Signal WSIU Public Radio
An Online Newsletter
Vol. 6, No. 7 • July 2013
This Month on Morning Conversation July 1 • Local Community Markets. Carbondale and Carterville local market reps will discuss the importance of buying local. July 2 • Boys & Girls Club Update. The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale discuss their new summer programs for kids in grades 6-12. July 9 • SIU Carbondale Chancellor Rita Cheng July 16 • Beneath the Surface. Mary McCorvie & Paige Hawthorne of the Shawnee National Forest outline their ongoing archaeology lecture series. July 22 • SIU President Glenn Poshard
Dr. Terrence Glennon is the medical director and Nancy Webb is the Women’s Health Coordinator for SIH’s new cancer therapy program. The program offers physical, occupational, and speech therapy, among other services, to patients before and during the cancer treatment process. Photo: Adam Testa / The Southern.
July 30 • Cancer Rehab. Dr. Terrance Glennon (photo) discusses SIH’s Cancer Rehab program for patients who are fighting the disease and in remission. Morning Conversation airs at 8:30am on Tuesdays and other weekdays, as scheduled, and repeats at 5:30pm. For updates, check the Morning Conversation Calendar at wsiu.org/programs morning-conversation.
Listeners Show Their Love for WSIU Radio During Summer Community Support Celebration Thanks to everyone who called in a donation or pledged online during our 2013 Summer Community Support Celebration. Thanks to your generosity, we raised just under $22,000 during our drive. Now that’s something to celebrate! A special “Thank You” goes to our WSIU staff who coordinated the drive and kept us on the air, including FM operations manager Lisa Morrisette, donor communications specialist Laura Cobin, customer service representative Susan Patrick, and our WSIU Radio news team of Jeff Williams, Jennifer Fuller, and Brad Palmer. We’d also like to thank our WSIU staff and students, and SIU and community volunteers, who served as on-air hosts, answered phones, and challenged friends and family to make a contribution in support of the WSIU stations. Your gifts of support not only help to pay for the programming you enjoy on WSIU Radio, they also help us to leverage federal dollars for the coming fiscal year, to expand our current programming options and services, and to add new local programming to meet your needs and interests. WSIU is Powered by You®. Thank You!
Carbondale mayor Joel Fritzler (right) and JP Dunn of SIU’s Morris Library make the case for WSIU Radio. Photo: Robby Ballard.
SIRIS Director & WSIU Adult Outreach Coordinator Vickie Devenport Retires It is with great sadness that we announce the retirement of Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS) Director and WSIU Adult Outreach Coordinator, Vickie Devenport. Vickie retired from the WSIU stations on June 30. Since 2006, Vickie has provided visionary leadership at SIRIS, WSIU Radio’s reading and information service for individuals who are visually-impaired. Among Vickie’s many accomplishments while at the helm of SIRIS are upgrading the automation system, expanding user services, securing new funding, adding new and strengthening existing partnerships, revitalizing the SIRIS board, adding volunteer readers, and raising awareness about SIRIS by giving presentations across the region. Vickie also coordinated special fundraising events, such as the annual SIRIS Classic Vinyl & Media Sale at Carbondale’s University Mall, which has seen record-breaking sales and attendance since 2008, and the first-ever SIRIS Trivia Night. “It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Vickie over the years,”
says Jeff Williams, WSIU Radio General Manager and News Director. “Radio had been a largely untapped resource for community outreach until Vickie began connecting the dots that enabled WSIU Radio and SIRIS to collaborate with a wide variety of activities and grant projects. She has helped to expand our relevance within the greater community we serve.” As adult outreach coordinator, Vickie has brought partners and people together for frank discussions about complex issues that impact our region. Among the many projects Vickie has led are: Excellence is Color Blind, Honor & Sacrifice: WSIU Remembers WWII, Science Cafés, PBS KIDS Story Contest, God in America, Freedom Riders, the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival, Women & Girls Lead, Cherokee Storyteller Robert Lewis, National Parks, Illinois PBS LearningMedia, Central Park Five, and WSIU’s Community Cinema film series. “Vickie’s thoughtful approach to community partnerships has helped WSIU make new connections to diverse audiences,” says co-worker and WSIU Educational Outreach Coordinator, Beth Spezia.
Vickie Devenport. Photo: Monica Tichenor.
“We especially appreciate her commitment to special populations. Through Vickie’s leadership and collaborative spirit, SIRIS and WSIU have touched citizens in unexpected ways.” We would like to extend our gratitude to Vickie for her many contributions to the stations, our project partners, and the people we serve, and offer our best wishes to her for an enjoyable and adventurous retirement!
