U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
N E B R A S K A
Winter 2006
UNO Grad finds success and service with senior care franchise. Page 20 CHILL OUT AT THE 4TH ANNUAL UNO ALUMNI NIGHT ON THE ICE Details on all the family fun and a registration form on Page 2.
A T
O M A H A
A L U M N I
A S S O C I A T I O N
www.unoalumni.org
A LUMNI NIGHT ON THE I C E CHILL OUT!
at UNO’s 4th annual
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oin fellow grads for the 4th annual Alumni Night on the Ice Friday, Jan. 26, and featuring:
• Pre-game buffet reception at the Qwest Convention Center.
• Door prizes, free Mav Tattoos and hand clappers for the kids. • Lower Bowl seating and recognition during the game.
Friday Jan. 26, 2007
5:30 p.m.
Pre-game buffet at the
Qwest Convention Center, Room 201-204 East side of Bldg., 2nd Floor
7:05 p.m.
UNO vs. Northern Michigan
• Coach Mike Kemp pep talk, Maverick Dancers, hockey band Power Play.
Qwest Center Omaha
All that for just $20 per adult, $15 per child age 2-10! (children under 2 free) Per-person cost of $20 includes game ticket and pregame buffet (hamburger, chips, salad, cookies, tea & lemonade). Cash bar available. Hockey tickets distributed at reception. Tickets must be paid for at time of registration. Register by completing form below and returning with payment (check or credit card). For more info, call Sheila King at (402) 554-4802 or toll-free at UNO-MAV-ALUM (866-6282586). Email inquiries to sking@mail.unomaha.edu.
Sign us up for UNO Alumni Night on the Ice Jan. 26!
Name
RETURN FORM BY JAN. 19, 2007: Mail with payment to: UNO Alumni Association, 60th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182.
Phone
Address
Email Address
City
State
Zip
Reserve me tickets at $20 each (adults) and tickets at $15 each (kids 2-10). I have enclosed $ for the tickets (Make checks payable to UNO Alumni Association). Charge my credit card:
q Visa q MasterCard q Discover
Signature:
Card No. Names for Name Tags (please include children’s names and ages)
Exp. Date_________________
Contents
Cover photo by Eric Francis
Winter 2006
College Pages Arts & Sciences
26-29
2006 Goldstein lecture.
CCFAM
30-31
Much ado about grad’s career.
On the cover:
U N O g r a d ua t e L or i N ov i c k i H og a n a nd hu s b a nd , P a ul, c omb in e s e r v ic e a nd s uc c e s s wi t h H o m e I ns t e a d S e ni or C a r e .
IS&T
32-35
STATPack packing a punch.
CPACS
36-37
Public Affairs Research by the numbers.
Education
38-39
Bound to be Active
Features 10
Headed West Jim Leslie heads home after 33 years heading the UNO Alumni Association as president & CEO.
14
Culture Critic
6
Roger Catlin calls it like he sees it with the Hartford Courant newspaper.
16
Support for the Sudanese Mark Kirchoff has one goal each day: help displaced Sudanese immigrants.
20
In the Interim Longtime campus figure John Christensen takes over the UNO reins as Interim Chancellor.
10 Still Pulling Stunts
22
Hollywood stuntman Jason Gray continues to jump off buildings every now and then.
18
14
Association Departments Alumni Association in Action
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6
Citation award to El Museo Latino founder; Alumni Night on the Ice set for Jan. 26; Athletic Hall of Fame grows by 3; 2007 display calendar on its way.
Class Notes
40
Editor: Anthony Flott Contributors: Sonja Carberry, John Fey, Tim Fitzgerald, Gini Goldsmith, Warren Francke, Tim Kaldahl, Michael Kodas, Chris Monberg, Eric Olson, Karen Weber. Alumni Association Officers: Chairman of the Board, Mike Kudlacz; Past Chairman, Adrian Minks; Chairman-elect Deb McLarney; Vice Chairmen, Rod Oberle, Angelo Passarelli, Kevin Warneke, John Wilson; Secretary, Patricia Lamberty; Treasurer, Dan Koraleski; Legal Counsel, Martha Zajicek; President & CEO, Lee Denker . Alumni Staff: Lee Denker, President & CEO; Jim Leslie, President Emeritus; Roxanne Miller, Executive Secretary; Sue Gerding, Diane Osborne, Kathy Johnson, Records/Alumni Cards; Sheila King, Activities Coordinator; Greg Trimm, Alumni Center Manager; Joan Miller, Accountant; Anthony Flott, Editor; Loretta Wirth, Receptionist. The UNO Alum is published quarterly by the UNO Alumni Association, W.H. Thompson Alumni Center, UNO, Omaha, NE 68182-0010, (402) 554-2444, FAX (402) 554-3787 • web address: www.unoalumni.org • Member, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) • Direct all inquiries to Editor, W.H. Thompson Alumni Center, (402) 5542989. Toll-free, UNO-MAV-ALUM • email: aflott@mail.unomaha.edu • Send all changes of address to attention of Records. Views expressed through various articles within the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University of Nebraska at Omaha or the UNO Alumni Association.
Promotions, marriages, births and more. Winter 2006 • 3
Letter from the
In appreciation . . .
Chancellor
Dear Alum:
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s the seasons change and the holidays approach, our thoughts are drawn to that for which we are most appreciative. In the waning days of 2006, our university is thankful in many ways: • for the opportunity to be the institution of first choice for many entering freshmen. We are aware of the myriad choices students can pursue when choosing a university, and we are proud to be their university. • for our talented and inquiring students who challenge us daily to expand the frontiers of knowledge. • for faculty members on the leading edge of their disciplines and who share their expertise in the classroom and in our community. • for staff members who strive daily to help students pursue their dreams in hundreds of ways–from providing clerical support to maintaining campus buildings and grounds. • for the metropolitan community which shows us in ways large and small that UNO is Omaha’s university–for the past 98 years and into the future. • for our donors, and business and community partners, who make extraordinary educational and athletic opportunities available to our students through their gifts of time and resources. • for University leaders throughout the NU system who are committed to making Nebraska’s good life even better, and, • for our alumni, who are a source of pride and support for their alma mater, reflecting well upon those who have taught them and the degrees they have earned. As we look forward to UNO’s 99th year and the start of a new century of service, we indeed are grateful for all of the people, events and challenges which have shaped our university, creating an institution of great character and strength. We remember those who have dedicated their lives to moving the institution forward. We recommit ourselves to the goals of serving students well, pursuing academic excellence and engaging with our community. And, we face the future with a sense of anticipation and excitement for all that lies before us. Please accept my sincere best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season for you and your families, and for a very prosperous 2007! Until next time,
John Christensen, Interim UNO Chancellor 4 • Winter 2006
Campus
SCENES
Photos by Tim F it zge ra ld, Un iv e r s it y A f f a i rs
Campus Scenes in the Calendar: UNO’s campus continues to change, growing into one of the Midwest most beautiful settings in higher education. Once again, the UNO Alumni Association has captured that beauty through its annual campus calendar. The 2007 UNO Calendar features the handsome work of longtime campus photographer Tim Fitzgerald of University Affairs and a listing of important university dates and holidays. All UNO Annual Fund donors of $25 or more receive a calendar. To receive a calendar, complete the donation form on page 9 and return it to the alumni association with your gift, postmarked by Dec. 31, 2006. UNOALUM
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Winter 2006 • 5
Alumni Association in Action
Citation to El Museo Latino founder he UNO Alumni Association will bestow its Citation for Alumnus Achievement upon Magdalena A. García during the university’s winter commencement Friday, Dec. 15, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. García, founder and executive director of Omaha’s El Museo Latino, received a bachelor’s degree in art history from UNO in 1988. The Citation, first bestowed in 1949, is presented at each UNO commencement. The UNO Alumni Association’s highest honor, it encompasses professional or career achievement, community service, involvement in business and professional associations, and fidelity to UNO. Lee Denker, alumni association president & CEO, will present the award to García, the 142nd Citation recipient. “Magdalena is a respected leader within the Omaha arts community and has certainly distinguished herself among our graduates,” said Denker. “Her accomplishments with the museum and elsewhere have furthered knowledge of and pride in the rich canvass of Latino roots and culture.” García founded El Museo Latino in 1993. It is one of just 11 Latino museums in the country and the only one between Chicago and Denver. Occupying the former Polish Home cultural center in South Omaha, it has hosted several exhibits of national stature. Since the museum moved to its current location in 1997 attendance has topped 50,000 visitors annually. García began her studies at UNO as a business major, taking classes part time while working full time for Northern Gas, later Enron, in a human resources post. After volunteering to help at Omaha’s Joslyn Museum, though, Garcia developed a passion for museums. She changed her major to fine arts, eventually earning a degree in that field in 1988. She later enrolled in Syracuse University’s museum studies program, earning a master’s degree with an emphasis in museum management in 1992. While at Syracuse García held an internship as a
T Annual Board Meeting set for Dec. 19 niversity of Nebraska at Omaha alumni can help select the 2006-2009 members of the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors by voting for candidates at the board’s annual meeting. Alumni are encouraged to attend the public meeting, set for Tuesday, Dec. 19, in the Thompson Alumni Center (Andersen Hospitality Room). The annual meeting will immediately follow the monthly board meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. The UNO Alumni Association’s Outstanding Service Award will be presented during the meeting to Past Chairman Adrian Minks . A 1978 graduate (MBA), Minks served as chairman of the board in 2005. A vice president for Omaha Public Power District, she joined the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1994.
U
Alumni Night on the Ice - Jan. 26 oin fellow grads for the fourth annual UNO Alumni Night on the Ice Friday, Jan. 26, when the Mavs take on Northern Michigan! The exciting evening will include: • NCAA Division I hockey action at the Mavs’ home, Qwest Center Omaha. • A pre-game buffet reception at the Qwest Center. • Door prizes, free Mav Tattoos and Hand Clappers for the kids. • Lower Bowl seating and recognition during the game. • A pep talk from Mav Coach Mike Kemp.
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6 • Winter 2006
All that for just $20 for adults, $15 for children 210. To attend, return the registration form on Page 2 and submit it by Jan. 19 with payment (check or credit card). For more information, call Sheila King at (402) 5544802 or toll-free at UNOMAV-ALUM (866-6282586). Email inquiries to sking@mail.unomaha.edu.
management assistant at the Erie Canal Museum. Later, she was a museum intern at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She also has held posts at the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston (education assistant) and at Rice University’s Sewall Art Gallery (exhibition assistant). García founded El Museo Latino one year after graduating from Syracuse. There she also directs the museum’s extensive community efforts, which include educa-
Photo by Eric Olson El Museo Latino founder/executive director Magdalena Garcia. tional programs, art classes, lectures, workshops, artistsin-residencies, teacher in-service workshops and dance classes. The museum also organizes and presents events during the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration in May and Hispanic Heritage Month in September. García’s community contributions extend beyond El Museo Latino. An experienced dancer/choreographer in the tradition of Mexican folklórico dances, García is founder and artistic director of the CHOMARI Ballet Folklórico Mexicano, a teen/young adult dance company performing since 1993. She also has served or currently serves on the boards of directors for numerous organizations. Since 1993 García has taught as a part-time professor in UNO’s art history department and since 1994 has been an adjunct assistant professor in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s museum studies program. She also has received numerous awards from organizations throughout her career, including: Daniel J. Gross High School, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the YWCA, United Way, the Mexican American Veterans of the State of Nebraska, and the Nebraska Arts Council.
UNOALUM
News, Information & Activities
Athletic Hall of Fames grows by 3 even individuals — including UNO Alumni Association President Emeritus Jim Leslie — were honored as part of UNO’s 31st annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet Nov. 1. Leslie, who is retiring from the alumni association in 2006 after serving as its president since 1973, received an outstanding service award. He helped begin the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975 and since then has attended every nominating and selection committee meeting and every banquet. Jack Payne, who has served as the emcee for all 31 UNO Hall of Fame banquets, also received an outstanding service award. Payne was the public address announcer for the College World Series for 37 years. The three former Mavericks inducted bring to 89 the total number of members in the UNO Hall of Fame. The inductees include two-time football All-American Chris Bober, career baseball games-played leader Greg Geary and track All-American Sheila Brown Geil.
S Asked & Answered he questions were asked, and UNO graduates answered, giving their opinions on two online surveys since the last UNO Alum mailed in March. Monthly results:
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SEPTEMBER How do you rate the economy? • Excellent—14% • Good—42% • Fair— 33% • Poor—12% OCTOBER Who will control the House of Representatives after this November’s elections? • Democrats—51% • Republicans—49%
2007 Display Calendar to mail soon he 2007 UNO Calendar will be delivered to all 2006 UNO Annual Fund donors of $25 or more beginning in early December. The annual publication, entering its 14th year, features color photographs of UNO as taken by longtime University photographer Tim Fitzgerald. It also includes listings of important university dates and events. Haven’t donated to the Annual Fund yet? Complete the giving form on page 47 with a gift of $25 or more to receive a calendar.
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Chris Bober Bober earned first-team All-American honors as an offensive lineman in 1998 and 1999, becoming UNO’s first two-time first-team football All-American since Bill Englehardt in 1955-56. An outstanding blocker and pass-protector, he redshirted in 1995, played as a part-time starter in 1996 then started full-time for three seasons. UNO won two NCC titles and made three NCAA II playoff appearances during his career. He was all-NCC twice, each time being named most valuable offensive lineman. Drafted by the New York Giants, he became a starter in the NFL and later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004. Sheila Brown Geil Brown Geil set four records and was an AllAmerican in track and cross country during her 1984-87 Maverick career. She also won four North Central Conference titles, setting two meet records in the process. Brown Geil earned All-American honors on the track in 1985 as a member of the 1,600-meter relay team. In 1987 she became UNO’s first NCC cross country champion and earned All-American honors. She also
was a three-time NCC All-Academic team selection in both cross country and track and graduated cum laude in broadcasting. Greg Geary A four-year baseball starter, Geary set numerous season and career records during his 1994-97 career. He led the nation in bases on balls as a freshman in 1994 (51) and set the career record at UNO with 145 walks. He also is the career leader for the Mavs in games played, at-bats and runs scored. He was a three-time all-North Central Conference player as an outfielder and infielder from 1995-97. As a senior he set records for games played, at-bats and hits while leading the team with seven home runs and 52 RBI. He also was a two-time selection to the NCC All-Academic team. Geary joins his wife, Toni Novak Geary, in the Hall of Fame. Toni, an All-American softball player, was inducted in 2004. Other Hall of Fame honors: • Wrestler Les Sigman, who captured his fourth straight NCAA II heavyweight title last year, and soccer All-American Beth McGill were named athletes of the year. Both helped lead their teams to national championships. • Former UNO athletic director Don Leahy, who officially retired in June 2005, was named Maverick Club Man of the Year. • Linda Mills, president of the women’s basketball booster club and a former Maverick assistant coach, was named the Women’s Executive Board Distinguished Person of the Year. • Mutual of Omaha received the Corporate Citizen of the Year award, accepted by John Hildenbiddle, Mutual’s senior vice president for brand management and public relations. Mutual of Omaha is the title sponsor for UNO’s season-opening hockey tournament and a swimming and diving meet, as well as being active in other areas of support. • The 1996 UNO volleyball team that won the NCAA Division II championship was honored as one of the school’s greatest teams. Coach Rose Shires, who was named the national coach of the year, guided the team to a 35-2 mark. The team had first-team All-American Amy Steffel and second-team selections Tanya Cate and Erin Shafer. UNO’s only losses were to North Dakota State and St. Cloud State and the Mavericks won their last 11 matches, including a five-game championship decision over Tampa.
Winter 2006 • 7
Alumni Association in Action
Reception Perceptions
Photos by Tim Fitzgerald, University Affairs, from the Alumni Center Centennial Campaign donor appreciation reception.
UNO graduate John Adams and UNO Student Regent Steve Massara.
Tim Fitzgerald, University Affairs Bottom, from left, UNO Alumni Association President Emeritus Jim Leslie, Gerald Spaits (bass), Karrin Allyson, UNO Alumni Association President & CEO Lee Denker, Rod Fleeman (guitar), Todd Strait (drums).
Jazzing up donor appreciation rammy-nominated jazz artist Karrin Allyson performed in Omaha at a private reception Wednesday, Oct. 25, helping the UNO Alumni Association honor donors to its Alumni Center Centennial Campaign. More than 100 guests attended the event, the majority of them contributors to the campaign supporting expansion and renovation of the association’s William H. and Dorothy Thompson Alumni Center. More than $1.1 million was raised through the campaign, which concluded earlier this year. Lee Denker, president and CEO of the alumni association, emceed the event, welcoming dignitaries and introducing Allyson. Association President Emeritus Jim Leslie saluted donors. A handsome plaque honoring Alumni Center Centennial Campaign donors of $10,000 or more was unveiled during the reception, incorporating engraved, handwritten signatures of each donor. Revenue from the Thompson Alumni Center, a popular rental facility, helps fund the association in its many efforts supporting UNO. The center also provides needed meeting space for UNOassociated groups at no charge. Allyson graduated from UNO in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in music, majoring in piano performance. Today she is internationally renowned and boasts 10 albums to her credit. The critically acclaimed singer performed for an hour, choosing songs from her recordings
G Allyson with longtime fan Susan Hendricks, wife of UNO College of Arts & Sciences Dean Shelton Hendricks.
From left, Lou Ann Weber, wife of UNO Chancellor Emeritus Del Weber, with artist Stephen Roberts and his wife, Anne Roberts.
8 • Winter 2006
and other inspirations. Joining her were band members Rod Fleeman (guitar), Gerald Spaits (bass) and Todd Strait (percussion). Allyson’s most recent release, “Footprints,” earlier this year spent seven weeks as the No. 1 jazz album on JazzWeek’s radio chart. Her 2002 album, “Ballads — Remembering John Coltrane,” received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Her 1999 release, “Paris to Rio,” was voted top vocal jazz album by Pulse! magazine. She received the alumni association’s Citation for Alumnus Achievement in 2002. Prior to her performance at the Thompson Center, Allyson participated in an “Always on Wednesdays” weekly recital hour with UNO music students. The program was organized by UNO’s Coordinator of Jazz Studies Dr. Pete Madsen. Allyson and her band performed, answered questions and worked with students in the UNO Jazz Combo and UNO Vocal Jazz Ensemble. The Alumni Center reception also included the unveiling of a newly commissioned portrait of William and Dorothy Thompson by artist Stephen Roberts. William Thompson is one of the most important figures in UNO history, serving the university as a graduate, professor, dean and alumni association member and president. The alumni center was named in his honor in 1979. After the building’s recent updates it was renamed to also honor his wife. Roberts, a 1976 UNO graduate and Omaha resident, is best known for his work on eight murals in Nebraska’s Capitol building, completing a set of 20 originally begun in 1954. He received the association’s Citation for Alumnus Achievement in 1997.
