Former Congressman Among Institute of Politics Fellows

Six spring term fellows arrived at the Institute of Politics of the Kennedy School of Government yesterday to begin four months of leading student study groups, studying and writing.

The fellows are "very enthusiastic and very friendly," Barbara S. Fischbein '80, chairman of the Student Advisory Committee of the Institute of Politics, said yesterday. She added they are a diverse group, including a mayor, a former congressman, state politicians, and public interest representatives.

Many of the fellows plan to spend the next four months reflecting on their own involvement in politics, as well as conducting their teaching and writing work. "This place will give me a chance to relax and put into perspective my work at Common Cause," said Bruce Adams, director of Issue Development at Common Cause, a "clean government" group based in Washington, D.C.

A. J. Cooper, mayor of Prichard, Alabama for the past seven years, said yesterday he is "a workaholic," and will use his time as an Institute fellow to study small cities and reflect on his own career. He will spend one week a month in Prichard.

Other fellows, enthusiastic about their own work in politics, said they are very anxious to transmit their excitement to students. "I want to convey the opportunities in state government, and how exciting it can be," Evelyn F. Murphy, former secretary of Environmental Affairs for the state of Massachusetts, said yesterday.

"I hope they'll teach me as much as I teach them," Edward L. Pattison, former Democratic Congressman from New York, said yesterday, reflecting the views of several fellows. Pattison lost his bid for reelection last fall after he admitted he tried marijuana in a Playboy interview.

Robert L. Kuttner, former director of the National Commission on Neighborhoods and a free-lance journalist, plans to use his study group on the tax revolt as a sounding board on his theories about progressives.

"My number one priority is the perceptions of students," James P. Gleason, former Montgomery County, Maryland county executive, said yesterday. Gleason, who said he is disillusioned after 25 years of political life, will write a novel about the realities of politics during his fellowship.

Each of the fellows receives a monthly stipend of $1500, in addition to housing expenses and office space