PAW’s annual look at Princeton’s top headlines, on and off campus.

January: Record number of students apply for Class of 2012

In the first application cycle since early admission was ended, the University received a record 20,118 applications, up 6 percent from the previous year. It’s the fourth consecutive year in which admission applications have set a record. Janet Rapelye, dean of admission, said the number and the quality of applicants “exceeded our expectations.” … [Read more]

February: Ethan Coen ’79 wins Oscar

Ethan Coen ’79 and his brother Joel, the directors and screenwriters of No Country for Old Men, earned starring roles at the Academy Awards ceremony Feb. 24. Their film won four Oscars, including the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Another film with Princeton ties, Taxi to the Dark Side, was named the year’s Best Documentary Feature. Todd Wider ’86 and Jedd Wider ’89 served as executive producers of the documentary, which explores the arrest, torture, and death of an Afghani taxi driver at an American Air Force base.

March: Bob Goheen ’40 *48, Princeton’s 16th president, dies (By Merrell Noden ’78)

I was not sure what to expect back in the fall of 2006, as I walked through Robertson Hall on my way to meet Bob Goheen ’40 *48 for the first time. I came to Princeton in 1974, two years after Goheen had stepped down following 15 momentous years as University president. It’s hard to imagine how that time could have been more eventful: Goheen had welcomed minority students in real numbers, overseen the transition to coeducation, and transformed Princeton from an excellent undergraduate school into a world-class research university. To accomplish all that at any time would be an awesome achievement, but to do at a time of widespread paranoia, violence, and uneasiness about change was testament to the deep trust Goheen inspired in faculty and students alike. I knew the legacy but not the man. Goheen’s secretary offered to take me to his office. We rounded a corner and there, walking slowly before us, was Bob Goheen. Sensing that it would be ungracious to catch him, we slowed down to give him time to reach his office. A few moments later he stood up to shake my hand and then sat down, slightly breathless. His hair was rumpled, and he was not wearing his trademark bowtie. There was no self-importance or vanity about him. … [Read more]

April: Keller ’63 makes $25 million gift to strengthen engineering-liberal arts ties

For the last two years, Princeton’s Center for Innovation in Engineering Education has tried to provide an encouraging nudge for faculty pursuing new ideas in engineering classrooms. On April 7, the center received a major boost: a $25 million gift from Dennis Keller ’63, the founding chairman of DeVry Inc., and his wife, Connie, aimed at improving the links between engineering and the liberal arts at Princeton. … [Read more]

May: Researchers catch a star in the act of exploding

On Jan. 9, 2008, Alicia Soderberg, a postdoctoral research associate in astrophysics at Princeton, was studying the X-ray emissions conveyed from space by NASA’s Swift satellite when she recognized an extremely bright light on the screen of her computer, saturating the satellite’s view “as if we had pointed a digital camera directly at the sun,” she said. That light, Soderberg and colleague Edo Berger later confirmed, was a supernova — an explosion of a massive star. Their finding, named Supernova 2008D, or SN 2008D for short, was described in a paper published in Nature May 22. In a May 21 teleconference, Soderberg described the experience as being in the right place, at the right time, with the right telescope. “I truly won the astronomers’ lottery,” she said. … [Read more]

June: More than 20,000 celebrate Reunions 2008

The P-rade is an event for Tigers of many stripes — and for many patterns, prints, and plaids, too. But this year, viewers perched on the banks of Elm Drive likely experienced a sense of déjà vu from two large contingents of alumni donning jackets that featured alternating, finger-width vertical slats of orange and black. The first group was the Class of 1983, marching at the head of the P-rade in brand-new Reunions blazers. The second was the Class of 1958, back for its 50th reunion and wearing the same pattern. (The Class of 1933, which originated those familiar vertical stripes, was not represented in the P-rade, but two widows of class members were on hand at the Old Guard luncheon to celebrate ’33’s 75th.) … [Read more]

July: Andlinger ’52 gives $100 million to Princeton

The University announced a $100 million gift July 1 from Gerhard R. Andlinger ’52 to support energy and environmental research. The gift will create the Gerhard R. Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment within the School of Engineering and Applied Science and will support construction of a 110,000-square-foot building, to be called Andlinger Laboratory, between the E-Quad and Bowen Hall. The center will include several new faculty positions; major research areas will include sustainable energy sources, techniques to improve carbon management, and energy efficiency. … [Read more]

