Expression Fall 2003 by Debra Falzoi

Expression Fa l l 2 0 0 3

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EMERSON COLLEGE

Merger Mania Do mammoth media companies threaten public discourse?

Humor Me

A grabbag of humor written by alums

Tufte Center Opens

A new era dawns at the College with the opening of an 11-story building

The exterior of the Tufte Performance and Production Center illuminated at night.

Expression Fa l l 2 0 0 3

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EMERSON COLLEGE

Memory Lane

The ‘Power Couples’ of Emerson

Campus Digest

A new journalism, marketing communication wing opens, Emersonians win Emmys, a new vice president for academic affairs is named

The Tufte Center Opens

A new era dawns at the College with the opening of an 11-story building

Merger Mania

A handful of media companies control much of what we read, see and hear

Humor Me

A grabbag of humor penned by Emerson alums

Commencement

Images and words from Commencement 2003

Notable Expressions

A compendium of accomplishments in various fields

Alumni Digest

Coverage of Alumni Weekend 2003, new members elected to Alumni Board, and more

Class Notes

Read the news about your classmates

My Turn

Running a marathon can be a learning experience

Expression Executive Editor David Rosen Editor Rhea Becker Writer Christopher Hennessy Design Consultant Charles Dunham

Expression is published three times a year (fall, winter and spring) for alumni and friends of Emerson College by the Office of Public Affairs (David Rosen, associate vice president) in conjunction with the Department of Institutional Advancement and the Office of Alumni Relations (Barbara Rutberg ’68, director of Alumni Relations,and acting vice president for Institutional Advancement).

Office Of Public Affairs public_affairs@emerson.edu (617) 824-8540 fax (617) 824-8916 Office Of Alumni Relations alumni@emerson.edu (800) 255-4259 (617) 824-8535 fax (617) 824-7807

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Memory Lane

In This Issue

The Power of Two: Power Couples of Emerson

Henry Lawrence Southwick and

Jesse Eldridge Southwick easily could be regarded as the First Couple of Emerson College. Not only did Mr. and Mrs. Southwick graduate from the College and later serve as faculty members, but Mr. Southwick was the third president of the College and the couple were both accomplished platform artists: “Mr. Henry Lawrence Southwick announces a course of six interpretative recitals of Shakespearian comedy to be presented in Steinert Hall … on consecutive Friday evenings…. [Mrs. Southwick performed The Merchant of Venice; Mr. Southwick presented Twelfth Night.] Mr. Southwick offers the course as a benefit for the Emerson College library; the proceeds will be devoted to supplementing the well-chosen volumes already in the library with others which will be in demand as the various departments of our college work are broadened…. Believing that we can command the inner life of a great drama only by means of vocal interpretation, [Mr. Southwick] hopes to follow this series with others, introducing to the Boston public the best artists, and presenting the highest models for students of literature and expression.” Emerson College Magazine Nov. 1900

“Emerson can now lay claim to another distinction of which few other American colleges, if any, can boast – it numbers among its former students, a prime minister and his wife! Sir Richard Squires, Prime Minister of Newfoundland, and Lady Squires, who is the first woman

ever elected to the House of Assembly in that Province, both studied at [Emerson]. Sir Richard was a special student under Mr. William Howland Kenney, head of the Voice department, and Lady Squires matriculated at Emerson in 1911 and 1912 and was a student in the Summer Sessions in 1908 and 1914. Lady Squires, curiously enough, is a strong opponent of “votes for women.” Her voice is frequently heard in debate on the floor of the Assembly, where her Emerson training stands her in good stead.” Emerson College News Dec. 1930

“Year’s end brought Emerson the

unique joy of honoring two outstanding exponents of Theatre Arts – Alfred Lunt [who studied briefly at Emerson] and Lynn Fontanne – right at the scene of their triumphs. On stage at the Colonial Theatre on December 28th, just after the curtain fell on their performance of The Great Sebastians, it rose again to allow Trustees, Corporators and Faculty, in full academic regalia to assemble while Dr. S. Justus McKinley bestowed upon this famous team the highest award within the gift of any college – the degr ee Doctor of Laws…. Mr. Lunt and Miss Fontanne had dashed to their dressing rooms to change from their attire as vaudevillians into street dress topped by academic robe and mortar-board caps.” Emerson College Bulletin Jan. 1956

Emerson College is entering an exciting, new era. In this issue of Expression, we celebrate these times with an in-depth look at the first new building ever constructed by the College — the Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center. Located adjacent to the Cutler Majestic Theatre, the Tufte Center contains 11 floors of state-of-the-art theatrical and television venues and equipment, an art gallery, classrooms, offices and more. A gala opening is planned for Oct. 30-Nov. 2. See the story in this issue for details on the Tufte Center. Media consolidation — big media companies buying up smaller media outlets — was already a hot topic, even before the Federal Communications Commission loosened ownership restrictions last June. The FCC’s decision struck a chord among Americans and set off a series of political battles that have resulted in the Senate recently approving a resolution to repeal the new rules and President Bush threatening a veto of that resolution. With the regulations in limbo and the country asking serious questions about the dangers of too much media in the hands of a few, staff writer Christopher Hennessy takes a look at the media mammoths who control much of what you see, read and hear. On a lighter note, take a look at our feature on humor penned by alums. Enjoy the issue! — Rhea Becker, editor

From left: The Southwicks, the Squires, Lunt and Fontanne

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Campus Digest Journalism, marketing communication wing opens for fall term The departments of Journalism and Marketing Communication have relocated to renovated and technologically upgraded facilities in the Walker Building. The new facilities include the School of Communication’s new Marketing Communication and Journalism Wing. Located on the sixth floor, with a direct connection to the new Tufte Performance

and Production Center, the wing provides state-of-the-art facilities for students enrolled in the College’s marketing communication, health communication and journalism programs. The Wing consists of the Richard ’68 and Sheryl ’68 Levy Suite for Marketing Communication and Entrepreneurial Studies, a three-room complex including a focus group research room, an observation room, and a multimedia computer design classroom.

Journalism students will be able to avail themselves of a new broadcast studio and control room that looks into a 20-station newsroom, an additional 18-person computer classroom with digital editing and content management capabilities, and several audioand video-editing booths. The new facilities were developed in consultation with faculty, alumni, industry

New vice president for academic affairs appointed

Emersonians named Emmy Award nominees, winners Three Emerson alumni walked away with trophies at this year’s Emmy Awards, held in Los Angeles in September. Costume designer Chrisi Karvonides Dushenko ’83 won in the category of Outstanding Costumes for a Series for her work on the 1960s NBC drama American Dreams. Alumnus Eric Drysdale ’93 won his second Emmy in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy program as a writer for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Winning the category of Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series was Steve Welch ’92, editor for Malcolm in the Middle. This year’s other Emerson nominees were: Outstanding Comedy Series:

Friends, executive producer Kevin Bright ’76; Will & Grace, executive producer Max Mutchnick ’87; Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jay Leno ’73, producer and host; Outstanding Reality/Competition Program; Survivor, Jay Bienstock ’87, producer; Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming: Marcia A. Smith ’80, writer, The Murder of Emmett Till; Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or multicamera): James M. Smith ’84, editor, Survivor: The Amazon; Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special: David Steinberg (Emerson overseer), executive producer, Robin Williams Live on Broadway. Also in Emmy news, Ami Schmitz-Levine, MA ’97, won for Outstanding Feature Story

representatives, Information Technology staff and several design and audio-visual firms, Dean of the Communication School Stuart Sigman noted. The Levy Suite will enable marketing communication students to conduct consumer and audience research, and more.

on a Regularly Scheduled Newscast for her work on ABC’s Good Morning America. The segment explored new technologies for the treatment of stuttering. She was awarded the honor at the 24th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards in September in New York City. Robert Mackler ’72, editor for As the World Turns, won a Daytime Emmy Award last May in Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series.

Linda Moore, former dean of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University, has been named vice president for academic affairs at the College. At Wayne State, she oversaw the work of five departments comprised of 2,000 students and 145 full-time and 180 part-time faculty. From 1992 to 1998 she served as dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Akron. A graduate of Bradley University, Moore earned her Ph.D. in speech communication from Kent State University. She is active in professional organizations, including the National Communication Association, where she has served as a member of the Administrative Council and as chair of the Finance Committee. She has also served as executive director of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans.

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istory was recorded at Emerson College on Sept. 8, 2003, when the justcompleted Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center welcomed its first group of students. Named in memory of the parents of Emerson Trustee Marillyn Zacharis (see the back inside cover of this issue), the 11-story center is the first entirely new building in the 123-year history of the College. It houses two theaters, two television studios, a gallery, and a host of classrooms, studios, dressing rooms and other support facilities. Faculty and staff offices for the Department of Performing Arts, previously located at 69 Brimmer Street, are now located at the Tufte Center. The entrance to the Tufte Center is at 10 Boylston Place, the picturesque brick walkway that runs alongside the Walker Building (120 Boylston St.) and down to the Massachusetts State Transportation Building. It is best viewed, however, through Allen’s Alley, which

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runs along the side of the Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont St.). The view is particularly striking at night when the Center is illuminated by multi-colored lights. The 80,000-sq.-ft. building is physically connected to the Majestic and to the Walker Building, where new facilities for the Department of Journalism and the Department of Marketing Communication have been built (see “Campus Digest” in this issue). “In form and in substance, with its sparkling steel and glass panels and its cutting-edge digital broadcast and production equipment, the Tufte Center is a visible symbol of how far Emerson has traveled in the past decade,” said President Jacqueline Liebergott. “And it points the way to a bright and exciting future.” “We are enormously grateful to Marillyn Zacharis and other friends and alumni who have contributed to this path-breaking project,” Liebergott added. “We also thank Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Congressman Michael Capuano and the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation for helping us obtain federal grants for the Center, and we thank Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the many city and state officials who have assisted us with this complex project over the years” (see sidebar on page 6). Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert Silverman, who oversaw the Tufte project as well as the recent restoration of the Cutler Majestic Theatre, says the facilities will operate in tandem to support performing arts programs. The Tufte Center, he adds, will form a “new focal point” both for the College and for the city’s Theatre District. The Center was designed and built by the same Boston-based team that worked on the Majestic restoration project – Elkus/Manfredi Architects Ltd. and Lee Kennedy Co., the general contractor. Technical support for lighting and other aspects of the theaters and studios was provided by AuerbachPollock-Friedlander of New York City.

State-of-the-Art Spaces In designing the building, the architects and builders viewed the entire facility as “performance space.” As a result, the functionality and purpose of the structure is evident throughout. Dean Grafton Nunes, of the School of the Arts, says the Tufte Center gives students the opportunity to work in two intimate, state-of-the-art theaters, “conceived to provide actors and technicians with experience working on stages of varied configurations.” The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater, built in end proscenium style, has 130 seats. Theatre I, which has a thrust stage, seats 210 people and spans four levels. “These new facilities complement the Broadway feeling and box seats of the Majestic,” Nunes said. “They will host diverse projects ranging from musicals and dance programs to more nontraditionally designed productions.” Maureen Shea, chair and professor of performing arts, said the combined impact of the Tufte Center and the Cutler Majestic “will be felt by future generations of Emerson students whose campus experience will further emulate the professional settings in which they will work after graduation.” She adds, “With the opening of the Tufte Center we are truly positioned where theaters should be in terms of the Theatre District and the Emerson campus. It gives us a chance to be a real cultural center for the College.” Shea also believes the new, more visible location will increase audiences for Emerson productions and result in more visits from professional artists who are performing in Boston.” Tucked behind the Cutler Majestic, the Tufte Center is tightly surrounded by existing buildings. Architect Robert Koup of Elkus/Manfredi describes the lot on which it is built as “an irregularly shaped site” that many people consid

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Left: The dramatic lobby outside Theater 1. Below left: Ground was broken for the Tufte Center in October 2001. Participants included (from left) Dean Grafton Nunes of the School of the Arts, Trustee Chairman Ted Benard-Cutler, Trustee Marillyn Zacharis, President Jacqueline Liebergott, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert Silverman.

ered unusable. “This is perhaps the most creative use of surplus space I have ever seen,” he adds. Access to the Tufte Center is provided at several different locations. The main public entrance (at 10 Boylston Place) includes handicapped access. A ticket booth for the Center’s two theaters and the entrance to a new visitor center for prospective students and their parents are located in the lobby area. Students, faculty, staff and visitors can enter the Tufte Center from the sixth floor of the Walker Building, where the new journalism and marketing communication facilities are located. They can also enter from the fifth floor of the Walker Building, which

houses a number of general purpose classrooms and the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies. Authorized personnel inside the Cutler Majestic Theatre have access to the lower level of the Tufte Center, where the dressing rooms and other support facilities for the Majestic are located. One floor up is a ground-level loading dock that services the Majestic and the Transportation Building as well as the Tufte. The entrance is at the end of Allen’s Alley. The loading dock will accommodate a mobile television production truck that can connect easily to the main television control room. This will facilitate live broadcasts as well as taping.

