Letters

Shifting sands: Environmental research on Hog Island

I was delighted to read the article about environmental research on Hog Island in your July issue. As a native of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, I am always pleased to know that the welfare of our land and water is being scrutinized and studied. In fact, I, too, am researching Hog Island for my graduate thesis in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University. My work now entails collecting stories and memories of people who once lived year round on Hog. Since this is the Arts and Sciences Magazine, I offer you art from my thesis, Barrier Island, to go with your science

Mariah Mears Pollard
(French and Afro-American/African Studies ’86)
Irvington, Va.

Early morning visit with Mrs. Simpson

After the storm, they lifted her house onto a barge,
Hauled it to the mainland, set it down
At the sea’s edge.That was 1933.
Now, from her porch,
We watch the watermen ebb from the harbor
In sea worn scows, in search of what’s scattered
On the ocean floor. I watch Mrs. Simpson
In their wake, white hair and bowed back,
And hesitate to ask how many times
She has returned to her childhood home.

She is finishing her breakfast —
Buttered toast and potatoes.
Coffee percolates on the stove,
Heat rises in this close August kitchen.
Outside housecoats sway in the wind.
She presses me to eat, at least have a cup of coffee;
Tells me she has never met a stranger.
That’s what my daddy always used to say.

At 91 and 36, we are becoming friends, talking
about her life on the island: how she used to dance
at the Red Onion, watch car races on the beach;
how she went to Sunday School and
helped her father at the shucking houses;
how that storm in ’33 whisked away some homes.
The next morning I found my shoes floating in the yard.

Tracking the man behind the map: The genome journey of Dr. Francis Collins

I was delighted to read the article in your July 2000 issue about Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project. I am a ’97 graduate of the College and am currently working on my Ph.D., studying the genetics of psychiatric disorders. The Human Genome Project will revolutionize many aspects of the behavioral and medical sciences, and I thought it was wonderful to read your piece about how a U.Va. alumnus is leading this effort.

However, I was disappointed at what I am sure must be a mistake in your quoting Dr. Collins. [In response to the question “Does gene hunting get easier or tougher with time?”] you quote him as saying “effectives” and “uneffectives.” I am quite sure that what he said was “affecteds” and “unaffecteds,” i.e., persons who are affected with a disorder and those who are unaffected. Molecular genetic analyses look for differences in genetic sequences between affected individuals and unaffected individuals, with the rationale being that if substantially more affected individuals possess a particular DNA sequence, it may contain a gene involved in the disorder.

Danielle M. Dick
(Psychology and Biology ’97)
Clinical Science/Behavioral, Medical, & Molecular Genetics Department of Psychology, Indiana University