Thanks to the Elks National Foundation's Most Valuable Student program, scholarship recipient Rosita Najmi is helping to supply a West African village with medical supplies, while 2002 MVS winner Chelsea Leven is giving Amherst students the opportunity to express themselves through art.
Planning a vacation nowadays can often be an overwhelming proposition. Aside from the dizzying array of online sites designed to hlp you find the best bargain, there's the added concern of traveling safely in a post-September 11 world. In this issue our travel author Patricia Ann McNair provides sage advice to those planning their next excursion. By Patricia Ann McNair
Hours after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese set their sights on gaining control of three Pacific islets known collectively as Wake Island. For the next 13 days a tiny garrison of less than 500 marines held off a Japanese force that outnumbered the Americans more than 11 to 1. To this day the heroism of the marines and civlians on Wake Island remains a high point in American history. By Roger Meyer
By the late 19th century, August Schuenemann's Christmas tree ship was a Chicago tradition, bringing thousands of affordable trees to residents each holiday season. When Schuenemann's three-masted schooner vanished n a raging storm in 1912, the desappearance of the beloved ship gave rise to one of the Great Lakes' greatest mysteries. By Jack Bellin