Pitzer resignation unsettling

Abstract

The precipitate resignation as president of Stanford University of Dr. Kenneth S. Pitzer—chemist, Priestley Medalist, educator, administrator, sometimes sailor, and gentle man—seems another victory for the forces of darkness now ranging the land (see page 13). Ken Pitzer seems to have been mousetrapped. His position undermined by lawless and anarchistic forces of radical student dissent and with less than enthusiastic support of alumni and trustees, he seems to have been toppled by the countervailing tide that has been urging him to react with repression. The irony, and the tragedy too, of the situation is that Ken Pitzer seemed attuned to at least some of the students' more legitimate needs and complaints. He was committed deeply to open discussion and student participation, yet firmly espoused judicial due process. Thus, it seems to us, we have a triple tragedy: for the man, for Stanford and our university system as a whole, and for the nation. ...