝e got to change from confrontation to something short of that, where two or three parties are able to fulfill their expectations while respecting the other groups.鈥�
Jim had a reputation for taking risks and for solving problems face to face and in the moment. He once called an open forum in the Chapel on sexual harassment issues that turned explosive but, finally, productive. Afterward, the president told Jim that 鈥渙ne of these times you are going to roll those dice and it is not going to work 鈥� but I am glad it worked this time.鈥�
Jim brought an incredible spirit, optimism, and integrity to his leadership. One of his toughest times was going through not one, but two heart transplants. He was on a heart-lung machine for two days before a second heart could be found. In fact, the doctors were reluctant to do a second transplant. But Jim basically said, 鈥淟ook, we didn鈥檛 come this far to turn down a heart. You take me in there and do it. I鈥檒l make it.鈥�
Jim鈥檚 third heart was a woman鈥檚 heart 鈥� he joked that it was the reason he was able to see the relational side of leadership.
In his good humor, his strong and sincere relationships, and his ability to read people, Jim was the best of leaders. He was, and is, a remarkable model.
Joc Clark 鈥�86
Paradise, Calif.
caption:聽In 2003, Jim Carignan 鈥�61 stands next to an oak planted near the Chapel to honor his retirement as dean of the college.
Is Winning a Losing Proposition?
That was a beautiful photo in the Winter issue of refurbished Garcelon Field, iconic venue for fierce athletic competition. Ironically, a few pages beyond, 乐播传媒 sociology professor Francesco Duina maintains that we Americans are too competitive and 鈥渙bsessed鈥� with winning. It makes us unhappy and disliked abroad. He says the Danish noncompetitive system is 鈥渕ore civilized鈥� even though it 鈥渄oes deprive a lot of people of freedom.鈥� He knows they are not the happiest people 鈥� 鈥渂ut they are content.鈥�
Americans of my generation will recall that most Danes were 鈥渃ontent鈥� to be deprived of their freedom under Nazi occupation, which they endured with only a murmur of resistance. If Americans were like 鈥渃ontented鈥� Danes, America today would be a British dominion fenced in east of the Mississippi by foreign powers who had divided up everything west of it. But, hey, Professor Duina is a sociologist, not a historian.
Neither is he a political scientist, but he thinks that Al Gore is viewed as a loser because he should have won the 2000 election because 鈥渉is opponent was perceived as weaker.鈥� Perceived by whom? Among those who have experienced American politics and politicians close up, I am not alone in perceiving Al Gore as a phony political windbag.
Professor Duina says that he was inspired to write his book in part because of 鈥淕eorge Bush鈥檚 insistence on 鈥榳inning the peace in Iraq,鈥欌�� which he calls 鈥渁n absurd concept.鈥� Would he apply that label to Barack Obama鈥檚 insistence on spending trillions of borrowed dollars on 鈥渨inning the future鈥�? Probably not. 乐播传媒 would consider that racist, and he would be shunned in the faculty lounge (assuming that after all the recent building 乐播传媒 actually has a faculty lounge!).
Professor Duina seems an amiable young man who is probably not obsessed with winning. But he knows how to win in the competitive world of leftist, feminized academia: write a book denigrating America鈥檚 competitive spirit and throw in a few barbs at our 43rd president.
Charles W. Radcliffe 鈥�50
Annapolis, Md.
Francesco Duina responds: Mr. Radcliffe, in his comments about my book, Winning, doubts whether I would be critical of President Obama鈥檚 recent fixation on 鈥渨inning the future.鈥� As it turns out, I have discussed our president鈥檚 language during town library meetings and in a number of interviews, including with David Phillippi for the blog New Books in Sociology and with Connecticut Public Radio鈥檚 Where We Live program. I鈥檝e talked about President Obama鈥檚 language about the future, including wanting to be 鈥淣o. 1鈥� in the world, as 鈥渃ircuitous鈥� and 鈥渢erribly confusing and loose phrasing,鈥� which is representative of our collective American tendency to view much of life in competitive terms, with serious consequences for how we live our lives, how we educate our children, and how we relate to others.
鈥楩riendliness Without Pretense鈥�
Kudos for running the very interesting story 鈥淔amily Affair鈥� (Winter 2011), about my classmates Erik Mercer, Rachel Segall, and Tony Hurley. The article, as well as Rachel and Tony鈥檚 uncommon generosity, was a vivid reminder of all of the characteristics that caused me to apply to 乐播传媒 25 years ago and are ones that have kept me connected to it: its open and tolerant outlook, the firm commitment to diversity and egalitarian principles, and an enduring friendliness without pretense.
Rachel and Tony鈥檚 gift to Erik and Sandro is a very contemporary twist on those ideals. The fact that 乐播传媒 Magazine ran the story made me proud to be a Bobcat!
Steve Moore 鈥�91
Boston
Passing Thoughts
The article 鈥淭he Gay Resume鈥� (Winter 2011), which reported on a Homecoming 2010 panel discussion about the intersection of careers and sexual orientation, failed to address the larger implications of identity masking during the job search.鈥═he very notion of passing as straight presupposes an understanding of several nuanced conversations. The first is what potential employers might deem 鈥渜ueer,鈥� whether through attire and body language or through a resume that includes certain club affiliations.
The second is procedural: How might one best succumb to hetero-normative stereotypes? And how would doing so merit a capacity for ethical decision making?
The third would be qualitative: How do we measure the emotional, physical, and even monetary sacrifices that one undoubtedly undertakes in order to pass? 鈥═o this regard, what does the article鈥檚 implicit approval of sometimes hiding one鈥檚 sexual identity say about other marginalized groups facing issues of discrimination? For example, a black woman cannot with the same ease hide her perceived race or gender, though research abound tells us that both categories will also place her at a disadvantage in achieving the career goals espoused by panelist LK Gagnon, 鈥渢o be paid and be comfortable.鈥�
While this article does remind us that workplace politics are as complicated as ever, it surrenders to the ill-fated norms of present-day inequalities rather than offering a spirited advance toward the aspiration of our mission statement, where we 鈥渆ngage the transformative power of our differences鈥� and cultivate the very noble notions of 鈥渋nformed civic action鈥� and 鈥渞esponsible stewardship of the wider world.鈥�
Here, at this 鈥渃ollege for coming times,鈥� I would鈥檝e hoped for this to be normal practice.
Walter Garcia Fairfax 鈥�12
Stonington, Maine
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