File under: Ouch—shafted.

First off, great pieces in “Ministry of Sound” (May), including the great spread on Adam 12. But, as an avid reader, I was a little bummed I didn’t even get a tiny mention in the write-up, seeing as I’m also a WRBB alum. I’ve worked as a full-time DJ at WBCN-FM (7 to midnight, weeknights) for just under five years now. I’m actually the youngest full-timer here, not Adam.

Josh Aarons, our station’s assistant music director—and younger than both Adam and me—is also an NU grad. Matt Siegen, who more or less runs the street and promo teams, and is one of the forces behind our huge annual concerts—yup, from NU, too.

Anyway, my congrats to you guys on an otherwise very entertaining and professional article. It was great to discover so many people have made great work of NU’s communications program. Keep it up!

— Deek (aka Derek Diedricksen, AS’00)
104.1 WBCN-FM
Boston, Massachusetts

Graphic influence

Just a quick thank-you for the great little piece on Earle Brown (Husky Tracks, May). I am glad Northeastern is recognizing this important musical figure.

I had a chance to speak with Brown briefly in 1967, when I was a student at Tufts. Two of his former teachers had invited him to the Medford campus to give a workshop. Although he had an international reputation by that point, there was no trace of an inflated ego. I believe his down-to-earth, unassuming manner made people more willing to accept his unconventional musical ideas.

One point not mentioned by the article is the influence Brown had on other composers during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In particular, his graphic notation of time and dynamics was adopted by numerous other composers, including Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luciano Berio.

Several years ago, I nominated Brown for an honorary degree. Alas, he was passed over, and he died about a year later. Thus, it is quite gratifying to me to see Brown recognized in Northeastern University Magazine.

— Richard Bjorkman
Publications Manager
Office of the University Registrar
Hayden Hall

Oldies and goodies

I really enjoyed your article on the Northeastern radio station (“Fresh Air,” May). It brought back lots of memories for me, even though I wasn’t officially a part of the staff at WRBB (which stands for Radio Back Bay).

My friend Dave Kohn joined the station when we both arrived at NU in 1971, and I used to hang around the studio with him. I once got to do the “sign-on” at the beginning of the day’s transmissions. A special treat was the “Saturday Night Oldies” show, hosted by Roger R. Richards (“R-cubed,” to the engineering students).

I even have a WRBB bumper sticker from 1971 (or so), which for some reason I’ve hung onto all these years.

— John Pugh, BA’76
Hopewell, New Jersey

A round of applause . . .

For the Northeastern University Alumni Magazine readers who won prizes in two raffles this spring!

• The first drawing awarded a Palm Pilot to a Classes contributor whose submission appeared in a 2003–2004 issue. The winner was Douglas Gray, AS’92, of Atlanta, Georgia.

• The second selected three prize winners from among those readers who made subscription contributions over the past year:

First-place winner Joan Hodge, UC’86, UC’89, of Hyde Park, Massachusetts, received a Palm Pilot.

Second-place winners Helmut Knoll, E’37, of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Robert Norton, CJ’74, MJ’79, of Kennebunkport, Maine, each received a $100 gift certificate to the Northeastern University Bookstore.

Congratulations to our winners. And thanks to all of you for your news, views, and generous support. We prize our connections with our readers.