UNOALUM
News, Information & Activities
UNO Century Club he UNO Century Club was inaugurated in 1973 with 44 charter members contributing to the UNO Annual Fund. Today, the Century Club features thousands of members each year. Membership consists of individuals who support their alma mater with gifts of $100 or more. Gifts support various alumni association programs and services that make for a stronger, more vibrant university. With their UNRESTRICTED gift, Century Club donors receive one of five personalized mementos (pictured at right), special recognition in an annual report and invitations to select events throughout the year.
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Thanks to these upgraded Century Club donors! (Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, 2006)
Jerry & Anne Kotlik Dennis M. Meredith Gloria Wallen-Mendez
To Diamond ($1,000 or more) Lou & Janet Pol Jim Veiga
Welcome to these firsttime Century Club donors! (Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, 2006)
To Gold ($500 or more) Patricia Eldridge Cherianne Jacquart Paul Magiera Lary Menyweather-Woods To Silver ($250 or more) Dennis G. Brewster Jane Gilbert Kurtis & Cynthia Kammerer
Platinum ($2,500 or more) Howard buffet Diamond ($1,000 or more) Paul W. Oltman Silver ($250 or more) Melvin A. Clancy Lee & Julie Denker Sherry E. Loseke Gail Bake McCarty Dora Reagan
Bronze ($100 or more) John R. Boydston Barry S. Brower Mark A. Carnevalo John E. Christensen Arnel B. Citurs Michael Culver George D. de Haas G.J. de Vreede LaChrisha L. Dourisseau Clifford D. Edwards Lorenzo E. Felser Charles M. Godwin Mark Graybill Robert A. Gries
Pamela C. Harrington Fred A. Henninger Peggy Hinkle Mary L. Irwin Azar A. Jackson Connie N. Keith Rolee Kelly James O. Kjosa David M. Leigh Jack Leon Leonard & Laura Mauro Paul R. McGilvray Cynthia C. Miserez Arthur D. Pepin John R. Primbramsky
2006 UNO Annual Fund Donation Form
STEP 1—Check level
q
Alumni Card Donor Less than $25
q Calendar Donor $25 or more
q Gold Card Donor $50 or more
q Bronze Century $100 or more
q Silver Century q
$250 or more
Golden Century $500 or more
STEP 2—Mark payment information A.q Check enclosed for $ B.q Bill me for $
q
q
Visa
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MasterCard
Expiration Date:__________
Card No.:
$1,000 or more
w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
in
Name month
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C.q I authorize the UNO Alumni Association to collect my gift of $ through my:
q Diamond Century Platinum Century $2,500 or more
STEP 3—Complete Name and Address
.
Payable to UNO Annual Fund.
Signature
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Discover
Charles J. Randone W.R. Reisser Anna E. Roberg Nancy M. Rodenburg Carlos Rodgers John M. Rose Steve & Margaret Rowley Bob Saunders Jeanne Scarpello Hugh & Colleen Spellman Stanley W. Standifer Andre Sucharew Mark A. Williams Judith C. Wonning
As you wish it to appear in our 2006 Annual Report
Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail Save time and a stamp . . . Donate online at www.unoalumni.org
Winter 2006 • 9
Jim Leslie concludes his career and is . . .
Headed West By Anthony Flott Photo by Tim Fitzgerald
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t the end of a work day, Jim Leslie used to tell his staff that he was “Headed west.” In Lesliespeak, that meant he was going to his home in Gretna. In late December, Leslie heads west for good, retiring from 33-years of service to the UNO Alumni Association as its president and CEO. Since July 2006 he has served as president emeritus. Leslie’s time on campus reaches nearly a half century back—he first attended classes in 1959 and four years later earned his bachelor’s degree in history. He returned to campus in 1973 to take over the alumni association. Leslie reflected on various aspects of his career during a Q&A with UNO Alum Editor Anthony Flott.
10 • Winter 2006
Your UNO service isn’t the only connection to the University in your family. Who else has ties here? Bernice Corbaley (below), my wife, Nancy’s aunt, was our first homecoming queen, in 1931. Nancy’s mother attended Omaha U., my father attended Omaha U., my sister, Jerene Bishop, has several degrees from UNO. Both of our children have attended: Kerry [daughter] worked in the registrar’s office
while Derek [son] and Cindy, his wife, were married in the backyard of the alumni house. Just a lot of strong relationships over the years with this place. What does UNO mean to you? Omaha U. began as an institution for higher education that was to serve young people principally in Omaha who, I don’t want to say were disadvantaged, but certainly didn’t have the resources to go away to school. And I think that tradition or focus has been maintained since 1908. To me, it may best be exemplified with that Bootstrapper term, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. We always made that reference to the military guys comUNOALUM
ing back to complete their education. For many of us, having been born into blue-collar families, UNO was an opportunity to raise yourself up by the bootstraps and get a good education and be able to, as our motto says, earn a living and live a cultured life, not as two processes but as one. I guess that’s the real meaning for me of this place: people have the opportunity to bring themselves up by obtaining a good education and being competitive and knowledgeable in this world. Who was most important to your education while a student? Actually, there might be two answers to that. If you were looking student-wise, Gary Sallquist (top) was a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity president and he took interest in me and was very encouraging about Jim Leslie’s potential as a student and as a student leader. And without that encouragement, from a fraternity perspective, I don’t know that I would have had the interest and the enthusiasm for Omaha U. that I did. Also, we had a dean of men who later became dean of students, Don Pflasterer (bottom), who was very, very encouraging and very supportive of Jim Leslie and what I was doing. What that points to time and time again is that without that encouragement I don’t know I would have maintained that interest. I was also blessed . . . I worked all through college at a Champlin service gas station for five years and my boss there, Sid Parker, w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
“UNO was an opportunity to
raise yourself up by the bootstraps and get a good education and be able to, as our motto says, earn a living
and live a cultured life, not as two processes but as one.” was very, very supportive of me continuing my education and giving me time off to do things as a student that I probably wouldn’t have had with some other employer. He was just a great guy and a great human being. The good Lord blessed me with some wonderful, encouraging people in that point in my life. On assuming the Association’s presidency, was there one thing above all else that brought you back to campus after being gone for 10 years?
had a very tough feeling about that election loss and wanted to do something to assist the university. I don’t like to lose. And when the opportunity presented itself 10 years later to come back, I felt that maybe that would serve as an opportunity to give something back and get something done we couldn’t have gotten done earlier. In 1968 we became part of the University of Nebraska system. It was a time of tremendous growth, and if I could play some role in that it would be very satisfying. I never saw myself here 33 years later. I thought I’d probably be here four or five years and do what I could and go on to something else. That didn’t occur.
Well, when I was a senior we had tried to have a mill levy increase passed. Dr. Milo Bail was our president at that time, and Omaha University was a municipal
Did you have other career aspirations?
university supported by a property tax. We wanted to raise it from two mills to four mills. The election occurred in the spring of 1963, and we were defeated. It didn’t happen. Dr. Bail (top right) came back after that and tried to get it passed again and was unsuccessful. I always
I didn’t. Nancy (Lindell, ’63; pictured above) and I, we’ve grown up here. We love this community and thought that there would be other opportunities. I had had great fun at Mutual of Omaha. They treated us just royally there and I got to do a lot of things I couldn’t do anywhere else. I felt there would be additional opportunities. Omaha was in a very strong growth position. I had maybe misplaced confidence that good things would happen. Continued Page 12 Winter 2006 • 11
From page 11
Did you have any opportunities to leave the Association? Yes. How do I say this so it doesn’t sound egotistical . . . I was approached three or four years after I had come back by Mutual of Omaha wanting me to come back to their organization. And I was recruited by V.J. Skutt, who was the chairman of the board, and the officers of Mutual and United to do that. That was an ego trip supreme. I chose at that time, though, to stay the course with UNO, and I’ve never regretted that decision. Is it correct that when you assumed the alumni post you found out the association was in debt? That was only after I got here. I don’t remember what the total dollars were, but we owed the university a great deal of money because of the salaries and so forth of the office. Harold Keefover was chief business officer of the university. A tremendous individual, and he carried us, the alumni association debt on the university books, and he helped us to work through that obligation. It took us a while to eliminate that obligation, but we did over a several-year period of time. I didn’t realize we had that obligation until I got here.
Did that give you pause to reconsider the job? I can remember distinctly . . . we were officed in the first floor of the old Adolph Storz mansion (above) and everything about it was used furniture and rather dark and drab. It was all dark walnut wood in there, and sitting there 12 • Winter 2006
in that office I had, after two or three weeks I was wondering why in the world did I ever do what I had done to come back. I wasn’t feeling very positive at that point and time, but the decision was made—[I had to] make the best of it and get after things. [But] we always have had a very strong board, and when you ask people to assist and help get done what has to be done, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I didn’t stay discouraged very long. We had a great group of people who wanted to see great things happen for the university.
“I chose at that time to stay the course with UNO, and I’ve never regretted that decision..”
Were there other surprises upon taking over?
No. I had been elected to the board of directors. I hadn’t served yet, but I knew most of the people on the board. Rich Tompsett was the president of the Alumni Association at that time and he and I knew one another very well. He had kept me informed about everything . . . except the debt of the association. What were your expectations or goals when you took over the job? I didn’t know anything about alumni work, really. Both Nancy and I had a great love of this place and we had a terrific situation as students. I knew there were things we needed to do, but my knowledge of alumni work was very limited. The first thing that I did, they had an organization called the American Alumni Council. Now it’s part of CASE [Council for the Advancement of Secondary Education]. I went to as many seminars and meetings of the American Alumni Council that I possibly could to gain insight into what an alumni director is supposed to do. Those individuals gave us great knowledge of
what things could be done from an alumni perspective. You were able to meet many prominent figures from UNO’s early history, especially William H. Thompson. What comes to mind when you think of “Wild Bill?” He just dearly loved this place. And I had that feeling from so many of the old guard. They knew Daniel Jenkins, our founder, and they just reeked of enthusiasm. Old Bill (below), he started in 1913, graduated in 1917. He was here during the very beginnings of our place and then he came back in 1931 as a professor in psychology and he was dean of arts and sciences. He came very close to being president. He and Milo Bail were the two finalists in 1947 to be the president of the university. There were times when people wanted to get rid of athletics and he stood tall for our athletic program. And Olga Strimple. Olga was the first alumni secretary. She graduated in the early ’20s and she was the first paid alumni secretary in the ’40s. She was paid part time to do that job. These people . . . when Nancy and I came back, they were ringing our bell and telling us what they thought the alumni association should be all about. That was tremendous. Just great people. What campus figures were most important to you throughout your tenure with the Alumni Association? Well, Ron Roskens (below) encouraged me to come back to the campus. He was just a stalwart for alumni participation. He formed his cabinet and he wanted the senior person in each discipline, meaning alumni, students, busiUNOALUM
ness and finance, athletics, to be on that council. He gave us the opportunity to have a chair, meaning the alumni association, at the table with all of his other senior people. That was just a real opportunity for alumni to be heard and our perspective given credence. He came in ’72 and left in ’77 to be the president of the University of Nebraska system. Del Weber (above) came in ’77 and continued that attitude for 20 years. The alumni association sat at the table with the other senior voices of the university and it was just a tremendous opportunity for us to have input relative to every important decision made by the university. What did they mean to you personally? Each represented tremendously high ethical standards. We didn’t always agree with everything. But when all was said and done you had the feeling that you were given the opportunity to state your position and your position would be heard. When the arguments were given the chancellor ultimately would make the decision, but everyone would be supportive because they had their opportunity for input. And each of these individuals was not overbearing. They listened and were just fun people in that they both could poke fun at themselves, didn’t take themselves overly serious and both were blessed by marrying wonderful women. In general, how has the role of alumni changed over the years? Alumni for us have a more prominent role in that we have 35,000 alums in the Omaha metropolitan area. That’s a huge number, and we see our graduates now with the board of regents or as state senators. The governor, his wife, Sally Ganem, is one of our alums. You look at Union Pacific, First National and the school systems. Our alums are at the w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
highest level in many of these operations. We didn’t see that 30 or 40 years ago. We had some, but not the number and not the influence we have today, and I think that bodes extremely well for this institution because our graduates are really making a difference in this community and in this area. Even nationally when you consider someone like Chuck Hagel as a U.S. Senator. And the many Bootstrappers we’ve had who go on to tremendous military positions around the world. I think we’ve earned our seat at the table and that our graduates are really making a difference in more ways than perhaps I understand. What is the greatest service an alumni association can make to its university? Our motto is “Upbuilding UNO.” It is a two-way street. Alumni can do a lot for their alma mater, but the university has to continue to work well for alumni to reinforce the value of that education. We were given an opportunity to go to school here and get a good education, and I think we ought to be supportive to see that tradition continue so that generation after generation can have the same opportunity we enjoyed as students.
“It really didn’t matter because Omaha U. was in the right place at the right time.”
What was your greatest challenge while at the helm?
I suppose just finding people to work in the office that shared the same passion and enthusiasm for the university. We’ve really been blessed with some outstanding individuals who care as much or as deeply as I do about this place. What challenge met are you most proud of during your alumni association tenure? I think there are a couple of things I feel very good about. I really feel very posi-
tive about what we’ve been able to do as far as operating the alumni center is concerned. We’ve raised over $3 million over the years for this facility, plus we have a lot more than that invested in it and it’s all paid for. It is just a tremendous campus and community resource. Equally, if not more so, and I don’t know if this just egoism, . . . I’m pleased of the alumni staff. We have excellent people doing great things, whether it’s records, communications, activities, fund raising, the building . . . you name it. We’ve got an outstanding staff and individuals who really perform above and beyond the call and, when I think about what we’ve been able to do, I think that’s my greatest satisfaction in knowing I had some part in encouraging these individuals to be a part of our team. Was there something you wish you had accomplished with the Alumni Association that you didn’t? Bill Thompson and Frances Edwards always wanted me and the alumni association to see the old administration building named after Dr. Daniel Jenkins, our founder, I wasn’t able to get that done, but still hope something can happen with the centennial that will honor the first president of the university who literally died creating and serving this institution. What’s planned for retirement? Just stay out of the way. Frances Edwards, one of Bill Thompson’s good friends, and she was a graduate, she used to lecture me that Omaha U., as she referred to it, will grow and prosper in spite of the Jim Leslies and the Ron Roskens and the Del Webers. As good intentioned and as hard working as we were, it really didn’t matter because Omaha U. was in the right place at the right time. I think she was absolutely on target. Winter 2006 • 13
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Culture Critic
ide this story from teen-agers. They might read about Roger Catlin (’79) and try to create their own underground newspaper and get paid for going to movies and rock concerts, or for watching television. Few who knew Catlin at Millard High or UNO are surprised that he became a rock critic and now television columnist for a daily newspaper, the Hartford Courant. It’s no shock to see Roger in the Manhattan office of Keith Richards as the desiccated Rolling Stone pours a tall tumbler of gin. Or to hear he covered the notorious Milli Vanilli concert when the tape broke and revealed their lip-synch scam. Now 51, he left the rock beat after becoming the oldest person at concerts starring the likes of Britney Spears and the Back
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By Warren Francke Photo by Michael Kodas Street Boys. Catlin earlier this fall spent three weeks in Lala Land covering the new season with others of the Television Critics’ Association. And, yes, he’s one of the critics behind the alt-awards, spoofing such honors as the Howie Mandel Award for the Critic Least Likely to Shake Your Hand. Show his Gateway newspaper buddies this recent review of “One Ocean View” and they’d call it vintage Catlin: “Bad summer television knows no bounds,” he began, describing the new show as “one of those contrived reality yarns that gathers good-looking young
people at a fixed site in hope that something frisky or passably entertaining ensues.” It features “11 shiny New Yorkers . . . interested in hooking up with someone.” They’re “full of themselves, none more than a Wall Street lawyer who declares he gets better-looking every day.” Set on a Fire Island resort, it has “twins, hot tubs, sunsets and shots of wild deer on the beach. The series would have been more interesting if they’d stayed with the deer.” Catlin’s career was predictable, but perhaps not by the Millard Junior High principal who busted him for distributing Flashing, his underground newspaper. His parents, John and Pauline Catlin, sent him humbly to the police station to formally apologize for his parUNOALUM
ody of the police chief. That didn’t stop Roger or Flashing, which survived for three years with such writers as Kurt Andersen, later founder of Spy magazine and author of best-selling books. Told he couldn’t sell the 15-cent rag on school grounds, Catlin climbed a tree. He’d become editor of the Millard High newspaper and the UNO Gateway, where reporting led to the ouster of a student body president. After graduation he’d report for the Council Bluffs Nonpareil, review movies and write an entertainment column for the Omaha World-Herald, receive a UNO alumni achievement award, and total 20 years for the Courant, America’s oldest continuing newspaper. “Leave it to Beaver” Digs Their television critic classifies his West Hartford, Conn., environs as a “Leave It to Beaver” neighborhood not unlike Omaha’s Dundee. Oak trees shadow the house sans air conditioning. Home viewing begins when wife Diane Randall (UNO ’78) goes off to work as director of a non-profit that fights homelessness, and when daughters Nora, 11, and Lillie, 15, go to school. They may watch “American Idol” together—dad and the girls rooted for Katharine McPhee, not Taylor Hicks— but more of his viewing comes from DVDs sent by the networks. By mid-morning Catlin’s in the office writing, while watching other shows in the corner of his laptop computer. Diane may join his viewing of “a decent grownup show” after the girls go to bed, and Roger watches “as much as I can until I get tired at about 1 a.m.” His reactions, such as the “One Ocean View” review, wind up weekly in six TV Eye columns and daily online blogs. He enjoys the freedom to range into parody or even hard news. Here’s a little of what Roger wrote when an extreme rocker committed suicide, her fame followed by obscurity: “Along the winding driveway at the end of the street, nature becomes as engulfing and prolific as in a preserve. Wild turkeys scatter in the brush, finches twitter, squirrels dart. For a time,
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Wendy O. Williams was happy amid the wildlife of eastern Connecticut. But it was a wild life of a different sort that Williams had known 20 years earlier — blowing up cars, performing nearly naked, screaming insurrectionist lyrics and becoming an international figure for extreme rock as the bold frontwoman for the Plasmatics.” When Enron’s Ken Lay was sentenced soon after the “American Idol” finale, Catlin wrote a parody that had Ryan Seacrest announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are just moments way from learning WHO will be your NEXT American convict!” When he’s not indulging in parody, Catlin may take an unflinching swing at
“Bad summer television knows no bounds,” Catlin began, describing the new show as “one of those contrived reality yarns that gathers good-looking young people at a fixed site in hope that
something frisky or passably entertaining ensues.” “Fluff in the Morning,” chiding the “Today” show and “Good Morning, America” for insubstantial content unworthy of programs that pretend to offer news. He doesn’t pan the whole menu. After his three-week exposure to the latest TV offerings, he found promise in two “inside television” shows—one from Tina Fey of “Saturday Night Live,” the other “Studio 60” from Aaron
Sorkin, who set the standard for writing with his “West Wing.” He adds “Lost,” “24” and HBO’s “The Sopranos” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” to his list of well-written shows. Here’s how his typical day goes during the Hollywood press blitz: “I get up at 6 a.m. and use the three hours before things start to get a lot of writing done.” Then he hits the breakfast buffet and the first panel sessions of clips and interviews. That goes on for up to nine sessions before the evening parties begin, with more schmoozing with stars and producers. “After weeks of being skeptical journalists,” Catlin notes, “suddenly we’re fans, giving awards and hobnobbing with them.” That’s why Roger and a Minneapolis critic came up with their “gently mocking” alt-awards for critics, such as the aforementioned Howie Mandel honor. (Viewers of his “Deal, No Deal” game show know he won’t shake hands.) Roger thinks readers see TV reviews as a treat after the heavy news of the day and so considers “it best to keep it entertaining. It’s the same kind of humor that Jon Stewart does better each night.” Just a week after his Hollywood work, the Catlins took time off for a gathering of Quakers, their spiritual base after being raised as Lutherans. Diane, known as a peace activist in Nebraska, and Roger join other Quakers or Friends in meetings where members “speak from silence.” Catlin has been impressed with the eloquence that ensues, “but I haven’t felt confident to get up and speak myself.” They met not at UNO but when she asked him to speak to her Millard North High mass media class. As an eighth grader, their daughter Lillie printed her own underground sheet called “Steal This Paper” in the Abby Hoffman tradition. When the principal told Lillie’s father that he’d like to see the contents before distribution, he didn’t find a sympathetic ear. “He was talking to the wrong guy,” Roger says. “I told him the governor of Connecticut would like to see the Hartford Courant in advance. I was proud of her.”
