Editor's Note

Dear Reader, As we hurtle toward the end of the school year, days and weeks start to blur together. Each day becomes animated by simply completing the next assignment, studying for the next test, or making the next deadline. All hope rests on summer break, which is just around the corner. But for this issue, instead of looking forward, our writers are taking a moment to look back. This year, our themed issue centers around nostalgia, a longing for the past. The stories untangle complicated legacies, make sense of old decisions, and uncover histories and stories that are still relevant to us now. The Crimson celebrated its 150th birthday this year. In honor of this anniversary, MJH, AEP, and AZW’s scrutiny tells a history of The Crimson through stories shared by nine former Crimson editors. These alumni wrote for The Crimson from the 1950s to the aughts, and they witnessed and reported on a variety of historical events, from apartheid South Africa to the Vietnam War (did you know that Daniel Ellsberg almost printed the Pentagon Papers using The Crimson’s own printing press?). But ultimately, what our alumni spent most of their time reminiscing on wasn’t the reporting — it was the people. MEE writes about Elsa Dorfman, a Cambridge resident and Mather tutor whose photos captured Beatnik America, or rather, Beatnik Cambridge, and the Harvard students she befriended. YAK looks back on her childhood obsession with Rookie Magazine, reflecting on how the adolescence its content promised was never quite realized — but perhaps, that is part of its appeal. STB writes about his connection, or lack thereof, to his hometown of Johannesburg. TS visits Cambridge’s Old Burying Ground to report on efforts to preserve and uncover new histories in the historic graveyard. MG writes a letter to her sophomore year, committing a hard, but full, year to the page. KT writes about trying and failing (and, eventually, succeeding) in reaccessing the joy from her childhood. This semester's last 15 Questions is with Susannah Tobin, a former Crimson editor and current professor at the Law School. Be sure to check out the crossword tab to do BWF's crossword "In My Tradwife Era." During the chaos of the semester, it is hard to create the distance necessary to start feeling nostalgic. But as summer begins, perspective will come. We find ourselves already looking back at a semester that has gone by so fast, awed by the amazing work so many people put into this magazine, and treasuring the beauty of the process. Thank you to SS, SET, SCS, MHS, MQ, JH, and JJG for being our go-to multi and design specialists. Special thanks to SET for always going above and beyond, helping us even with all the work you have with preparing the newspaper. You are an absolute legend. Thank you to the FM execs for making us look forward to our endless Monday meetings. You guys are truly the heart of the magazine. Special thanks to JL and THK for managing social media; BWF, KT, and JKW for helping our writers inquire and introspect; and to the lovely MG and DRZ for being the vibes curators. A big thank you to BWF for doing all that I can’t and teaching me how to use InDesign; thanks for also being our head (only) crossword editor. Thank you to MGB and JL, our amazing comp directors. Thank you to KT and MG for alllll that you do and for being incredible editors and friends. My favorite time of the week is 10:30 p.m. on Monday nights. Thank you to CVL for backing our pricey magazine and for making it less pricey. Thank you to CJC for being the stalwart president that you are, tucking our execs in during our meetings, and answering our questions at 5 a.m. Thank you to BLK and MX for spending hours and hours on top of hours to make this magazine what it is! And thank you to all our wonderful writers for making it all worth it. Thank you to IYG for keeping me sane. Sincerely, AHL & IYG