The Magazine of The University of Montana
Email Article Letters
WANTED: YOUR OPINIONS
The Montanan welcomes letters to the editor. Please sign and include your graduating year or years of attendance, home address, and phone number or e-mail address.
Send them to: Montanan Editor,325 Brantly Hall, Missoula, MT 59812
or themontanan@umontana.edu.
Because of space limitations, we are not able to include all letters sent to us. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. While universities are places of discussion where good people do not always agree, letters deemed potentially libelous or that malign a person or group will not be published. Opinions expressed in the Montanan do not necessarily reflect those of The University of Montana.
Christine Fiore, left, UM Leadership Fellow and professor of psychology, and Danielle Wozniak, associate professor and director of UM’s social work program
It’s About Time
I must say, after many, many months, I was so pleased to see UM’s School of Social Work highlighted in the winter Montanan [“A New Culture,” winter 2013]. I scour the pages of each edition looking for signs that the program is alive and well on campus. I am encouraged to see that the editor saw fit to do so.
The School of Social Work, all of its staff, and my fellow students provided a strong foundation that held me in good stead for close to twenty years. My public service career included being a foster care counselor and then an investigator for what became the Florida Department of Children and Families. Later I was state certified as a correctional classification officer in a state prison and transitioned to a probation and parole officer in the community.
Fortunately, I was able to secure an early retirement from the state of Florida and we left for Santa Fe, N.Mex., to spend the final years of my mother’s life with her in her home. Again, many of the lessons of the School of Social Work were helpful as she, my husband, and I worked through those days.
In the coming seasons I hope the Montanan will present articles on the involvement of the School of Social Work on campus and in the community. Even in this time of tweets, Tumblr, YouTube, etc., there is always an important place for face-to-face, meaningful communication. This is particularly true as our world faces so many challenges.
Barbara A. LaMont ’92 Santa Fe, N.Mex.
Better Late Than Never
This is a belated letter to the editor. The spring 2012 issue really hit home with me with your Artifacts article about Professor John Wicks and the picture of U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen in the About Alumni section. I was a member of UM’s Central Board and later ASUM president and got to know John Wicks quite well. My wife, Lucy, now deceased, and I had many PP’s with John and others, as well as some follow-on beverage at Shakey’s Pizza in downtown Missoula. In fact, I proposed to her at Shakey’s! Lucy and I had our last “ding” with John in 2006. What a wonderful story about a truly unique and wonderful person. It also was great to see Judge Christensen in the same issue. Dana and his wife, Stephanie, are the godparents of our daughter Keely. Great picture of Dana and his kiddos, but you missed the beautiful Stephanie.
Thanks for making my life in exile from my dear Montana a joy.
Tom Stockburger ’74 Centennial, Colo.
The Montanan would like to thank the following people for recently donating to the magazine: Donna Miller, Robert Small, Mary Pitch, Judith Kinonen, Denae Frieling, William Ellison, Alvin Ludwig, Jeffrey Simpson, Matt Mulligan, Thomas J. Zakos, Edgar and Marilyn Schooley, Nancy Cabe, and Thomas and Neva Cotter.