Winter 2006 • 15
SUPPORT FOR THE SUDANESE BY KAREN WEBER PHOTO BY ERIC FRANCIS
M
ark Kirchoff goes to work each day with one goal in mind: Helping Sudanese families find a place of refuge in Omaha, thousands of miles from their war-torn homeland. “These people have been subjected to incredible hardship,” he says. “Once you see it, and try to understand that kind of pain, it’s hard to turn your back on them.” An estimated 9,000 Sudanese refugees have settled in Omaha, according to the Southern Sudan Community Association (see www.sscainternational.org). They arrive after a rigorous medical and security screening with literally every personal possession packed in a suitcase.
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They leave behind a country wracked by civil war and religious persecutions which long ago reached crisis status. Kirchoff, who holds a master’s degree in public administration from UNO (1993), serves as program coordinator of the SSCA. He says resettlement workers must focus on the very basics of life—food clothing and shelter—in the first 90 days. Finding an apartment, shopping at the grocery store and finding a doctor all are essential to getting acclimated to daily living. The Sudanese face tremendous pressure in getting a job and finding out how to get assistance such as medical care and food stamps. Language is a key barrier that must be broken down. “They arrive at our airport thinking they know English after studying it, reading it, and speaking it in school,” Kirchoff explains. “But when they hear us speaking English so fast with idioms sprinkled in, they find it much different.” It’s important to have face-to-face meetings when possible because using gestures and facial expressions can help make up some of the language deficiencies. Even if a Sudanese refugee is fairly fluent in English, communicating on the phone proves difficult without visual cues, Kirchoff says. “I get annoyed at the number of people who say ‘If they (refugees) only would learn English,’” he says. “We forget how difficult it is to learn a new language. They want to learn English but it takes time. Think about how long it takes anyone to really master a new language.” Simon Mangong, a native of Sudan and SSCA case manager, agrees that language is the greatest barrier facing the Sudanese. The Association offers a variety of English classes and job placement assistance. The staff tries to find employment opportunities that take language limitations into consideration. Most of the jobs are entry-level positions including production and factory work and housekeeping jobs, Mangong says. “Unfortunately, some of the refugees were professionals in their native country—doctors and engineers—but because of the language barrier, they must start all over again to sustain
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themselves,” Kirchoff says. Dr. David Chand, a Sudan native currently teaching with UNO International Studies and Programs, also laments the lack of professional jobs for refugees. “We have physicians working in packing plants and people with MBAs and law degrees who have no jobs,” he says. “We need to utilize this talent.” With the proper education and improvement in their language skills, the Sudanese can be productive members of the community, Chand says. The stress of relocation can take an emotional toll but Kirchoff and
“These people have been subjected to incredible hardship. Once you see it . . . it’s hard to turn your back on them.”
Mangong say the Sudanese community pulls together and helps one another. The Sudanese help newcomers with transportation, giving rides to someone who needs to get to work or to the doctor. The SSCA staff and volunteers help families deal with electric, water, home phone and cell phone bills, an essential for becoming self-sustaining. After refugees have lived in Omaha for one year, they also need help with learning to drive and obtaining a green card. “Omaha has a good reputation as a place to live because of the cost of living and employment opportunities, Kirchoff says. “Omaha is fairly refugee friendly — you hear people saying, ‘What can I do to help?’” Adds Mangong: "Those who stay here can find a good life. People are friendly and helpful. It's easier to get a job here than on either coast." With its limited staff and resources, the SSCA relies on the generosity of its
volunteers, who serve as sponsors, tutors, aides in after-school programs, office workers and drivers. “We are looking for the type of volunteer who sees the work as a job,” Kirchoff says. “We need people who are dedicated. We need to find the right people who can help mentor people and have the time and energy to devote to it.” SSCA also needs “gently used” furniture and household items, but its capacity is limited by a lack of warehouse space and trucks to pick up items. “We definitely need more warehouse space and an enclosed truck. We need more volunteers just to keep the items we do get organized, “he explains. The Sudanese also face cultural barriers in making the transition from refugees to resettled citizens, especially when it comes to parenting. “Africans really have the sense that it takes a village to raise a child. They might think nothing of disciplining a child who’s not their own in public,” says Kirchoff. “In this country if I discipline my neighbor’s child, I might get sued. Parents, who grew up in a culture where it is more acceptable to be stern and even spank a child, often feel powerless when their children need to be disciplined. Their children have often mastered English better than their parents. Children learn faster than their parents. The child, in some cases, is the one doing the talking for the parent — that puts children and their parents in an unnatural position.” Parenting classes are very helpful to teach new skills and ways of dealing with their own frustrations, Kirchoff adds. Whether it’s helping families learn new parenting strategies or balancing a budget, Kirchoff says his work with the Sudanese refugees continues to enrich his life. “I’ve learned more from them than they have from me. I’ve gained invaluable insights into a different world, a different culture. It’s a common belief that the refugees need us but we need them more than they need us. We need to learn from them. We need to get better at finding out what challenges these people and how to solve their problems. People’s lives are at stake so we must get better at it.”
Winter 2006 • 17
In the Interim J
ohn Christensen is a man who has luck . . . a very specific kind of luck. His good fortune is not the sudden winning-the-lottery variety. Nor is it about being in the right place at the right time (though he has a touch of that). Rather, UNO’s interim chancellor has the long-term luck of a man who has enjoyed what he has done and where he has worked—for an entire career. “I don’t know if this is unusual or not, but I was absolutely happy in every position I’ve had here,” Christensen says. “I loved doing my work as a faculty member in special education and communication disorders. If I were doing that today, I’d still be happy.” The arc of Christensen’s career at UNO moves from starting as an instructor in 1978 to being a faculty member to serving as a department chair for more than a decade to running the entire College of Education as dean from 1998 to 2003. He describes being a college dean as “great fun.” “I’ve never been in a place where it felt like it was wrong,” he says. Christensen, 58, looks like a happy— but busy—man. He’s tall and has an easy smile. He could be a favorite uncle or cousin telling a funny story in the kitchen at a family event. If Christensen is telling a story these days, he has to ignore the BlackBerry buzzing almost constantly on his hip. During campus meetings, he peeks down at it over his glasses. It’s a doubleedged sword, Christensen says: communicating is important, but sometimes he finds himself having feelings about the BlackBerry. “Often,” he adds, “they aren’t good feelings.” He appeared to be joking. Place is important Place is important to Christensen. He was born in Omaha and graduated from Benson High School. He earned his undergraduate degree just north of the 18 • Winter 2006
PHOTO BY TIM FITZGERALD, UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS UNO Interim Chancellor John Christensen, center, with his wife, Jan, and former U.S. Senator Dave Karnes during the dedication ceremony for the Guinter Kahn addition to UNO’s Dr. CC and Mabel L. Criss Library.
By Tim Kaldahl, University Affairs city at Dana College in Blair, Neb. In 1974 he earned a master’s in special education/speech pathology, making him the first person to serve as UNO chancellor to hold a degree from the institution. He knows the language of the university and the city. It’s a Nebraska mix of self-deprecation, hard work, honesty and a good handshake. His doctorate is Midwestern, too—a degree in speech pathology/audiology from the University of Kansas in 1980. “I think he’s smart,” says John Langan, current dean of UNO’s College of Education. “He comes off as a big teddy bear, approachable.” He and Christensen are long-standing friends. “If I had one word to describe him,” Langan says, “it’s approachable. But he
is—in terms of neurons—smarter than hell. And that’s the real issue about him. He’s just smart. And likable.” Christensen became vice chancellor for UNO’s academic and student affairs in 2003, but Langan says he knew years earlier that his friend saw things, balanced things in his head at a different level. It’s not clairvoyance, but it is seeing further. “Every time he got a new administrative position I learned more and more (about him),” Langan says. “He can look out at an issue and all of us will be looking, you know, one step out, two steps out. He’s like six steps out.” An ability to see the big picture will be important for the university as major campus changes start. In the next few years, UNO will nearly double in physical size due to 77 acres worth of recent University of Nebraska Foundation land purchases south of Center Street. Christensen says he sees the university’s UNOALUM
challenges and opportunities as being the same. Development needs to make sense, which means weighing the whens and wheres of adding athletic fields, student housing, parking and infrastructure. Building is exciting, he says, but it all has to be done in the service of making UNO the best place possible for students and the academic programs that serve them. Hand in hand with future physical expansion are present-day concerns about faculty and staff capacity. UNO has a tradition of running lean; but currently, he adds, classrooms are filled to the limit and above during the day and near limit at night. Don’t consider that smoke and mirrors, either. “Everyone sees him as a straight shooter,” says Elizabeth Kraemer, 23, who got to know Christensen well while serving as UNO student president/regent in 2005. After graduating last spring she now works as a research analyst at Tenaska. The past summer’s worth of controversy at UNO means there are some relationships to rebuild, too. “There’s no one better to gain back that trust than John Christensen,” she says. Her advice to Christensen in his new role is to stay true to who he is and never lose sight that students should be the focus of the institution. Early riser Personal time for Christensen isn’t important, or, rather, he sees and handles it differently. He’s been an early riser for years, and his official schedule typically starts at 7 a.m. He usually is up and working a couple of hours earlier. Langan describes the pace Christensen now keeps as “blinding.” Once he gets to UNO’s administration building, he has a set way to start the day. Nearly two years ago Christensen was given a pair of autographed photos of two UNO standout athletes—soccer player Beth McGill and wrestler Les Sigman. He had them displayed near his desk when he was vice chancellor and the photos moved with him to the chancellor’s office. “My routine, every morning I walk in, is to look at those two students to remind me what it is we are here for,” he says. They’ve become touchstones.
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About John Christensen • M e t h i s w i f e , J a n , wh i l e b o t h a t t e n d e d D a n a . A l l th r e e o f t h e i r s o n s h a v e D a n i s h n a m e s — E r i k, D a na a nd A n de r s . • F a t h er, Axel, was the son of Danish immi g r a n t s . “ H e t a ug h t m e a l o t a b o u t d i s c i p l i n e . Pe rs on a l di s ci pl i n e, s el f - di s ci pl i ne , ” C h r i s te n s e n s a y s . “ A b o u t b e in g c o m m i tt e d to what you care about.” His mother, Ann, taught h i m a b o u t c a re a n d c o n c e rn f o r o t h e r s , h e s a y s , a n d th o s e a r e le s s o n s n o t f o r g o t te n . • W a s t h e f i r st i n h i s f a m i l y t o a t t e nd c o l l eg e . • Wife, Jan, a former math teacher, is a curr i c u l u m s p e c i a l i s t a t O m a h a N o r th H ig h S c h o o l . • F a m i ly p e t i s 1 3 0 - p o u n d A m e r i c a n B u l l d o g named Tug who eats anything. • H a s n e v e r b e e n f o n d o f fl y i n g – n o t 3 0 - p l u s years ago and not now. “I think turning your l i f e o v e r t o a n a b so l u t e s t r a n ge r i s p a r t of i t , ” he jokes . . . sort of .
“Without that kind of focus on the student everything else is meaningless,” he says. While the days can be long, his evenings and weekends often don’t take him away from campus, and that’s by choice. Christensen and his wife, Jan, are avid supporters of Maverick sports, and seemingly all of them—hockey, basketball, volleyball, etc. At the homecoming football game UNO wrestling coach Mike Denny had a group of recruits meet the chancellor. Christensen can talk wrestling, having competed on the mat for Dana. He says that he and Jan see the university as an extension of family and, as chancellor, attending events doesn’t feel like an obligation. “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had,” he says. Playing games He not only goes to games, he also occasionally goes to practices, and sometimes those practices are in the morning . . . so it’s good he’s up anyway. “I think this is the time it becomes personal,” Christensen said to the UNO women’s soccer team a little after 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 2, the day before the team played in the first round of the NCAA
Division II Central Regional tournament. It was a clear, cold morning where every breath was visible. To take the tourney, the team needed to win Friday, Nov. 3, to play in Sunday’s final. Christensen had a Board of Regents meeting he had to attend that Friday, but his wife (who had been at all of the team’s home games) would be there. “I will see you on Sunday,” he said to the team. And he did. The team advanced out of the Sunday regional to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. UNO Soccer Coach Don Klosterman says such support means a lot. If his college athletes don’t completely understand that now, they will in the future, he says; spending time is important. “It means that he cares,” Klosterman says. Athletics play a key role in the life of most college campuses and in the overall higher education decision-making process, even for non-athletes. It’s a complement to academics, too. It’s something Christensen says he’s heard again and again. “Parents equate the notion of a strong athletic program to the notion of having a strong campus life. Be it right or wrong, they do that on a regular basis,” he says. “They also relate a strong athletic program to intramurals, which also relate back to campus life.” In his 28 years at UNO, Christensen says campus life has improved and continues to. More and more students are becoming involved in a variety of areas rather than rushing straight from class to a job. “We have become a place to be rather than a place to stop by,” he says. So is he doing more than stopping by the chancellor’s office? Will he put his name in to be chancellor beyond an interim basis? Christensen has said to group after group that he has been focused exclusively on the job at hand and has not been able to give the longterm much thought. The holidays and time with his family might help him make a final decision. Christensen does have an answer for another basic question—is being the chancellor fun? Fun isn’t quite the right word, he says. “It’s the most interesting thing I’ve ever done in my life. There is nothing that I have ever done that compares with this.”
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HOME REMEDY
hen Lori Novicki Hogan graduated from UNO, she never realized what an impact a 90-year-old woman would have on her life. The needs of her husband’s aging grandmother, however, proved to be the impetus for the founding of a multimillion-dollar international company. Lori says her goal always has been to help others and give back to the community. Her husband, whom she met on a blind date more than 20 years ago, had similar ideals. When he came to her with the concept of starting a business to help senior citizens remain in their own homes, dreams met. Since its inception in 1994, Home Instead Senior Care, co-founded by Lori and Paul Hogan, has grown to more
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By Gini Goldsmith Photo by Eric Francis than 700 franchises located in 10 countries: the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Spain. It all began, however, as a small family affair in 1985. “Paul’s grandmother, Eleanor Manhart, started to show signs of feebleness around the age of 90,” says Lori. “She needed some care, so the family decided to bring her to the Hogan house to live and have Paul’s mother, Catherine, care for her.” Since Catherine had a full-time job, the six Hogan children, their spouses
and Grandma Manhart’s 51 grandchildren and 50 great-grandchildren were called on for help. Grandma lived 11 more years. “During that time, we realized how many resources are needed for this type of care, which made us wonder how smaller families, who do not have access to this type of support, coped,” Lori says. From this experience was born the concept of Home Instead Senior Care. The company provides non-medical home care services for seniors, including companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping and escort for errands and shopping. “Living at home provides many benefits to seniors,” said Lori. “The average Home Instead client spends approxiUNOALUM
mately $1,200 a month for care, compared to an assisted-living facility, which would average from $3,000 to $4,000 a month.” Looking at Home Instead’s 36,000square-foot corporate headquarters at 132nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha today, it is hard to imagine the company’s humble beginnings. Before setting up business in June 1994, Paul and Lori researched the market and checked out several other companies offering similar services for seniors. They soon realized that non-medical care for seniors was an untapped market. To learn more about the business, they decided to start off with a small operation in Omaha. Paul’s mother cleared out her living room for the company’s first office. “Grandma Manhart usually sat in an adjoining room,” says Lori. “When we interviewed caregivers, if they went over and said, ‘Hello,’ to Grandma first, it was a big plus. Then we asked Grandma’s opinion, and if she says she liked them, that held a lot of weight.” The Hogans’ business philosophy of “honoring God in all we do” was modeled after Paul’s experience working at Merry Maids, a cleaning service franchisor. “Merry Maids was a company with Christian ideals, which employed high standards in business ethics and morals in a fun way, and surrounded itself with good people,” says Lori. “Following this model helped us focus on how we wanted our business to develop.” In addition, Lori, an Omaha Burke High School graduate, says her 1984 UNO degree in psychology was a great basis for her business dealings. She majored in psychology because she knew it could apply to many career fields. “Everything you learn in life is a steppingstone that helps you embark on the future.” In the beginning, the Hogans didn’t advertise, instead promoting the business by networking with hospital social service departments and other community organizations that worked with seniors. They also spoke to any community group that would listen, and with a growing elderly population, many were interested in what they had to say.
