I am pleased to announce

that there will soon be two merit awards established in my mother's name at her alma mater, the University of Michigan: one in the History Department for best undergraduate scholarly paper, and one at the Michigan Daily for achievement in copy-editing.

And I and my brother have gotten to find out what it's like to be big-time - well, rather small-time, actually - academic donors. They bought us lunch, and their interest in these 65-year-old effects - I brought along a photo of my mother as an undergrad being editorial in the Daily offices, and the original of her magnum opus in B.A. scholarship, a thesis on the Boer War - seemed genuine.

And money has changed hands, and when it's earned enough interest in the Endowment Fund, next year, we will be on.