August: Lind ’06 wins gold at Olympics

When Caroline Lind ’06 and her U.S. rowing teammates won Olympic gold in the women’s eight, they hugged, cried, smiled, and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” with gusto on the medal stand. And in the week that followed, whenever they left the Athletes Village, the gold medals came with them. “I don’t know if many athletes wear their medals,” Lind said, “but my entire team was like, ‘We’re wearing them!’” At clubs and restaurants and on the streets of Beijing, the women were treated like celebrities. By the time Lind returned home, her medal had a tiny nick near the bottom, and its ribbon was starting to pill like an old T-shirt. “It’s well-loved,” she said. Lind was one of 15 Princeton alumni and students who traveled to Beijing as Olympic athletes or coaches. … [Read more]

September: Gehry-designed Lewis Library opens (By W. Barksdale Maynard ’88)

Is Princeton ready for Frank Gehry? Skeptics peering over construction fences at the corner of Washington Road and Ivy Lane had their doubts. Some predicted that Lewis Library would be the scariest thing to fall to earth in central New Jersey since that Martian spacecraft jarred Grover’s Mill 70 years ago — “Mr. Wilmuth, would you please tell the radio audience as much as you remember of this rather unusual visitor that dropped in your backyard?” But when the fences finally came down in the summer, two years later than originally scheduled, the skeptics tiptoed inside. No sign of any tentacled Martians glistening “like wet leather.” A sure cure for lingering aesthetic doubts was a trip to the fourth floor, almost 100 feet up: the soaring ceilings, the mazelike plan full of surprises, the whimsical plywood furniture, and, best of all, the view through giant windows of the rest of this strange building — crooked walls, tilted roofs, shiny steel and painted stucco and orange brick colliding in wild, delightful confusion. … [Read more]

October: Krugman wins Nobel in economics

Looking somewhat sheepish before a packed press conference Oct. 13 in Robertson Hall, economist Paul Krugman accepted the congratulations of friends, students, and colleagues as the recipient of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. A professor in the economics department and the Woodrow Wilson School, Krugman earned the award for groundbreaking research in the fields of international trade and economic geography. He is more widely known for his twice-weekly column in The New York Times. … [Read more]

November: Alumni candidates succeed at the polls

Jared Schutz Polis ’96 got a new job Nov. 4. The Internet entrepreneur from Boulder, Colo., asked the people of the state’s 2nd district to “hire” him as their representative in Congress, and on Election Day, a strong majority of voters backed the idea. In an election that will send Michelle Obama ’85 to the White House as first lady next month, Polis was one of six Princetonians to win a congressional or gubernatorial race. … [Read more]

December: Princeton, Robertsons settle donor-intent case

Princeton has settled its six-year legal battle with members of the Robertson family over control of the Robertson Foundation, the University announced Dec. 10. Under the settlement, the University will pay $50 million to a new foundation that will support the preparation of students for government service, and another $40 million to reimburse the Robertsons’ legal fees. The Robertson Foundation will be dissolved, giving Princeton control of the remaining funds, according to a University release. Robertson Foundation assets were worth more than $900 million on June 30, 2008, the end of the University’s fiscal year. … [Read more]

The Year at Princeton Archives: 2007 | 2006

Tiger of the Week: Darroll Powe ’07

The last time most Princeton hockey fans saw Darroll Powe ’07, he was skating for the Tigers in a 4-3 win over Brown in the ECAC Hockey playoffs at Baker Rink. Powe assisted on a goal against the Bears in that game, his last home contest at Princeton. He was a stalwart in four seasons on the ice, helping to start the turnaround that has propelled the men’s hockey team into the nation’s top 10.

Powe is still skating, still wearing orange and black, and still working to change the fortunes of his team. He’s now a backup center for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, who went on a five-game winning streak shortly after Powe was promoted from the minor leagues Dec. 4.

Powe scored his first NHL goal during that streak in a win against the New York Islanders Dec. 9. He cleaned up a rebound after teammate Mike Richards fired a shot at the goalie. “It bounced off the pad and it came right to me,” Powe told the Philadelphia Daily News. “It was good to get that first one out of the way and hopefully lots more to come.”

(Photo courtesy Princeton Athletic Communications)

Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.

