Sore thumb
Growing up in a God-fearing community, Bruns struck a contrary figure. His thoughtful liberality meant he seldom concurred with the socially conservative majority; in the company of his classmates he occasionally appeared unaccountably offensive. "I think that the defining moment of my experiences in Eaton came during senior year of high school," said Bruns. "I was reading a book called 'The Jesus Mysteries,' which was about the similarities between the Jesus mythology and the stories of numerous pagan gods, and a group of girls found it blasphemous." Two articles he penned for his school's newspaper were never published-the pieces in question advocated anti-abstinence-only and gay rights stances. "All that combined to inspire a group of girls to half-jokingly form a group they called 'IHAB'-the I Hate Andy Bruns club," recalled Bruns.
Neither did the intellectual environment at Bruns' high school foster progressive views. In class, teachers taught students abstinence-only and devoted as much time to evolution as they did to intelligent design. No Advanced Placement courses were offered. It made for, all in all, an experience bordering on the surreal for most students at the College. Yet Bruns will graduate as both the antithesis and product of his environment. "It wasn't an environment that most people at Amherst are familiar with, but the experience definitely moulded who I am today," affirmed Bruns. "I am who I am because of Eaton, Ohio. Growing up as a liberal in a place filled with confederate flags and evangelicals gave me a unique angle on today's America."
Learning curve
Arriving at the College, the changes that presented themselves at once refreshed and overwhelmed Bruns. "I was excited to be among more kids with similar values," he said. At the same time, the superficiality of his high school education became immediately apparent as Bruns confronted the rigor of college-level academics. "I was not even close to academically prepared for Amherst. My first-year was a big struggle." The reading and writing requirements proved particularly taxing. Having spent an entire quarter in senior year of high school reading an abridged copy of "Beowulf," Bruns was left distressed by the 3,500 pages of reading for his first-year seminar. He fared little better at his papers; the professor left a note on the margins of one that read, "Hack work."
These early difficulties highlighted the nature of the task before Bruns; he had to improve, and he did. Bruns pinpointed a special topics course in his sophomore year with Professor of Anthropology Miriam "Mitzi" Goheen. "I investigated the history of the evolution versus creation debate and eventually interviewed high school teachers from my county back in Ohio," said Bruns. "It was one-on-one and [Goheen's] influence on my writing was incredible. Instead of a final paper, I got to give a presentation at the Five College Anthropological Conference."
In Bruns' case at least, the College's often-employed pitch of promising greater interaction with professors rang truer than he imagined possible. He would go on to receive an A for a class with the same professor who criticized his first-year paper.
Goheen was one of the very first to recognize the fruit of that painstaking labor. "Andy, first of all, is one of the best writers of any student I have taught at Amherst College in over 20 years," she said. "But more importantly, he is one of the most innovative thinkers among the many very smart Amherst undergraduates I have had the pleasure of working with and teaching here."
Amiable activist
A defining feature of Bruns' College career was his political activism. He had developed a fine sensitivity for the issues underlying discourses in high school; at the College, he honed his expository style. "What is unusual about Andy's political activism is his genial style and ability to listen to people with whom he disagrees: he puts people at ease, does not confront them in ways that put them on the defensive, and is thus very successful at convincing people who do not agree with him to at the very least take him (or rather his position) seriously," said Goheen.
Bruns brought his humility and persuasiveness to perhaps the most prominent student medium on campus-The Amherst Student. His appointment as Editor-in-Chief of the publication marked a proud moment; staff remember his subsequent tenure with some fondness. "Andy was definitely one of the people that made newspaper fun-even at 2 a.m. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning when you're still waiting on pictures of men's tennis ... and four more sports articles," said former sports editor Louise Stevenson '09.
Bruns handled several controversies that came The Student's way with characteristic equanimity. For the manner with which he ran the newspaper, the College awarded him Samuel Bowles Prize for journalism. "I think this is one of the secrets of Andy's successes: he knows his considerable strengths and the limitations on his time and even more to the point, knows how to allocate these," said Goheen. "And perhaps most endearing of all his good qualities, he is always quick to give credit to his fellow students, to promote his peers and those who worked with and 'for' him on The Student."