Named Facilities at the Tufte Center The following is a list of facilities in the new Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center that have been named in recognition of gifts from alumni and friends of the College:

The Di Bona Family Television Studio and the Vin and Cara Di Bona Control Room The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater Ira Goldstone ’71 Conference Room Gary Grossman ’70 and Family Classroom Douglas and Susan Holloway Classroom

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George I. Alden Trust Digital Equipment Room The Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Design Technology and Makeup Suite (includes makeup laboratory, men’s and women’s dressing rooms, costume room, conference room and locker corridor) The Jan and Jeff Greenhawt Family Lobby Gallery in Memory of Harry L. Huret and Ellen Marr Spector (gift from Judy and Bob Huret)

Ramon Bieri Classroom Doug and Noreen Farrell Herzog TV Studio Office

Emerson also acknowledges grants for equipment and curriculum development for the Tufte Center received from the U.S. Department of Education and major gifts from Alan Stanzler and Irma Mann Stearns.

A Weekend of Celebration Left: A view of Theater 1 Below: Seating in the Greene Theater

A gala weekend of events is slated to mark the reopening of the Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College after extensive renovations, the grand opening of the Tufte Performance and Production Center, and the unveiling of new School of Communication facilities. A sampling of the events: Thursday, Oct. 30

gala reopening of the Cutler Majestic Theatre

7:30 p.m. performance of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Friday,

Oct. 31

grand opening of the Tufte Performance and Production Center

2-9 p.m.

exhibition: “America Through the CBS Eye” trick or treating at the Tufte

3-7 p.m.

6:30 p.m. performance of A Muse of Fire by alumni and students 8 p.m.

reception

Saturday, Nov. 1 The entrance to Theater I is on the third floor, where multi-level, angular glass windows greet visitors. The theater itself spans four levels, including support areas below and above the auditorium. While the facility is equipped with the latest digital lighting and audio equipment, the stage is reminiscent of the one Shakespeare used four centuries ago. To facilitate the broadcast and taping of performances, the theater includes three fixed camera locations and is connected by cable to the Center’s main television studio. Offices for the Department of Performing Arts are located on the fifth floor along with the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Design Technology and Makeup Suite. The latter includes dressing rooms, a costume storage area and a conference room.

The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater is located on the sixth floor. It, too, is equipped with advanced digital equipment and is wired for broadcast and taping. On this floor one also finds the Harry L. Huret and Ellen Marr Spector gallery, which opened this fall with an exhibition of historical CBS-TV news photos. Two television studios, the larger Di Bona Family Television Studio and a smaller teaching studio, are located on the eighth floor. The larger studio is comparable in size to professional network studios in Boston. The control rooms are equipped with the latest digital audio and video equipment (see sidebar on page 8).

9 a.m.

opening of the Richard C. ’68 and Sheryl Slate ’68 Levy Suite for Marketing Communication and Entrepreneurial Studies & the Journalism Wing

10:30 a.m. panel on sports media: “Covering and Creating a Competitive Edge for Boston” 12 noon Sunday,

luncheon and keynote speaker

Nov. 2 2 p.m.

Emerson Stage performance of The Shakespeare Stealer

For information on any of the above events, call (617) 824-8565 or e-mail rsvpevents@emerson.edu 7 Expression ExpressionFall Fall2003 2003

Above: The entrance to the Tufte Center at 10 Boylston Place. Right: The view of the Center from Tremont Street and Allen’s Alley.

The “machine room” for television production is housed on the ninth floor. This is where signals from theatrical productions at the Tufte Center and the Cutler Majestic will be fed by cable into the television production area, where programs can be broadcast live or taped. Student staff members from the Emerson Channel were trained in the new facilities in August and were ready to hit the ground running in the fall. Senior Gabe Russell, executive producer of Good Morning Emerson, says his 20-member cast and crew had outgrown the old broadcast facilities.

Tufte Center Features State-of-the Art Digital Television Facilities

Designed for instruction, co-curricular work and highlevel production, the two television studios in the Tufte Performance and Production Center provide a broadcastquality environment for students, faculty and staff. Managed and operated by the College’s Television, Radio, and Film Production Department (TRF), the facilities will be used primarily by faculty and students from the Visual and Media Arts programs. The facilities will be interconnected with the new Journalism Department news complex in the Walker Building, WERS Radio, the Performing Arts program’s Theatre I, and the College’s cable TV service, the Emerson Channel. Sony Corp. was chosen as the turnkey contractor for design, development, equipment selection, architecture interface, installation and training. Ira Goldstone ’71, vice president for technology at Tribune Publishing Company in Chicago, provided valuable assistance in the design of the facilities and the selection of the contractor. The larger production facility, the Di Bona Family Television Studio, is comparable in size (43’x 40’) to studios at networkaffiliated television stations and production houses. It features a 14-foot grid height; a wide array of state-of-the-art lighting instruments; chroma key, gray and black drapes; a hard

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cyclorama (which creates an infinite background); and seating accommodations for audiences of up to 60 people. The facility operates in an entirely digital format. It can also be used as a sound stage for film productions and can house several standing studio sets simultaneously. Teaching Studio B (28’x42’) is designed for classroom instruction. It features a 14-foot grid height, three professional broadcast cameras, an array of state-of-the-art lighting instruments, dimmer boards operable from the control room or from the studio, special sound-absorbing walls and chroma key drapes. Designed by Sony professionals in conjunction with Visual and Media Arts and TRF specialists, the Vin and Cara Di Bona Control Room creates the same environment students will find at most major television facilities in the United States. The unique teaching control room in Studio B provides both a traditional control room and a classroom environment with seating for up to 18 students, so students can learn onsite. The control rooms provide access for the following crew positions: producer, director, assistant director, technical director, character generator/still store operator, videotape operator, teleprompter operator, lighting director and audio director.

“There wasn’t enough space in the control room or the studio to support the crew,” he said. “It affected the quality of the show because we couldn’t fit as many crew members in the control room as we needed. During the show, cast members would sometimes accidentally cross camera and get in the shot. It was tricky to fit everyone in the space and get a show that looked good out of it.” Russell also says students will be able to produce better quality video in the new facility. “The equipment in the new studios gives any show produced a cleaner and more professional look,” he said. “In particular, the new Sony switcher gives us the ability to apply real-time effects to live video

and achieve looks that major network news and entertainment shows use. We can fly live video in over a tape, use 3D transitions, and build and animate effects the same way real broadcast shows do. This kind of hands-on experience with professional grade equipment is invaluable. We’re no longer limited by analog technology, we’re only limited by our own creativity. So the onus is on us to make a good show.” A set design technical studio and a lighting lab are located on the 10th floor along with design faculty offices and a 39-seat mediated classroom. Additional faculty offices are located on the 11th floor. E

Di Bona Studio Cameras/Monitors 3 Sony digital cameras, mounted on new Vinton pedestals, and switchable between traditional 4x3 and 16x9 wide-screen formats. Lighting Dimmer boards operable from the control room or from the studio. Studio is wired to handle film and television industry lighting standards up to 2,000 watts.

Chyron Duet Character Generator/Aprisa 250 Still Store Providing network quality character generations and still image storage and playback as well as limited motion effects.

State-of-the-art equipment has been installed in the broadcast facilities at the Tufte Center.

Audio Room A separate digital sound room features a Sony digital audio mixer. Studio B

Recording The recording format is DVCAM and playback is CV/DVCAM/DVCPRO. Switcher A DVS-9000 Series digital switcher with two banks of mix effects and up to four channels of digital mix effects.

Switcher The DVS-9000 Series digital switcher is also featured here with one bank of mix effects. Tufte Theater I Interface Triax camera cable and video/audio lines run from Theater I in the Tufte Center to the television facilities, allowing either control room to be used for productions originating in the theater.

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Do mammoth media companies threaten public discourse? By Christopher Hennessy

ays before the war in Iraq began in March, country singer Natalie Maines, from the billboard-topping music group the Dixie Chicks, made an off-the-cuff comment at a concert in London: “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas,” the singer told the audience. It was the remark heard ’round the world, making headlines from Australia to Malaysia. In America, some citizens made their feelings known by

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destroying Dixie Chicks’ CDs in public rallies; others boycotted the group’s concerts. Dwarfing these protests, however, was the response of two large media conglomerates, Cumulus Media Inc. and Clear Channel. Cumulus banned the Dixie Chicks’ music for a month, and Clear Channel program directors began pulling the Dixie Chicks’ songs from play lists, describing themselves as “Chicks-Free.” No big deal? Not when Clear Channel and Cumulus own some 1,200 and 270 stations, respec-

tively. They are the first and second largest radio broadcasting groups in the nation. Scenarios like the ‘Great Dixie Chicks Blackout of 2003’ may become commonplace as media ownership becomes concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, say communication experts and media ethicists at Emerson and elsewhere. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the governmental body responsible for regulating broadcast media in the United States, relaxed

media-ownership regulations this past June. In part, the FCC voted to overhaul ownership rules for newspapers, television and radio stations, allowing a single company to own television stations reaching 45 percent of the nation’s viewers (compared with 35 percent previously) and to own daily newspapers and broadcast outlets within markets of more than four TV stations. The ruling attracted vocal opposition from both sides of the aisle. “When the National Organization for Women and the National Rifle Association come together for the same cause, that’s amazing, and when the Congress of the United States votes 400 to 21 to revisit these rules that were passed on June 2, that’s incredible,” says Emerson Trustee Peter Smyth, owner and president of the Boston-based Greater Media Inc., which owns 18 radio stations and other media. The FCC deregulations are [at press time] in limbo due to a Sept. 3 federal appeals court decision to place them on hold and a Senate resolution that also recently passed that sought to repeal the new rules – a resolution that President Bush threatened to veto. The Senate Commerce Committee used the Dixie Chicks scenario as an example of how media consolidation can lead to the “erosion of the First Amendment,” as Sen. John McCain put it. The ‘urge to merge’ has the potential to dramatically change the media landscape, according to experts, raising questions about what gets aired and what doesn’t and how a diversity of voices in news and entertainment can be maintained. Exorcising Control The airwaves are deemed “a public resource, a social, cultural good,” says Stuart Sigman, dean of Emerson’s School of Communication. A core precept of democracy stresses that “certain social values should define the decision-making about how much of the bandwidth can be owned [by a