Tiger of the Week: Tina deVaron ’78

For more than a decade, jazz singer and piano player Tina deVaron ’78 has been writing songs about motherhood and performing them for appreciative audiences of parents and kids. This week, just in time for the holidays, she released a new song about the magic of cookies — entitled “When is a cookie?” — along with a music video that shows deVaron doing her best Betty Crocker impersonation.

While she admits the story in the video is a bit “off-the-wall,” deVaron says there is an underlying statement “about joy, togetherness, and chocolate.” In a Web post about making the video, she wrote, “I have rarely had more fun in my life.” (The fun shines through — check out the full video below and read about the project on deVaron’s blog.)

When she’s not baking up new tunes, deVaron plays weekly jazz shows for kids, called Madeline’s Tea, on Saturdays and Sundays at the Carlyle in New York City’s Bemelmans Bar. Her most recent album is Water Over Stones.

Pelosi, Holt, and Tilghman convene science roundtable

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca., joined more than 20 leaders from government, industry, and academia to discuss America’s commitment to research in the physical sciences and energy at a Dec. 15 roundtable in Princeton’s Chancellor Green. The meeting was organized by Pelosi, President Tilghman, and Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J.

In a statement delivered afterward, Tilghman said the United States has reached an important time to “make a very serious investment in the kind of innovation and creativity that has always fueled this country and its economy.”

Pelosi agreed, promising that the incoming Congress would focus on science in many forms: “The science to protect and defend America, the science to grow our economy through innovation and education, the science and engineering to rebuild our infrastructure in America … , the science to make America healthy, and the science to preserve our planet by reversing global warming and declaring our energy independence — they are all related,” she said.

Participant Norman Augustine ’57 *59, a former president and CEO of Lockheed Martin, chaired a 2005 National Academies committee that found America’s funding for research and science education was severely lacking. As a nation, he said, “We’re in a relatively strong position today, but I think it’s widely agreed that we’re losing that position, and we’re losing that position rapidly.”

Augustine told PAW that in the Chancellor Green meeting, which was not open to the public or the press, participants had “near-total agreement” about the improvements needed for science education and research. “People agree what the problem is, [and] we agree what has to be done,” he said. “We just have to do it.”

PAW’s top 10 features of 2008

According to Web traffic, here are the 10 most popular feature stories from the last 12 months of PAW:

1. Princeton’s most influential alumni (Jan. 23)
As selected by a panel of faculty and alumni experts

2. Two brothers, two paths (Nov. 5)
Gabe Legendy ’05 and his brother Conrad ’07 felt called to the Army during a time of war — but then their plans diverged

3. Going solo (April 23)
A profile of violist David Carpenter ’08

4. Raking muck in the new public square (Oct. 8)
TPM Media’s Josh Marshall ’91

5. The Gehry that landed on Ivy Lane (Oct. 8)
The new Lewis Library brings a futuristic face to a tradition-heavy place

6. Marking time (Sept. 24)
Combining history and archaeology, Princeton scholars reconstruct daily life in the fields of Turkey

7. The new rules of financial aid (May 14)
Elite schools offer more while other colleges struggle to stay in the game

8. Growing the campus (June 11)
How Princeton preserves its “lazy beauty”

9. Rethinking Reagan (Oct. 22)
Liberal historian Sean Wilentz still disagrees with the conservative president, but gives credit where it’s due

10. Everything you wanted to know about money and ethics, relationships, fashion, and health (March 5)
PAW wasn’t afraid to ask our alumni pundits

Names in the news

Librarian of Congress James Billington ’50, left, and Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp ’89 were among 23 people who received the Presidential Freedom Medal from President George W. Bush Dec. 10. Princeton professor Robert George also was honored. [WhiteHouse.gov]

Recent graduate Victor Amin ’08 bypassed the Wall Street job market to create an Internet startup, the spam-protection provider rSapient. [ABC News]

Actor John C. Vennema ’70 began previews for the New York production of “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” a Martin McDonagh play directed by Garry Hynes. [Broadway World]

Publishers Weekly chose Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos ’86 — “the driving force behind one of the industry’s most dynamic, if sometimes controversial, companies” — as its Person of the Year. [Publishers Weekly]

Queen Noor of Jordan ’74 is expected to become a blogger for the Huffington Post’s World News page. [Media Bistro]

Eli Harari *73, founder of SanDisk, the world’s largest supplier of flash storage cards, received the Global Semiconductor Alliance’s top leadership award. [Marketwatch]

History teacher and high school football coach Joe Cattolico ’96 led his team to a Sacramento city championship in just its third varsity season. [Sacramento Bee]

Billington and Kopp photos by Chris Greenberg.

