Alec Brownie’s article [“The Life and Thoughts of an Aspie,” Winter 2015] was wonderful. This articulate, talented, well-spoken young man has done a great service to the Asperger’s community. He is most certainly on the right path, and has traversed many obstacles and difficulties to get where he is. He is to be admired and praised, and the article is a gem.

Jeff Seitelman (MD ’77)
Long Beach, Calif.

The writer is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and president of the New Center for Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles.

I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder 10 months ago. I am now 31, and autism/Asperger’s explains so many of my earlier life struggles. I am a UB graduate and this article brought me to tears. So much of it I can relate to. Feeling alone in a sea full of diverse students from all over the world, I too connected better with professors than other students. Like Alec, I can appreciate how rough things could be in terms of bullying in high school. I had no idea why people could be so cruel. Knowledge is power. Knowing I’m an Aspie and that there are others out there like me gives me the confidence to move forward in life. I am also learning to see my Aspie-ness as a gift. Thank you for writing!

Name withheld on request

Alec Brownie’s article was excellent. Please let him know of the book “The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism” by Naoki Higashida. If he isn’t already familiar with this title, I expect he will enjoy it immensely.

J. Peter Gregoire
Romulus, N.Y.

I enjoyed the article about Dylan Thomas and the rare Thomas manuscripts UB sent to Wales [“Priceless Cargo,” Winter 2015]. I grew up in Uplands, Swansea, Wales, and played in the same park as Dylan Thomas (Cwmdonkin Park). I walked on the same beaches (Swansea, Mumbles), watched the same trams (no longer there) and drank in the same pubs. I have now lived in Buffalo for 40 years.

Jennifer Gold
Buffalo, N.Y.

I can confirm that the person in the background in the photo on page 64 [“1954 Beta Ray Spectrometer,” Winter 2015] is the late Walter Wurster (PhD ’57, BA ’50)—or “Dr. Optics,” as he was called. I had the privilege of working with Walter for many years at CAL/Calspan.

John Lordi (PhD ’68)
Williamsville, N.Y.

Editor’s response: Thank you, Dr. Lordi! For solving our mystery, we’re going to send you an At Buffalo mug.

There are a number of individuals in our household who regularly receive quarterly publications from their respective institutions of higher learning. I quickly peruse all of these, gleaning important and relevant information for our lives today. However, I recently sat down with the fall edition of At Buffalo and read it in its entirety.

From the photo on the front cover to the “Last Look” on the back, I found the publication to be interesting, well-written, relevant and intriguing, and a feast for the eyes. It underscored the good work of the students and of the university, opening windows into departments and majors and pedagogies. It offered schools of thought which expanded our view of the institution’s relevance and impact on the world, while at the same time focused on maintaining the close personal ties with and between those who have had the pleasure to be a part of UB.

Suzanne Johnston (MA ’84)
Pittsford, N.Y.

It seems we’re not the only ones blown away by the beauty of staff photographer Doug Levere’s snowflake photos. Shortly after we published an example from the series [“Last Look,” Winter 2015], a slideshow and short article appeared on The New Yorker blog. Wrote New Yorker staffer McKenna Stayner, “In his photographs, the white of the falling flake is replaced with the translucence of ice, with its etched-in patterns and pathways. Some of his flakes are geometric, with an almost mechanical exactitude. Others are fluid, resembling liquid blossoms.”

 Sharon Brennan (EdM ’97, BA ’93) of Pittsford, N.Y was the first to submit the correct answer to the Winter At Buffalo careful reader quiz and won an official At Buffalo coffee mug. We asked her to send a selfie with her new mug. And her dog Daisy kindly obliged!