Alumni Association Home > Minnesota Magazine > Past Issues > 2007 > November-December 2007

When Hertzberg, an adjunct assistant professor at the University and bread enthusiast, teamed up with François, a Culinary Institute of America–trained pastry chef, the right ingredients came together for bakers craving fast, simple, homemade bread. the pair developed an innovative recipe for refrigerator-stored dough that can be kept for up to two weeks and that will yield a variety of artisan breads that look and taste like they came straight from a boulangerie. The authors share nearly 100 recipes using variations on the basic technique—such as for baguettes, pizzas, and pain d’epi—plus other breads and accompanying dishes.

The Bristlecone Book: A Natural History of the World’s Oldest Trees
By Ronald Lanner (Ph.D. ’68)
Mountain Press Publishing Company (2007)

Rare is the writer who can translate his or her passion for an obscure subject into a book that leaves the layperson eager to learn more. Such is the case with Lanner’s slim volume on the bristlecone pine tree, a species nearly 5,000 years old that inhabits windswept mountaintops, outcroppings of rock, and other nearly uninhabitable areas of the western United States. Told in a readable and engaging style, the book includes photographs that illustrate just how complex and remarkable the tree is. For those who are inspired to seek out the tree for themselves, Lanner includes a detailed map showing locations of groves in the West.

Game of My Life, Minnesota: Memorable Stories of Gopher Football
By Joel Rippel (B.A. ’80)
Sports Publishing L.L.C. (2007)

Gopher football fans will enjoy reliving some of the great moments in minnesota gridiron history in this collection of interviews with 20 Gopher greats—19 players and one coach—from the 1940s to the present. Rippel includes a brief biographical sketch of each, plus an update on the path taken in life after Gopher football. But the heart of the book is the first-person recollection of each former gopher about “the game of my life.” The book would benefit from the inclusion of even more players, but nonetheless, it’s a fun and engaging read.

Gopher Gold: Legendary Figures, Brilliant Blunders, and Amazing Feats at the University of Minnesota
By Tim Brady
Minnesota Historical Society Press (2007)

For nearly a decade, St. Paul writer Tim Brady has chronicled noteworthy University of Minnesota episodes, eras, and figures in magazine articles, most of them first appearing in Minnesota. More than 20 of those stories have been collected in this volume. Included are stories about the experiences of African Americans on campus beginning in the 1880s, the University’s 1962 Rose Bowl victory, the U students who rushed to fight in the Spanish-American War, the women who formed the Company Q drill team, and the alumni association’s stance against a proposed bill in the legislature in the 1920s that would ban the teaching of evolution at the U.

Harry Reasoner: A Life in the News
By Douglass Daniel
University of Texas Press (2007)

This is the first-ever biography of Reasoner (B.A. ’89, honorary), the former Minnesota Daily drama critic who went on to become one of the most respected journalists during the golden age of network television news. A former anchor for CBS and ABC News and a founder of 60 Minutes, Reasoner was once rated second only to Walter Cronkite in credibility. Drawing on numerous interviews, unpublished letters, memos, and other primary sources, Daniel portrays an enigmatic man who, though well-liked, gifted, and successful, was also lazy and self-indulgent. Those qualities, he says, prevented Reasoner from reaching his full potential, despite having many accomplishments.

Land of Amber Waters: A History of Brewing in Minnesota
By Doug Hoverson (B.A. ’86, M.A. ’95)
University of Minnesota Press (2007)

Hoverson, a certified beer judge and home brewer, begins by giving a sober account of the science (beer’s four basic ingredients are water, grain, hops, and yeast) and the art (the ingredients may be combined in any variation). Illustrated with hundreds of photographs of beer-related and collectibles and historical images, his book traces the craft back to Minnesota’s territory days, through its becoming a major industry, to a description of nearly 300 breweries and brewpubs established in Minnesota, including Alexandria Brewing Company, which produced Gopher Beer in the 1930s.

Mapping Your Retirement: A Personal Guide to Maintaining Your Health, Managing Your Money, and Living Well
Edited by Mark Skeie, Janet Skeie, and Julie Roles
MYR Publications (2007)

Over the next three decades, 78 million Baby Boomers will retire. How many of those are planning for retirement—and not just financially? More than a dozen University-affiliated experts have contributed to this workbook that takes a holistic view to planning a purposeful retirement. Chapters, worksheets, and action plans address assessing priorities and building support circles, home safety and maintaining health, alcohol use and how to keep the mind stimulated, and, of course, investments inventory, tax management, and estate planning.