Princeton, Robertsons settle donor-intent case

Princeton has settled its six-year legal battle with members of the Robertson family over control of the Robertson Foundation, the University announced Dec. 10. Under the settlement, the University will pay $50 million to a new foundation that will support the preparation of students for government service, and another $40 million to reimburse the Robertsons’ legal fees. The Robertson Foundation will be dissolved, giving Princeton control of the remaining funds, according to a University release. Robertson Foundation assets were worth more than $900 million on June 30, 2008, the end of the University’s fiscal year.

The $40 million for legal fees will be paid to the Banbury Fund, a Robertson family foundation, over the next four years. From 2012 through 2018, Princeton will provide $50 million, plus interest, to a new charitable foundation, which will be designated by the Robertson family.

In a message to faculty and staff, President Tilghman wrote that “[w]hile we were confident that Princeton would prevail on the merits of the case, we recognized that the court could provide the plaintiffs with reimbursement from the Robertson Foundation for most or all of their legal expenses.” Legal fees could have grown to a total of $60 million for each side if the case had gone forward, according to Tilghman’s letter. The case was expected to go to trial in 2009.

The Robertson Foundation funds, given by the late Charles ’26 and Marie Robertson in 1961, support the graduate program at the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. William Robertson ’72, a son of Charles and Marie who led the family’s effort to gain control of the gift, contended that the money was not used for its intended purpose. On Dec. 10, he called the settlement “more than a slap on the wrist” and “a message to nonprofit organizations … that donors expect them to abide by the terms of designated gifts,” in a statement released by the family. The Robertsons believe the total cost to Princeton will be more than $100 million, according to the statement.

Robertson wrote in a May 2006 letter to PAW that the funds had failed to achieve his parents’ aim “to recruit, prepare, and place graduate students in careers in government.” But in the Dec. 10 statement, he credited Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter ’80 for initiating “significant improvements … which more closely adhere to my parents’ intentions.”

News links: History of the Robertson case

Princeton sued by Robertsons [July 31, 2002 and Sept. 11, 2002]

University asks for dismissal of Robertson lawsuit [Dec. 4, 2002]

Tiger of the Week: Sean Gregory ’98

Dressed in a T-shirt, basketball shorts, and a pair of boxing gloves he’d bought at a New York sporting goods store, Time magazine reporter Sean Gregory ’98 climbed into the ring with Oscar De La Hoya at the boxing champion’s Big Bear Lake, Calif., training camp last week.

Fortunately for Gregory, the encounter was a boxing lesson, recorded for Time.com, and not a revival of George Plimpton’s participatory journalism. Viewers learned about a few of the sport’s finer points, and the writer emerged without a scratch — a win-win for Gregory, our Tiger of the Week. (De La Hoya was not as fortunate in his most recent fight; he lost a Dec. 6 bout to Manny Pacquiao.)

Gregory, a Woodrow Wilson School major who graduated from Columbia University’s journalism school in 2002, may be a familiar face for Princeton basketball fans. He was a reserve guard for the Tigers during a memorable run of Ivy championship seasons from 1996 to 1998. But an athletic background did not make Gregory a quick study in the boxing gym. His fumbling attempt to find his tempo on the speed bag offered a stark contrast to the mesmerizing rhythm of De La Hoya’s punches. That part was not scripted, Gregory said: “I actually was trying.”

Watch the complete video, which includes a cameo by former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins:

Shapiro ’89 talks about the business of baseball

More than 40 executives and athletes from professional and Olympic sports -- including eight Princeton alumni -- came to campus Dec. 5 for the third annual Princeton Sports Symposium, a six-hour event designed to bring students together with experts in the field.

Mark Shapiro ’89, executive vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Indians, headlined the opening session, a discussion with Shaprio and his father, sports agent and lawyer Ronald Shapiro, led by Sports Illustrated baseball writer Tom Verducci.

The panelists answered questions, including a few about the fate of pro sports in the current economy. All agreed that sports teams are not recession-proof, with declining ticket sales and sponsorships already affecting most franchises. The younger Shapiro, who is at Major League Baseball's winter meetings this week, predicted shorter free-agent contracts this year, in response to the economy.

