Alumni Name Six Overseers

Harvard alumni elected six new members to the Board of Overseers, Harvard Alumni Association President Robert N. Shapiro '72 announced at the annual Commencement day meeting on June 4.

Both of the minority candidates on the Harvard Alumni Association ballot were elected.

"The committee put in an awful lot of time in seeking out a diverse pool [of candidates] from which to draw," said Taxes Attorney General Daniel C. Morales, who finished Fourth in the balloting.

This year's top vote getter was Alma H. Young '69, the first Black woman to run a major U.S. port authority, who tallied 22,596 votes. Young was followed closely by David L. Johnston '63, vice-chancellor of McGill University, who received 22,004 votes.

William J. Rutter '49, a professor at the University of California in San Francisco finished third. He was followed by Morales and Lauren Brown Resnick '57, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. The sixth place finisher was Peter A. Brooke '52, the founder of Advent International Corporation.

More than 35,000 alumni and alumnae--20.6 percent--participated in the election.

Young, who studies urban affairs and has been active in recruiting Black students to the University, said she was excited about her selection.

Young, who will become the second woman of color to serve on the board of Overseers, said she wants to be a voice for pluralism and multiculturalism on the board.

"It signifies a recognition...among the alumni that we have to do more than just say we're interested in diversity--we have to bring representation of diverse backgrounds onto the board," she said.

Morales, one of the highest ranking elected Hispanics in the United States, also stressed the need for diversity to remain a top priority.

All of the new overseers will serve six-year terms except Brooks, who will complete the remaining two years of the term of Richard A. Smith '46. Smith left to the Board last December to join the Harvard Corporation.

Alumni also elected six new directors of the Alumni Association: Eric L. Eversley, Linda Block Goldberg, Nehama Jacobs '74, Yuichi Katoh '61, Stephen J. O'Brien '77, and Harry L. Shipman '69.