WSIU Program Schedule Changes Beginning on Sunday, June 30, WSIU Radio will make a few changes to our FM schedules. On Sundays, our primary channels – WSIU 91.9 FM, 90.3 FM, 88.9 FM, and 91.9 HD1 – will add the TED Radio
Hour from 3-4pm as a lead in to Weekend All Things Considered. Our new local series, The Acoustic Nature Hour with Kevin Boucher, will repeat from 10-11pm, followed by Computer Ed Radio from 11pm-12am.
Beginning Monday, July 1 on our News & Talk channel, WSIU 91.9 HD2, Talk of the Nation will be replaced by Here and Now Monday-Thursday from 1-2pm. Science Friday will continue Fridays at 1pm.
On Mondays, Sounds Like Radio will move to 12-2am, followed by classical music from 2-4am.
Questions? Call (618) 453-6101 or send an email to wsiuradio@wsiu.org.
Meet SIRIS Board Member
Suzanne Gorrell
Gorrell graduated from Pinckneyville High School and went on to Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., where she earned her certification as a surgical assistant in 1982. While taking lessons towards a private pilot’s license, Gorrell was diagnosed with a brain tumor called an astrocytoma. The tumor was removed, but its location made surgery difficult and Gorrell was left with permanent physical disabilities. Suzanne Gorrell and her helper dog, Holly. Photo: Monica Tichenor.
Southern California native and long-time southern Illinois resident Suzanne Gorrell knows how to put people at ease with her easy laugh, well-honed sense of irony, and witty observations about life. She also knows what it’s like to face unexpected physical challenges and the feelings of isolation that often follow such experiences. Born in Park Ridge, Ill., Gorrell, her parents, and sister lived briefly in New York before moving to Simi Valley, Calif., where her father worked as a salesman. Gorrell spent most of her formative years in California, getting involved as a young teen in the Junior Air Force ROTC and the Civil Air Patrol, in which she was a cadet and her father a commander. When Gorrell was a junior in high school, her father passed away suddenly, prompting a move to live with family in Pinckneyville, Ill.
Over the next 11 years, Gorrell worked to regain a level of independence that would allow her to live on her own. She also returned to college, although she admits, “I had to develop a different way of studying and took full advantage of the resources available for students with disabilities.” She graduated from John A. Logan College in 1997 with an Associate’s degree in psychology and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Services from SIU Carbondale in 2001. She also completed an internship at the Center for Comprehensive Services, working as a peer counselor for people who have suffered severe brain injuries. Although Gorrell’s physical disabilities have affected her work options, she has stayed engaged in the community by serving on committees and as a volunteer. “I served as president of the committee, Partnership for Disabilities in Carbondale, working on
accessibility and safety issues for disabled persons,” she says. “I’ve also volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club and been involved in charitable work through my church.” First introduced to SIRIS by a friend, Gorrell has been both a user of the service and a board member for seven years. “I appreciate the opportunity to help shape policy to assist SIRIS users,” she says. “SIRIS is important because it gives people with disabilities a greater sense of normalcy and connection to their community, and it improves their quality of life.” Gorrell says she’ll miss outgoing SIRIS director, Vickie Devenport, who recently retired. “Vickie has been a great leader – very willing to listen, hardworking, and well-organized,” she says. “She has made a big difference in helping SIRIS to grow.” When Gorrell isn’t busy volunteering and hanging out with her friends and her helper dog, Holly, she likes doing research projects online, listening to student-produced music programs on WSIU Radio, and making travel plans. “I’d like to visit family around the country first,” she says, “but a trip to Europe is definitely high on my bucket list!” To learn more about SIRIS or how to volunteer, call (618) 453-2808 or send an email to david.whitfield@wsiu.org.
A Capitol Fourth 2013 Thu, July 4 • 7-9pm Tom Bergeron from TV’s Dancing With the Stars, returns to host this annual celebration, broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Guests include Barry Manilow, Candice Glover and Scotty McCreery of American Idol, actor and singer Darren Criss of Glee, musical prodigy and classical crossover star Jackie Evancho, and Broadway and television star Megah Hilty of Smash. You’ll also enjoy music from Broadway’s new hit Motown: The Musical, John Williams conducting music from the Oscar-winning blockbuster film Lincoln, and patriotic songs performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, with Jack Everly conducting.
Photo: Bill Ross/Corbis.
