From the Editor’s Desk

E.B. White once wrote that “New York is to the nation what the white church spire is to the village—the visible symbol of aspiration and faith, the white plume saying the way is up!” And so we share the grief of all those who lost loved ones in New York—and here at the Pentagon and in that Pennsylvania field. We share their grief, and we pray for peace even as fear and reality begin to penetrate: Terror can strike anywhere.

We know of eight GW alumni who were among the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. They are listed in a special section on page 39, and we send the sympathy of the GW community to all their bereaved loved ones.

Obviously, what was on the editors’ minds in planning for this issue was politics, for here you’ll find three very different kinds of political stories. Inside, Deborah Kalb offers an insightful profile of Missouri’s new senator, Jean Carnahan, BA ’55, who was appointed to the senate seat her husband (also a GW alumnus) was running for when he was killed in a plane crash; Robert Lehrman examines the impact of the Web on politics through the eyes of GW’s Graduate School of Political Management Professor Michael Cornfield and the Democracy Online project; and Jamie Freedman’s cover story takes a fascinating look at GW grads who’ve joined the Peace Corps. And be sure to check out what our president did on his summer vacation! A rich potpourri of news—in words and photos—rounds out the contents of this winter 2002 issue of the magazine.

It bears noting that this issue marks a happy milestone for the editor. Some 11 autumns ago, I was listed as editor on GW Magazine’s very first masthead! Subsequently I accepted another GW assignment and only now have schemed and connived my way back into the job I’ve always wanted to return to. Who says you can’t end a sentence with a preposition? And who ever said you can’t go home again?

Please enjoy the magazine, which truly flourishes on feedback, be it positive or negative. Heather and Jamie and I need to hear what our readers think. We want to know better what our readers are doing, and what they want and don’t want. So be in touch; we’ll be looking for your e-mail, your letter, or your call.

Sandy Holland
Editor