Each speaker talked about his path to the business of sport. Verducci broke in as a three-month intern at Newsday, while the elder Shapiro negotiated his first baseball contract for Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson a few months after helping Robinson navigate a sticky situation involving a tax shelter.

Mark Shapiro loved baseball, but did not know exactly how to turn it into a career. "My father counseled me not to get involved in the front office of baseball, so like a typical 22-year-old, I defied him," he said. After sending letters to every team in baseball, he took a job with the only team that offered one -- the last-place Indians -- and over the last 18 years, he ascended the ranks, helping to build Cleveland into a playoff team and frequent contender.

As the session ended, Verducci jokingly urged Indians fans to come forward and suggest off-season trades. Shapiro smiled and replied, "I get a lot of free advice. I could always use a little more."

Teams wrap toys for local kids

What could bring hundreds of Princeton athletes together to sit Indian style on the Frist Campus Center floor? Group yoga class?

Think again. Dec. 3 marked Athletes in Action's ninth annual Teams and Toys event. More than 50 campus groups, including all of Princeton's varsity teams and several club teams, sororities, and dance groups, bought and wrapped holiday gifts for more than 180 underprivileged children who participate in Princeton's Community House projects.

Katie Cox, a senior captain of the women's lacrosse team, called the event a "great way to kick-off the holiday season as a team." This year, the women's lacrosse team was asked to buy gifts for a family of five girls. While shopping for their presents, the team "tried to imagine what we would have liked at their ages." It seems that the men's lacrosse team followed the same logic, buying armloads of basketballs, dartboards, movies, and DVDs.

The Teams and Toys event has become a vital part of Athletes in Action (AIA), one of Princeton's Christian ministry groups. Farrell Harding ’10, who heads the group, explains that "AIA looks at this event as a way to serve God by giving back to our community and campus." But AIA does not discriminate, Harding said. Whether moved by religious devotion or just the spirit of giving back, all are welcome to lend a hand. By Sarah Harrison ’09

Above, the women's lacrosse team wraps toys Dec. 3. (Photo by Sarah Harrison ’09)

U.S. cannot let up on foreign aid, panelists say

The United States must continue to provide humanitarian aid to developing countries despite the economic crisis at home, four panelists argued Dec. 2 at Robertson Hall.

The panel, entitled "What are American Obligations to Financing Poverty Relief and Global Health in Economic Hard Times?," featured Woodrow Wilson School professor and former World Bank researcher Jeff Hammer, ethicist and professor Peter Singer, politics professor Charles Beitz, and president and founder of Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) Jim Luce.

Hammer admitted that he was "a little puzzled" by the panel's title, as it gave the misguided impression that foreign aid is a major part of the current U.S. budget. In actuality, Hammer noted, the U.S. government budgeted only $16 billion -- about 0.5 percent of the national budget -- for humanitarian aid in 2008.

"We spent more on Citibank last weekend," he added.

Singer stressed the potential impact of individuals on humanitarian aid, arguing that "we shouldn't just be relying on governments to do something about these issues." Luce, who founded OIWW after witnessing the dire conditions of orphaned children in Indonesia, spoke to Singer's point, saying he felt he had a "personal obligation" to help.

While Beitz agreed with Singer and Luce, he stressed the role of the U.S. government, saying that "to neglect the potential of rich countries' governments is a mistake." By Sarah Harrison ’09

Tigers of the Week: Scott Moore ’08 and Timothy Nunan ’08

Two alumni share Tiger of the Week honors this week, and that’s not all they have in common: Scott Moore, left, and Timothy Nunan are both recent graduates (Class of 2008); both are Fulbright Fellows this year (Moore in China, Nunan in Germany); and both were named Rhodes Scholars last week, joining Princeton undergraduate Stephen Hammer ’09 on the list of 32 American students chosen for the prestigious scholarships to Oxford University.

Moore, a Woodrow Wilson School major, plans to study environmental policy at Oxford and pursue a career “enhancing and building upon the idea of international environmental cooperation, through work in the government, academic, and NGO sectors.” Nunan, a German major who won his department’s senior thesis prize, plans to pursue a career in history. “Historians are society’s gadflies, teaching not to forget, but also not to mystify,” he wrote in his Rhodes application. “There’s no quicker way to forget the past than to worship it.”

Since 1904, more than 190 Princetonians have been named Rhodes Scholars. This is the second consecutive year in which Princeton had three recipients.