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“It soon became clear that we had found a niche in society where we could contribute in a meaningful and God-centered way,” Lori says. In 1995 Lori’s uncle, who lived in Lincoln, became the company’s first franchisee. “When he signed on, we feverishly began developing a training program for franchise owners,” says Lori. The model worked and soon some of Paul’s fraternity brothers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln signed up as franchise owners. In June 1996 the company got its first franchise owner outside the couple’s circle of family and friends. Home Instead Senior Care was on its way to becoming a significant organization in the senior care industry. Soon, Paul’s mentor and longtime friend, Tom Guy, started lending his
“Grandma Manhart usually sat in an adjoining room. If they went over and said, ‘Hello’ to Grandma first, it was a big
plus.”
much-needed marketing expertise to the growing enterprise. With his promotional efforts and the company’s rapidly expanding franchising business, Home Instead began to get recognition in national publications such as the Wall Street Journal and national franchising and entrepreneurial magazines. Franchise sales began to expand rapidly. Lori and Paul soon learned that senior services provided by Home Instead were needed not just in the United States, but globally, too. Vice President of International Sales Yoshino Nakajima encouraged them to look into franchising in Japan. In that country, which has a large aging population, the elderly are
revered. There it is the tradition for the eldest son’s wife to take care of aging parents. But women in Japan have become more westernized, and many now work outside the home, explains Lori. “Japanese families are looking for more options as the women are finding that they can’t do it all,” she says. “The concept is proving popular in Japan, which now has 160 franchises.” With a growing number of franchisees in international markets, the Wall Street Journal in 2006 named Home Instead one of America’s top 25 highperforming franchises. One of the reasons is the rapidly aging population. In the United States, an estimated 36 million people—12 percent of the population—are 65 and older, according to the latest U.S. Census. The need is there, and Home Instead continues to fill it. “In the future, we would like to add more franchises, serving more seniors in the U.S as well as Europe, Asia and the Pacific Rim. In addition, our staff is focusing on shaping legislative issues, locally and nationally, to keep home care affordable for seniors. This issue will continue to be challenging for this market.” Currently, the company provides 20 million hours of service to clients annually and employs more than 35,000 skillfully screened and trained caregivers. Since the inception of the business a little more than a decade ago, Home Instead Senior Care has touched the lives of more than 1 million clients. The success also has given the Hogans opportunities outside Home Instead. Lori in 2004 was named a Successful Business Woman of the Year by the American Business Women's Association, and she served six years with the board of directors for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. She and Paul also are on the boards of Family First and Home Instead Senior Care Foundation, and they are chairing the Salvation Army's D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon in May. Through a family member’s inspiration, the Hogans have realized their dreams of helping others. Grandma Manhart’s legacy is thriving.
Winter 2006 • 21
Still Pulling Stunts A B Y S O N J A C A R B E R RY
s a teenager in Bloomfield, Iowa, Jason Gray welcomed spring by dragging pole-vault mats out of the high school gym so he could jump off the threestory building. The 1995 UNO grad said he did it for fun — and to get noticed. “I was that kid who always had something to prove,” he says. Fast-forward 25 years. Now Gray gets paid to pull stunts like that in Hollywood, only he doesn't want to get noticed. If you watch a movie with Gray, he won’t spoil the action secrets. “I like to let the magic and surrealism take over,” he says. “I like flying under the radar.” Keeping a low profile is just one secret to success for this Hollywood stuntman. “I always hit my mark. I’m low maintenance. I can get the stunt done in one or two takes,” he says. “If you keep your mouth shut, show up on time, do your job and go home, man you’ll work all the time.”
22 • Winter 2006
PHOTO BY CHRIS MONBERG
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That’s exactly what Gray did for eight months on the set of Mel Gibson’s movie “The Patriot.” More recently he stunt doubled on the short-lived television show “Smith.” Unfortunately it was an early casualty of the 2006 season. “Three episodes later it’s gone,” Gray says. Such often is the case in the fickle world of Hollywood. Gray’s long list of work includes big names and obscure titles alike. On “Vanished” Gray had a few lines as a stunt security guard. He appeared in multiple episodes of “Alias” and did precision driving for ‘Snow Dogs” and “The InLaws,” as well as stunts for “Speed 2.” He also performed a full body burn for “CBS This Morning.” One of his favorite stunts appeared on the virtually unknown show “Point Pleasant.” For that he was ratcheted — or flung — into the windshield of a Brinks truck. “I know a lot about rigging,” he says. “You do it COURTESY JASON GRAY the first time landing on On the set of “The Patriot.” pads, the second time you land on the windshield. What you have to do is turn a little bit and try to hit with your shoulder and your back.” He might take his licks on the set, but Gray is beyond being star struck. “You work with celebrities all the time,” he says. “You keep your mouth shut and don’t try to get their pictures on the last day of shooting. You treat it like a job. You get in and get out.” Doing just that has allowed Gray to “live the dream” in Thousand Oaks, Calif., with his wife, Candace, and sons Jordan and Shane. For one thing, he doesn't miss Midwestern winters. “By the time I graduated I couldn’t feel my extremities,” he jokes. Back in Iowa, Gray never considered a career in stunt work. He joined the Air Force after high school and was stationed as a security specialist in Belgium for most of his four years before being transferred to Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Neb. After his discharge Gray enrolled in UNO without a specific direction. He tried a broadcast journalism course and immediately felt at home. “I wanted to be a cameraman or an assistant director,” he says. “My intention was never to be in front of the camera.” Before graduation, Gray’s KYNE-TV broadcast buddies started leaving UNO for Florida. Universal Studios had just opened in Orlando and jobs, plus the warm climate, proved a strong attraction. Gray soon was filling out a Universal Studios application. “They stuck me in merchandising,” Gray says. “They don’t care who you are, you have to learn from the bottom.” Eventually, Gray got behind the camera. That's when his w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
career took a sharp turn. “I got to know the stunt guys,” he says. “I thought: ‘I can do this.’” Always athletic, Gray had played football, wrestled and was a champion pole-vaulter in high school. He tried out for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and won the lead. “I got into it to make more money and it seemed more adventurous,” he says. It was. While his stunt career started to take off, Gray took the time to tie up a loose end. When he’d left Omaha, Gray was six credits short of his degree. He completed it by taking courses at the University of Central Florida. Meanwhile, he got serious about learning the ropes of the stunt world. “You have to get a mentor, get in a group or a clique,” he says. Gray found John Zimmerman of Stunt Dynamics and worked as his assistant, at first mostly loading equipment. Zimmerman recalls Gray having the right attitude and real talent. “Jason had all of the physical abilities and he could act, which is important because we are stunt actors,” Zimmerman says. “He just climbed the ladder. It’s a big-dollar business and everyone wants to be in it, so it’s a long hard climb.” Soon enough, Gray was ready to climb higher. “I was getting beat up doing Indiana Jones every day,” Gray says. “My friends would peel off and move to California. Pretty soon I had 10 to 15 friends out there.” Gray headed for California with his wife, who had played Marion Ravenwood opposite Gray in the Indiana Jones show. Los Angeles offered more work and more competition. “You've got to be pretty aggressive in this business,” Gray says. “You have to be versatile. You have to be able to say ‘Yes’ when someone calls.” Gray specializes in full-body burns, barroom brawls and street fights, fencing, stunt driving, western horseback riding, 40-foot falls, rappelling and more. As an equipment specialist, he can rig “tons of wire.” He also coordinates stunts and consults on safety. Gray says he's been lucky with only a meniscus tear among other minor injuries. “I’ve never gotten really hurt and I’ve hit the ground hard,” he says. “Sixteen years later I’m still going.” And still climbing. Gray says the natural career progression is to go from stunt man to rigger/equipment specialist, to stunt coordinator and eventually to second unit director — which means directing the stunt portions of a production. Of course it’s not all stars and celluloid. “People think it’s glamorous but it’s really a blue collar job. Most of the time you are prepping for the job. It takes a long time to set someone on fire.”
COURTESY JASON GRAY As Ace Ventura at Disney/MGM studios. Background: Jason on fire during a full body burn for Candid Camera-Japan.
Winter 2006 • 23
Center Ice
Ex-Mavs make their mark in the NHL BY JOHN FEY
T
he photograph is prominently displayed in the basement of UNO hockey coach Mike Kemp’s home. It features two of his former players, Bill Thomas and Jeff Hoggan, poised sideby-side for a faceoff in a National Hockey League game last April.
COURTESY NASHVILLE PREDATORS Greg Zanon, a 6foot, 211-pound defense-man, first signed with Nashville as a free agent in June 2004. He began the 2006 campaign on injured reserve.
24 • Winter 2006
Kemp calls it one of the defining achievements in UNO hockey history. “That’s one of those moments when you know you’re arriving when you see multiple players from your program playing in the same game,” Kemp says. My, how far the Maverick hockey program has come as it enters year 10. Kemp, the team’s only coach, marvels at highlights such as: • The first goal in school history, scored by James Chalmers Oct. 17, 1997, against Manitoba; • UNO joining the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1999 and reaching the league tournament’s final four that first year. • Last season’s firstever appearance in the NCAA playoffs. Kemp’s first recruiting class in November 1996 drew no looks from professional scouts. But the talent level increased with each new group, and it wasn’t long before
NHL scouts were seen at the Civic Auditorium. Finally, seven years after UNO’s first game, a former Maverick dressed for an NHL game. On Feb. 18, 2004, goaltender Dan Ellis earned a
COURTESY UNO HOCKEY FAN BRANDI TEETERS
4-3 win playing for the Dallas Stars. Though it was a one-night stand, it was one Ellis won’t forget. “I remember it clear as day,” recalls Ellis, now with Des Moines of the American Hockey League. “It was quite the experience.” Back to the photograph: Thomas made the jump from college to the NHL just a few days after UNO’s NCAA playoff appearance last March. Playing for the Phoenix Coyotes in the second-tolast game of the season, he and St. Louis Blues forward Hoggan became the first from UNO to meet head-to-head in an NHL game. A stoppage of play allowed the two to exchange words while waiting for the puck to drop. “We talked for about 30 seconds,” Thomas says about the moment. “Jeff congratulated me for making it to the NHL.” Thomas, Hoggan and Ellis are three of six Mavericks who have donned NHL jerseys. Goalie Chris Holt (New York Rangers), defenseman Bryce Lampman (Rangers) and defenseman Greg Zanon (Nashville) also have made it to “the show.” At the end of October, only Hoggan and Zanon were on NHL rosters. Thomas’ rise from college to the NHL was most amazing. Just three days after Boston University handed UNO a 9-2 NCAA playoff loss last March 24, Thomas UNOALUM
signed a two-year contract with Phoenix. Two days later, he was on the ice with the Coyotes. “It was pretty crazy,” recalls Thomas, who left after his sophomore season. “Everything happened so fast.” Making the NHL is a long shot for any college player. From UNO, 27 others took a shot at professional hockey. Many, like Ellis, Holt and Thomas, continue playing in the AHL with hopes of getting called back up. Kemp’s eyes glisten with pride when talking about players who have reached the NHL. “It’s a benchmark for your program,” Kemp says. “We exist, in part, to accomplish that goal. We exist to give our kids an education and to set them up for a career. “Should they pursue a professional athletic career, we certainly want to make sure we accomplish that.” Even though the school’s first NCAA Division I sport had no history, no tradition and no identity, Kemp still tried to lure players to Omaha who some day could play professionally. “When we started out to develop this program 10 years ago,” Kemp says, “this was the dream we were selling. Now the smoke that we were selling is solidified.” UNO’s entry into the CCHA was a plus. Ellis says playing teams like Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State gives Mavericks a chance to be noticed. “Scouts see that UNO has done a great job of recruiting and building a team from next to nothing,” he says. Like Ellis, Hoggan and Zanon had sterling Maverick careers and worked their way onto NHL rosters. Hoggan joined St. Louis after the 2002 season and this year signed with Boston as a free agent. Zanon signed with Nashville after his career ended in 2003. Hoggan says playing in the NHL forced him to change the way he plays. “The biggest difference for me was getting used to having a simplified role,” says Hoggan. “In college I could fly around the ice and try to score a goal, set up a play, draw a penalty and make a huge hit all in one shift. “I still bring energy to every shift, but
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it’s about staying strong defensively, causing havoc and finishing all hits. And if I score it’s a bonus.” Zanon, who was idled most of October due to a concussion, says quickness is the key to making it at the highest level. Sending players to the pro ranks pleases Kemp, but losing them before completion of their degrees is the downside. It means replacing a body, but it’s a fact of life in college hockey. Many players have come back to finish their requirements. Hoggan vows to Kemp that he will, too. “His mom’s a teacher,” Kemp says. “He knows he’ll do it.” Hoggan and Zanon believe the UNO program will continue to grow thanks to the NHL trailblazing ways of exMavericks. “The more guys you have in the NHL,” Zanon says, “the more it will show that the program is doing something right.” Maverick fans already are anticipating that current senior Scott Parse will be the next NHLer. Kemp is sure of it. “Scott Parse is amongst the best players I’ve ever coached in 31 years of college coaching,” Kemp beams. “I think he can go on to greater things and bigger things in his career as a professional hockey player.” And in the years ahead, who knows how many NHL teams will feature former Mavs? Kemp can’t wait to find out.
Mavs in the NHL Player Dan Ellis Jeff Hoggan Chris Holt Bryce Lampman Bill Thomas Greg Zanon
Position Goalie Left wing Goalie Defenseman Right wing Defenseman
COURTESY BOSTON BRUINS Jeff Hoggan, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound left wing, played his first NHL game Dec. 5, 2005, against Detroit. Three days later he scored his first goal, against San Jose.
Current team Iowa Stars (AHL) Boston Bruins Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) San Antonio (AHL) Nashville (NHL)
NHL debut 2-18-2004 12-5-2005 12-3-2005 3-9-2004 3-27-2006 Pending
Winter 2006 • 25
College of
Arts & Sciences
Goldstein lectures continue focus on human rights hirley and Leonard Goldstein have devoted more than
S30 years to the cause of human rights around the
world. Their interest in human rights began with the strong belief that “it is simply wrong for governments to prevent people from worshipping as they wish” and the awareness that Soviet Jews were prevented from practicing their religion. In the 1970s, the Goldsteins made several trips to the Soviet Union, where they witnessed firsthand the oppression of Soviet Jews. Their experiences in the Soviet Union spurred them to become involved in the cause of human rights. In 1973, Shirley and her friend, Miriam Simon, founded the Omaha Committee for Soviet Jewry, which sponsored the program, Freedom for Soviet Jews. Recognizing their work on behalf of human rights, the Jewish Federation of Omaha and the National Conference of Christians and Jews both have honored the Goldsteins. In 1996, Shirley Goldstein was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from UNO for her many contributions to the cause of human rights. In 1997, Shirley and Leonard Goldstein decided to expand their efforts on behalf of human rights by establishing an annual lecture on the UNO campus. The lecture is designed to keep UNO and the Omaha community as a whole informed about human rights issues and activities. Previous lecturers include: • Xiao Qiang, executive director, Human Rights in China; • Kenneth Roth, executive director, Human Rights Watch; • LaShawn Jefferson, women’s rights division director, Human Rights Watch; • Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director, Human Rights Watch; • William Schultz, executive director, Amnesty International; • David Chandler, senior lecturer, Centre for the Study of Democracy, Univ. of Westminster, London; • Jerry Fowler, staff director, Committee on Conscience, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
26 • Winter 2006
Photo courtesy Shirley and Leonard Goldstein
Former professor passes away in June
Luna remembered for originality C olleague Diane Andrew remembers Dr. Norman Luna as a renaissance man. She writes, “He was respected by his colleagues— he had a passion for his research and was a regular contributor even after his retirement. He had a marvelous singing voice and a love of opera. The breadth of his knowledge about everything was amazing.” Luna passed away in June
2006 at the age of 70. Since his retirement in 2001 he had held the position of professor emeritus in foreign languages. Luna first was hired to teach Spanish at UNO in 1969. He completed his Ph.D. that same year at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His broad range of interests was reflected in his research. He was a regular presenter at The Third World Studies Conference and The European Studies Conference at UNO and brought original insights into the works of a wide variety of authors from Shakespeare to James Joyce and from Cervantes to Paz.
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2006 Goldstein Lecture he eighth annual Shirley and Leonard Goldstein
TLecture on Human Rights was held Oct. 19 in the
Milo Bail Student Center at UNO. This year’s speaker was Dr. Stephen Marks, Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of Health and Human Rights, Harvard School of Public Health. Marks addressed about 100 attendees on the subject of “Claims — legitimate and exaggerated — about human rights in development.” The emphasis of Marks’ work is on the interface of health and human rights, drawing on the disciplines of international law, politics, organizations and economics. Marks’ current interests include integrating human rights into sustainable human development and developing human rights indicators of relevance to poverty reduction strategies. Speaking on one popular misconception regarding globalization, Marks says, “The violent conflict is not between the morally indignant voices of the poor versus a band of greedy capitalists meeting in some boardroom
in Washington or London.” Marks proposes that human rights can be part of these development processes: • Economic development—a historical process that takes place in almost all societies, characterized by economic growth, construction of infrastructure, expansion of industry, increased production and consumption of goods and services; and, • Human development—a version of the same process that embraces human needs and social goals beyond material well-being, such as higher standards of education and healthcare, and wider opportunities for work and leisure, increased capabilities and choices for the individual. Marks has been consultant to the United Nations Development Program on this topic and expects to collaborate on a new project for UNICEF with Professor Ajay Maha. UNO’s department of philosophy and religion and International Studies Stephen Marks photo by R. Chase and Programs sponsored the lecture.
Horejs leaves legacy in UNO English department by Dr. David Raabe ames C. Horejs, longtime supporter of the English department, died in May at age 86. In 1978, Horejs first contributed $100 to start a scholarship fund for undergraduates in the English program. He then gave steadily to build the fund. At his death, the principal had accrued to more than $80,000, allowing the English department to award several annual scholar-
J
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ships. Horejs (yearbook photo at right) graduated from Omaha University in 1949 with a BS in business administration. He went to work for the U.S. Postal Service and was there for many years. He later endowed a similar fund for economics students. A UNO Alumni Association memo from 1979 noted that Horejs “lives in a modest duplex-type home” and “he wants to endow this scholarship and receive very little publicity. He suggested we use his initials to identify it at first [‘The J.H. Alumni English Scholarship’] and maybe in five to six years refer to it with his full name.” Says English Chair Susan Maher: “We owe James Horejs a deep debt of gratitude. They may not have known how to pronounce his name (“HORSH”), but an entire generation of students has now benefited from this man’s generosity.