single company],” says Sigman, and that media should represent a diversity of opinions and information. Critics of the FCC say that the recent deregulations as well as the landmark Telecom Act of 1996 – which made sweeping changes to ownership rules, making it possible for a single company to own an unlimited number of radio stations and a single owner to own both TV stations and cable systems in the same market – are creating an environment in which a smaller number of companies than ever control programming. With fewer owners, “the assumption is that there would be less diversity of viewpoints, less diversity of information, and that all of the information that we as citizens receive would be limited to what a particular company would be willing to broadcast,” explains Sigman. The president of media giant Viacom, Mel Karmazin, has denied that the growth of big media companies has led to the homogenization of content. Interviewed by PBS’s Charlie Rose at an August technology forum, Karmazin said, “Our company has Howard Stern, SpongeBob SquarePants, 60 Minutes and The Osbournes. Tell me what is the Viacom philosophy.” He called the recent FCC deregulation “the biggest nonevent of all time.” Counting Heads Just how much media has been gobbled up by these megacorporations is at issue. “Figures I’ve seen indicate that seven companies now control 98 percent of the programming we see,” says Emerson media professor Robert Hilliard, who once served as the FCC chair of the Federal Interagency Media Committee, reporting to the White House. Many argue that the Top Ten conglomerates – Time Warner, Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, Viacom, Vivendi, Sony, Bertelsmann, AT&T and Liberty Media – control most of what we see, read and hear (see accompanying story “Who Owns What?”). Some media analysts say the number could be as low as five companies. Others vehemently call that num-

ber misleading or simply a myth. The belief that five companies control most of the media is “wrong, wrong, wrong,” declares Washington, D.C.-based communications lawyer Howard Liberman ’68. He quickly names stations such as PBS, C-SPAN and the USA Network as just a few of the outlets that are not owned by any of the top companies. Even if those companies do hold sway, “an anti-trust economist or lawyer would tell you that’s a pretty good number of competitors,” he says. When it comes to newspapers, large chains like Gannett and KnightRidder have been gobbling up smaller papers for years, says Emerson Chair of Journalism Jerry Lanson. But consolidation doesn’t affect just small outlets. The Chicago Tribune owns The Los Angeles Times, for example, not to mention 10 other daily newspapers, more than 20 TV stations, four radio stations, and a stake in the WB Network. The New York Times owns The Boston Globe and the International Herald Tribune as well as 15 smaller U.S. newspapers, eight TV stations and two radio stations. Hilliard is troubled to find “almost no alternative viewpoints” in the mainstream press, due to the very nature of the owners in control. “Owners and profit-makers in a capitalist system are bound to be conservative. They don’t see a need for change; in fact, change is seen as detrimental,” he says. Media owners “tend to be people who don’t want to rock the boat,” adds Carla Johnston, author of Screened Out: How the Media Control Us and What We Can Do About It and an Emerson adjunct professor. No One Whistling Dixie As media companies grow ever larger, they have more power to shape the information we use, the news we need and even the entertainment we enjoy. “Any time you have one company that is dominant, its ideology, its slant on music or its particular belief system can take over in hundreds of cities,” explains Donna Halper, author, radio historian and an Emerson adjunct professor. “Conglomerate control over 11 Expression Fall 2003

broadcasting has had a chilling effect, not only on free speech but on dissent.” As a result of the Dixie Chicks debacle, she adds, “[artists] are terrified of being painted as unpatriotic because their songs could be dropped at 1,227 stations.” Trustee Smyth disagrees. “The marketplace really decides what records we play,” he says, referring to the Chicks blackout. “Nobody really believes that, but it’s true.” Following the Chicks’ comment about President Bush, Cumulus programmers “were getting resistance to the Dixie Chicks as artists and their records were put aside for a while,” Smyth claims. Clear Channel maintains that it “does not issue mandates with regard to individual artists or songs,” and that its stations “are managed and programmed locally based on extensive audience research,” according to the company’s website. Media ethics expert and Emerson professor Thomas Cooper believes consolidation shows no signs of stopping. He and his colleagues have envisioned

a fictitious scenario in which a “whole universe” is created and controlled by a single company. In the hypothetical case study set only 10 years in the future, the scenario imagines a show about a rock star named Zack on HBO, which is plot-linked to a show about his girlfriend, Emily, which airs on The WB network. Zack’s music, promoted on both shows, can only be purchased from Warner Records stores. Soon, a feature film is made and hyped on both the original cable and TV shows and reviewed and promoted by Time magazine. When the Zack character goes to serve in Iraq, viewers can keep up with him – but only through AOL emails. The catch? Each media outlet in the case study is owned by a single entity: Time Warner. Half-Full Disclosure The web of parent companies and subsidiaries has grown so vast that more and more news outlets now include “full disclosure” statements in stories about parent companies, in an attempt

to assure readers of objective coverage. For example, at the very bottom of a CNN web review of the Warner Bros. 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut, readers found this statement: “Eyes Wide Shut is a production of CNN Interactive sister company Warner Bros., a Time Warner property.” It was the promotion of that film, a movie widely panned by critics, that Janet Kolodzy, assistant professor of journalism at Emerson and former CNN producer, most vividly remembers. She was working at CNN.com at the time and recalls that the film’s stars, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, appeared on Larry King Live on CNN; the film was praised as part of a Time magazine cover story; and it was reviewed on CNN.com – all media owned by Time Warner. One of the biggest implications of media consolidation is that audiences “assume they have a choice, moving from one network to another, one medium to another – not realizing

Free to be . . . Independent He’s the music director of Public Radio Mississippi. She’s editor of a small newspaper in a progressive town in Wisconsin. What these two alumni share is a worklife at media outlets that exist outside consolidated corporate ownership, an increasingly rare scenario. Her newspaper’s circulation comes in at around 7,400, and for Claire Duquette ’81, editor of The Daily Press in Ashland, the fit feels just right. The Daily Press is owned by Murphy McGinnis Media, a company formed by two family-owned businesses with deep roots in community newspapers. “I’ve been very lucky in my experience,” says Duquette, who started at the paper as a reporter in 1987. “The owners very much recognize the importance of community ties, and that each 12 Expression Expression Fall Fall 2003 2003

newspaper needs to have its own voice; it may not necessarily be a voice one of the owners agrees with, but they trust us to make the decisions.” Duquette knows that apprehension about media consolidation is brewing among her colleagues in other cities. “There is a big concern in the industry that if you have outside or corporate ownership that wants to dictate a onesize-fits-all philosophy, that you’re not going to be able to serve your readers as you should,” she says. Duquette’s top priority is providing strong community news. Her day begins when she sits down for “an informal pow-wow” with her staff (three news reporters and an editor) to consider what should run on the front page: “It’s a matter of saying ‘this is what’s most important to our readers today.’”

In fact, Duquette most enjoys working in an environment where “there’s a real connectedness to the community.” It’s more than gratifying, she explains, when the paper runs a story on a family in need after their house has burned down, for example, and “you get a real sense of having an impact – oftentimes you see the direct results,” she says. She puts it another way: “The people you’re writing about and writing for, well, you’re running into them at the grocery store.” Duquette also enjoys the freedom to write editorial opinions regarding important local issues. Often, she writes about “what being a progressive community means. We keep hammering away at themes like protecting the environment, things like stewardship,

Biting the Hand that Feeds You What happens when a network or a magazine must report news concerning its parent company – an increasingly common scenario? Do editors or producers risk running a story that criticizes those who sign their paychecks? “It becomes increasingly difficult to write a story without an inherent conflict,” says

things that hopefully will have a longterm impact.” When a private company was considering placing a garbage incinerator in the community, Duquette outlined a case against the action in an editorial. “Ultimately, the community rejected the [incinerator plan], and I think the newspaper played a role in that.” In Jackson, Miss., alumnus Greg Waxberg ’00 serves as music director for Public Radio Mississippi, an eightstation network that reaches into Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana – with a potential audience of 3 million people. Working for a state agency suits Music Director Waxberg just fine. “I don’t have to go on the air worrying about how many commercials I’m selling,” he explains. Though the station uses

Seglin. If the media begin to prioritize stories based on how the story affects their controlling interests, “we’ve got a major problem with democracy there,” Cooper adds. When the ABC news program 20/20 was researching a potentially damaging story on the Walt Disney World theme parks (Disney owns ABC), serious allegations were leveled when the story failed to materialize on air. The unaired story uncovered allegations that The Mouse was lax in conducting background checks on Disney World employees, allowing sex offenders to slip through the cracks. ABC killed the story, according to its spokespeople, not because of Disney’s wishes, but because the reporter’s information couldn’t be satisfactorily verified. Media critics, however, had their doubts. Janet Kolodzy says the “infamous” example “leads to some worrisome questions.” Had Disney – protecting its own interests – exerted ownership control behind the scenes? she asks.

News is influenced in more subtle ways, too, says Journalism Chair Lanson. Individual reporters, for example, may ask themselves, “What’s getting on the front page, what are my editors excited about?” Lanson believes that very few stories are “killed” by editors or publishers, but rather by “self-censorship,” which occurs when reporters cater to what they know editors or owners will like. Carla Johnston takes it a step further: Corporate control is exerted implicitly “because employees are afraid they’re going to be fired, and I think that’s damaging across the board,” she says. A Media-gate? Lanson says he sees signs that big media owners may plant themselves in the pocket of the status quo. He notes that during the war in Iraq two of media’s biggest players, Fox News and MSNBC, “were waving the American flag [in a logo] behind the anchors the entire war.” This kind of newscast, which implicitly appeared to advocate for the U.S.-led war, encouraged outlets like the British

underwriters to support itself, “we’re not under that pressure every day [to sell airtime].” When Waxberg – who is also a classical music deejay for the station – is trying to decide between Mozart and Chopin, he’s guided not only by what he thinks his audience will enjoy but by his own desire to introduce listeners to new recordings and musicians they may not have heard before. It’s this allimportant “flexibility,” he says, that is perhaps the best perk of working for a noncommercial radio entity. In fact, Waxberg encourages his announcers to choose the music they play.

Photo by Rick Olivo

that a single corporate entity may own everything they’re seeing, reading and hearing,” says Thomas Cooper. Unaware of this “hidden infrastructure,” audiences are not getting any kind of “honest, critical overview,” he says. “A company can easily market all kinds of products without letting you know that they own every aspect of what they’re promoting.” While Jeffrey Seglin, an Emerson assistant professor and New York Times ethics columnist, believes it’s “critically important” for readers to be aware of possible biases, he envisions articles “so full of disclosure…it’s to the point of the ridiculous.”

Editor Claire Duquette ’81 (standing) works with a staffer at The Daily Press in Ashland, Wisconsin.

–C.H.

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FACING THE MUSIC. The Dixie Chicks (above) faced a radio blackout earlier this year when Natalie Maines (center) made unpopular comments about President Bush. Because radio is now widely controlled by media conglomerates, Senator John McCain said the band’s problems were an example of how media consolidation can lead to the “erosion of the First Amendment.”

Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) to criticize American journalists as being lapdogs to the government instead of watchdogs, Lanson says. In Media Ethics, a journal of scholarly articles and analysis published by Emerson professors Emmanuel Paraschos and Thomas Cooper, journalist Robert Jensen notes, “Even Dan Rather, perhaps the most vocal journalistic patriot [after Sept. 11] has had second thoughts, confiding to the BBC in May 2002 that ‘patriotism run amok’ was affecting news coverage….” The media’s response to the “Yellowcake-gate” scandal (concerning President Bush’s unverified statement, in his State of the Union address, that Saddam Hussein had tried to acquire ‘yellowcake’ uranium from Niger) serves as an example of a sin of omission, rather than commission, say Emerson journalism professors. The story first broke in The New Yorker magazine in March, yet Lanson recalls that no other mainstream news media picked

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up the story until June. He, for one, expresses bewilderment that a story of such great national significance was left untouched for so long. The measure of journalism’s priorities, many agree, can be seen in the stories the media doesn’t cover. Hilliard recalls that during the Gulf War of 1990-91 journalists agreed to submit their stories to U.S. military officials before filing them, that these stories were potentially censored, and that the media were only allowed to travel where the military escorted them. The media companies put up little fight, says Hilliard; it was only after the war that they sued the government for violating free speech, and the suits were dropped when the Gulf conflict ended. The Sound of Silence Many argue that consolidation of media will lead to what’s being called “the death of localism.” Carla Johnston finds that ever since the Telecom Act of 1996, “we’re seeing a real loss of those local voices.” She points out that Clear Channel, for example, owned 40 radio

stations prior to 1996 (then the legal limit). Now it owns some 1,200 with a reach of 110 million listeners every week. Ed Ansin, president of Sunbeam Television, which owns Channel 7 in Boston and a Miami TV station, believes that independently owned TV stations do what conglomerate-owned stations cannot. “Channel 7 is better able than our larger competitors to focus on covering the news that most interests New Englanders,” said Ansin, who holds an honorary degree from Emerson. After the June 2 rulings from the FCC, Ansin publicly announced he has no plans to sell his Boston station. Companies like Clear Channel and the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, one of the largest television broadcasting companies, use non-localized programming; in the latter’s case that means that “local news” originates from the Sinclair home office in Baltimore. Sinclair’s television group includes 20 FOX, 19 WB, 6 UPN, 8 ABC, 3 CBS, 4 NBC affiliates and 2 independent stations and reaches approximately 24% of all U.S. television households, according to the Sinclair website. Critics say this dilutes local news and eliminates important local viewpoints. If programming can be piped in rather than locally produced, companies can also cut staff, and the absence of a local presence can have dramatic repercussions. Take, for example, a train derailment that spilled ammonia near the North Dakota city of Minot (population 58,000) in January 2002. When authorities tried to warn the populace in the most immediate way – via local radio – they found the stations were more or less on autopilot. Why man stations that air the same programming as dozens of others in the region? Currently, radio, especially, has “a much more cookie-cutter approach to broadcasting,” says Donna Halper.

“It’s being run too much now by giant conglomerates who think of it as something on their profit and loss statement.” Halper, who is often credited with discovering the rock group Rush when she played their music on WMMS in Cleveland in 1974, also believes that the freedom to “break in new artists” is stifled by conglomerates. What’s more, the absence of the local outlets can mean “the door is slammed in the face of budding young artists who want to get started,” adds Johnston.

This diversity of choice is a problematic concept at best, counters Professor Thomas Cooper. “There are so many outlets available that it gives people the impression that there are really no monopoly problems to consider,” he says, but there exists a troubling paradox. “The more voices there are, the more it’s assumed that there’s healthy competition, but if all the voices

A Question of Competition

● Time Warner, the world’s ● Viacom, another

Proponents of FCC deregulation say that market forces will sort things out. Liberman says he doesn’t see consolidation substantially hurting competition. He cites the recent news that Comcast and Radio 1 (neither owned by one of the “Top 10”) plan to start a new cable channel that will compete with Black Entertainment Television (BET), which is owned by Viacom. In fact, the FCC’s decision to allow newspapers to own TV stations will create more and healthier newspapers, he points out, citing “years of empirical evidence.” While cross-ownership may be good business, some feel it’s bad policy. Halper is concerned that the relaxed radio regulations won’t be healthy. “You don’t compete; you buy up your competition.” Kolodzy cites a worrisome imbalance in talk radio, which is dominated by conservative hosts: “Please tell me that there’s a liberal talk show host out there.” Even well-known political satirist and author Al Franken has been unable to find a company willing to help produce a liberal talk show to compete against the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Michael Savage, who virtually rule the talk airwaves. But we’ve never had more diversity of choice in our media than today, Liberman argues. He recalls when he was a boy there were only three choices on television – ABC, NBC and CBS. Now, he says, there are hundreds of channels to choose from.

have a common ventriloquist, or two or three, then really there’s a major illusion going on – the illusion that we’re getting a lot more messages from a lot more sources.” And the ventriloquists are no dummies. As regulations fall away, there will always be more outlets to buy. E

Who Owns What? largest media company and the product of the 2001 merger of America Online and Time Warner, owns a long list of major media outlets. What follows is a small sampling: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ●

America Online Inc. Time Inc. Columbia House CNN News Group HBO HBO Films Cinemax TNT WTBS Cartoon Network AOL Time Warner Book Group Inc. (which owns the likes of Little, Brown) Castle Rock Entertainment Inc. New Line Cinema The Warner Bros. Television Network (The WB) Warner Music Group (Atlantic, Elektra, Maverick, etc.) Fortune Life Sports Illustrated People Entertainment Weekly In Style DC Comics

● Disney isn’t just a theme

behemoth whose holdings span film production companies, television, radio and the Internet, owns, among other outlets:

● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

CBS Television BET Blockbuster Inc. King World Productions Inc. United Paramount Network (UPN) Infinity Broadcasting Corporation (which owns some 185 radio stations) MTV Networks Comedy Central VH1 TNN (Spike TV) Nick at Night TV Land Paramount Pictures Corporation Paramount Classics United International Pictures Showtime Networks Inc. The Movie Channel Simon & Schuster, Inc. National Amusement Theaters

park anymore. Among the holdings of this megacorporation are:

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

ABC Inc. ABC Family Channel A&E Television Networks ESPN Inc. Lifetime Channel Walt Disney Studio Entertainment Buena Vista Motion Picture Group Miramax Film Corp. Touchstone Pictures Hollywood Pictures

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A grabbag of humor written by alums

h mor me Wry or bawdy, subtle or burlesque, humor in all its forms is the zest of life. Emerson College has a well-deserved reputation for turning out some of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most highly regarded standup comics. But few are aware that humorists of all stripes have emerged from the College: fiction writers, playwrights and television writers among them. Here we present a small but eclectic sampling of humor penned by alums with a truly Emersonian sense of humor. 16 Expression Fall 2003

I don’t like to brag, but I am known to millions as “What’s-her-name-fromthat-show.” I always tell fellow B- and beyond actor friends that we should all chip in and create a public service announcement for the moving sidewalk at the baggage claim at LAX. This audiotape could play for all arriving tourists: “Welcome to Los Angeles. While here, you will see many people that you recognize from movies and television or people you sort of recognize. If you do not know their names or at least one thing you’ve seen them in, do not approach. Repeat, DO NOT APPROACH.” Because there is nothing crueler than having someone come up to you and say, “You look familiar, what have I seen you on?” “Maybe you saw me on Days of Our Lives.” “No, I watch All My Children.” “I was on a sitcom called Duet.” “What’s that?” “It was on the Fox network. It was on after Married With Children.” “Oh, I loved Married With Children. Anything else?” “America’s Funniest People?” “I never watch those shows. What’s your name?” “Arleen Sorkin.” “Are you married to Aaron Sorkin? We have drugs in our family, too.” “No I’m married to Christopher Lloyd.” “The actor?” “No, the writer.” “Are you doing anything now?” “I’m a writer now.” “What have you written?” “I created a show called Fired Up that was on NBC.” “I never saw it.” “I wrote the movie Picture Perfect.” “I didn’t see that either.”

“It starred Jennifer Aniston.” “I love Jennifer Aniston. Are you friends with her? Do you get invited to her parties?” “Never.” “Maybe you look familiar because I went to school with you. Where did you go?” “Emerson College.” “What’s that?” “It’s a college in Boston. Henry Winkler went there.” “The Fonz? Do you know him?” “I’ve met him, but not really.” “I still watch the reruns. So you don’t do any acting anymore?” “I still do voices on cartoons.” “Which ones?” “I do Harley Quinn, the Joker’s girlfriend on Batman.” “Really? Do the voice.” And then I think to myself, I don’t really want to perform for this woman next to the baggage claim, but I’ve gone this far with her and I don’t want to seem rude, so I change the subject. “You know who else went to Emerson? Jay Leno.” “If I can stay up that late, I watch Letterman.” So when people ask me what’s it like to be on TV, I tell them that the main benefit at my level of celebrity is that if I’m on a plane and the flight attendant recognizes me, she’ll always slip me an extra bag of nuts.

John Kuntz ’90

Arleen Sorkin ’77

“Extra Nuts” — A short story

An excerpt from his play Jump Rope Kurt talks to the audience about one of his worst dating experiences: We’re on a date. Drinking a glass of wine at his apartment. He’s nice, an accountant, kind of boring, but that’s just what I’m looking for. I’m tired of surprises. Suddenly he says: ‘This is going so well. I really want to tell you something important about myself. I don’t usually on a first date, but I feel like I can talk to you.’ I said: ‘OK, what is it?’ He says: ‘I’m bisexual.’ I said: ‘That’s fine.’ He says: ‘I’m an alcoholic.’ I said: ‘That’s all right.’ He says: ‘I’m a druid.’ I said: ‘What?’ ‘I’m a druid,’ he says again. I said: ‘You’re a Celtic warlock who worships trees?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And then proceeded to take out and put on a black velvet robe and a conical hat with stars and crescent moons on it. I said: ‘OK, that’s all right. So you worship trees. We can work it out. I’m flexible.’ We ended up making violent love. The next day I developed this awful rash. I freaked out and ran to a doctor. He said I had Dutch Elm disease.

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I convinced my mother to let a Spanish student stay with us. I remember when little Christina arrived with the obligatory Lladro, a porcelain statuette that was the customary gift brought by Spanish students to American families in Fayetteville. She opened the door to the lower-middleclass comfort of our home and was visibly disappointed. She looked a few inches to her left and then to her right like a horse freshly fitted with blinders and nodded. “Is nice.” My mom graciously thanked Christina, but she could never tell when someone felt sorry for us. I guess anyone stumbling into our house after a 20-hour transatlantic flight would have to feel a little let down. My mom and I lived in a white two-story, two-bedroom with gold shag rug downstairs and blue shag rug upstairs. The sunken living room – which I’m sure was merely an accident, the kind of miscalculation that occurs when a family cuts corners on a spare room – was not a full step down, so most everyone tripped into it. I brought Christina up to my room at the top of the stairs. Everything matched so hard, it hurt. My bedroom carpet was yellow; the bureau and twin-sized bed were a set – with two high white posts at the head of the bed and pink and yellow flowers painted in a line on the headboard; the walls were covered in white paneling that held yellow paint in its veins; and my bedspread was a faux-silk assault to the senses, crammed with yellow petaled black-eyed Susans. I don’t know how I lived in yellow like that; it would have been the last color I would’ve picked to destroy – I mean, describe – my life.

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It became clear that our RiceKrispies treat welcome was the most depressing thing to happen thus far in her young life. The lack of opulence that gushed forth changed everything she had ever heard about Americans being rich – or American families consisting of more than two women living alone. While Christina was living beneath her wildest dreams at my house, she got along famously with my mother. Luckily, my God-given gift of walking away from a problem could be put to use in dealing with Christina. I rationalized her role to be more of a Spanish daughter to my mother, thus relinquishing any responsibility that I may have had toward her. I would no longer try to show her all of the fun things that there were to do in Fayetteville – never mind that there weren’t any. She would be punished for her lack of interest in me. And I could think of no greater punishment than to let her stay in and visit with my mother while I went out to parties.

