Another Harvard Wedding Melanie Thernstrom, class of '86, just got married to fellow Harvard alum Michael Callahan.

Ms. Thernstrom... is the author of two books, “The Dead Girl” (Simon & Schuster, 1990) and “Halfway Heaven” (Doubleday, 1997). She graduated with highest honors from Harvard and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Cornell.

Both "The Dead Girl" and "Halfway Heaven" involve Harvard—one the murder of a Harvard student, the other a terrible murder-suicide at Harvard. "Halfway Heaven," which I've read, is a terrific book, beautifully written and thoroughly researched. Its themes include the pressure under which Harvard students live and work, and the university's hostility to outsiders, especially the media, whenever anything happens that might damage its image....

I had a drink with Melanie, whom I know slightly, at the Harvard Club just as I began reporting "Harvard Rules." She warned me that official Harvard would be incredibly unhelpful and even hostile to the project. She was right....one of the reasons why I now feel so strongly that Harvard should become more transparent. The university administration does itself no favors with its insular and tribal culture....

Thernstrom is the daughter of Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom of Lexington, Mass. Her father is the Winthrop professor of history at Harvard and a council member of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her mother is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the vice chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Her husband is no slouch either... Congratulations to them both!  ¶ 8:17 AM