His persistence and dedication make him a model of effective philanthropy on a scale that has made a timely difference in the lives of individuals.” Eight students received Horejs scholarships for 2006-2007. One was Sarah Sanderman, who began her degree work in another college. Sanderman writes: “The enthusiastic professors in the English department ignited my passion for writing and literature. Within two semesters, I was officially enrolled as an English major, a decision I have not regretted. “This scholarship greatly motivates me for my final semester at UNO.” James Horejs, by making his scholarship an endowed fund, assured that the principal would be kept intact. The awards come out of interest only. For a modest man’s modest beginning — and two decades of persistence — our students will benefit in perpetuity.
Winter 2006 • 27
College of
Arts & Sciences
Speakers help college mark Native American Heritage month ach November, to mark National Native American
Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
together with student organizations and leadership programs and the Intertribal Student Council sponsors a series of events to celebrate Indian heritage and explore current issues. On Nov. 2, Steve Hendricks, author of “The Unquiet Grave,” gave a presentation entitled “The FBI v/s American Indians.” The book investigates the shooting of AIM member Anna Mae Aquash and the apparent FBI coverup. “Unquiet Grave,” published by Thunder’s Mouth Press, has received considerable critical acclaim from, among others, Studs Terkel who describes Hendricks’ first book as “Investigative journalism at its gutsiest, at its noblest.” On Nov. 14, a panel of UNO’s Native American faculty led a discussion on the issue of Native American mascots. Carolyn Fiscus (coordinator, Community Outreach and Service; coordinator, Native American Studies, sociology/anthropology department) , said, “I’ve been talking about this issue for 40 years, and we’re still talking about it.” The issue centers on Native Americans being depicted and used as logos for sports teams such as the Washington Redskins. “It is dehumanizing,” says Fiscus. Another member of the panel, Dennis Smith, history
Michael Tate’s book, “Indians and Emigrants,” paints a much different picture of relations between Native American peoples and emigrants than has been popularly portrayed.
EHeritage Month, the Native American Studies Program
department, explained, “our culture is beautiful and sacred to us.” Ed Zendejas, J.D., political science department, added that, “the feathers and paint mean something to us.” Barbara Robins, English department, rounded out the panel with related illustrations from Native American art. On Nov. 15, UNO Professor of history Michael Tate gave a presentation entitled “From Cooperation to Conflict: Indian and Emigrant Relations on the Overland Trails (1840-1860),” drawing on his recently published book “Indians and Emigrants: Encounters on the Overland Trails” published by the University of Oklahoma Press. Tate’s research draws a very different picture of relations between Native American peoples and emigrants than is portrayed in the popular press of that time and for decades beyond in Hollywood movies. This year’s events also included a discussion led by Fred Leroy on Ponca Restoration Day, a film screening of “Pow Wow Highway,” a poetry reading by Native youth co-sponsored by OPS, a A panel of UNO’s Native American faculty led a Nov. 14 discussion on the issue of Native presentation by Michael Murphy, local song American Mascots. From left, Carolyn Fiscus, Ed Zendejas, Dennis Smith and Barbara writer and Native American flute player, and a Robins. Said Fiscus: “I’ve been talking about this issue for 40 years, and we’re still panel discussion on Bear Butte. talking about it.”
28 • Winter 2006
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Dana Richter-Egger photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
Center grows as “advocate for the sciences”
will go toward construction costs for building the facility in Durham Science Center and toward equipping the center with state-of-the-art technology. Richter-Egger, assistant professor of chemistry, is interim co-director of the learning center (with Dr. Harmon Maher, professor of geology) and one of the principle investigators on the NSF grant. Much of the $88,000 in Programs of Excellence funding eventually will go toward hiring a full-time director for the center whose responsibilities will include establishing and maintaining communication with sciences faculty and assisting them in their need for instructional and assessment resources. One key component of the new learning center will be visualization technology. Richter-Egger explains that many of the concepts which students struggle with in the sciences are either too small or too large to see or touch. With the latest
technologies, chemistry students can manipulate a molecule and geology students can carve the Grand Canyon. The foundation of the learning center will be tutors—advanced students who by virtue of a strong foundation in all of the sciences can assist other students in understanding any of the sciences. “Combining tutoring services for all of the sciences allows for the optimal use of student talents,” says RichterEgger. Dr. Jack Heidel, chair of the mathematics department and one of the principal investigators on the NSF grant adds that, “the tutors will themselves benefit from interaction with other majors. Furthermore, serving as a tutor will lead to greater awareness by students of what it means to be a scientist or a teacher. This directly contributes to STEP's goal of increasing the number of undergraduate STEM majors.”
n describing the overall mission of
Ithe new science and math learning
center, Dr. Dana Richter-Egger explains, “We want the center to be an advocate for the sciences.” In recent history, the United States has fallen behind other countries in secondary school science achievement scores and has suffered a relative decline in interest and ability in the sciences at the university level. The sciences faculty has plans to turn things around for the local community and the region. The new center originally was conceived as part of a $2 million National Science Foundation grant awarded in 2004 in support of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Talent Expansion Program. It since has garnered additional funding through university Programs of Excellence funding and a University of Nebraska Foundation grant and mathematics.) The $110,000 Foundation grant 29 • Winter 2006
Harmon Maher photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
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College of
Communication, Fine Arts and Media From Shakespeare to Cirque du Soleil
Much ado about a career By Thomas Lowe aren Coover Gay attributes her
Ksuccessful career in entertainment, “in no small part to the educational opportunities provided me by the College of Fine Arts at UNO.” Gay, director of public, social and cultural affairs for Cirque du Soleil’s resident shows division, and Joe
Walsh, stage manager for Cirque’s “O,” led several workshops at UNO in October in conjunction with Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium tour at Omaha’s Qwest Center. Gay’s path to success began in UNO’s graduate theatre program. Upon hearing there was a 95-percent
Photo by Nellie McCallum Gay’s early career included time as marketing director for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, which each year hosts Shakespeare on the Green in Elmwood Park, shown above.
30 • Winter 2006
unemployment rate in acting, she decided to pursue areas of theatre beyond performance. She credits the UNO Theatre program for providing her a well-rounded education. “At UNO I learned to respect the entire process and history of the theatre and respect the fact that every person working on or back stage has an important role to play and that all the pieces are needed to make theatre happen,” Gay says. “I learned the meaning and advantages of collaboration.” As a graduate assistant at UNO, Gay worked in box office and marketing. That led directly to her position as the site/company manager for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, where she also served as marketing director for two seasons. Upon completing her graduate coursework, Gay toured with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan for two seasons as company and road manager. Between Caravan gigs she was company manager and executive assistant to the artistic director for Opera Omaha and company manager for its world premiere of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Requiem Variations.” In 1992, Gay helped organize the opening of the new UNO Theatre and the establishment of the 20th Century Diversity Scholarship Fund. At the ribbon cutting for the new Weber Fine Arts Building, Gay met Keryl McCord, then-president of the National Endowment for the Arts Theatre wing. McCord told Gay of an NEA pilot project directed at providing artistic cultural programming to rural American communities. Gay applied for a position with the project and was one of only five theater arts graduate students to be chosen. “I was overwhelmed and pleased to represent UNO and the College of Fine Arts,” she says. In 1995, Gay began her association with the Troika Organization as company manager and producing associUNOALUM
Photo by Nellie McCallum At the UNO workshop in October.
ate for the national tour of 42nd Street, then company manager of Starlight Express at the Las Vegas Hilton. That, in turn, led to her association with Cirque du Soleil. In early 1998 Gay became company manager/ director of operations for Cirque’s “Mystère.” She began her current position in 2005. As her career boomed, Gay sought to repay those who had helped her early in her career. She became a member of the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival’s Bard’s Club, which allowed her to reconnect with Dr. Cindy Melby Phaneuf, theatre professor and NSF co-founder/producing artistic director. Phaneuf met with Gay on a trip to
Las Vegas in summer 2006 following NSF’s Las Vegas-themed production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” When they discussed Gay’s career, they realized students could benefit from hearing about her experiences. In October the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival brought Gay and stage manager Walsh to UNO to conduct open workshops. Open to campus and community, they provided information on the history and business of Cirque, as well as career advice. Gay stressed the importance of “staying in school,” a notion that she reinforces to her own stepchildren. “It was indeed the experience and education I had at UNO that set me on the path toward a wonderful
College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media Calendar of Events — December 2006 through April 2007 Art & Art Histor y Art shows run in UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts Bldg. Opening receptions begin 6:30 p.m. D ec . 3–1 5 Fall BFA Thesis Exhibition, Opening Reception, Dec. 1 Ja n . 1 6 – F e b. 2 3 Faculty Exhibition, Opening Reception Jan. 12 Mar. 2–April 6 UNO Art Student Exhibition, Opening Reception March 2
C o mm u n ic at i o n Fe b . 3 “Night on the Ice,” UNO vs. Michigan State hockey game at the Qwest Center, hosted by the UNO School of Communication. Reception and dinner at the Qwest Center prior to game. Purchase tickets for $25 by calling 554-2520.
w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
K VN O R a d i o Mid-March KVNO's Spring Pledge Drive. Details coming soon at www.kvno.org.
M u s ic Performances start 7:30 p.m. in Strauss Recital Hall, unless otherwise noted. Call 554-2335 for Ecoutez and Resonate ticket information. Dec. 8 Prevailing Winds VI Symphonic Wind Ensemble, University Concert Band, Jazz I & Jazz II Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 Choral Concert with the Chamber Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. F eb . 8 Ecoutez!: Costa Rica Trombone Quartet, 7:30 p.m.
F eb. 1 0 Romance and Roses Ball with the Chamber Orchestra at the UNO Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom, 7 p.m. F eb. 1 3 Concert Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m. F eb. 2 4 Ecoutez!: Hubert Laws, Jazz Flute, 7:30 p.m. March 3 Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra & Concert Choir Concert, 3 & 7:30 p.m. March 6 Jazz Bands Concert at the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom, 7:30 p.m. March 8 University Concert Band Concert, 7:30 p.m. March 20 Resonate: Shannon Salyards, voice, 7:30 p.m.
Ma st er s & Mu s ic Se r i e s A season of preserving cultural heritage. *Sunday evenings at 5 p.m. in UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts Bldg. Reception with artists follows lecture/ performances. Contact Shari Hofschire, 554-2402, for ticket information. Ja n . 1 4 Art, Music & the Spiritual Steve Joy: Artist, “Is It Possible to Make Secular Icon Paintings in the 21C?” Hal France: Music Director, BlueBarn Music Festival, piano, “How Musicians Have Expressed Spirituality Through Music”
BF3 Flute Trio: Anna Hall, Erika Jeck, Taurice Alexander, UNO Department of Music March 25 Explorations into Musical & Literary Forms Rivkah Sass: Executive Director, Omaha Public Library, “You Never Know What You’re Going To Find.” A Musical Surprise Featuring Joe Todero
T he a t re Performances begin 7:30 p.m. in UNO Theatre, Weber Fine Arts Building, unless otherwise noted. Box Office opens 10 days prior to each show. Call for tickets, 554-2335. F eb . 22 – 24 , 28 & March 3 Nickel & Dimed.
Feb . 18 Variations Within Les Bruning: Artist, “The Artist As a Self-Conscious Being”
Winter 2006 • 31
College of
Information Science and Technology
Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
From left: Tu Nguyen (seated, far left ), William Amissah, Ryan Snyder, Mo Seye, Todd Fishback (seated, center), Trevor Schave, Ryan Billington, Fatou Diop (seated, right).
Omaha company makes the most of close IS&T ties
Hand in hand u Nguyen faced a unique problem that required an innovative solution. His parents own the Saigon restaurant in west Omaha, where they and the other chefs speak only Vietnamese. The help out front, however, speaks English. “I was the middleman,” Nguyen says. Nguyen, then a student at UNO’s
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32 • Winter 2006
College of IS&T, had an idea. He applied the latest in Microsoft technology to develop an application that would allow the English-speaking staff to place orders for the kitchen via handheld personal data assistants (PDAs). The PDAs transmit the orders to a computer server, which translates them into Vietnamese. The application earned Nguyen
(pronounced “win”) first place in the national and international 2003 Microsoft Imagine Cup competitions, a $25,000 prize and a 13-week internship at the company’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters. Today, Nguyen is vice president of information technology at DocCenter Inc., a document management and information technology solutions company headquartered at the Scott Technology Transfer and Incubator Center. Company President Todd Fishback, a UNO graduate, has forged close ties to the College of IS&T and the Peter Kiewit Institute. DocCenter Inc. employs Nguyen and three UNO graduates: Mo Seye UNOALUM
and Baye Niang, both from Senegal, and Tu’s brother, Tom. The company also employs three interns from the College of IS&T: Ryan Snyder, who is studying management information systems (MIS); and Ryan Billington and Trevor Schave, computer science majors. DocCenter was founded in May 2000 with a focus on Internet-based document management solutions. Tu Nguyen was the company’s first intern. “In our first three years, we were so far ahead of the curve, especially in the Midwest, we did not enjoy as high an adoption rate for our technology as we had hoped,” Fishback says. In 2003, PKI proposed that DocCenter utilize interns and provide consulting services at Union Pacific Railroad. Fishback says IS&T Executive-in-residence Dorest Harvey and Deepak Khazanchi, then chairman of the department of Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis, took lead roles in the project, which evaluated the health resource systems for Union Pacific’s human resources department. Union Pacific was pleased with the quality of the work and other projects followed. DocCenter since has expanded its services to include document management and imaging, offering “a complete turnkey solution” to consumers and small businesses. Developers at DocCenter (www.doccenterinc.com) are working to design a document imaging, storage and retrieval solution called EDDS Vault (for Electronic Document and Digital Storage Vault) that Fishback hopes can be marketed and sold in stores alongside other software products. “We’re moving the company from being a service provider to offering product-based solutions as well,” he says. Nguyen, 28, says DocCenter’s interns earn valuable experience working on real-world projects ranging from research and development w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
to support services. “It’s a great opportunity for them to learn more than they would in a typical internship.” As for the restaurant business, Nguyen continues to serve as his parents’ informal “support staff” regard-
Khazanchi assumes associate deanship
Living his dream T
h e d r e a m o f a y o u n g b o y in I n d i a t o b ec o m e a n en g i ne e r a n d s ch o l ar h as led Deepak Khazanchi to UNO’s C o l l e g e o f In f o r m a ti o n S c ie n c e & Technology, where he has been named to s uc ce ed H e sh am Al i as assoc iate d ean . K ha z an ch i w as t he co l le ge’s Pete r Kiew it D is t i n g u i s h e d P r o fe s s o r a n d c h a i r m a n o f th e d e p a r tm e n t o f In f o r m a tio n S y s te m s a n d Q uanti tati ve Khazanchi photo by Tim A n a l y s i s . H e s a ys he is eager to ful - Fitzgerald, University Affairs. fi ll h is new role a s pa r t o f t h e a dm i n i st r a t i v e t ea m h e a de d b y A l i , w h o s u c c e e d e d D a v i d H i n to n a s d ean . “ I t w i l l b e m y g o a l t o a s si st D e a n Al i i n h i s e f fo r t t o b r i n g th e c o l le g e t o th e n e x t l e v e l o f a c c o m pl i s h m e n t a n d r e c o g ni t i o n , ” h e s ay s. “O u r st u d e n t s a r e o u r g r ea t es t a s s e t , a n d w e w i l l c o n t i n u e cr e a t i ng e d u c a t i o n a l p ro g r a m s t h a t c h a l l e n g e t h e m h e r e a n d a f fo r d t h e m g r e a t o p p o r t u n it i e s a f te r g ra d ua t io n. ” K h a z a n c h i i s a c i v i l e n g i n e e r i ng g r ad u a t e of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur. He worked as a structural engi n e e r a n d p r o j e c t m a n a g e r b e fo r e c o m in g to the United States to obtain his MBA from S o u t h e r n I l l i n o i s U n i v e r s i t y a t C a rb o n d a l e . He earned his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. “ S o un d s l i k e t h e A m e r i c a n d r e am on e hears about on TV, doesn ’t i t?” he sa ys, s mi l i ng . “ Truly, I’m proud of the diverse
ing those PDAs, which he has named HOT Pads, short for Handheld Order Taking Pad. “I still get a call as soon as that application goes down,” he says, smiling. “I guess it’s easier to call me than teach everyone to speak Vietnamese.” pa t h I t o ok t o g et he r e, an d t he ch al l en g es a n d e n r ic h in g e x p e r i e n c e s t h a t I e n c o u n tered along the way. ” Kh a z an c h i a l s o s e r ves as t he j oi nt c oor d i n a t o r o f t h e C e n te r fo r t h e M a n a g e m e n t o f Information Technology (CMIT) within the c o l l e g e . H i s r e s ea r c h a n d t e a c h i n g i n t e r e st s ar e f o c us ed i n t he a r ea s o f v i r t ua l p r oj e ct m a n a g e m e n t, b u s i n e s s - to - b u s i n e s s a s s u r a nc e s e r vi ce s an d r i s k a n al ys i s i n e x t e nd e d e n t er p r i s e e n v i r o nm e n t s , an d t h e a pp l i ca ti o n o f i d e a s f r o m th e p h i lo s o p h y o f s c i e n c e to i n f o r m a ti o n s y s te m s . H i s r e se a r ch h as b ee n pu b l i s he d i n a v ar i e t y o f s ch o l ar l y j ou r n al s , a nd h e r e ce n t ly c o - p u b l is h e d a b o o k w it h f e l l o w I S & T f a c ulty member Ilze Zigurs on patterns of e f f e c t i v e v i r t u a l p r o j e c t m a na g e m e n t . H e a nd h i s wi f e , M e e na k s h i , h a v e t w o sons: Rohan, 11, and Ruchir, 7. He enj oys traveling with his family to the countr y’s national parks, playi ng racquetball and r ea d i ng . K h a z a n c h i c a m e t o U N O i n 2 0 0 0 —a n d says he’s been impressed ever since. “ Th e co l l eg e i s s up p or t ed b y a w or l d c l a s s f a c u l ty — in s t r u c t o r s , p r a c ti t io n e r s a n d scholars committed to a student-centered le arni ng envi ro nm ent ,” he says . “ They h a v e p r a c ti c a l k n o w l e d g e o f t h e i n fo r m a t io n t e c h n o l o g y f i e l d a n d a r e w e l l - k n o w n fo r thei r excel lence i n teac hing, research and their act ive parti cipation i n collaborati ve p r o j e c t s w i t h t h e p r iv a t e a n d p u b li c s e c t o r s . “ Working together, I bel iev e we have th e o p p o r t u n i ty a n d th e a b il it y t o p r o v i d e o u t s t a n d i n g e d u c a t io n a l e x p e r i e n c e s f o r o u r s t u d e n ts , a n d to m a k e a n im p a c t o n o u r c o m m u n i ty th r o u g h n e w c o l la b o r a t io n s , se r v i c e - l e a r n i n g p r o j e c t s a n d r e s e a r c h . ” H e e n co u r a ge s al um ni t o t a ke a n a c t i v e rol e i n t he c oll ege’s progress. “ O u r al u m n i h a v e a l w a y s b e e n g e n e r o u s a n d c a n c o n t in u e a s s is ti n g u s i n m a n y w a y s , ” h e s a y s . “ T h e y c a n d o n a t e t i me a n d money, recruit students to our programs, s ha r e t h ei r ex p er i e nc e s a s m en t or s an d adju nct t eacher s, e stabl ish valua ble co lla bo r a t i o n s b e t w e e n o u r c o l l e g e a n d th e i r b u s i ne ss es an d or ga ni z at i on s, an d pr o m ot e t he c o l l e g e a n d t h e P e t e r K i e w i t I n s t it u t e t o o t h ers.” B y d o in g s o , h e s a y s , th e y m ig h t j u s t hel p someo ne el se’s dream become reality.