Kim Ficera ’82

Laura Kightlinger ’86

An excerpt from the short story “Internacional” from her book Quick Shots of False Hope (1999)

An excerpt from her book, Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: An Unconventional Life Uncensored (2003) When I was young, one of my household chores was to dust. Although I much preferred mowing the lawn or digging a hole for no reason at all, my mother was determined to make a girl out of me. Doing a woman’s work, she hoped, would distract me from behaving like a tomboy and stop me from telling anyone who would listen, “I’m never getting married!” So I dusted, and I hated every girlish minute of it. Because my mother was extremely fond of knickknacks, it took me hours to complete this chore. In order to dust the built-in bookshelves in our living room, I’d have to remove close to thirty Hummel statuettes, two pairs of bronzed baby shoes, a bowl of plastic fruit, and an undeterminable amount of Mass cards. Not only was death advertised in my house, the billboards had to be kept clean. I dusted the living room first because it took me the longest, but the bedrooms were the most challenging for me. Cleaning the rooms where my family slept bothered me, not because of the clutter within, but due to what seemed to me an overwhelming and gloomy presence of religion. In my bedroom, a twofoot-high doll-like ceramic Madonna stood perched

guys from killing her son. Queens, I thought, could do anything they wanted. I’d read Snow White. Weren’t there any poison apples around? Where was her army? Of course, I eventually found out that Jesus died willingly for the sins of all mankind and that there was nothing the queen could do or wanted to do about it. She, like the rest of us, was at the mercy of God. And whomever He wanted to suffer a horrible death, did. I learned quickly that God is hard to please. For me, a girl who grew up knowing I was different – knowing I didn’t like to dust – these symbols of Catholicism were a constant reminder that I was nothing like all the other girls I knew and, therefore, would probably grow up to be nothing like my mother, and certainly nothing like Jesus’s mother. Instead of dusting the Virgin Mary and Jesus with a sense of piousness, I did it with full-blown resentment. I didn’t want them in my house, because I suspected they were behind my having to wear dresses all the time. Unfortunately, as I got a little older, that anger turned into fear – fear I rationalized. I associated those images with church and funerals. And since no one was ever happy in church or at funerals, I didn’t understand why all that misery had to be displayed in our home, a generally happy place. So, naturally, I concluded that they were

there to scare the s--- out of me. Which they did. To alleviate my fear, I would often hide the Madonna’s jeweled crown or turn it sideways on her head. Needless to say, my mother didn’t appreciate an absentminded or drunklooking Virgin Mary. I was yelled at more than once, and told that I lacked respect for the Madonna. Rambling, I’d tried to explain to her that I didn’t respect any of my dolls because I didn’t like dolls, and that I thought Mary was just a big, sad doll. But I promised her that if the Madonna had hair, I wouldn’t cut if off like I did to both Barbie and Skipper. In the car, the Virgin Mary faced outward on the dash, looking through the windshield toward traffic as though she were guiding our drive to the grocery store. I can’t remember now whether it was her right hand or her left that was crooked as if to welcome oncoming traffic, but I always imagined her saying, “Hang a left!” or “Ow! My head!” When I went for rides with Grandpa, I would change her position when he wasn’t looking. If faith meant I had to dust and get married, I guess I didn’t have it. At least, not then. It took me over thirty years to get to a place where I feel spiritually, intellectually and sexually balanced. Although I dust without fear these days, I still don’t enjoy it.

Dan Levy ’03

on a thick doily atop my dresser. Keeping her clean was evidently paramount to my development as a good Catholic. Therefore, for years I believed the Immaculate Conception had something to do with a dust rag. Across the hall in my parents’ room hung an equally large, but even more uncomfortable, crucifix decorated by a forest of palm fronds received on the previous Palm Sunday from a priest who, in eight years, I had never seen smile. To me, the Madonna looked like the queen of England. She wore a large jeweled crown, a long gown, and a cape that must have been decorated by someone who owned a Bead-O-Matic. Poised with her hands together in prayer, she supported the rosary beads my mother had draped over her wrists. Had I an adult sense of proportion back then, I would have realized that the beads could have resembled chains. And that, at least partially, would have explained to me the Madonna’s pained expression. But I knew then that her upset was largely due to the death of her one and only son, Jesus, who had been nailed to a cross by a bunch of people who didn’t like him. We, my mother often reminded me, love him. I guess that’s why she hung him in our house. At first, it was hard for me to understand why a woman who looked like a queen didn’t stop the bad

From his standup act My mom says, “You can’t spell to save your life.” OK, but I doubt that situation will ever arise. I’ll be in some Turkish prison waiting to get executed and the guy will be like, OK, Mr. Levy, you will be executed in one minute unless you can spell MISSISSIPPI. “MississippE.” No its IPPI. Kill him…. I think retail guitar commercials have no shame at all. They will try to sell you a guitar under any condition. I heard a radio ad in February that started like this: “Martin Luther King stood for non-violence, Martin Luther King was a great American leader who changed the world, and Martin Luther King knew how to ROCK!!! So come on down to Timmy’s Guitar Center Sunday through Tuesday and get 45% off any Fender, bass, electric or acoustic guitar”…. I love doing standup comedy, but I think a better job would be CEO. Mainly so I can say things like, “I want the proposal by noon. Where’s the goddam proposal? You don’t have it? Well, look through my files.” It’d be so cool to walk down the hall and have everyone in my company be like “Dude, act cool. That’s the CEO.” But all kidding aside, I would really like to be a CEO because … I’d always talk in the third person. “The CEO would like two tickets to Seabiscuit.”

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Laura Kightlinger ’86 has written for Will & Grace, Saturday Night Live, and MTV’s Daria. She is the author of Quick Shots of False Hope: A Rejection Collection (William Morrow, 1999). She has performed on several televised stand-up specials, including the HBO Comedy Half-Hour, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and on Comedy Central. Among the films she has appeared in are Shallow Hal and Down with Love. John Kuntz ’90 is the writer/performer of four acclaimed one-person shows: Freaks! (Elliot Norton Award, 1997), Party Poopers, Actorz with a Z, and Starf#&@ers (Elliot Norton Award, 2000), and the plays After School Special, Emerald City, Sing Me to Sleep (Elliot Norton Award, 1999), Miss Price, and Jump Rope. Starf#&@ers recently enjoyed a summer offBroadway production. Dan Levy ’03 has been a featured performer on the Andy Dick Show on MTV and on The Late Show with Craig Kilborn. He was a semi-finalist in Comedy Central’s Laugh Riots comedy competition and was named the “Funniest College Comedian in the Country” by HBO at the 2001 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo. Arleen Sorkin ’77 is known for her starring role as Calliope Jones Bradford on Days of Our Lives (1984-92) and currently as the voice of Harley Quinn for the animated Batman series. She has hosted the television show America’s Funniest People. She also wrote the screenplay for Picture Perfect, starring Jennifer Aniston, and produced and wrote the television show Fired Up.

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Standing Up for Comedy

Kim Ficera ’82 is the author of Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: An Unconventional Life Uncensored (Kensington, 2003). She is also the author of the weekly column called From Hell to Breakfast for the Fairfield County Weekly, and her essays have been published in Girlfriends magazine, the Stamford Advocate and elsewhere. She has been chosen to be part of the Out Magazine 100, a selection of 100 people who have had an impact on gay, lesbian and transgendered life in 2003.

Two annual awards honor student comics The College has long been recognized as a breeding ground for new comedy writers and performers. Two awards are bestowed annually to students who are budding comedians. The Joseph Murphy ’85 Comedy Award, first awarded in 2002, is a $5,000 cash gift given to a graduating senior who is entering the comedy field. The second award is the Jess Ilias Clavelli Comedy Award, created in 2003 and given to a student who is involved with comedy organizations on campus, who intends to make comedy performance his or her career, and who demonstrates the “sweet and funny” attributes that marked the life of Jess Ilias Clavelli. The Murphy Award was created by alumni, family members and friends of Joe Murphy, who was a founding member of the campus-based troupe This is Pathetic in the 1980s. After Murphy died of cancer in 1995, his friends created the scholarship. The winner is selected by Mike Bent ’85, an adjunct faculty member at the College, and Anne Kenny ’85. For details, contact amkenny@aol.com; (212) 424-6485. The Clavelli Award commemorates the life of Jess Clavelli, the 6-year-old son of Emerson alumnus Christopher Clavelli ’83. After Jess died suddenly in February 2003, the Clavelli family requested that gifts in his son’s memory be made to Emerson College to fund this award. The Clavelli Award is supervised by the Dean of the School of the Arts, who solicits nominations and convenes the committee to review the nominated work. The committee consists of Grafton Nunes, Dean of the School of the Arts, and faculty members Martie Cook’ 82, MFA ’99 (Visual and Media Arts), Maureen Shea (Performing Arts), Daniel Tobin (Writing, Literature and Publishing), one comedy alumnus and Christopher Clavelli or his designee. For details, contact amy_meyers@emerson.edu; (617) 824-8918.

Commencement 2003

On a brilliant spring day, Emerson College presented nearly 1,100 baccalaureate and graduate degrees during back-to-back ceremonies on May 19 at the Wang Center for the Performing Arts in Boston. The College also presented honorary degrees to U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.); Christopher Cerf, an Emmy- and Grammywinning author, composer, humorist and technologist; communication industry executive Leo Hindery; arts philanthropist Lois Foster ’49; and noted poet Thomas Lux ’70. Biden, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and

former chair of the Judiciary Committee, presented the undergraduate address. Cerf, a driving force in children’s and educational television, presented the graduate ceremony address. Assembled students gave standing ovations to friends, family and Emerson faculty, and cheered at various high points during the undergraduate morning ceremony. Graduate students gave congratulatory hugs to one another following their afternoon ceremony. Both events included warm words of praise and offerings of wisdom from administrators, faculty and distinguished guest speakers. In her remarks to the graduates, Emerson President Jacqueline Liebergott congratulated them on their

many accomplishments while at Emerson and urged them all to take what they had learned and to continue their pursuit of excellence. The president took a moment to express the institution’s pride in how both students and faculty responded to the tumultuous events of the past few years. “You conducted symposia and teach-ins, you discussed the issues in class, and you organized peaceful demonstrations to express your views,” she said. “Faculty with expertise in journalism, political science and other fields wrote thoughtful articles illuminating the issues involved,” she added. “The initiatives you took were

remarkable not only in their breadth, depth and diversity, but also in their civility and the respect that was shown for the views of others.” President Liebergott also briefly spoke about the graduates’ place in the post-Sept. 11 world. Communications and the arts have always been important fields, she noted, “but they take on a new urgency in the post 9-11 era. The need for timely, accurate, responsible and culturally sensitive reporting of news and information has never been greater.” In addition, arts and entertainment, she added, also “have the potential to unite people of divergent backgrounds and beliefs by tapping the human emotions and aspirations that all of us share.”

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Clockwise from top left: Philanthropist Lois Foster â&#x20AC;&#x2122;49 is hooded during the honorary degree ceremony. U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden delivers his address during the undergraduate rites. Author Christopher Cerf delivers his address at the graduate student ceremony. Communication executive Leo Hindery with President Liebergott as he receives his honorary degree. A group of 2003 graduates flash peace signs at Commencement Exercises. Professor John Skoyles (left) with poet Thomas Lux â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70, who received an honorary degree.

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Notable Expressions Theater Alumnus Scott Wittman is wearing a veritable bouffant of laurels for his work on the hit Broadway musical Hairspray, based on the John Waters cult film set in the early ’60s. Lyricist Wittman and his partner Marc Shaiman, who wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics, won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Original Score. The show also won the Tony for Best Musical. Wittman also earned a 2003 Drama Desk Award for the show. Wittman and Shaiman received national attention for a kiss the couple shared on stage while accepting their Tony Award during CBS’s telecast. Miguel Cervantes ’99, who played the starring role in Bat Boy for several months of sold-out, critically acclaimed shows in Boston earlier this year, is one of Boston’s “hot” new performers, according to Boston magazine’s September issue.

Television Christopher McDonald ’97 served as a casting director for the hit Bravo reality dating show, Boy Meets Boy. Also recently airing on Bravo was the record-smashing Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, executive produced by Dorothy Aufiero ’80.