From print to radio
In the summer after his junior year at the College, Bruns secured an internship with his local National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate. Every evening, he would be live for WMUB, reading news, weather, traffic, public service announcements and the like; from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., he produced the "Mama Jazz" show. "Mama Jazz has been doing her nightly show for about 30 years, she's now 85, and still drives her old car to the studio every night," said Bruns. "It is amazing what she's still able to do at her age, even though she needs an oxygen tank at all times, and couldn't always remember my name."
At the conclusion of that experience, Bruns had gained a profound respect for the working elderly and, somewhat curiously, a small, loyal following of jazz listeners. Back in Ohio, he had finally found himself afforded the sort of attention that had first emerged, with rather different sentiments, as the IHAB.
Onto the fairway
At the College, of course, Bruns had always enjoyed the loyalty of his friends and teammates on the golf team. The reason could not be plainer to those close to Bruns. "He devotes himself entirely to everything he does and is always willing to help people-whether it's by installing iTunes on his coach's computer or hauling everything you own to storage at 4 a.m," said Stevenson.
On most sports teams, mutual support between teammates assumes a significant role in collective success. Bruns, who would be co-captain of the golf team in his senior year, was unstinting in extending help. Above all, he led by example. "On the course, Bruns was confident and steady," said Glenn Wong '09, a teammate and good friend. "We always counted on him to put up a good score because we knew he was up for any challenge. He was mentally strong, and even on off days still managed to grind out good scores to give us a good chance to compete."
Golf had represented a refuge of sorts for Bruns from his schooling prior to college. Pouring himself into improving a game that he had picked up when just five, Bruns rose to the captaincy of his varsity golf team. "But," said Bruns, "'playing' [when I was five] amounted to hitting a tee shot, picking my ball up, dropping it on the green, and putting it in. Somehow, in my five-year-old brain, that allowed me to yell: 'Hole in one!'" He now holds a high school record after scoring 32 on a nine-hole round.
The measure of the sportsman, however perfect his game, must always be considered in terms of his singularity. In this respect, Bruns makes almost the complete golfer. "He has done an outstanding job of being supportive to his teammates, making sure that everyone had a ride to places, of ensuring everyone felt included and always led by example," said men's golf Assistant Coach E.J. Mills. "From a details and organization point of view, he brought everything together very very well."
Bruns recently won the E.E. Richardson Award as this year's Most Outstanding Golfer. Men's golf Head Coach Jack Arena cited "the steadiness of his personality and the strength of his integrity" as cornerstones of the golf team's team play; Bruns' stewardship of the team has exhibited splashes of humor and an excess of spirit. "He is always positive and has a seriousness of purpose that has been exemplary for his teammates," said Arena. "He has been one of the students I've enjoyed most during my 24 years at Amherst."
The accidental consultant
Bruns had planned to attend law school after leaving the College but, as he described it, fate took a whimsical interest in his fortunes. A job search that involved his first résumé ever, three interviews (for the same firm) and a lack of real sleep yielded a handsome contract offer. "I only applied to one job, didn't prepare nearly enough, and got incredibly lucky," said Bruns, a little sheepishly.
He will soon begin work as a consultant for Bain & Company, a prestigious Boston-based economic consultancy firm. He owes a debt of thanks to friend and fellow Bain consultant David Korngold '06, who first suggested that Bruns apply for the position. Notwithstanding his immediate career path, Bruns is certain he will go to graduate school at some point. He remains acutely interested in civil rights law and may yet pursue it in the future; he's "keeping his options really open."
Yet the specificities of professional life should matter little for someone of Bruns' undoubted talent; he will surely scale in work the sort of heights that he has attained at the College. "He's definitely the kind of ideal kid you're looking for," Mills concluded. "He's that kind of special."