Winter 2006 • 33
College of
Information Science and Technology
From left, Michelle Lund, Ann Fruhling and Kevin Weiss. Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
hen Ann Fruhling, Ph.D., assistant professor of information systems at the College of IS&T, initially envisioned the project, she saw it as a means to better address urgent health care issues in rural Nebraska, like the area near Kearney where she grew up. China, quite literally, was the farthest thing from her mind.
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other IS&T faculty and the health care professionals at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory. The project is the Secure Telecommunications Application Terminal Package (STATPack), a computerized emergency response system for public health laboratories.
Packing a punch with STATPack But public health systems in China and other countries across the world could be the beneficiaries if there is a global release of work done in Omaha by Fruhling, her students, 34 • Winter 2006
STATPack allows remote hospital or diagnostic laboratories to send digital images of suspicious culture samples electronically to a state public health lab for identification. It saves pre-
cious diagnostic time and eliminates the inherent risks of having the sample hand-delivered by courier to the state lab. “We think STATPack is a great public health tool that has potential applications nationwide and globally,” says J. Rex Astles, Ph.D., senior health scientist in the Laboratory Systems Development Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. “In China, for example, not many people are trained in public health issues. The country geographically is so big, STATPack would be a real boon for someone in a public health agency in Beijing to be able to look at a culture sample that’s under a microscope in a laboratory clear across the country.” STATPack incorporates secure, dedicated, Web-based technology with a camera attached to a microscope and a remote-controlled digital Web cam connected to a computer, all linked UNOALUM
directly to a state public health laboratory. There, a lab technician can focus the camera in on a suspicious organism, download the image and respond to the lab where the organism is being studied. If the organism is deemed a public health threat, the STATPack system can be used to send an alert to every lab in the network. “For some of these distant laboratories, it is difficult if not impossible for them to describe to us what they see in a culture sample,” says Steven Hinrichs, M.D., director of the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) at UNMC. “STATPack allows us to actually see the sample immediately and assist with the diagnosis in a matter of minutes.” The NPHL has deployed 20 STATPack systems throughout Nebraska. The Oklahoma State Department of Health Laboratory is placing STATPacks throughout the state, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will begin deploying STATPack systems in 2007. Fruhling says the STATPack system exemplifies the mission of the College of IS&T to provide innovative technology solutions, knowledge and community service to all of Nebraska, not just metropolitan Omaha. “The project also gives our students an incredible opportunity to be on the forefront of technology, working with industry and health care professionals to improve the quality of life in Nebraska,” she says. “That’s important for everyone, but it’s especially important for our rural communities.” Michelle Lund, who received her bachelor’s degree in management information systems (MIS) from UNO in 2004, has been with the project since the beginning and is a systems developer for the STATPack software. “I’ve learned so much, not just about information technology but also the health-related side of things. It really opened my eyes to the public health environment and its needs.” Matt Puumala participated in the w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
project while studying computer science at UNO. He now works as a STATPack software developer parttime while employed at the University of Minnesota. Puumala says the project afforded him a comprehensive look into the real-world demands of system administration, database design and the dynamics of team programming. “It gave me great respect for the balance and effort required to develop new
“The project gives our students an incredible opportunity to be on the forefront of technology, working with industry and health care professionals to improve the quality of life in Nebraska.” Ann Fruhling, assistant professor software,” he says, “and I could apply my coursework in a concrete way.” Kimberly Tyser worked as a research assistant to Fruhling while studying for her master’s degree in
MIS, which she earned last December. She says the team aspects of the STATPack project continue to benefit her in her job with a U.S. Department of Defense contractor. “Each of us had very different areas of expertise that we were able to share and apply to the project.” Kevin Weiss received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and works full time on the STATPack project as a software engineer. He administers routine security audits, monitors the network, maintains the hardware and travels to STATPack sites to perform installations and general maintenance. “Working on the STATPack project has definitely been a positive experience,” he says. “I owe Dr. Fruhling a great deal for the opportunity. She has given me the tools and confidence I needed to excel.” Fruhling is equally complimentary of her students. “They take a lot of pride in what they do,” she says. “If an issue arises, they’re right there, ready to roll up their sleeves, get involved and solve the problem. “I think they’re proof that if you surround yourself with good people, everything goes well.”
Sailing with Admiral Fruhling
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nn Fruhli ng, Ph. D ., has consider able e x p e ri e n c e a s a n i n s t r u c t o r a n d i n t h e c o rp o r a t e w o r l d , a n d s h e h a s a p p l i e d b o t h i n h e r n i n e y e ar s a t U N O . She earned her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and her master’s d e g r e e in b u s i n e s s a d m i n is t r a t i o n f r o m U N O . S h e r e c e i v e d h e r d o c t o ra t e i n m a n agement information systems from the U ni ve r si t y of N ebr a sk a- Li nc ol n i n 20 03. A s a n a s s is ta n t p r o f e s s o r in th e I n f o r m a ti o n S y s t e m s a n d Q u a n t it a t i v e Analysis department at the College of IS&T, F ru h l i n g c o n d u c t s re s e a rc h t h a t i n c l u d e s s y s t e m u s a bi l i t y s t u d i e s s p e c i f i c al l y r e g a r d i n g t h e h e a l t h - c a r e n e e d s o f r u ra l N e b r a s k a re s i d e n t s , a g i l e m e t h o d s f o c u s i n g o n X t r e m e P r o g r a m m in g , a n d d e s i g n a n d i m p l e m e n t a t i o n s t r a t e g i e s a n d as s e s s m e n t f o r e m e r g e n c y re s p o n s e s y s t e m s . F r u h l i ng l i v es i n r u r a l G r e t na w i t h h er
h u s b a n d , B r a d . T h e m o t h e r o f tw o t e en a g e r s , s h e e n j o y s g ar d e n i n g a nd g o l f , w h e n s h e h a s t h e t i m e , a n d i s a n a v i d ru n ner. In October, she received the honorar y t i t l e “ A dm i r al o f t he G r e a t N a v y o f t he S t at e of Nebraska” from Gov. Dave Heineman f or h e r c o n t r ib u t io n to th e s t a te t h r o u g h h e r w o r k o n t h e “ In f e c t i o u s D i s e a s e E a r l y Warning and Sur v e i l l an c e S y s t em . ” S h e s a y s t e a c h in g is r e w a r d i n g p e r s o n ally and professionall y. “ I d o h e a r b a c k fr o m m y fo r m e r s tu d e n t s , a n d w h e n t h e y c a ll to s h a r e n e w s o f c a r e e r a d v a n c e m e n t o r t h e t e r r i f i c p o s i t io n s t h e y ’ v e e a r n e d , q u i t e o f t e n t h ey t e l l m e th a t t h e c l a s s e s I ’v e t a u g h t o r t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e w o r k i n g w i th m e o n r e s e a r c h p r o je c t s rea ll y m ad e t he di f fe ren ce ,” sh e s ay s. “I fe e l a l o t o f s a t i s f a c ti o n t h r o u g h th e i r s u c cesse s.”
Winter 2006 • 35
College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Center for Public Affairs Research
Center for Public Affairs Research:
By the numbers potential small business wants to better assess the market for its products. A non-profit organization strapped for funds seeks help gathering information for a grant proposal. An economic development
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Urban Research. Jerry Deichert joined the office in 1987 as a senior research associate. Today, he also serves as its director. “There is more information widely available today through a variety of
Deichert Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
group has the data it needs but lacks the ability to analyze all of it. A neighborhood association hoping to attract new businesses and residents seeks a detailed breakdown of the area’s demographics before moving forward. Varied needs spread throughout Nebraska, all addressed by the Center for Public Affairs Research at UNO, a research and community outreach branch of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS). The center began more than 35 years ago as the Center for Applied 36 • Winter 2006
sources,” he says. “The Center for Public Affairs Research plays a vital role in not only assembling data but also assisting others in determining how to apply it by helping to identify and analyze the good or useful information.” UNO priority program The center was identified by UNO as a priority program for business and civic outreach and is the 2006 recipient of the Chancellor’s Strategic Planning Award for community engagement. It is increasingly called upon to provide technical assistance
or consulting to organizations throughout Nebraska interested in acquiring or analyzing specific data. In addition to Deichert, the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) staff includes Russell Smith, senior research associate; David Drozd, Heather Bloom, and R.K. Piper, research associates; and Melanie Kiper, community service associate. CPAR serves as the lead agency in the Nebraska State Data Center, a cooperative federal and state program that disseminates government statistic resources and promotes their full utilization. In Nebraska, the program consists of a network of 23 state and local agencies. As the lead, CPAR gathers and dispenses information on employment trends, migration, population change and other factors regarding individual communities, counties and the state. CPAR’s activities have included working with: • Nebraska’s Legislative Research Division to disseminate information from the 2000 Census; • county and city clerks to enable them to complete redistricting for their areas; • the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal-Star and other newspapers to dispense demographic data from the census; • entities throughout the nation seeking statistics on Omaha or the state. “We also conduct workshops and conferences and make presentations throughout the state to help explain these demographic changes and their implications,” Deichert says. “Our audiences vary, but most of the time we work with state and local government agencies and non-profits, along with businesses and consulting companies.” CPAR sponsors an annual Data Users Conference, noted by Census Bureau officials as one of the longestrunning and best-attended such conferences in the nation. The 17th annual event was held in August at UNOALUM
Girls and Boys Town and attracted more than 90 people from across Nebraska, Deichert says. Another CPAR focus is survey research. “We provide technical assistance and advice on conducting surveys to a number of local non-profit and government agencies, as well as to CPACS and UNO faculty and students,” he says. “We help design and implement surveys and questionnaires, and sometimes they hire us to do the work. We’re working with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce to develop an employment survey that will focus on gauging underemployment by creating a profile of the current workforce.” Roughly every five years, CPAR’s Omaha Conditions Survey monitors a variety of opinions obtained from approximately 1,000 city residents. The survey collects information on the residents’ preferences and priorities on topics ranging from the best and worst aspects of the Omaha area to their satisfaction with services, facilities and programs. Results can be obtained online at http://www.unomaha.edu/cpar/omahaconditions.php. Collaborative efforts CPAR works with the urban studies interdisciplinary degree program offered by the School of Public Administration, in collaboration with the City of Omaha and the Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha, to train volunteers to rate the conditions of neighborhood housing. The information gathered by the Omaha Neighborhood Scan project helps neighborhoods and the city focus on identifiable issues. Applied research projects conducted or assisted by CPAR staff include an analysis of the Nebraska Community Development Block Grant Program and a business and demographic analysis of the BensonAmes Alliance area. CPAR also: • prepared population projections w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
for the Nebraska Public Power District service area; • measured the economic impact of Nebraska Legal Services; • developed a statistical profile of Omaha-area women for the Omaha Women’s Fund; and, • completed a study of the economic impact of Nebraska’s airports. The center publishes several documents, including the 2005 Nebraska Population Report, which compiles state, county and city population estimates; components of population change such as births, deaths and migration; and a collection of historical figures and trends. A new report will be compiled in January. The current report and the 2004 report are
tion is financed through the EnergySavings Potential (ESP) program, a campus-wide initiative funded by the Omaha Public Power District that explores how the demand for energy by individuals and small businesses may be substantially reduced by applying science and technologies for energy conservation. “We have probably a half-dozen CORE projects underway in various stages,” Deichert says. As to the future, CPAR is preparing for its role in the 2010 census. “We’re trying to help Nebraska have the best and most complete census possible,” Deichert says. It’s important work. “Every person makes a difference in the amount of
Do you Know Nebraska? Did you know that: • Nebraska’s population has grown every year since 1987. • The rate of population growth in the state since 2000 averages 0.5 percent, about half the overall U.S. growth rate. • Forty percent of the state’s cities and towns
had fewer than 250 residents in 2005. • Between 2000 and 2005, 23 of the state’s 93 counties reported population increases—largely in
available at http://cpar.unomaha.edu/. Most recently, CPAR has taken an active role assisting the new UNO Center for Organizational Research and Evaluation (CORE). CORE is a multi-disciplinary initiative administered by CPACS that links the university’s extensive resources in organizational and program performance analysis and applied research. CORE draws faculty, staff and graduate students to provide evaluations, technical assistance, strategic planning and focused research studies. One of the first projects for CORE is the evaluation of a series of energy forums conducted by the Nebraska Energy Alliance Network. The evalua-
the eastern one-third of the state or along Interstate 80. Source: 2005 Nebraska Population Report
federal funds that come into the state,” he says. “Population shifts impact the boundaries of state legislative districts and Nebraska’s congressional districts.” More than simply charting tally marks and bar graphs, CPAR helps a wide range of people and entities collect, understand and use data to make a positive impact on the state and the nation. “Our work underscores UNO’s mission as a comprehensive, metropolitan university,” Deichert says, “where the goal is to create strong community relationships that improve the lives of people throughout Nebraska.” Winter 2006 • 37
College of
Education
Going by the books and Bound to be Active ave you started several exercise programs in your life only to stop the program after a few days or weeks? Have you wrestled with your conscience and won? How can you develop a healthy lifestyle pattern? UNO Professor Jennifer White might not have answers for everyone, but what she has to say is intriguing. For instance, women with high self-worth, notes White’s research, are more likely to adhere to a regular physical activity program. Why so? Such women often are more motivated by quality of life rather than physical appearance. “The first step in developing a lifestyle that will result in a quality life,” White says, “is related to improving your feeling of self-worth.” An assistant professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, White has focused on developing programs for adult women and for young children enrolled in after-school programs throughout Omaha. The programs focus on cognitive strategies to enhance a participant’s feeling of self-worth rather than focusing on participation for weight loss. A popular program with adult women involves the Women Bound to Be Active book club. Participants meet on a regular basis and read books that focus on exercise and healthy lifestyles. No exercise or prescribed physical activities take place during a book club session. Instead, participants become motivated to develop their own healthy lifestyle patterns through education, social contact and discussion. Where boredom or a negative feeling toward an activity might lead some to discontinue their efforts, book club participants learn how to make their exercising a positive experience. For example, a treadmill located in a poorly lit basement is not an inviting place to be. Positioning it amid light and beautiful surroundings, however, promotes more activity. Women who participated last year in book club activities demonstrated increased feelings of self-worth, believed they had an improved quality of life, and took an average of 708 steps a day, according to pedometers. Their feelings of self-worth and regular attendance at the book club sessions were predictors of physical activity. White also has developed and directs a program for children, funded by a grant from Alegent Health and involving the Douglas County Health Department, the Visiting Nurses Association, Boys and Girls Club, Campfire, USA, Girl Scouts and the YMCA (78th and Maple Streets). It enrolls 669 youth between the ages of 5
H
38 • Winter 2006
Photo by Tim Fitzgerald, University Affairs
UNO Professor Jen White: “My goal in these programs is for the participants to learn cognitive strategies to be active for a lifetime.”
and 14; 33 percent are Hispanic, 32 percent white, 28 percent African-American, and 7 percent from other ethic groups. White and two graduate students complete staff training at the participating institutions and conduct data analysis to determine the results of the activity. The youth are involved in 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity per week, in addition to education relative to healthy lifestyles, including nutrition education and intervention. A family night once a month extends the training to others in the youth’s home. “My goal in these programs is for the participants to learn cognitive strategies to be active for a lifetime,” White says, adding that such knowledge and participation will result in healthier women and youth. For more information regarding the Women Bound to Be Active book club, contact White by email at jenniferwhite@mail.unomaha.edu.
Happenings schedule ollege of Education alumni can read more about fellow alumni, faculty and current students in Happenings, a newsletter mailed in early November.
C
UNOALUM
Professor Nick Stergiou::
One-of-a-kind research hat would you do if you had all of the money in the
Wworld?
Stergiou. A quantitative scientist especially recognized for his expertise in nonlinear analysis, Stergiou is enrolled in classes and is mentored by Dr. Brad Schaefer, a professor of pediatrics at UNMC, Dr. Jeff French, a UNO professor in behavioral psychology, and Dr. Jack Heidel, a UNO professor of mathematics. This training will provide Stergiou with additional knowledge in medical, behavioral and mathematical analysis. Stergiou’s excitement about the potential of this project is tempered only by the realization that he could be doing so much more if additional funds were available. He currently maintains a hectic schedule that in addition to the research design and direction involves numerous
Many of us probably have played this game after purchasing a lottery ticket, dreaming that this time the jackpot will be ours. Nick Stergiou, professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, knows exactly what he would do with unlimited funds: expand his groundbreaking research and work toward advancements in diagnosis and treatments for babies and adults who demonstrate movement difficulties. Stergiou carries out “the only research of its kind on the planet” by investigating the dynamics of the development of sitting postural control in infants with cerebral palsy. It is funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and a five-year award from the National Center of Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). The study includes infants age 5 months to 2 years who are developing typically, and infants who are at-risk/diagnosed for cerebral palsy. Stergiou is collaborating with colleagues Reggie Harbourne and Dr. Wayne Stuberg from the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The research involves a measurement of the sway of the infant in a sitting posture. “All babies sway, but the pattern of sway of a cerebral palsy baby differs from the sway of a typical infant” Stergiou explains. “When we learn more about the differences, we work on developing treatment plans.” Parents take their children participants to the Munroe-Meyer Institute, where UNMC graduate student Anastasia Kyvelidou and physical therapist Stacey Dejong conduct a motor evaluation of the Photo courtesy Dr. Nick Stergiou child. The grant also provides for a translator who Motor evaluations of children in Stergiou’s research takes place at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute. assists in communicating with those parents who speak Spanish. Analysis of the data is conducted at UNO by Joan Deffeyes, a UNL doctoral student, and speaking engagements to share the nature and results of other graduate students. his research. Parents receive a motion diagnosis of their baby, a “You can tell I do not do this for the money,” he says. “I small stipend and follow-up treatment until the baby can do it because of the satisfaction I receive from helping sit. The treatment includes physical therapy at Munroekids and parents and others in the community. I sleep Meyer and a home treatment plan. Stergiou also plans to well at night.” develop biomedical devices that can assist physical theraFor more information or to support Stergiou’s research, pists working with the baby at home. contact College of Education Dean John Langan at The NCMRR grant provides additional training for Dr. jlangan@mail.unomaha.edu. w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
Winter 2006 • 39
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE ON THE WEB www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_class_notes
Class Notes
1938 Edgar A. Howe, BA, writes from Kerrville, Texas, that he celebrated his 90th birthday Oct. 20. He was joined by his two sons and two daughters with their spouses and partners. Howe was married to Faye Irene Tinkham, also a member of the Omaha University Class of 1938. Tinkham passed away in 1990. Edgar remarried to Mary Elizabeth Koristra and the couple this year marked their 15th anniversary. The couple has traveled extensively through the United States, Canada and Alaska—all by car. He writes: “With Jim Leslie retiring, want to wish him well. My memory might be hazy, but I believe he came on board as secretary when I served on the alumni executive board. Good luck to all.”