Film Actress Rhoda Jordan ’00 was recently cast in the film Never Die Alone, an upcoming movie starring rapperactor DMX and actor David Arquette. Directed by Ernest Dickerson (Juice), the film is due for release later this year. Jordan’s fiancé, Eric Shapiro ’00, was hired to write the screenplay for the horror movie Super Aquanoids, a sequel to the classic Bmovie Aquanoids. The flick is scheduled to go into production in September. Eric is also the author of Short of a Picnic (Be-Mused). The New York Daily News has proclaimed Boston native and Emerson alumna Jennifer Coolidge the new ‘Mrs. Robinson.’ The actress plays Mrs. Stifler, an older woman who seduces the

friend of her high schoolaged son, in the American Pie film franchise, which includes this past summer’s American Wedding. Coolidge has also appeared in the Legally Blonde films and in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

Top: The cast of Boy Meets Boy, a hit reality show. Christopher McDonald ’97 was a casting director for the show. Above: A scene from Hairspray. Alumnus Scott Wittman wrote the lyrics for the show, which won the 2003 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score.

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Above: A still from Silver Lining, a film by Ken Franchi ’02, which will air on the Independent Film Channel. Right: the cover of the latest book by Lara Zeises ’01.

Silver Lining, a short dramatic film, will air later this fall on the Independent Film Channel, according to its executive producer Ken Franchi ’02. The film was a student production which won two EVVYS. It examines a day inside a nursing home through the eyes of Arthur, a resident who is preparing to leave to live with family. The film was written, directed and edited by Adam Jason Finmann ’02 and co-produced by Jason Barnoski ’02 and Katie Hawkins ’05. It will air repeatedly over the next three years. Franchi is assistant to Pam Abdy ’95, vice president of production at Paramount Pictures.

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Todd Strauss-Schulson ’02 is busy directing music videos. His video for the band Slick Shoes (“Now’s the Time”) topped the charts on MTV’s College TV network, beating out videos from bands like Limp Bizkit and Stained. The video will be showcased on MTV’s Advance Warning and began rotation on MTV2. Ethan Lader ’02 is also making music videos, including videos that have aired on MTV Asia and Black Entertainment Television (BET). Maryanne Galvin, MFA ’94, won the “Grand Prize for the Providence Film Festival” at the Rhode Island International Film Festival for a documentary she directed, High Fast and Wonderful. Galvin’s film is about the Catholic Church’s “People on the Move” ministry, and it beat out 1,032 films from 42 countries and 32 states. The film is now eligible for consideration for the 2004 Academy Awards in the short film category.

Little Erin Merryweather, a film by David Morwick ’96, won an Audience Award at the 2003 Woods Hole Film Festival. Morwick directed and appears in the film, which is making the film festival rounds.

Literature Actor-producer-director Henry Winkler ’67 needs another hyphen! The multitalented Emersonian is now the author of a series of children’s books. The first two books in the series, which is called Hank Zipzer: The Mostly True Confessions of the World’s Best Underachiever, were recently released by Penguin Putnam. Winkler teamed up with producer Lin

Oliver for these books about a fourth-grader dealing with school life, family and his own “learning differences.” The books are inspired by Winkler’s own experiences with undiagnosed dyslexia. A book by M.F.A. alum Lara Zeises ’01, Bringing Up the Bones (Delacorte Press, 2002), was an honor winner in the Delacorte Press Prize for a first Young Adult novel and was named one of the New York Public Library’s 2003 Books for the Teen Age. Her book will appear in paperback in April 2004, which coincides with the release of Zeises’ second novel, Contents Under Pressure (Delacorte). Kim Ablon Whitney, MFA ’03, will see her first novel, See You Down the Road, published by Knopf in 2004. Whitney is also an equestrian and a contributing editor for Equine Journal.

Alumni Digest Beach Blanket Alumni

Los Angeles-area alumni gather at Dockweiler State Beach for the Second Annual Emerson Alumni Beach Bonfire. For information about other alumni events in Los Angeles, please visit www.emersonlaalumni.com.

Ladies Who Lunch For more than 40 years, a small group of Emerson alumnae from the Class of 1940 have met once a year at the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston for what they call “a private alumni meeting.” The women are Bettie True, of Weymouth, Mass.; Madelyn Selig Grillo of Gloucester; Alice Cavanagh Daniels of Holden; and Elizabeth Evans Sullivan of North Wilmington. Another member, Patricia Arghambeau Gibney, died in 1999.

A friend, Pat Lydon, has observed the group over the years and writes, “These ladies have been determined to meet once a year, despite many hardships over the years. It is a pact they made many, many years ago. The bond they have amazes me.” This year, the hotel honored the group with champagne and cake. From left: Elizabeth Evans Sullivan, Bettie True, Alice Cavanagh Daniels and Madelyn Selig Grill, members of the Class of 1940 who have been meeting annually for decades.

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Alumni Weekend 2003 Draws 500+ Revelers More than 500 alumni and friends returned to campus May 30-June 1 to “see how we’ve grown,” the theme of the 2003 Emerson College Alumni Weekend. Campus tours featured the “Campus on the Common” and particularly the new 11-story Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center, which opened at the start of

the fall term (see full story in this issue). Alumni also enjoyed the 103rd annual Southwick Recital, which featured a piece about writer Dorothy Parker presented by Elizabeth Towner Morrell, MA ’78, and a film festival of work by Emerson students. More than 100 people participated in the Alumni College in which faculty conducted workshops on various topics, and several hundred thronged the Cutler Majestic Theatre for the Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony and a performance of scenes from

Bat Boy, the award-winning Boston production of the musical starring Miguel Cervantes ’99. Each reunion class held a class lunch at a different campus or off-campus location. A large number of alumni, faculty and friends filled the Bill Bordy Theater to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Robbins Speech, Language and Hearing Center, and on Sunday morning braved torrential rains to

The 2003 Alumni Achievement Award recipients join President Liebergott (left): Paul Beck ’69, Elspeth Cypher ’80, Glenn Jones ’99, Evelyn HorowitzMalinowitz ’67, Bill Bordy ’58, Kate Boutilier ’82 and Jim Vescera ’78.

Class of 1953

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Class of 1958

Class of 1993

attend the annual facultyalumni brunch hosted by Professor Emeritus Henry Stonie, who kept everyone in stitches with his anecdotal amble down Memory Lane. “I had never attended Alumni Weekend before,” said Maureen Tannetta ’83 of Dedham, Mass. “The events were true fun for Emerson types: the oral [presentation] depicting Dorothy Parker, the student films were a blast, but I want to give a special thank you to librarian Mickey Zemon and [archivist] Bob Fleming who

invited Emerson alums to sit in and talk about their profession, a friendly idea. And another special thank you to the kids who gave the tour. They made us feel well taken care of and welcome. Thank you for showing us how youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve changed. We are all very proud.â&#x20AC;?

Class of 1968

Class of 1963

Class of 1973

Class of 1978

Class of 1987

Class of 1983

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Two New Board Members Join Emerson College Alumni Association Today’s Alumni Association serves more than 18,000 alumni from around the world. A Board of Directors acts as a governing body and manages the affairs of the Association. The Board consists of members of the executive committee, members-at-large, and presidents of all chartered regional chapters. Association board members are selected through a nomination and election process which takes place every March. The two newly elected board members are: Seth Grahame-

Smith ’98 and Deborah Komarow ’85. Seth Grahame-Smith lives in Los Angeles, where he creates and develops series for networks, including NBC, VH1, MTV, Comedy Central, Discovery and Lifetime. In addition to writing and producing award-winning programs for The History Channel, Seth has been a contributor to Stuff magazine and is currently writing his first manuscript for a major publisher. Deborah Komarow lives in New York City and is marketing manager for Dodger Stage Holding The-

atricals, where she develops strategies to drive ticket sales for major Broadway shows such as 42nd Street and Urinetown. She has also managed marketing projects at Fidelity Investments and Ameritech. Each year the Alumni Board works in cooperation with the Alumni Relations Office to set an agenda and develop programs, events and initiatives. This year the board will work on increasing opportunities for professional development and

career networking, strengthening communication between and among alumni via the web, fostering increased relationships with students and alumni, bringing increased alumni resources to the College through both professional and financial support, and expanding program offerings based on interest and major rather than on regional location. The Alumni Board members look forward to hearing from you. Below is a list of Alumni Board representatives and their contact information.

Mary Geddes Avery ’50 momtours@aol.com

Madeline Yusna ’76 mayusna@earthlink.com

Seth Grahame-Smith ’98 sethfilm@sbcglobal.net

Chapter Presidents Diane Purdy-Theriault ’55 New England fluffatoo@aol.com

Emerson College Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2003-04 President Sandra Goldfarb ’78 sgcomm@comcast.net

Members at Large Lee Addiss ’46 westsidelib@aol.com

Vice President Peter Loge ’87 ploge@aol.com

Jim Aleski ’97 jaleski@aol.com

Rep. to the Board of Trustees Glenn Meehan ’83 glennm1617@aol.com Treasurer Robert Friend ’79 rf@segroup.net Secretary Sybil Tonkonogy ’58 info@speechfirst.com Past President Gary Grossman ’70 ggrossman@wellergrossman .com

Dennis Blader ’75, MSSp ’79 ec75alum@aol.com Peter Brenner ’67 prkbrenner@hotmail.com Chapin Cutler ’70 chapin@blsi.com Steve Farrier ’75 fargo22@pacbell.net

Cedric Harmon ’88 harmon@au.org Deborah Komarow ’85 dkomarow@hotmail.com April Kreyssig ’93 april_kreyssig@harvard.edu Rod Lindheim ’93 rod_lindheim@harvard.edu Barbara Randolph ’65 barbrand@aol.com Wiesia Sadowski ’93 wsadowski@a-g.com Brie Williams, MA ’99 briewilliams@msn.com

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Jon (Satch) Satriale ’94 New York jon@satch.tv Jane Guterman ’73 Southern Florida jguterman2@aol.com Robert Tull ’50 Southern California lionbob12@aol.com Melinda Valente ’97 L.A. Young Alumni melinda_ valente@hotmail.com

New Career Aids Available to Alumni Emerson College is introducing its new, exclusive alumni service, CareerTools. It’s not just an Internet jobs site; it’s a world-class array of job search and career management tools and access to local career experts in 170 offices of one of the leading career services firms in the world—Lee Hecht Harrison. CareerTools helps minimize the anxiety and stress of searching for a new job, changing careers or managing a current career.

For alumni who want more personal attention, there will be access to job search workshops, executive coaching, career assessments, resume writing or interviewing assistance and much more. Alumni will receive the attention they deserve, in person, to keep them focused on their career goals. This comprehensive site includes: • Introductions to professionals who can help locally • Millions of job leads and online resume building • Networking tools • A career wizard that provides step-by-step directions on using Careertools

CareerTools supplements the career services already available to Emerson alumni. The basic Internet site is free. A premium subscription is also available, giving users access to two additional research tools—Dunn & Bradstreet’s Million Dollar Database Premier and InSite2. The D&B Million Dollar Database Premier is a continuously updated database of more than 1.2 million public and privately

held U.S. companies. Users create target company lists by using any combination of 25+ criteria, and can export results in print or database file formats. Insite2 is an unparalleled collection of business information specifically selected to meet the unique research challenges associated with career transition and management. For more information on CareerTools, visit the Emerson College Career Services website at http: //www.emerson.edu/career_ services or contact Career Services at (617) 824-8586.

Winner of Friends cxxcx Raffle Named Mary Wilcox, mother of Emerson student Shelby Wilcox ’06, has won a trip to Los Angeles, compliments of the Emerson College Annual Fund office and Kevin Bright ’76, an Emerson alumnus and executive producer of the hit TV sitcom Friends. Alumni and parents of current students received an invitation by mail this year to enter a raffle for a chance to win the trip. More than 1,000 people entered, and Mary and her guest were selected to fly this fall from Boston to Los Angeles to stay three nights at the Hotel Sofitel in Beverly Hills. While there, they will be picked up by limousine and taken to the Warner Brothers lot to watch a live taping of one of the last episodes of Friends.

