Oct 26, 2006 - Claremont, Calif. -

In an act of solidarity and friendship, Harvey Mudd College students shaved their heads in honor of Ben Fogelson '09, who was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Fogelson is currently on a medical leave from HMC and undergoing chemotherapy. In anticipation of his hair falling out due to treatment, Fogelson shaved his head. This prompted several students and HMC staff to unite in an act of compassion and comradeship. They met at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 to shave their heads as a tribute to Fogelson.

Guy Gerbick, dean of residential life and Chris Sundberg, director of student activities (photo, left), were joined by students Jason Santiago, Kyle Marsh, Max Myers, Michael Martin, Badier Velji, Trevor McQueen and Patrick Foley in an effort to let Fogelson know that they were thinking of him and looking forward to his full recovery. People who participated as hair cutters and head shavers included Jacques Favreau, Lauryn Baranowski, Hallie Kuhn, Elaine Shaver and Shannon McKenna.

Gerbick stated, "While the shaving process was personally liberating and fun to see how different people looked, the serious point of it wasn't far from our thinking: that Ben was losing his hair due to chemotherapy for a life-threatening disease. Each day, as my hair grows back, I think of what he's going through and hope that he will soon rejoin us on campus."

Fogelson has made an impact at Harvey Mudd College, stirring both students and faculty. He inspired loyalty from his friends and respect and fondness from faculty. There are many who look forward to his recovery and return to HMC.

"Ben has always struck me as having the perfect combination of a goofy sense of humor and deep-seated maturity," reflected Professor of Mathematics Andrew Bernoff. "The pictures on his website of him shaving his flaming red hair show an incredible ability to make a light-hearted moment in the face of adversity. The resulting Lex Luthor-style good looks are becoming all the rage at Harvey Mudd -- if Ben chooses to leave mathematics for the entertainment industry, I am sure he could give Michael Rosenbaum a run for his money. Seriously, I hope to see Ben back at HMC soon -- I miss him."

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