1941 C. Meade Chamberlin, BA, lives in New York, N.Y., where he’s been since his retirement from Mutual of Omaha. He writes, “Lost my wife, Carole, of 38 years in June 2005. Have the feeling I’ve outlived most of my classmates.” Send him emails at nesc12cmc@aol.com 1953 Bill Voerster, BS, lives in Redwood City, Calif., and writes, “Just an update: widowed June 2004. Nov. 2, 2006, had double bypass and heart valve replacement. Now at home recovering on schedule. Looking forward to getting back to work in about 12 weeks.” Send him email at bvoerster@comcast.net
1969 Marlin Briscoe, BS, in October completed a three-year option agreement with West Omaha Films for the rights to produce a movie about Briscoe’s life. “This moves West Omaha Films one step closer in producing a unique sports drama for the entire world to enjoy,” says West Omaha Films Partner John Beasley, a noted actor and one-time fellow Omaha University student and football player. "Marlin's life stands as an example of how an individual can overcome incredible odds—from the top of his profession to the bottom of our society—and find a life that's meaningful and that gives hope to others." After graduating from UNO Briscoe played quar-
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2 0 0 6
terback for the Denver Broncos and became the first black quarterback to start a professional football game. He finished his rookie season with 14 touchdown passes, a team rookie record that still stands. Briscoe later became an all-pro receiver for the Buffalo Bills then was a member of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. After his football career Briscoe fell into a cycle of drug use. He recovered, though, and now is a mentor to young people in Los Angeles. For more information about the movie visit www.marlinbriscoemovie.com. Earlier this fall Briscoe also became part of a Nike commercial themed as “Briscoe Hawk Football.” The commercial featured current and past NFL players and coaches. Briscoe played the role of an assistant coach alongside former Miami Coach Don Shula. Robert L. Vandeven, BGS, lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is twice retired—once from the military and
Pictures in Time
Continued Page 42
1957 Earl W. Von Kaenel, BGE, lives in Vacaville, Calif., and sends in this Class Note: “After 28 years in the Air Force I became a real estate broker for another seven or eight years and am now retired completely. At 88 years of age, I enjoy gardening, going to Hawaii and entertaining fellow seniors here in Leisure Town.” 1961 Lu Mays, BGE, lives in Milford, Ohio, and notes that he is retired after serving with G.E. as a manager of aviation international leasing. He writes: “Completed University of Cincinnati Law School and the Institute of Air & Space Law, Montreal, Canada. Organized and managed GE’s worldwide aircraft engine leasing operation. Recipient of the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.” Send Mays email at lumays@fuse.net
40 • Winter 2006
Courtesy UNO Historical Photo Collection maintained by UNO Archives.
Omaha University Air Force ROTC Angels Flight members conducting a Toys For Tots Campaign, December 1961. From left, Linda Peterson, Marie Walter and Toni Turnquist.
UNOALUM
Omaha U.’s First Pro? “F
rom what you can see and hear,” wrote Omaha World-Herald columnist Robert Phipps, “Royce Brown of Omaha U. is just one of those old-fashioned players, too busy to get hurt, too ambitious to psycho-analyze himself into mental ups and downs, and too much in love with the game to stay away from the piston knees. “Royce comes out of the games with his chin and mouth cut and bruised. He can’t resist gathering an armload of ball carriers’ legs. His favorite music has just one note, the ‘Crash!’ made by a tackle. You can hear any place—on the field when Brown sounds off.” Based on Phipps’ praise, is it any wonder that Royce “Jug” Brown became perhaps UNO’s first-ever professional athlete? “Certainly the first Omaha U. grad to step out,” one writer wrote. Born in Pleasanton, Neb., and raised in Omaha, Brown graduated from Omaha North High School in 1934 then began school at what was then-Omaha University. He was part of the Cardinals’ football, basketball and track teams, but excelled most on the gridiron, playing all four years. He was one of just 18 players as a senior, used primarily as a fullback but also calling signals from that position. On defense, Phipps wrote, Brown made a third of the tackles. He also punted, booting the ball 16 times against South Dakota with an average of 45 yards per kick. “He was our ball club,” OU Coach Sed Hartman told Phipps. It was reported that Brown played 60 minutes in each of his last 17 OU games and finished with a career average of 40 yards per punt. “Sometimes it seems like he was doing everything except playing the zither in the Omaha backfield,” Phipps wrote. A handful of teams dubbed him allNorth Central conference, one at quarterback, others at running back. The Associated Press gave him w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
Flashback File
honorable mention for the “Little AllAmerica” team. OU finished 2-6 that season and went 14-4-13 during Brown’s career. He graduated in June 1938, but he wasn’t through with football. Brown that summer joined the Chicago Cardinals’ training camp, but his stay there was short. “He looked fair to pickers in this camp,” Phipps wrote, “but since they promised nothing, he drifted to Cincinnati.” There, “he made good with a bang.” Roaring with the Bengals Bob Nead, assistant manager of the Bengals, wrote Phipps with high praise of the OU grad. “Royce won his position against tremendous odds, as three highly-touted backs were trying for his position,” Nead wrote. “Backfield Coach Tippy Dye, former Ohio State quarterback, is high on Brown as is Head Coach Dana King. Brown shares the right half position with Phil Martinovich, who is rapidly becoming famous in pro football as a placekicker.” It was a Cincinnati team with no connection to the current NFL Bengals, other than sharing the same city and name. The first Cincinnati Bengals were formed in 1937 as a member of the NFL rival American Football League. The AFL folded after that season, but the Bengals continued as an independent team in 1938. Cincinnati played three NFL squads that year, losing to none of them while finishing 7-2-1. They beat George Halas’ Chicago Bears 17-13 and the Pittsburgh Pirates 27-0 while tying the Chicago Cardinals 7-7. The shutout of the Pirates was especially impressive considering Pittsburgh featured former Colorado All-American (and future Supreme Court Justice) Byron “Whizzer” White, Pittsburgh’s top draft pick in 1938 and the NFL’s highest paid player. White failed to score against Cincinnati, though, thanks in large measure to Brown’s efforts. “Backing up the line, he was instrumental in holding the great Whizzer White to a minimum of yardage,” Cincinnati’s Nead wrote. Brown also scored a point following the game’s final touchdown on what one newspaper termed, “the smartest play of the game.” Brown’s kicked had been blocked but the former OU star grabbed the ball and “squirmed his way to goal through a horde of would-be tacklers.” Nead’s letter also mentioned that Brown was noted for aspects apart from his football prowess. “Brown’s
attitude is very fine, he is well liked by teammates, and is regarded as an Adonis by our feminine fans. He has an ambition to become a sports publicity man.” Brown returned to Omaha after the final game of the 1938 season to play in the Nebraska-Iowa All-Star charity football game before 7,000 fans at Creighton Stadium. The teams tied 1414. Also playing in the game was former Nebraska All-American Sam Francis, runner-up in the previous year’s Heisman Trophy voting, No. 1 pick of the 1937 NFL draft and a player for the Chicago Bears. Newspaper reporter Nate Cutler, though, cited Brown as the game’s standout, noting that there were “men and women, pretty girls and eagerfaced little boys all waving their programs and battling for the player’s autograph.” Brown, went one account, “tore through the Iowans for huge gains, stopped several Iowa attacks, and intercepted an Iowa pass to come within a few yards of crossing the goal line.” Added Cutler: “Royce Brown had just completed a whale of a performance. This writer thought he was as good as any player on the field Sunday afternoon, and that includes all the Cornhusker All-Americans, and all the fine players of the Iowa aggregation. Brown’s performance bore out the gospel preached three years by Sed Hartman at Omaha University—that Royce Brown was as good a football player as any team in the country could boast of.” The showing would be Brown’s adieu, however. Following his one year with the Bengals, Brown went to work for Swift & Co. “It’s a great life, but there’s no future in professional football,” Brown was reported as saying after the 1938 season. “I think I’ll string along with the meat packing business.” In 1942 he returned to his alma mater as a part-time assistant coach. He was there less than two months, though, enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, noted a 2003 Omaha World-Herald article, he joined a smelting and refining company as an accountant, retiring in the 1980s. He died July 9, 2003, in Olathe, Kansas, but is buried in Omaha’s Forest Lawn Cemetery. “The fact remains,” wrote one reporter, “that Brown’s success is certainly one of Omaha U.’s first major athletic achievements.” Winter 2006 • 41
Class Notes
From Page 40
also from teaching elementary school. “Enjoyed my time at UNO very much, also at SAC AFB in Omaha, where I was stationed for over four years.” Rudy Smith, BS, has his “Freedom Journey” exhibit showing at Omaha’s Love’s Jazz and Art Center. The exhibit features photographs that chronicle the struggle for civil rights in Omaha during the 1960s. It includes photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and of the NAACP youth marches downtown. The exhibit also draws from stories, oral histories and photographs collected from various local sources, including: Smith’s archives, the Omaha World-Herald, Durham Western Heritage Museum (Bostwick Collection), Omaha Parks & Recreation and local Omahans. Smith is a longtime World-Herald staff photographer whose work also has appeared in various national publications. At UNO he worked for the Gateway student newspaper. “Freedom Journey” is on display through Dec. 23. Love's Jazz & Arts Center, 2510 N. 24th St., is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. More information can be seen at www.lovesjazzartcenter.org/pa ges/rudysmith.html 1971 Larry A. Dwyer, BA, writes
from Omaha, where he has his own law practice. He was elected to the board of directors of the Douglas County Historical Society and appointed chairman of the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University.
1973 Sam Singleton Jr., BGS, lives in Charleston, S.C., where he is president and chief executive officer of SSS of South Carolina Inc. With SSS Singleton consults on and assists with the revitalization and restructuring of neighborhood community centers, small to mid-size nonprofit agencies and faithbased community development corporations. He also performs part time in the music industry. He recently released his third CD, “Enchanting Sons of Love, Vol. II” (available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/samsingleton). Singleton played basketball at Omaha University, finishing his career in 1967. As a freshman in 1963-64 he set what at the time were the university’s single-season records for most points (429), most field goals (182) and scoring average (20.4). He also set the mark for most fields goals in
Lost Alums - 1961
Vaughn G. Evans Robert P. Everett Wanda Ewalt Leonard K. Ewers Desmond R. Eynouf Bruce Ferguson Nathaniel A. Field William H. Fitts Joseph W. Flori David B. Forbes Perry C. Ford Boris J. Frankovic Robert S. Frazier James E. Freestone Janet Koch Froemming Robert J. Fromme Basil B. Fuller James A. Fuller Mary M. Furn Francis X. Gallant Joseph W. Gause
42 • Winter 2006
Boris Georgeff James W. Gepson Robert H. Getscher William M. Glasgow Harry R. Glidden Willis L. Gore Roland W. Graham Melvin K. Green Toy G. Grice Thomas H. Grooms Roy E. Gudmundson Robert C. Gutner Stanley C. Hack Paul H. Hagerty Howard E. Hagglund Herman J. Hale James M. Hall William V. Hamilton John C. Hansen Paul A. Hanzlik Robert E. Harrington Carol Robinson Harris
Harold G. Hartley Bobby R. Heath Bill A. Heckman Milo D. Hedges James A. Heiter Wallace H. Helm James L. Herlihy Pamella Fine Hickock Robert T. Higdon Jack B. Hilburn James G. Hill William E. Hinchey Ervin E. Hiney Floyd D. Hoefler Wesley K. Hoffman Werner A. Hofmann Joe I. Holbrook Garland E. Holt Paul P. Howley Benjamin M. Howse David B. Hubbard Booker T. Huling
one game with 17. He was drafted in the third round of the 1967 NBA draft by the Seattle Supersonics. Singleton had a short stint with the Supersonics, then played for the Trenton Colonials of the Eastern Professional Basketball League. After that season he returned to Omaha, worked in the social services field and completed his UNO degree. In 1976 he returned to Morristown, N.J., becoming a manager of human resources for General Public Utilities Nuclear Corporation until 1991. From 1992 to 2002 he was executive director of the Morristown Neighborhood House Association. He then became executive director of the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in New York until assuming his present post in 2004. Singleton, who sang with various groups while attending OU, released his first CD, “I’ve Been Gone Too Long” in 1989. In 1997 he released “Enchanting Songs of Love, Vol. I.” Send him email at samuelsingleton@bellsouth.net 1976 Rebecca Fahrlander, MA, is an adjunct professor at UNO. A member of the Bellevue Artists Association, her photography exhibit, “Global Landscape,” was shown at the Bellevue City Library this summer. The exhibit included photos of her travels around the world, including travel to Morocco
this year. 1978 Glenn B. Slater, BGS, has written a children’s book, “Harvey the Rabbit Picks up the Milk.” Salter lives in Lititz, Pa. 1980 Matthew C. Stelly, BS, was appointed director of the Great Plains Black Museum in Omaha. Stelly also earned two master’s degrees from UNO, in urban studies (1982) and political science (2000). He taught at UNO from 1993 to 1996. He currently is a doctoral student in the department of education policy and community studies at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. 1981 Jim Perkins, BA, lives in Santa Monica, Calif., where he has been practicing finance law since 1996. “I recently changed my firm name to Perkins Legal Services Group. I provide marketing and business operational consulting services to attorneys and small businesses. I enjoy helping attorneys and other small business owners make more money in less time while they enjoy the process more. My website is www.jkperkins.com.” Email jimperkins@jkperkins.com 1983 David A. Franklin, BGS, lives in Indianapolis and writes: “Enjoying a wonderful life and
Help us find these “Lost Alums” from the Class of 1961. Send news of their whereabouts to sgerding@mail.unomaha.edu
Orin J. Hunkins Richard C. Hunter Joseph W. Illes James C. Ince Herbert E. Irvin James H. Jackmond Louis L. Jacobs Richard W. Jahnke Albert Johnson Carolyn K. Johnson Clayton E. Johnson Eddie L. Johnson Jack H. Johnson Mina D. Johnson Ralph W. Jones Robert E. Jordan Robert L. Julich Raymond L. Kampe Calvin H. Kehn Jeffrey L. Kennedy Robert H. Kies Leonard Kimmick
Walter J. Klein John W. Klingelhoefer Ruth Knick Reginald W. Koeski John G. Koudsi Myron M. Kraff Paul F. Kreft Richard A. Kupau Ronald D. Kvam Dena Lagman Jerry L. Lamason Ralph H. Lane Joseph F. Lange William H. Lautter Horace G. Leadbetter James R. Lee John C. Leeds Kenneth T. Lengfield Robert L. Leonard Richard Lepore Frank S. Lewis Bob J. Lilly
Charles W. Lindquist Robert M. Macey Steve J. Mack Theodore R. Mackechnie Mary L. Roberts Mader Zephaniah E. Mahabee Harold Mandell Theresa M. Mangam Walter E. Mann Charles R. Marquez Charles W. Martino Wallace A. Mason Albert R. May Edward S. May Edward E. Mayer James Patrick McBride Kenneth R. McClaren Warren B. McCormick
Robert C. McCullough Robert L. McDowell George L. McFadden Robert W. McFadden Kenneth T. McFall Nelson McFarley N.F. McGinnis John J. McHugh Vincent T. McKelvey Seab W. McKinney Charles P. McLean Charles R. McNeilly Chester R. Mead June E. Meier Theodore J. Meiners Robert R. Mendonca Charles F. Meyer George C. Mielenz Roger A. Miller Vaughan Miller William T. Minor Rafael Miranda
UNOALUM
working for the Federal Highway Administration. I currently am a planning and environmental specialist and work with Indiana Metropolitan Planning organizations and the Indiana Department of Transportation to provide Federal oversight for transportation grants.” David also has an MPA from UNO, earned in 1998. Send David email at daf62757@msn.com 1984 Cynthia D. Siglin Davis, BS, lives in Cordes Lakes, Ariz., and teaches pre-K at the YMCA in Prescott, Ariz. “I am taking tests to be certified in Arizona,” she writes. “I will be certified K-8 here.” Send her email at sunshine_196@netzero.net 1985 Terry L. Framke Rhedin, BS, notes that he recently was transferred from the USS John C. Stennis in Bremerton, Wash., to the Fleet Public Affairs Center, Pacific, in San Diego, where he now lives. Send Terry email at navydog@hotmail.com 1987 David M. Kranda, BA, lives in Keller, Texas, and writes: “After 16 years with Cox Cable in Omaha, started working for TD Ameritrade as a registered representative. My wife, Jill, and I accepted an offer to relocate to the Fort Worth office in March 2006. We have a very active 3-year-old son named Kevin and are expecting a girl in December!” Send him email at dkranda@1scom.net
Future Alums
Jacob “Jack” Richard Reason, son of Rex and
Luke James Neuman, son of
Natalie Rose Chalmers,
daughter of Victoria (Meier, ’04) and Michael James (’01) Chalmers of Omaha.
Kaylon Rae Urzendowski,
of Sara and Robert (’96) Nylin of Gretna, Neb.
daughter of Beth (Aken, ’98) and Andy (’98) Urzendowski of LaVista, Neb., and granddaughter of Shirley and Richard (’73) Aken of Omaha.
Heidi Marie Barber, daughter
of Justin and Sheila (Overlin, ’97) Barber of White Bear Lake, Minn.
