Signal WSIU Public Radio
An Online Newsletter
Vol. 9, No. 5 • May 2014
This Month on
May 1
Civil War Letters - We’ll take a look at a traveling Civil War exhibit on display at SIU’s Morris Library.
May 5
SIU PRESIDENT Randy Dunn - a welcome interview, as Dr. Dunn begins his first full week on the job.
May 6
H Group Crisis Center - nearly a year after opening, we’ll look at how this facility is doing.
May 13
SIU Carbondale Chancellor Rita Cheng - an update on campus issues
Have questions or suggestions for topics to be featured? Contact Jennifer Fuller at jennifer.fuller@wsiu.org or call (618) 453-6101.
May 19
SIU President Randy Dunn - following a Board of Trustees meeting, we’ll update university issues.
Morning Conversation is hosted by WSIU Public Radio morning news anchor and producer Jennifer Fuller. The series airs at 8:30am on Tuesdays and other weekdays, as scheduled, and repeats at 5:30pm. For updates & to hear past broadcasts, check our calendar at wsiu.org/ programs/morning-conversation.
Gail Kell
Gail Kell. Photo: Sarah Maher.
Chicago native and longtime southern Illinois resident Gail Kell has lived in the Carbondale area for over 25 years. She first came to Carbondale when her husband decided to attend school at SIU Carbondale. The warmer weather and beautiful scenery are two of the reasons why the couple chose to remain in the southern Illinois area.
Kell’s worked in the healthcare industry in southern Illinois for 25 years and also spent a few years selling real estate. She found out about the Southern Illinois Radio Information Services (SIRIS) from the newspaper. “I’m always looking for ways to get involved in the community,” she says, adding that she is an active volunteer in the American Red Cross, the Shawnee Alliance for Seniors, and hospice care. “Even though I volunteer with these other programs, I’m not working a set schedule, so I have time to pursue other opportunities.”
people take for granted, like being able to read the paper, a magazine, or the Want Ads. It’s nice to be able help our SIRIS users be a little more independent. If you have the time and ability to volunteer in the community, you should go out there and do it. There’s always a need, and it makes you feel good to help someone else.“
As a new volunteer at SIRIS, Kell initially found the process of recording herself reading to be a challenge. “It’s hard to get used to reading out loud,” she says, “You have to read faster than you talk, but it gets easier the more you do it.”
Because she’s so busy, Kell often doesn’t have time to watch television, but when she does, she enjoys watching WSIU-TV’s Sunday night programming featuring Masterpiece and other British dramas and period pieces.
Kell enjoys her work at SIRIS and feels it’s worthwhile. “I’m sure it’s really tough when a person is unable to see,” she says. “Not having sight can make it harder to do what you want and need to do, even simple things that sighted
If you’d like to volunteer for SIRIS as a reader, with administrative tasks, or at events, or if you’d like to serve on the SIRIS advisory board, please contact Sarah Maher in the SIRIS office at (618) 453-2808.
In her free time, Kell enjoys traveling with her husband of 42 years, gardening, painting, crafting, walking, and biking. “Being active and involved – that’s what keeps me enthusiastic!”