"can there be unity?"
In 1956, Dickinson economics professor Laurent LaVallee was suspended, and later dismissed from the college, on the grounds of being suspected of Communist activities. Dickinsonian editor-in-chief Christopher Miniclier, then a junior, took to the college press to express his views. With the suspension of LaVallee, he wrote, "we have developed our best example of disunity and misunderstanding to be presented on this campus in a long time" [1]. Miniclier's commitment to unity and understanding between people would come to define his career.
After graduating in 1957 with a major in political science, Miniclier worked as a journalist (or "newsman," in the parlance at the time) for the Associated Press, eventually becoming the Correspondent for East Africa in 1968 and Chief of the Cairo Bureau in 1971. During his time in Africa he witnessed independence movements, coups, civil wars and geopolitical conflicts. From 1968 to 1974, Miniclier wrote over a hundred and fifty articles on current events across Burundi, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yugoslavia and Zambia [2]. Miniclier never forgot Dickinson. After his trip on behalf of the Associated Press to the People's Republic of China in 1978--the first AP visit to that country--he wrote a reflective article for the Dickinson Magazine in 1979. He noted that his "pre-conceived, or perhaps pre-conditioned ideas about uniformed, regimented life on the mainland and its inward looking society ... were shattered within hours" [3]. Throughout much of Miniclier's work runs a thread of communication and compassion for his subjects and his readers. His story offers an opportunity to learn about the ways journalism--and journalists--present and shape political events in the public understanding. [1] “Without Due Process Can There Be Unity?,” Dickinsonian, 23 March, 1956. [2] Associated Press File Drawers of National, International, News Feature Name/Subject Cards, 1937–1985, Microfilm, 1114-1154, Associated Press Corporate Archives, New York, NY. [Ancestry.com] [3] C. C. (Kit) Miniclier, “No Fortune Cookies Here,” The Dickinson College Magazine 56, no. 2 (May 1979): 2. |
About the author
This site was created by Nicole Nelkin (Dickinson College '23) for History 204: Introduction to Historical Methods taught by Professor Matthew Pinsker at Dickinson College in Spring 2023. Nicole is studying Medieval and Early Modern Studies with a History minor.
This site was created by Nicole Nelkin (Dickinson College '23) for History 204: Introduction to Historical Methods taught by Professor Matthew Pinsker at Dickinson College in Spring 2023. Nicole is studying Medieval and Early Modern Studies with a History minor.