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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2001/11/30/pick-me-im-good/)

November 30, 2001

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Pick Me, I'm Good

By wpengine | November 30, 2001

Dear Head Recruiter at The Washington Post:

I am pleased to inform you that I have decided to opt out of my senior year at Cornell University and declare myself eligible for the upcoming real-world draft. While my three years in college have been a truly unforgettable life experience, I believe that education and time spent in a sheltered environment is only an obstacle to success in the real-world. My father and mother have nagged me for 15 years about being the first person in my family to get a college degree. But as I trudge myself day after day to my mind-numbing classes, I’ve realized that I can spend my time more wisely than learning about macroeconomics and Israeli politics.

My agent, David Falk — who is my true guiding light in life —

Alan Comerford '02 Celebrated at Service

By wpengine December 3, 2001

In the midst of gray skies, family and friends of Alan Comerford ’02 met in Anabel Taylor on Friday to remember the life of a student described as brilliant, kind, and driven. They gathered to grieve for the loss of Alan, whose body was discovered in Cascadilla Creek gorge on the morning of Nov. 20. The memorial began with the reading of Comerford’s Cornell application, in which he sought to explain his personal philosophy. Using the metaphor of a sandwich, Comerford wrote: “Family is the bread of humanity — the foundation of a person’s life … Friendship is the spread for life … The meat is a person’s inner thoughts.” “Alan was a true friend. He challenged by intellect and inspired me to study philosophy. I hope that some of the insight I gained from Alan could be transferred to others,” said Brian Ephraim ’02. Comerford was also remembered as a loving brother, brilliant student, and a humorous person. “Alan was the computer guru who people always asked for help — the perfectionist who fixed what was wrong and made it better,” said Comerford’s sister, Rachel Comerford. Rachel Comerford remembered a big brother who “bought me the most beautiful beads when I began to make necklaces,” and who “taught me how to wear my pants over my new boots so that I wouldn’t look like a dork.” One of Comerford’s professors said, “What I will always remember is his incredible sense of humor.” Comerford, a molecular biology and genetics student at Cornell, was also a trained emergency medical technician, fireman, and paramedic. He was interested in pursuing a career in pediatric emergency care. “Alan was a man on his way to living the life he wanted. He was considering suspending medical school to become an emergency physician for the Armed Services. He wanted to be where the action was,” said Liam Comerford, Alan’s father. “Alan could hold a man’s guts together with his hands, but what made him the saddest were the stories of the children suffering,” the elder Comerford said of his son. “The reason why people who remember Alan — that guy from high school — is because he put his heart into everything,” said Rachel Comerford. Rabbi Edward Rosenthal concluded the memorial with the Kaddish, a prayer for mourners and for the dead. Archived article by Jamie Yonks
Celebration Honors Native Experiences

By wpengine December 3, 2001

“We honor our elders to think where we have been, so we can know where we are, so we can know where we are going,” said Angaangag Lyberth, an elder of the Inuit Nation. The gathering of over 200 people on Friday at the David L. Call Auditorium to honor the elders Wilma Mankiller of the Cherokee Nation and Tom Porter of the Mohawk Nation marked the beginning of the three day “American Indian Millennium: Renewing Our Ways of Life for Future Generations” conference. The conference was attended by Native people from across the globe. Introducing the elders, John Mohawk, Seneca historian and Professor of History at SUNY Buffalo, said “You cannot preach integrity to people. How wonderful it is when we have leaders who show us that — who show us who we are.” “When we were young we thought we were going to flip-flop this world upside down,” said Porter, the co-founder of the White Roots of Peace, a group of Iroquois elders who toured the country in the 1960s promoting traditional teachings and encouraging Natives to embrace their respective traditions. “Whatever efforts we made, all the battles we went through, I would not trade it in for this, that or anything,” he added. “Our honor is to be able to help people,” said Mankiller, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1985-1995. Both received a traditional piece of Iroquois pottery as a recognition of their years of service to their communities. Matt Fellman ’02, who attended the keynote event said “White America would be much better off if we had leaders with integrity like Tom Porter and Wilma Mankiller.” American Indian struggles with identity, health, education, land, the future, and spirituality were highlighted during the three day conference. Sherri Mitchell, of the Penebscot Nation, related her own conflict to a panel on Health and Reproduction: “I was doing the work, had the car, the clothes, the trendy friends, and I was going home at night and crying. My identity was tied up with my ability to live in that part of the world.” “The important thing today is to remember that as Native people we have always been here and we always will be” said Migizi Pensoneau. The conference was organized by Jose Barreiro, Director of Communications and Editor in Chief of Akwe:Kon Press/Native Americas Journal, Dagmar Thorpe, executive director of Life Way, and Tim Johnson, Executive Editor of Indian Country Today. A video webstream of the conference will soon be posted on www.nativeamericas.com.Archived article by Peter Norlander