FM Heroes

Sometimes even the photographic magic of Messrs. Soper and Brunner is not quite sufficient. That’s when FM begs our resident artiste, Scott, to conjure up an illustration or two. From cutout paper dolls of everyone’s favorite professorial stereotypes to the Shel Silverstein-inspired cover of this fall’s scrutiny on women and tenure, a Duquette creation never fails to amaze.

Aleris C. Rodgers '06 and Caitlin B. McKee '06

They declared an undying love for FM around this time last year, but promised to commit their Tuesdays to the mag on one condition: they would work as a pair. And what a pair they’ve been. Aleris and Caitlin turn out pages like nobody’s business, placing text, doing cutouts and sometimes drawing illustrations until late into the night. And when they take a break to throw impromptu dance parties in the basement, everyone watches. We’ll miss Aleris next year as she takes a break from 14 Plympton, but at least Caitlin will be around, regulating visual appeal in her new role as FM’s Creative Director. Call her the Muse.

Elisabeth S. Theodore '05

Whenever FM wants to test out its humor, we turn to Managing Editor Lizzy and her hard-to-please poker face. It’s taken a while—but like an annoying younger sibling, Lizzy has learned to love this mag, idiosyncracies and all. Whether helping us formulate a scrutiny angle or regulating content territory wars, Lizzy has always been there for FM. She’s even been known to proof the mag—which is doubly good for us, as she knows the tricks to making the Imagesetter work.

Paul M. Soper '06 and Andrew M. Brunner '06

The Viking hats and MAC quad-as-Beirut-table may never have materialized, but Paul and Andy have pulled off some pretty amazing photo shoots nevertheless. Credit for this year’s colorful covers, spreads and As it Were pages should go straight to this duo’s New Quincy pad. These self-titled media directors have drawn on their connections to get shots of the women’s basketball team, the ultimate team’s infamous dancing Santa and even unwilling friends. The only consolation for FM’s loss of these two? They’re moving on to greener pastures—Andy down the street to Mt. Auburn and Paul... well, he’ll stay in the same spot, but he’ll be a little more important as photo chair. Remember us.

David B. Rochelson '05

The relationship between the proofer and the magazine has the potential to be a contentious one. Assigned by the News Board to catch the little factual “fudges” and snarky asides that we sometimes think are our privilege, the proofer has to deal with our unpredictable production nights and inevitable crises. Lucky for us, Dave has proved to be a perfect fit for the magazine. Not only does he barely blink an eye when we frantically run around campus for a midnight cover shoot, he also has the intelligence, wit and attitude that FM loves. From his hilarious endpapers with a fiction writer’s flow to his near-perfect proofing track record (with a few, amusing-in-retrospect exceptions) and, above all, his desire to bond with us over Amstel Light or an episode of the Daily Show, Dave is our day-to-day, true-blue hero. He embodies the ethos of FM: be serious, but don’t take yourself too seriously, and we love him for it. His well-worn proofer’s shoes will be hard to fill next semester. Aye aye, Cap’n.