Photos: Courtesy the Moore family (Moore) and Brian Wilson, Office of Communications, Princeton University (Nunan)

Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW’s Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.

Winter teams are off and running

As Princeton’s winter teams began competition in November and December, men’s hockey was the clear headliner, winning nine of its first 11 games and climbing as high as No. 7 in the national polls. The high-scoring Tigers averaged more than three goals per game through Nov. 29.

Women’s hockey topped Quinnipiac Dec. 2 to creep closer to .500. The Tigers (5-6-1) scored an impressive upset against No. 4 St. Lawrence Nov. 21.

Women’s basketball opened 3-2, thanks in part to scoring-leader Addie Micir ’11’s 12.8 points per game. The Tigers will travel to California for a two-game set at the Collier’s International Classic Dec. 6 and 7.

Men’s basketball lost close games to Central Michigan and Maine before rebounding with strong wins over Army and Fordham. The Tigers dropped to 2-3 with a loss to South Carolina Dec. 2. Freshman Doug Davis has been the story of the season so far. The 5-foot, 10-inch, 155-pound guard scored 25 points in his first collegiate game and has averaged 16.4 points in his first five appearances.

Other winter sports are just getting under way. Men’s swimming and diving, ranked No. 22 in the nation, swept Penn and Cornell in its first Ivy meet Nov. 22. The Princeton women swimmers also topped Penn and Cornell to open the Ivy season. In wrestling, the Tigers dropped early dual meets to Penn and Lehigh. The fencing and squash teams were solid in early competition. Both sports play the bulk of their Ivy schedules after the January break for fall semester exams.

Above, Krystal Hill ’11 drives to the basket in Princeton’s 62-47 win over Farleigh Dickinson Nov. 25. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

’Tis the season for singing

Songs by the Princeton University Chapel Choir, the Princeton Tigerlilies, and Princeton Tigertones are featured on a new CD of Princeton-based choirs, “A Princeton Christmas: For the Children of Africa Vol. 2,” whose proceeds will be donated to the UN World Food Program to feed hungry students in Africa.

The Chapel Choir, conducted by Penna Rose and comprised of Princeton undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members, sings “A Welsh Lullaby,” “Spaseniye Sodelal,” and “Saints Bound for Heaven.” The Tigerlilies contributed “On This Day Earth Shall Ring,” and the Tigertones provided “Gabriel’s Message.” The Princeton musicians donated their time for the effort. Last year, the first volume of the CD collection raised more than $40,000 and provided more than 160,000 meals to students in Africa, said Thomas Meagher, a resident of Lawrenceville, N.J., who spearheaded the project. The CD is available at the Princeton University Store and online at Amazon.com and iTunes.

Many of the Princeton singers will share their talents on TV this month. The CBS Early Show plans to feature the Tigertones and the Tigerlilies on Dec. 6, Meagher said, and the Chapel Choir will appear on “Toni on the Holidays,” a New York-area special hosted by Toni Senecal that will air Dec. 12 at 10:30 p.m. on Fox 5-WNYW and Dec. 20 at 10:30 p.m. on My 9-WWOR. By Katherine Federici Greenwood

Names in the news

Author Michael Lewis ’82, whose books include Liar’s Poker, told NPR Nov. 25 that there may be a silver lining to the financial crisis: college students “who thought they were going to be financiers are having to rethink the premise, and that’s a very good thing.” Lewis spoke with several Princeton students this fall. … The resurgence of the single-wing offense in pro and college football has brought attention to Princeton’s glory days on the gridiron in the 1950s and ’60s. A Dec. 1 Sports Illustrated feature mentioned Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier ’52, All-American Cosmo Iacavazzi ’65, and the late Ken Keuffel ’46, author of Winning Single-Wing Football. … A New York Times review of Professor James McPherson’s latest book included scenes from a recent battlefield trip with the Princeton Class of 1972. … The Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.) charted the remarkable career of mathematician Terence Tao *96 in a Nov. 20 story. … The New York Times profiled two recent additions to the incoming Obama administration, cabinet secretary Christopher Lu ’88 and Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag ’91. … Politico.com listed television writer Crystal Nix Hines ’85 as one of “Obama’s real friends in Hollywood.” Hines, a former University trustee, was a Harvard Law classmate of Barack Obama and an undergraduate classmate of Michelle Obama at Princeton.