Feature Stories Campus Events All Stories

Worlds Collide

Last week, the @wlunews Twitter feed received this message from Sam Perkins, of the Classes of 1980 and 1983 Law: “Did you see this political cartoon by John Cole (W&L ’80) re: Michael Krancer (W&L Law ’83)? Worlds collide…” Earlier, Sam had tweeted this: “My W&L undergrad classmate creates political cartoon re: W&L Law classmate (both honorable).”

Naturally, we followed the links and found the editorial cartoon that John Cole, of the Class of 1980, had published in the Scranton Times-Tribune about Michael Krancer, a 1983 Law grad. John has been the cartoonist for the Times-Tribune since 2005, and we blogged about him back in May 2005. His full-color cartoons are available on his blog at the newspaper.

We don’t know whether or not John and Mike are aware of their common W&L roots. Mike became Pennsylvania’s secretary of environment protection in January, after previously serving as a judge on the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB). Last week, according to reports in both the Harrisburg Patriot-News and the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mike issued a controversial order requiring all inspectors in Pennsylvania to stop issuing violations against drillers in the Marcellus Shale, a gas-rich formation in northern and western Pennsylvania.

That was the basis of John’s cartoon, which criticized Mike’s policy. But, as Sam Perkins’ tweet reminds, both are honorable. And, if nothing else, the small-world story is one more reminder of the way social media are keeping us connected.

If you know any W&L alumni who would be great profile subjects, tell us about them! Nominate them for a web profile.