Hi, Alistair,

I may have had the honor of meeting your father-in-law! Up until 1985
I faithfully attended the yearly Spring Carnivals at Carnegie. Mostly
I was supporting my fraternity's winning buggy teams, but I also went
to the actitivies that were held to honor the older alums and made
small talk with some of them. Small world...

I apologize for being sensitive - a nephew had said just the day
before "don't you mean Carnegie-Mellon" when I told him that I
graduated from Carnegie Tech. His remark, combined with your innocent
message, triggered anew my resentment that the old name has been
mostly forgotten due to the trustees desire to increase the endowment.
My feelings aren't helped by the Mellon family's politics, which
weren't laudable back at the height of the Vietnam era and which have
no doubt played a part in the mid-east adventure we're now in.

Anyway, I see that you understand all too well, being a victim
yourself. I hope your beloved RTC was discarded for better reasons
than cash. Take care, and fly safe.

John Carlyle
Yardley, PA

Hi John,

I was aware of the difference, I just didn't think anyone would remember. I
am looking at Fred's Degree scroll as I write, and of course it is from CIT.
You are not the only one to suffer this kind of thing. I graduated from the
Royal Technical College Glasgow in 1954, an institution with dozens of
famous alumni. It is now greatly altered and it has become the University of
Strathclyde. They issued all us alumni with new degree parchments as well!
I've kept my old RTC one though! At least C-M retains the Carnegie
connection in the name. Fred attended a 50 year re-union of CIT graduates
from his year in 1982.

It wasn't pedantic in the least. You have every right to feel annoyed when
people forget inportant things.

Alistair Wright
Melrose
Scotland.