What’s the Scoop? Texas is the nation’s second most populous state and its biggest source of votes for Republican candidates for national office. It also sends more Republicans to Congress than any other state (26) and elects a solid GOP majority in both chambers of the state legislature to go with an allGOP slate of statewide officers. But Texas is also experiencing deep demographic changes faster than any other major state. The minority population increased by 40% in the decade before 2010, and in the next census year of 2020, non-Hispanic whites will no longer be a majority of the state’s eligible voters. Together with NPR’s National Desk, Morning Edition and All Things Considered look at the demographic changes underway in Texas and what they mean for culture, politics and business in Texas and across the U.S.
July 1 | Texas 2020: Demographics, Houston, Electoral Map, The California Comparison Morning Edition Scott Horsley outlines the population change its political implications. Elise Hu examines how Houston has become one of the most diverse places in the country.
All Things Considered Mara Liaason reports on why the country should care if Texas turns blue. Ina Jaffe reviews California’s demographic shift 30 years ago and how efforts to get tough on immigrants consolidated Latino support for Democrats.
Texas
2020 Airs July 1-4
July 2 | Texas 2020: The New Texas Blue, Jeremy Bird Morning Edition Don Gonyea reports on Texas’ former “Yellow Dog Democrat” history, which was closer in ideology to its Republican counterpart, and how minority voters today could change the state to a Democratic stronghold like California or New York. All Things Considered Gonyea also talks with Jeremy Bird, who was a key part of President Obama’s campaigns and now heads an organization that aims to use Texas’ demographic shifts to create an opportunity for Democrats.
July 3 | Texas 2020: The State of the Democratic Party, The Republican Response Morning Edition Wade Goodwyn looks at how national Democrats are planning a serious play in Texas.
All Things Considered Goodwyn also explores how the national Republican Party is now reaching out to the state’s Latino community.
July 4 | Texas 2020: Immigration Battle, Latino Roots, Ted Cruz Morning Edition David Welna examines the fine line Republicans walk between increasing border security or further alienating Latinos. Shelley Kofler of KERA reports how, in some ways, having once been part of Mexico has seemed to lessen the tensions between whites and Latinos in Texas. All Things Considered David Welna returns for a final report on the efforts of conservative Republican Ted Cruz to win over Latino voters.
NPR’s Back Seat Book Club: July 2013 Changes and difficult choices are the focus of NPR’s July Back Seat Book Club selection Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood. It’s the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Miss., and 11-year-old Gloriana Hamphill is about to learn a lot about bigotry, loyalty, and bravery. Send questions for the author to backseatbookclub@npr.org or tweet them to @nprbackseat. Visit npr.org to hear segments, find suggested reading selections, and meet the readers in the club.
Thank You Underwriters! Please join us in thanking the underwriters who recently began, renewed, or expanded their partnership to make public radio possible:
Gator Automotive, Carbondale IL New Harmony Artists Guild/ New Harmony Music Festival & School, New Harmony, IN New Harmony Business Associates, New Harmony, IN
Saturday 7pm • Sunday 6pm July 6 • New Releases Bryan Kelso Crow samples songs and tunes from the most recent releases in the Celtic music genre.
July 13 • The Waterbug Celtic Hour Singer Andrew Calhoun visits our studio to talk about the many Celtic and American folk artists who have albums on his Illinois-based record label, Waterbug Records.
July 20 • Encore: Songs from the
Southern Illinois University Museum, Carbondale IL Walker Funeral Home & Crematorium, Alto Pass, Carbondale & Hurst, IL Outback Concerts Presenting Widespread Panic, Nashville, TN For a complete list of WSIU sponsors and information about sponsoring WSIU programming, visit us online at wsiu.org or call (618) 453-4286.
Sam Henry Collection
Northern Irish folk song collector Sam Henry was born in Coleraine in 1878 and died in 1952. He collected songs throughout his life, published many in the Belfast newspapers, and eventually published the words in a massive collection called Songs of the People. Many of these songs continue to show up in recent recordings by Celtic musicians, who attribute Sam Henry’s book as their source. We feature some of these songs in this week’s program.
July 27 • Encore: Music of Ed Reavy Fiddler and composer Ed Reavy, born in Co. Cavan in 1897, lived in Philadelphia from 1912 until his death in 1988. Many tunes that have been classified as “traditional” are actually compositions by Ed Reavy. This week’s program features some of his tunes, played by Ed and by many of the leading Irish musicians of our time.
Books Under the Radar WSIU Public Radio Communications Building 1003 Mail Code 6602 Southern Illinois University 1100 Lincoln Drive Carbondale IL 62901 (618) 453-6101 wsiuradio@wsiu.org
Looking for new summer book ideas? NPR’s Nancy Pearl shares some great “under the radar” reads at http://www.npr.org/ series/178606119/criticslists. Select the Nancy Pearl headline for details.