After winning, Mary, who lives in Easton, Maine, wrote, “This is a fantastic opportunity and wonderful adventure for me – to travel to Los Angeles and see the taping of one of my favorite shows!” The drawing was organized to encourage more people to stay connected with Emerson. As a result of the raffle, new alumni addresses were collected, as were generous donations to the College’s Annual Fund. Congratulations to the Wilcox family and thank you to Kevin Bright and everyone who entered the raffle.

ALUMNI WEEKEND JUNE 11-13, 2004 Stretch your mind at the ever-popular Alumni College Laugh it up at your class luncheon Dine and dance amid the dinosaurs at Boston’s Museum of Science This is an opportunity to renew, recharge and reconnect with your past and rekindle old friendships while sharing new visions. We hope to see you at Alumni Weekend 2004!

-Martha Cassidy Director, Annual Fund

Special event: EBONI celebrates 35 years at Alumni Weekend

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Obituaries Longtime College Trustee Rev. Rhys Williams Dies The Rev. Rhys Williams, a longtime Board of Trustees member of Emerson College and a Unitarian minister, died of cancer on July 20 at his home in Boston. He was 74. He was first elected to the Emerson Board of Trustees in 1960 and served the College for more than 50 years. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the College in 1962. “We will all miss Rhys,” said President Jacqueline Liebergott. “He was a very fine human being.” Williams served as minister of the First and Second Unitarian Church in Boston from 1960 until 2000. He served there during the major fire in March 1968 that destroyed most of the church, including its monuments and stainedglass windows. He vowed to rebuild. The project took four years, but, in 1972, after a merger with the Second Church in Boston in 1970, the new building for the First and Second Church in Boston opened its doors. Born in San Francisco, Williams enrolled in St. Lawrence University’s theological program and graduated in 1953. He was the minister

of the Unitarian Church in Charleston, S.C., the oldest in the South, for seven years before coming to First Church in Boston. There, he was minister for 40 years before retiring in 2000 and assuming the title minister emeritus. Earlier this year, a collection of 34 of his sermons, Triumphant Living, Sermons from Five Decades Celebrating the Liberal Gospel, was published. In addition to his wife, Eleanor, he leaves a son, Rhys Hoyle Williams of Haverford, Pa.; a daughter, Eleanor Williams Kelly of Troy, N.Y.; and five grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be sent to the First and Second Church, 66 Marlborough St., Boston, MA 02116, earmarked for the Rhys Williams Ministerial Scholarship Fund. Actor Peter MacLean Dies Peter MacLean ’59, a Shakespearean actor known for his intensity, died May 28 of lymphoma. He lived in Los Angeles. While his acting credits include appearances on both stage and screen, MacLean’s true calling was

Peter MacLean

The Rev. Rhys Williams

Shakespeare. He performed in 27 Shakespearean plays, bringing to life characters, including Mercutio, King Henry IV, and most notably, Macbeth, a role he took on several times during his career. It was his years at Emerson that ignited this passion for the Bard, and that propelled him to perform in repertory companies across the country. He met his wife, the actress Dorothy Constantine, while a student at Emerson, and the pair went on to pursue graduate studies together at the College. Early in his career, he taught speech and directed plays at both his alma mater and at Suffolk University. He made his film debut in The Cardinal, which was shot in Boston.

Department from 1943 to 1963, died June 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 100 years old. Alumnus Bernard Sweet ’60 of Louisville, Ky., recalls taking classes that Norton taught: “It was a privilege just to be in his presence. Studying with Mr. Norton (always ‘Mr.’ Norton) was the silver polish course, the hone of an oil finish on teak…. He was the teacher we all remember who may have influenced us the most to be the best.” Norton received an honorary degree from Emerson in 1963. Norton worked for a variety of Boston newspapers, including the nowdefunct Boston Post and the Boston Record American, which is now the Boston Herald. He won a Tony Award in 1971 and the George Foster Peabody Award in 1962.

Theater Critic Elliot Norton Dies at Age 100 Elliot Norton, a longtime theater critic who taught in Emerson’s English

Alumni and Career Services Survey Thanks to those of you who responded to the recent Alumni Relations/Career Services survey both through the mail and online. We received more than 500

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surveys containing updates on what our alumni are doing. We are in the process of tabulating the information. The next step is to take the information and apply it to our strategies for the Annual

Fund, career services and Alumni Relations programming and services. We continue to be very interested in how we can keep

connected to our alumni and what resources can benefit everyone. We look forward to meeting you during our travels. -Barbara Rutberg ’68, Director, Alumni Relations

Class Notes 1957

1968

Nanette O’Neill married Nestor (Ernie) Landeira in Las Vegas at the Little White Chapel.

Stephen Snow is on sabbatical from his position at Concordia University while he works on Nightride in the City, a show combining elements of “autobiographical performance, self-revelatory performance, and musical theater,” the idea for which grew from a ride in a New York City taxi over 25 years ago. Stephen wrote the story and lyrics, while his wife, Shelley, a professional singer, composed the music. The show previewed at the New School University in New York in June.

1962 Anthony DiFruscia is currently serving his third term as a New Hampshire state representative.

1966 Barbara Tuerkheimer Paskoff is executive producer, writer and researcher for A Woman’s Heart, which was nominated for Best Health Science Documentary, Best Researcher, in the New York Emmy Awards.

1970 The work of Mark Hall Amitin was the subject of a daylong panel, “Visions for a Changing Theatre,” sponsored by New

York University. The event was held in early October and kicked off a three-month-long exhibition of materials from Amitin’s archives that are part of NYU’s collection. A film and video festival also showed works of the artists and groups Amitin has worked with and produced from 1968 to 1999.

1972 Edward Cohen has relocated to sunny Dunedin, Fla., where he lives near friends, including his drama teacher Ed Belliveau ’74 and people from the Winthrop Players. Edward loves his new home and says that living among so many friends is “great at this time of my life.”

1974 Frances A. Smeath is working on cataloging the personal and professional papers of Morris A. Shirts as part of a project chronicling the history of the settlement of southern Utah for Brigham Young University. Two publications resulted from work with this collection: A Trial Furnace: Southern Utah’s Iron Mission, on which she was consulting editor, and Historical Topography: A New Look at Old Sites on Mountain Meadows, which she co-authored.

1975 Myra Gutin ’70, MA ’71, (left) represented Emerson College at the inauguration of Mary Sue Coleman (right), 13th president of the University of Michigan last spring.

Abby Altshuler has received a grant from the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities to put her artistic and teaching experience to use

by organizing art workshops for children in Norwood, Colo. Through her program, Abby hopes to “bring smiles to lots of paintbrush-wielding kids.” Friends can write to abbyalt1@mindspring.com.

1978 Cindy Michelson was recently chosen to serve as president/executive director of the Southern Scholarship Foundation, an organization committed to providing qualified students with rent-free housing scholarships at select universities in Florida. Meg Vitali would love to hear from old friends (especially Carla Stern, Peter Schmitt and the guy from Oregon with the great sense of humor) at potters19@cox.net.

1980 Anna Cruz is teaching theater arts in Springfield, Mass. She has two sons, Andrew, 12, and Daniel, 10.

1982 After completing her master’s in Mass Comm as one of the infamous “Guerilla Grads” of the time, Cheryl Evans went on to get her Ph.D. in urban education at Old Dominion University in 1997. She is now a professor of teacher education at Bloomfield College in N.J. She would love to hear from old friends at DRNYOTA@aol.com.

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In Memoriam 1926 1930 1930 1933 1933 1942 1947 1951 1951 1953 1959 1966 1967

Eleanor Trites Van Atten Virginia Cirace of Melrose, Mass. Elsie P. Pepper of Manchester, Mass. Vera D. Curley of Wakefield, Mass. Alene L. Chew of Coudersport, Pa. Jane Smiley Walter of Charleston, W.V. Josephine McMillen of Middlebury, Conn. Betty Bupp Collyer of Hagerstown, Md. James W. Fox of Halifax, Mass. Dr. Hermann Stelzner of Amherst, Mass. Peter MacLean of Los Angeles, Calif. Angelo ‘Buddy’ Zotos of Brockton, Mass. David B. Kane of San Jose, Costa Rica

John Frink offers his news of the last 20 years: “Got newspaper delivery job in Los Angeles for the Herald Examiner; sold Levi’s at local, cruddy chain store, watered plants for local, cruddy plant watering store; worked with The Groundlings doing local, cruddy improv; worked as messenger, media librarian, …; met a girl, married a girl, had three kids; wrote for TV shows [including] Veronica’s Closet, The Brian Benben Show, The Simpsons; nominated for a Golden Globe, won People’s Choice Award and two Emmys; still married, kids still alive (as of this writing).” Dawn Steinberg has left NBC to join Sony Pictures Television, overseeing the casting of all current series, movies and minis, as well as projects in development for network, cable and first-run syndication. Dawn has been married since 1989 to David Gautreaux. They have a daughter, Julia.

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Art Stewart is president and senior counsel of Stewart Strategies Group, a marketing and communications management firm based in Wayne, Pa.

1988

1990

Cheryl Magadieu recently received the Distinguished Chapter Service Award from the Boston chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. In addition, Cheryl and her husband, John, welcomed their first baby, Holly Rose, in February.

Noelle Slattery and her husband, Tom, welcomed their fourth child, Malibu Melissa, to the world on May 30. The newest addition joins siblings Lucy (11), Cade (6) and Maxine (2). Noelle is completing her last year at the University of San Diego School of Law and hopes to become a civil litigator after taking the bar exam next summer.

Jonathan Schwartz recently had his first novel, Harold’s Fetish, published by PublishAmerica. The story centers on a man who suffers from life-threatening sleep apnea, and the powerful discovery he makes when his breathing stops during the night. Jonathan is a speech-language pathologist and currently lives in Ocala, Fla., with his wife and three children.

1991 Edwin Strout is busy as an actor and playwright. His play, That’s Mister Benchley To You, Mrs. Parker, opened at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. He played humorist Robert Benchley. He is booked until January performing in plays, including Twelve Angry Men and Laughter on the 23rd Floor.

1984 Gary Michael Spahl was named a finalist for the 2003 Playwriting/New Theater Works Artist Grants, sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Both feature film screenplays Gary submitted for consideration, Hope and High Heels and Looking for Lewis, are currently being considered for production. Aside from his screenplays, Gary works as a freelance writer and splits his time between the Boston area and San Francisco. He can be reached at gmspahl@yahoo.com.

Gregg Shapiro ’83, a 1999 inductee into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, was honored with the 2003 Outstanding Support Award at the annual OutMusic Awards ceremony at the Knitting Factory in New York last summer. The award recognized Gregg for his “involvement as a non-musician in supporting and furthering the work of LGBT musicians” and the work of the OutMusic organization. Currently living in Chicago, Gregg serves as music editor for Next magazine, onair contributor to Windy City Radio and Life Outside and senior entertainment editor for the Windy City Times.

Jennifer Hill was recently appointed public relations director for the University of Texas at Austin’s Performing Arts Center. In April she married Austin musician/composer Fritz Robenalt. Fellow Emerson alum Scott Vdoviak ’89 was a reader for the ceremony.

1992 Things are great with Tim Good, who is living in Indiana with his wife, Cary, and their four children, Keri Lynn, Lauren, Jon and Charlie. Tim is currently serving as an assistant professor in the Theatre Program at DePauw University and is directing a Cole Porter musical, The New Yorkers, this fall.

1993 James Ferguson has written his first novel, Context Clues, a satire set in Elizabethan England about history’s worst spy. For more info on James, visit www.scalepluspoints.com. Lissa (Harnish) Poirot has become managing editor of the national magazine Arthritis Today. She is also serving as editor of the brand-new travelgirl magazine, which launched in July 2003. Lissa and her husband, Michael, live in the Atlanta area and “travel whenever possible.” She says hello to alums Helene, Jen, Renee, Franca, Amie and Mari. Jennifer Riesmeyer is finishing her master’s degree in French and recently started teaching the language at an Atlanta high school. She has two sons, Simon, 6, and Jacob, 3.

