Samuel W. Zwickel

Crimson staff writer

Samuel W. Zwickel

Staff writer Samuel W. Zwickel can be reached at samuel.zwickel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @samuel_zwickel.

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Salient Opinions Are Signed

Harvard should celebrate forums for speech beyond the scope and sensibility of The Crimson’s Editorial pages. But self-ostracism only perpetuates a culture of political orthodoxy. I challenge my peers to eschew anonymous bylines for the public square.


Crimson Connections: Walter Isaacson ’74 and Evan W. Thomas III ’73

In the final episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Walter S. Isaacson '74 and Evan W. Thomas III '73. They met briefly at Harvard but became close after working together at Time Magazine. They began their accomplished media careers as print journalists after both having written for The Harvard Crimson. In 1986, the two co-wrote a book profiling key players in post-World War II American foreign policy. Since then, they have individually authored definitive biographies of figures including Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon, and Leonardo da Vinci.


Crimson Connections: Walter Isaacson ’74 and Evan W. Thomas III ’73

Walter S. Isaacson ’74 and Evan W. Thomas III ’73 met briefly at Harvard but became close after working together at Time Magazine. They began their accomplished media careers as print journalists after both having written for The Harvard Crimson. In 1986, the two co-wrote a book profiling key players in post-World War II American foreign policy. Since then, they have individually authored definitive biographies of figures including Steve Jobs, Robert F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon, and Leonardo da Vinci. Filmed October 19, 2020. Hosted by Andrew W. Liang and Samuel W. Zwickel. Edited by Ryan N. Gajarawala.


Crimson Connections: Andrei Shleifer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82

In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Andrei Shleifer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82. As Weld Hall freshman roommates, they spent evenings working through problem sets for Math 55 — among the most difficult undergraduate math courses in the country. Their collaborations soon turned to groundbreaking papers in behavioral finance and political economics.


Crimson Connections: Andrei Shleifer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82

As Weld Hall freshman roommates, Andrei Shliefer ’82 and J. Bradford DeLong ’82 spent evenings working through problem sets for Math 55 — among the most difficult undergraduate math courses in the country. Their collaborations soon turned to groundbreaking papers in behavioral finance and political economics. Now a Harvard economics professor, Shleifer has been awarded the coveted John Bates Clark Medal and is IDEAS’ top-ranked economist in the world. DeLong is an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and previously oversaw economic policy for the U.S. Treasury under President Clinton. Filmed October 7, 2020. Hosted by Andrew W. Liang and Samuel W. Zwickel. Edited by Ryan N. Gajarawala.


Crimson Connections: Mary Louise Kelly ’93 and Tracy P. Palandjian ’93

In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Mary Louise Kelly '93 and Tracy Palandjian '93. They aren’t in the same profession today, but their lives were intertwined as Harvard undergraduates. Kelly is now co-host of All Things Considered on NPR, and Palandjian is the co-founder of Social Finance, the impact investing nonprofit, and former vice chair of the Harvard Board of Overseers.


Crimson Connections: Mary Louise Kelly ’93 and Tracy P. Palandjian ’93

Mary Louise Kelly ’93 and Tracy Palandjian ’93 aren’t in the same profession today, but their lives were intertwined as Harvard undergraduates. Kelly is now co-host of All Things Considered on NPR, and Palandjian is the co-founder of Social Finance, the impact investing nonprofit, and former vice chair of the Harvard Board of Overseers. While in college, Kelly wrote for The Harvard Crimson, and Palandjian worked in the Eliot House Grille. The two were “honorary roommates” in the house—members of a tight-knit friend group that continues to gather annually. Filmed October 11, 2020.


Crimson Connections: Jill E. Abramson ’76 and Amy Wilentz ’76

In the next episode of "Crimson Connections", we spoke to Jill E. Abramson '76 and Amy Wilentz '76. Before Abramson sat at the helm of The New York Times and Wilentz embedded herself within post-Duvalier Haiti, these decorated journalists were Mather House roommates and kicked off their reporting careers as undergraduates — Wilentz for The Crimson and Abramson as a theatre critic for The Harvard Independent. They were part of the first cohort of women to live in Harvard Yard.


Crimson Connections: Jill E. Abramson ’76 and Amy Wilentz ’76

Before Jill E. Abramson ’76 sat at the helm of The New York Times and Amy Wilentz ’76 embedded herself within post-Duvalier Haiti, the two’s college misadventures were the subject of a Commencement feature in The Harvard Crimson. These decorated journalists were Mather House roommates and kicked off their reporting careers as undergraduates — Wilentz for The Crimson and Abramson as a theatre critic for The Harvard Independent. They were part of the first cohort of women to live in Harvard Yard. Filmed October 2, 2020.