A Letter From The Publisher: Jun. 16, 1961

THE Murchison boys on the cover this week join a small and unique society of cover subjects whose parents were on TIME’S cover before them. Texas Millionaire Clint Murchison appeared on May 24, 1954.

Of course it’s easier if one belongs to a royal family. Thus, since TIME was founded in 1923, Britain’s George V (five times) was succeeded by George VI (four covers) and now Elizabeth II (five times), not to mention other members of the family, such as the Duke of Windsor and Margaret. Similarly, Belgium’s royal family progresses from Albert in 1928 to Son Leopold III in 1937 and on to Grandson Baudouin. On the other hand, the Iranian dynasty, which is younger than TIME, began with a soldier named Reza Shah Pahlevi, who made TIME’S cover three times and was succeeded by his son, the present Shah, who has made it twice.

More unusual are some of America’s great political families. The Roosevelts, of course (F.D.R. seven times, Wife Eleanor three times, Mother Sara Delano and Sons Jimmy and F.D.R. Jr.); the Tafts, William Howard and Sons Robert and Charles; the Henry Cabot Lodges, Sr. and Jr.; the Herbert Hoovers, Sr. and Jr.; the Robert Wagners, Sr. and Jr. And then there are the families whose illustrious names mix business and politics—three generations of Rockefellers, from old Millionaire John D. Sr. to New York’s Governor Nelson; the Kennedys, from Joseph P. back in his 1935 Wall Street-regulating days to Jack and Bobby in 1960; the Edisons, Inventor Thomas A. and his New Jersey Governor son, Charles. In strictly business dynasties, the record is held by the Fords, who altogether have provided six TIME covers.

IN a special feature in this week’s Education section, it is anonymity of origin—not family name—that produces a fascinating collection.

The nation has roughly 2,000 campuses; each has its standout graduate every year. To its correspondents all over the country, TIME last week appealed for “a rich sample of the most awesome, brilliant, scholarly boys and girls being produced by U.S. colleges in 1961.” We expected brains; we feared that brains might prove to be grinds. Instead, our correspondents turned up a group of students with an exciting variety of interests, origins and ambitions. They very often emerged from unlikely backgrounds—a reminder not only that drive is an overwhelming factor in intellectual achievement, but also that brainpower is available in unpredictable places. TIME discovered more than 100 notable graduates, all of them deserving of mention. We narrowed them regretfully to a dozen who seemed to exemplify the rest.