As a graduate from UB in the ’90s, I saw UB enter Division I only to sit at the bottom of the conference for ages. It’s been fun watching my alma mater get some national attention over the last five, six years in both football and basketball. Articles like these [“Jake Schum’s Wild Ride,” Winter 2018] are fun and interesting. Great job representing UB, Jake, and for persevering. It sounds like it’s been a tough but rewarding adventure. I’ll be watching to see how things go for you next year!

This is an amazing story that I am sure is not finished yet. I worked with Jake when he was bouncing between Cleveland and the Jets. He was a totally focused man who let nothing get in the way of his goal. His training program was grueling, his commitment unyielding. He did all this while remaining one of the funniest, most positive people I have known. I was not in Jake’s close circle of friends, just a co-worker at the gym, but I had abandoned my dream of playing ice hockey at a young age as circumstances and time took hold. Then, at the age of 40, I trained hard for six months and took my first face-off in 27 years. One hundred forty games later and now 45 years old, I am in the best shape of my life. It is stories like Jake’s that gave me the stones to get back in the game instead of telling myself that the dream was over. So, thanks, Jake. I never would have skated again had it not been for your inspiration.

Not so fast [“Worth His Salt,” Fall 2017]. Check out the Jane Brody article in The New York Times, Nov. 20, 2017, for a takedown of [the argument against limiting salt intake]. According to Brody and broad scientific consensus, this UB-trained researcher’s claims are “shabby science.” And the fact that this shabby science about salt is getting widespread coverage is because media outlets, like this one from UB, are all too happy to publish sensational “man bites dog” stories.

I’m a ’77 graduate of the School of Public Health and Health Professions. I live in Austin, Texas, these days but always enjoy getting my copy of At Buffalo.

I’m excited to read about the continuing progress at UB and especially all the growth and economic development sparked by the new medical school building. I look forward to receiving the ongoing updates, and even though I’m pretty tech savvy and most of my daily world is online, I still do appreciate tangible media, so thank you for continuing to produce a print edition. If it were only online it would be harder for me to remember to randomly pick it up and read it.

Keep up the good work!

Along with the rest of Western New York, the UB community was deeply saddened by the loss of Robert G. Wilmers, the longtime chair and CEO of M&T Bank, who died this past December. In addition to his numerous civic and philanthropic contributions to the region, he was a staunch supporter of the university, serving as co-chair of UB’s comprehensive campaign in the late ’80s/early ’90s, as chair of the UB Foundation’s Board of Trustees in the early ’90s and, most recently, as co-chair of the Build the Vision campaign for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. In the words of UB President Satish K. Tripathi, Wilmers was a “dedicated advocate and a loyal friend,” and will be greatly missed.