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hundred benefits. If you're going to be a serious author, I suppose it's good to have had Latin in your background.

For research.

Yes.

There are a few questions that I thought of. We discussed your decision to go with Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Do you think that it was a worthwhile experience?

Being in a fraternity?

Yes.

I think at that time it was nice, because it was some place to have lunch. I don't believe in fraternities. I think they're an undemocratic process. Maybe the system's all right now, because I don't think it's one-tenth as important as it used to be. But in my day frats were almost a social necessity. A boy who was not in a fraternity felt pretty well out of things, and I think that was particularly true at other colleges, less so at Columbia because it's in a big city.

Did you make friendships there that were to continue?