Brady Ryan Douglas Goebel,
son of Pam and Doug (’99) Goebel of Omaha. Ellie Claire Royal, daughter
of Jeff and Shannon (Holm, ’04) Royal of Omaha
Submit a Future Alum on the Web —
son of Robert Campbell and April (’96) Davis Campbell of Stillwater, Minn. Wanda and Bill (’89) Neuman of Omaha.
Blair Lynne Applegarth,
daughter of Marissa (’97) and Darrel (’96) Applegarth of Lake Jacson, Texas
Heidi Lynn Buettner, daugh-
ter of Aaron and Jennifer (Peterson, ’01) Buettner of Lincoln, Neb.
Alexander Evans Smolinski and Andrew Thor Smolinski,
twin sons of George and Amy (Barron, ’01) Smolinski of Silver Spring, Md.
Brock Armstrong Hoover, son
of Kara Schweiss, (’96) and Grant Hoover (’04) of Bellevue.
Ty Elliott Sidzyik, son of Rebekah and Christopher (’98) Sidzyik of Omaha.
Braden Weldon Dall, son of Tim and Heather (McCowen, ’02) Dall of Omaha.
www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_future_alum Provide a birth announcement (within 1 year of birth) and we’ll send a T-shirt and certificate, plus publish the good news. Do so online at www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_future_alum. Mail announcements to: Future Alums, UNO Alumni Association, 60th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182. FAX info to: (402) 554-3787. Include address, baby’s name, date of birth, parents’ or grandparents’ names and graduation year(s).
Management. Send him email at d00zy@aol.com
C&A Industries. She can be emailed via the UNO Alumni Directory at www.unoalumni.org
1989 Bill Thompson, MS, lives in Kimball, S.D., and in July became superintendent of schools for the Kimball School District 72. He previously was a high school principal in Nebraska and Iowa for 13 years.
1991 Christa Miller Reason, BA, lives in Omaha and is director of corporate communications for Preferred Professional Insurance Company. She is married to Rex Reason and has four children: Max, Ashton, Katya, and Jack. Send her email at creason@tconl.com
Elizabeth Anne Eller, BSBA, lives in Loveland, Ohio, and works as a financial operations auditor at Ohio National Financial Services. She received her MBA from the University of Cincinnati in 2002. Send her email at eaeller@earthlink.net
1990 Scott V. Kolakowski, BGS, lives in Eldersburg, Md., and is special agent in charge with the U.S. Office of Personnel
1994 Patricia M. Solberg North, BS, lives in Bennington, Neb., and is regional manager for Celebrity Staffing, a division of
1996 Tjaden Cynthia Wilhelmi, MA, lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, and is a senior IT project manager consultant at Wells
w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
Sons & Daughters of UNO Alumni
Emmett Alexander Campbell,
Christa (Miller, ’91) Reason of Omaha and grandson of Margie Miller (’90) of Omaha
Benjamin Robert Nylin, son
2 0 0 6
Grace Elizabeth Westerberg,
daughter of Megan and Paul (’01) Westerberg of Alexandria, Minn.
Got a picture of your little tyke? Send it our way as a print or in electronic format and we’ll post it on our website! Above: Future Alum Colin Lindell Leslie, son of Cindy Rickard and Derek ('01) Leslie of Omaha and grandson of Nancy (Lindell, '63) and Jim ('63) Leslie of Gretna.
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Fargo corporate headquarters. She writes, “Along with being in the process of writing several books, my current delight is mechanically restoring an antique tractor for the fun of using a 1939 Ford-Ferguson 9N that purrs while it's spraying thistles on my small farm (and I started with a degree in art education.) I joined Mensa a few years ago and have enjoyed being on its national nominating committee for the last two years. Life is sweet!” Send Tjaden email at cwi813@earthlink.net Continued Page 44 Winter 2006 • 43
Class Notes Calling all band alumni
From Page 43
April M. Davis Campbell, MPA, lives in Stillwater, Minn., and in June gave birth to a son, Emmett Alexander Campbell. Send her email at april68502@yahoo.com Terry Hanna, BS, was hired by the University of Nebraska Foundation as a full-time fundraiser for UNO, focusing on athletic programs. Hanna formerly was assistant tournament director of the Cox Classic, an official PGA tour event. Email Hanna at thanna@nufoundation.org. 1997 Linda Jean Moore Helling, BGS, lives in Harlan, Iowa. She can be emailed via the UNO Alumni Directory at www.unoalumni.org
Sofia Grochala Kock, MS, was named a recipient of the 2006 Alumna Achievement Award at a College of Saint Mary dinner Oct. 7. The award recognizes alumnae who have contributed significantly to their community or profession and who have demonstrated exemplary professional and career achievements. A 1971 CSM graduate, Kock has served for 35 years in the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Omaha. Currently, she serves as principal at Holy Name School. A member of that school’s parish for 33 years, she has served on various parish leadership teams during that time. Currently, she is a lector and minister of the Eucharist. She also belongs to the Serra Club of Omaha, the National Catholic Education Association, Phi Delta Kappa and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. She serves on the Catholic School Superintendent's Advisory Board, the CORE Board of Catholic Outreach for 44 • Winter 2006
T
he UNO Band Alumni Association is updating its database in order to reconnect members with former colleagues and to provide the most current information regarding band accomplishments and upcoming events. The assistance of former members of UNO’s concert, jazz and marching bands is requested to successfully complete this project. Directory entries will include name, address, email address, phone number(s), degree(s) earned and employment/professional data. The directory is for official university use only and will not be distributed or shared with any other entity. However, those who wish to have their contact information shared with other band alums will have the option of permitting that information to be distributed. Graduates already receiving music department and/or alumni bands mailings should confirm the accuracy of that contact information and update missing or incorrect data. Those who are not receiving department mail-
Education in the Inner City, Roncalli Catholic High School Board of Education, Creighton University MAGIS Board and the Archdiocesan GRACES committee charged with promoting and establishing safe environment programming for young children and young adults in the Archdiocese. 1998 Janice Denise Blake, BGS, lives in Disputanta, Va., and is a doctrine developer with the U.S. Army at Combined Arms Support Command, Ft. Lee, Va. “I currently am researching and updating Army transportation doctrine,” she writes. “In addition, I had the opportunity to act as coordinator for a
ings should respond since current contact information likely is absent. Those who wish to be removed from any current music or bands mailing lists also may request that this be done. To confirm, add, or remove information from the directory, or for other info, contact Doug Babic, chair of the Bands Alumni Association, through the Bands website, www.unobands.com, or by email at: unobandalumni@hotmail.com Information updates also
NATO panel meeting here at Ft. Lee in the spring.” Send her email at dblake864@yahoo.com Jerome C. Okolo, MBA, joined Baird Holm LLP law firm in October as one of five new associates. Okolo becomes a member of the firm's labor and employment practice. He graduated with a juris doctor degree from Creighton University School of Law.
can be submitted to: UNO Band Alumni Association, c/o Dr. James Saker, Director, UNO Bands. Omaha, NE 68182–0245. Or email jsaker@mail.unomaha.edu. The Band Alumni Directory is not associated directly with the UNO Alumni Association. Even if currently receiving the UNO Alum magazine or other alumni association mailings, information in the University Bands Alumni database might not be current or complete.
1999 Christopher Potts, BS, lives in Las Vegas where he is a photojournalist for FOX 5 News. He recently won three photojournalism awards. That includes a first-place NPPA award for general news and two Emmy Awards, one for Best News Story, the other for Best Editing. “These Emmys are through the National Academy of Arts and Science,” he writes. “Last but not least, I also have been nominated for 2006 Photographer of the year. Send him email at cpotts@kvvu.com Ales Day, BA, is a case manager for the social services unit of the Council on Aging of West
UNOALUM
W I N T E R Florida (Pensacola, Fla.). The unit in August was selected as the 2006 Case Manager of the Year by the Florida Association of Aging Services Providers. Typically presented to an individual, the award, noted a release, “was presented to the unit in recognition of its consistent professionalism and compassion during a year filled with change, special funding, special projects, tropical storms, hurricane recovery, new procedures, moving and numerous other issues in addition to their normal dayto-day caseload functions.” 2003 Zoë Wade, BA, joined Baird Holm LLP law firm in October as one of five new associates. She becomes a member of the firm's litigation practice. She received her juris doctor degree with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. 2004 Jennifer Paar McGuire, BSBA, was married in October, to current UNO student Mike
Class Notes
McGuire. She lives in Omaha. Stephanie M. Kidd, MA, lives in Omaha. She recently was named the foster and adoptive family recruitment and training coordinator for Lutheran
Family Services, working to promote and foster adoptive care in Omaha and the surrounding areas. 2005 Robert Distefano, BS, joined
2 0 0 6
Midwest Laboratories of Omaha as a laboratory technician in the metals department. The company offers analytical services in the areas of water, air, soil, feed, food, plants, fertilizer and residues.
UNO Email Directory
S
tay in touch with fellow UNO alumni through email. The UNO Alumni Association provides a list of graduates who can be contacted online, searchable by name or graduation year. Email addresses are provided voluntarily and are not displayed on the Association's website or in messages sent between graduates (unless they provide it themselves). Make sure other alumni can get in touch with you— join our Alumni Email Directory today at www.unoalumni.org. Click on “Alumni Directory” at the top of the page and follow the blue link “Join our Alumni Email Directory.” Or, complete and return the Class Notes form below.
Submit your class note over the web at www.unoalumni.org
What have you been doing since graduating from UNO? Your fellow alumni would like to know! Give us an update by filling out the form below. We’ll publish the news in a future issue of the UNO Alum and on our website. Send the news to Class Notes Editor, UNO Alum, 67th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182-0010, or Fax to (402) 554-3787.
Name__________________________________________
Employer ___________________________________
Class Year_______Degree________
Position_____________________________________
Address________________________________________
Career/Personal News__________________________
City ___________________________ State, Zip______________________
Is this a new
q Yes q No address?
Phone_____________________________ E-mail_________________________________________ May we post your email address in the next Alum?
q Yes q No
w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
May we include your name in our website’s email directory (email addresses not shown)?
q Yes q No
May the Alumni Association periodically share info with you via e-mail?
q Yes q No
_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Winter 2006 • 45
Class Notes In Memoriam
1929 Louis Denninghoff 1933 Marie E. Blazek 1936 Clyde W. Berney Dorothy D. Anderson Moucka 1938 Gretchen Patterson Delay Arnold W. Eggen Carruth J. Wagner 1940 Paul Naylon 1941 John J. Maher 1945 Velva F. Betts 1946 Bradley E. Daniels 1947 Gladys I. Thomas Donovan Martin F. Mulhall 1948 Laura M. Croston G. Aileen Densmore Larsen 1949 Boyd W. Burnison Edward A. Daubman David L. Edelman Richard R. Fowler Leroy J. Gibson Margaret M. Tredwell Merrill Doron E. Rasmussen 1950 Ruth D. Mortensen William L. Berner Romain A. Gibson Roy Jepsen 1951 Donald P. Fisher Douglas H. White 1952 Earl S. Goodale Duane F. Lippold Barbara J. Haughness Slack 1953 Paul A. Duich Thomas B. Faris Ava Snyder Giles Robert E. Tierney Charles DeForest Platt 1954 Alvin B. Cleveland Charles D. Crawford Clement J. Duerfahrd John C. Dyer Lucille F. Sollenberger Lois A. Baker Sutton 1955 William C. Boyer, Jr. Mary A. Cornwall Edmiston John W. Foster Charles B. Murnan, Jr. Daniel R. Petersen Dora O. Reagan 1956 Dayton F. Brown Rudolph H. Brown Donald S. Munson 1957 Marvin E. Berger Philip S. Dickey 46 • Winter 2006
1957 Millard H. Gassaway James R. Marshall 1958 Richard S. Clark James E. Conn Scott M. Davison Arthur E. Folsom Arden K. Gollnik Ronald L. Nelson William M. Wood, Jr. 1959 Elden L. Boothby Amos H. Bracken Wade E. Branen Hubert Crisp John E. Dougherty Philip W. Dreiling Phebe A. Eaton John P. Geraci Alexander P. Hunter Thomas H. Rieker Donna J. Vance Sorys Harry L. Thrush 1960 Marshal N. Blair Walter P. Blanton Leonard I. Bockman Clifford M. Broadway Nathaniel G. Brooks William R. Cady Paul C. Carlson Charles H. Clapsaddle Errol D. Clark Harry M. Cook Walter A. Czekaj Faris T. Farwell Earl G. Fletcher Robert E. Gildersleeve James L. Gordon Jay R. Gould Bertha Drake Undem Sam M. Vacanti 1961 Donald E. Boling Leonelle A. Bonam Charles W. Bright Halie P. Butler Gene C. Case Eugene W. Conlan Stanley Cottage Bert R. Covert James P. Duncan Raymond Epling Bruce R. Ferguson Robert J. Fromme James A. Fuller Mary M. Furn Harry R. Glidden Willis L. Gore Frederick D. Inderbitzin Cecil A. Sumpter, Jr. Guy I. Tutwiler 1962 Rayford L. Brooks James W. Bryant Sheridan W. Cavitt Gerald G. Coady
1962 John D. Davis Raymond R. Davis Jackson L. Dew Walter Dombroski Richard S. Eason Robert D. Fritz Dorsey R. Fuller Kenneth F. Gallagher Henry A. Glover Dale T. Kirby John S. Kiser James L. Nicolini Elmer G. Owens Leo D. Turner 1963 Raymond F. Anthony Robert B. Armstrong John J. Betz, Jr. Frederick H. Bongard Tom J. Brown Marjorie Bushaus Robert W. Bynum III Milton W. Byrn, Jr. Jack R. Cearley Asa N. Chandler Dewitt Cook Robert L. Edmiston Albert A. Funk Nicholas C. Geankopalis Lloyd E. Gibson Norbert D. Gorman, Jr. James H. Jack Ronald J. Knust John W. "Mac" McDowell Charles C. Putman Valerie Cigagna Shannon Richard S. Sierka 1964 Ben A. Barone Anna M. Bracken Thomas D. Brown Wilmer E. Bullard James R. Cook Billy G. Coleman Michael C. Cornwell Frank W. Fucich Robert H. Gallihugh John R. Gant Hebren W. Oliver John R. Parker Ellis J. Wheless James G. Watt 1965 Carl J. Bron Robert B. Coates Fred J. Eaton George A. Freemole Linda P. Cummings Johnson Lyle L. Jewell Andrew J. Stough Chuck Platt
1966 George C. Anderson, Jr. Warren R. Aylsworth Claire S. Curtis Charles M. Darby James E. Hiteshew John C. Novak Donald P. Thomas 1967 Kenneth B. Cunningham 1968 Charles E. Furbee Conrado A. Garcia Alfin T. Jarvis Helen V. Hite Rogers 1969 Robert T. Hickman Michael P. Pavlic Leonard M. Pedersen Alfred C. Schaffner Eunice I. Heinrichs Senner Michael A. Wright 1970 Leighton A. Diehm Norma J. Hunter Edwards Elaine A. Muller Hansen Jack D. Harkey William H. Schlemmer 1971 Karen M. Freelin Lucille A. Whaley Uleman Strotman 1972 Patricia A. Lowry Richard Boston Joseph R. Weis 1973 Bernice Stephens Dodd Robert W. Enoch, Jr. Richard R. Flynn Patricia A. Kidder Runge 1974 William A. MacCashland Charlie E. Miley 1975 Kathleen J. Shelton Byars Rosa A. Porter Freemont Florence Callahan Kane David E. Nickerson 1976 Patrick R. McMahon Patricia K. Woodford 1977 Mariann Teteak 1980 Daniel T. Vescio 1984 Todd M. Chesley James D. Turpen 1986 Norris A. Hudson Jolynn K. Hurley 1987 David O. Hines Mary J. Neil 1988 Shirley L. Gies Biggs 1997 Randy L. Fields 1999 Sharon F. Mol Smits 2005 John P. Murphy UNOALUM
Campus Calendar: UNO’s campus continues to change, growing into one of the Midwest most beautiful settings in higher education. Once again, the UNO Alumni Association has captured that beauty through its annual campus calendar. The 2007 UNO Calendar features the handsome work of longtime campus photographer Tim Fitzgerald of University Affairs and a listing of important university dates and holidays. All UNO Annual Fund donors of $25 or more receive a calendar. To receive a calendar, complete the donation form below and return it to the alumni association with your gift, postmarked by Dec. 31, 2006.
2006 UNO Annual Fund Donation Form
STEP 1—Check level
q
Alumni Card Donor Less than $25
q Calendar Donor $25 or more
q Gold Card Donor $50 or more
q Bronze Century $100 or more
q Silver Century q
$250 or more
Golden Century $500 or more
STEP 2—Mark payment information A.q Check enclosed for $
q
q
Visa
q
MasterCard
Expiration Date:__________
Card No.:
$1,000 or more
w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g
in
Name month
.
C.q I authorize the UNO Alumni Association to collect my through my: gift of $
q Diamond Century Platinum Century $2,500 or more
.
Payable to UNO Annual Fund.
B.q Bill me for $
STEP 3—Complete Name and Address
Signature
q
Discover
As you wish it to appear in our 2006 Annual Report
Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail Save time and a stamp . . . Donate online at www.unoalumni.org
Winter 2006 • 47
It’s in the Cards
2006 Annual Fund
H
ow does UNO make a difference? The UNO Alumni Association is telling Annual Fund donors “It’s in the Cards.”
All donors of $25 or more in 2006 will receive a customized deck of playing cards, each one telling of an impressive UNO-related fact. Something else will be in the cards, too—after donors are recorded for each quarter, we’ll randomly select five donors to receive an iPod “Shuffle” MP3 player (cards, shuffle—get it?). How can you tell if you’ve won? Shuffle through the cards and see if you’ve received a special “Prize Card” indicating so!
e to r mor Fund o 0 5 ual te $ Dona UNO Ann random 6 00 na the 2 entered i ing for e aw and b d Prize Dr Grand Gran inch Sony a 50- EGA(tm) W TV! ction e j o r P
Also in the cards for 2006—all donors of $50 or more also will be entered in our random Grand Prize Drawing for a 50-inch Sony Grand WEGA(tm) Projection TV (2005 model shown above). We’ll conduct the Grand Prize Drawing in early 2007 after all 2006 donations have been recorded.
Donate today at www.unoalumni.org/give_to_uno or fill out the form on page 47 and return it to us today. Questions? Call us toll-free at UNO-MAV-ALUM (866-628-2586).
University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
William H. and Dorothy Thompson Alumni Center
Omaha, NE 68182-0010 Address Service Requested
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #301 OMAHA, NE