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Vassar, the Alumnae/i Quarterly
Fall 2005 Volume 101 Issue 4

A Mission of His Own

Lying on his bed, hobbled by a backache that had been nagging him for months, Matthew B. Koss ’83 turned on the TV just in time to hear the devastating news: the space shuttle Columbia had broken up somewhere in the skies over Texas—just 40 miles from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center and only 15 minutes from its scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All seven astronauts aboard had died.

Commencement 2005

“A simple choice will make a jaw-dropping difference to our world...if merely four people out of a hundred can make gridlock go away by choosing not to use their car, imagine the other changes that can be wrought just by four of us—four of you—out of a hundred....”

Strong House

Vassar’s quad dormitories—Davison, Raymond, Lathrop, and Strong—appear so externally similar that Vassar students themselves sometimes have a difficult time remembering exactly which is which.

Reunion 2005

Vassar Reunion 2005 by the Numbers...
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      • A Mission of His Own
        Lying on his bed, hobbled by a backache that had been nagging him for months, Matthew B. Koss ’83 turned on the TV just in time to hear the devastating news: the space shuttle Columbia had broken up somewhere in the skies over Texas—just 40 miles from Mission Control at Johnson Space Center and only 15 minutes from its scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. All seven astronauts aboard had died.
      • Commencement 2005
        “A simple choice will make a jaw-dropping difference to our world...if merely four people out of a hundred can make gridlock go away by choosing not to use their car, imagine the other changes that can be wrought just by four of us—four of you—out of a hundred....”
      • Strong House
        Vassar’s quad dormitories—Davison, Raymond, Lathrop, and Strong—appear so externally similar that Vassar students themselves sometimes have a difficult time remembering exactly which is which.
      • Reunion 2005
        Vassar Reunion 2005 by the Numbers...
        • Letters

        • Vassar Today

          • It's a Picasso
          • Multidisciplinary Collaboration
          • What's Brewing
          • Syllabus
        • Beyond Vassar

          • Equation for Success
          • AAVC Service to Vassar Award
          • A True Underdog Story
          • Vassar's Computing Pioneer
          • Mixed Media
        • Vassar Yesterday

        • Class Notes & Profiles

          • Vintage Threads
          • At Last
          • Music Men
        • The Last Page

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