1994 After seven years on the faculty of the George Washington University English Department, Ricia Chansky has accepted a new post as director of the Literary Program with the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Ricia says that while she will miss her colleagues and students, she is “greatly looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities” of her new position and encourages Emersonians to contact her at rchansky@nmwa.org. Maryanne Galvin, MFA ’94, has won the Grand Prize for the Providence Film Festival at the Rhode Island International Film Festival for a documentary she directed, High Fast and Wonderful. Maryanne is a forensic psychologist who has made three documentaries, including Amuse Bouche: A Chef’s Tale, about Barbara Lynch, the owner/chef of No. 9 Park Street (Boston). Mary Kennedy was recently married to Charles Hall in a Santa Monica, Calif., ceremony attended by many fellow Emersonians: Sharif Ali, ’94, Molly and James Ferguson ’93, Bill Holsberg ’93, Jen Passero ’94, James Pellechia ’94, Michelle Quinn-Davidson ’94, Rebecca Mis ’94, Sara Sheckells ’94 and Scott Waldman ’94. Currently living in Los Angeles, Mary is a stand-up

Marjorie Feinstein ’72, director of the Communication Program, English/Communication Department at the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey, hosted a visit by Emerson’s own Professor Emeritus Ken Crannell, who conducted a master class in oral interpretation of literature.

After more than 40 years in TV news, Julian Wolinsky ’59 took early retirement in 1999 to focus on his company, JW Media Consultants, which provides news and information on the North American transit industry to a variety of clients, including trade publications, suppliers and public transportation agencies. Julian and his wife, Ruth, recently moved from their West Los Angeles home of 34 years to north San Diego County, where they are able to enjoy a “more relaxed lifestyle along with cooler summer temperatures and much cleaner air.” Julian can be contacted at jwolinsky @railtransitonline.com. comic and actress who regularly appears at local and national comedy clubs. Her comedy has been featured on cable networks Comedy Central and USA. Mary is education coordinator for and actress in “Two Thin,” a touring show

aimed to teach middle- and high-school students about eating disorders. She would love to hear from friends at mkcomedy@hotmail.com.

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Lizzy Flanagan launched her custom jewelry design business, Pieces of a Girl, in August 2002. Her work can be found in boutiques on the East Coast as well as online.

Nathanson ’94, MA ’98, Damon Movitz ’92 and Melissa Young-Centeno ’94. According to Jon “Satch” Satriale ’94, the wedding was “insanely successful.”

1995

Carol Walker was married on April 1 to Eric Dexter in a ceremony at Yosemite National Park. Carol is currently working as the paper planner for the Bellingham Herald in Washington State.

Liza Benedict, MA ’95, a former news anchor for New England Cable News and Worcester’s Channel 3, recently became communications director at Becker College. Nearly a dozen Emersonians attended the wedding of Alec Chvany and Heather Peacock in Alhamabra, Calif., on Aug. 16. Among those attending were the groom’s father, Pete (an Emerson staff member), Greg Morris ’95, Mike Wood ’95, Steve Chvany ’93, Marc

1996 A film by David Morwick won an Audience Award at the 2003 Woods Hole Film Festival. Little Erin Merryweather, a feature film that David directed and appears in, is currently on the film festival circuit.

Anne Thibault recently returned from Europe, where she performed Macbeth in Russia, Germany, Italy and Austria. This fall, she will serve as resident artist for the North Carolina Stage Company, where she will perform in productions of Loot and Proof. Anne also took on a featured role in the David Keith film Waterville (“if it ever gets released”). She can be contacted at annesays@yahoo.com. Joel Votolato received his J.D. degree from Roger Williams University School of Law.

1997 Kathi-Anne Reinstein, MA ’97, is currently serving her third term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She represents the

16th Suffolk District, which includes Revere, Chelsea and Saugus. Kathi-Anne serves on the Joint Committees on insurance, public safety and election laws. She is also the former chair of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators.

1998 Skip Perham, MA ’98, is marketing and communications manager with Fox Sports New England. Christy A. Schmidt-Noe graduated with honors from Rutgers University Law School at Camden, N.J., and was admitted to practice law in New Jersey. She is currently with the firm of Davis & Mendelson in Cherry Hill.

1999 Keva Silversmith was named director of corporate marketing and investor relations at Perry Ellis International. Keva will be responsible for outlining the company’s position on labor relations, internal communications and website management.

2000 It was a good year for Emersonians at the New England Emmy Awards, as Justin Solomon ’02 took home the prize in the Light News/Historical or Cultural category for his WHDHTV story titled “Secrets of the Sox.” Colleen Bradley ’01, also of WHDH-TV, was nominated for the consumerrelated stories she produced for the station.

34 Expression Fall 2003

Michael Chmura has been reelected to the Board of Directors of the Wellesley Chamber of Commerce. Rhoda Jordan plays a supporting role in Never Die Alone, an upcoming crime movie

Adam Roffman made his directorial debut with the short film The Terror of the Invisible Man, which was sold to the Independent Film Channel. He also served as on-set dresser for the feature film Camp. Adam also keeps himself busy serving as program director for the Independent Film Festival of Boston.

2001 A screenplay written by Caitlin McCarthy, MFA ’94, has been optioned by Oscar-nominated writer-director Matia Karrell. Cape Cod Lite focuses on a woman and her experiences in a “not-so-quaint off-season” on Cape Cod. Caitlin says the plan is to shoot on location on the Cape. starring DMX and David Arquette, slated to be released within the year. Her fiancée, Eric Shapiro, has been hired to write the screenplay for the sequel to the B-movie horror

classic Aquanoids, entitled Super Aquanoids. The film is scheduled to go into production in September.

Sheila Darragh had her first novel, Final Arrangements, published by PublishAmerica. She began writing the book while a student in a mystery writing class at Emerson. Sheila has also finished a book of poetry, and is in the process of finding an illustrator to collaborate on two children’s books.

Eight young alums have started a theater company in New York City called Present Tense Theatre, writes Emily LefrenBrown. The group includes Emily, an actress, and her fellow Emersonians producer/actor P.J. Zeller ’99, writers Nicole Dufrense ’99 and Liz Blocker ’02, and actors Julie Christeas ’99, Rachel DiCerbo ’99, Nick Jager ’00 and Amanda Mantovani ’01. The group’s self-written first production, Monster, will premiere in October 2003 at the HERE Theatre in Manhattan.

2002 Leslie Moran, MA ’02, directed and Sean Murphy, MA ’02, co-produced Sexual Perversity in Chicago, by David Mamet, this past summer at the Complex Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

Where Are You And What are You Doing Please use the form below to submit news that you would like to share with your fellow Emersonians. Or, if you prefer, e-mail your news to Barbara_Rutberg@emerson.edu; 1-800-255-4259; fax: 1-617-824-7807. New job? Recently engaged or married? New baby? Moving? Recently ran into an old classmate? Received an award? Let us know. First Name

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Mail to: Class Notes, Emerson College, Office of Alumni Relations, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116-4624

My Turn Pace yourself An Emerson staffer finds that running a marathon teaches a lot about the race of life By Stacie Hagenbaugh The day had finally arrived. We had trained together through a long, hard winter, running through sleet, snow and bitter wind every Saturday morning in anticipation of this singular day in April.

Stacie Hagenbaugh (right) trains with Amy Lessard ’00 in preparation for a Boston Marathon.

36 Expression Fall 2003

We had just passed the 12-mile marker on the Boston Marathon route when an enormous cry went up. Throngs of spectators loudly cheered us on as we – the slowpokes, the back-ofthe-packers – passed by. I looked over at Amy, the Emerson student I was running with. We both had tears streaming down our cheeks. I’ve finished two marathons and am currently training for a third (taking place in Chicago this fall). What’s even more important, as team leader of Emerson’s Career Services Office I have always chosen to run marathons with an Emerson student. Marathons have taught me a lot about patience; running 26.2 miles ironically requires a tremendous amount of restraint. Training is slow and incremental. A runner trains for five months, adding on just a bit more each week to lengthen the run. Likewise, in a race, good runners finish the second half faster than the first, meaning that they hold back, saving energy and strength for that last push. This takes a tremendous amount of willpower and discipline because instinct (and inexperience) tells your body to run fast when it’s fresh and rested. Knowing what I know now about the patience, planning and restraint that go into preparing for and running in marathons, I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for the students I train with. In my professional role, I am familiar with the generalizations many people make about students: they can be impatient; they don’t always plan; they don’t think about the steps one has to take in order to achieve a goal, and so on. In some cases, these assumptions are true. But in many instances, they are not.

Case in point: On a cold, wintry day when I am running alongside a student who has gotten out of bed early on a Saturday morning to run 15 miles, I know that many students do understand what it means to dig deep to bring a goal to fruition. The students I run with understand that to run a good race in April, one has to patiently build up mileage, getting up each weekend to run just a little bit farther. I think of this, not just when I run with them, but when they visit my office as well. I know not all of them will run marathons, but I know that many students apply those same skills in patience, incremental building and testing boundaries through their respective crafts, be it film, poetry, or the creation of a marketing campaign. Some students understand that both tenacity and patience are vital to their future successes; others are still sprinting in the first half of the race. I also know that both perspectives are par for the course with college students. Running with Emersonians has reminded me of the kinds of things to appreciate in students as I help them prepare for their careers. Stacie Hagenbaugh is team leader of the Career Services Office at Emerson College.

Marillyn Zacharis Reflects on the Opening of the Tufte Center The Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center is named in memory of the parents of Marillyn Zacharis of Weston, Mass. Zacharis has been involved with Emerson College for 35 years, now as a member of the Board of Trustees and formerly as the wife of the late John Zacharis, an Emerson faculty member and former president, who died in 1992. Here, she reflects on what the opening of the new center means to her. John and I came to Emerson in 1968, and we found a home. The College has always been my place as well as John’s. My parents, the Tuftes, supported both John’s and my interests by adopting Emerson as their cause also. In many different ways I see the opening of the Tufte Center as a coming together of individuals as a family. It’s very exciting for me personally. I can’t really believe it’s happening. A brand-new building for Emerson, the first ever, and it’s named for my parents. The opening of this magnificent building would also have meant a great deal to my parents, especially to dad. He grew up in a log cabin in Erskine, Minnesota, and went to Chicago as a young man in

search of opportunity with only $17 in his pocket. Mom loved the Majestic [Cutler Majestic Theatre]. She would have been thrilled to see that new dressing rooms and support facilities for the theater are located in the Tufte Center.

I’ve watched Emerson grow over the years. Its focus and its values have always remained the same. That’s one of the great strengths of this college. But the times have changed and so has technology, especially in communication. Emerson has not only adapted to the changing environment, it has thrived in it. This comes as no surprise since Emersonians have always been an innovative and entrepreneurial bunch. The Tufte Center fuses technology and art. To me, it represents the energy and focus of the Emerson College of today. It also points the way to the future as we complete our new “Campus on the Common,” and I am pleased that my family has been able to help pave the way.

Marillyn Zacharis in the new Tufte Performance and Production Center

To learn more about other opportunities to support academic programs, scholarships and special projects at Emerson, contact: Barbara Rutberg, Acting Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Office of Institutional Advancement, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116-4624; (617) 824-8543.

Photo by David Rosen

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;THRUST STAGEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: Sophomore Joseph Marrella (right), who plays a lead role in the upcoming Emerson Stage production of the The Shakespeare Stealer, rehearses a dueling scene with fencing coach Ted Hewlett in Theater 1 of the new Tufte Performance and Production Center. (See article inside.) The Shakespeare Stealer is written by Gary L. Blackwood and directed by Associate Professor Robert Colby. It runs Oct. 24-26 and Nov. 1-2 in Theater 1. For ticket information, call 617-824-8369 or visit www.ticketweb.com/.

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