Dear Editor,

I attended the Duquesne Homecoming and was honored by being made a Golden Duke. The enjoyable time I spent on campus during this weekend was special and what made it so was not just the camaraderie of my fellow alumni but of the Duquesne community that made me feel relaxed and so welcomed.

Recently I’ve been reading works by a Danish woman author from the middle of the previous century, Tove Ditlevsen. I’d like to include one of her short poems in this letter.

“Once I was young and all a glow / Full of laughter and fun, / I was like the blushing rose, / Now I am old and forgotten.”

When we are young, we tend not to think of old age as something coming. It is remote. Old age is a life stage which requires a certain bravery to deal with, yet nevertheless comes whether we are prepared for it or not.

My friends, try and prepare for it best you can, but don’t let these great years, which you are now in, prevent you from enjoying them to the fullest.

Thanks for allowing me to make this point and I’ll end by thanking you once again for accepting us into your environment during that special weekend. I am sure, I speak for the many alumni who were present.

Sincerely,
Jay Yasgur, P’76