Knox Receives $1-Million Commitment to Endowed Chair
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| Above, Sophia and Richard Henke '56 with President Roger Taylor '63. |
"Rik and Sophie Henke have demonstrated their tremendous dedication and love for Knox College, and their dedication to the priority of an outstanding faculty," said Jan Koran '71, chair of the Knox College Board of Trustees, at the signing ceremony held during Knox's Homecoming 2007 festivities.
"We believe in Knox's mission," Richard Henke said at the ceremony. "Sophie and I feel that endowing this chair is our way of saying thank you to Knox."
Henke received his bachelor's degree in chemistry at Knox in 1956 and his M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1960. A pathologist retired from active practice, he joined the Knox College Board of Trustees in 1998. Read more.
Critics Love Hellenga's The Italian Lover
The Italian Lover, the new novel from Robert Hellenga, George A. Lawrence Professor Emeritus of English, is gaining rave reviews from critics. The novel is Hellenga's fifth and is a sequel to his first, The Sixteen Pleasures, in which Margot Harrington, a young American art conservator in Florence, Italy, helping clean up from the Arno River flood of 1967, comes upon a rare and controversial 16th-century manuscript. In The Italian Lover, Harrington grapples with a film production company that wants to make a movie about her exploits in Florence 25 years earlier.
The New York Times praised the novel for its "affairs, fiery outbursts and lots of rich food," as well as a "story that is just as rich."
"Hellenga tells a fast story and creates solid characters," wrote the Boston Globe, which also noted his "memorable references to the arts."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer said the book is "delectable and philosophical . . . satisfying in unexpected ways," while the Associated Press called it "a must-read" for people who loved the best-selling The Sixteen Pleasures. Read more.
1,200 Come Home to Knox, Celebrate Old Main
Nearly 1,200 alumni and
friends returned to campus to celebrate Homecoming
2007 and Old Main's 150th anniversary, setting a Homecoming
attendance record. The
highlight of the weekend's festivities was the birthday party for
Old Main. Alumni, friends, faculty, staff, and
students
gathered on the South Lawn to wish Knox's most beloved and historic
campus building a happy 150th. Sixteen student groups participated in
a cake bake-off honoring Old Main -- the Greek colony ATP baked the
winning cake -- and a 200 lb. cake in the shape of Old Main was
on display. A rousing rendition of Happy
Birthday was led by President Roger Taylor '63. Read
more and see
photos of the weekend's festivities. Why did nearly 1,200 alumni come home to Knox? And what were their favorite Knox memories? Listen to the Homecoming 2007 podcast to find out.
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| President Roger Taylor '63 unveils the Suitts Center at the Gale House with Bill '49 and Beth Charlet Suitts '46. |
The Suitts Center at The Gale House was officially dedicated on Thursday, October 18. William '49 and Beth Charlet Suitts '46, who gave Knox $100,000 to purchase the historic home last December, and family were on hand for the event, as were members of the Board of Trustees, Galesburg Mayor Gary Smith, State Representative Don Moffit, among others. Knox plans to use the house, which features original furnishings from George Washington Gale and other historic pieces, to host College guests and special meetings or events. The newly-renovated Hamblin Hall was also dedicated during Homecoming, and members of the Hamblin family, including Life Trustee Carolyn Hamblin Tucker '53, were on hand for the event.
We need your help!
If you attended Homecoming and would like to share your thought about events, accommodations, and other items, please take a moment to fill out our 2007 Homecoming Survey. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
A Note from the Editor
Halloween HomecomingBy now, many of you may have heard that Homecoming 2008 is October 30-November 2. We recognize that Homecoming falling so late in the year, particularly on Halloween, is not ideal for many alumni. None of us at Knox are thrilled with the date either, but it was a "no choice" decision.
Many variables are involved when choosing the date for Homecoming -- there must be a home football game; the date cannot conflict with Monmouth College Homecoming due to insufficient number of motel rooms in the area; and the date can't be too early in the fall so that students can participate in the festivities and the staff can prepare for the Homecoming Board of Trustees meeting. The only weekend that met all criteria in 2008 was October 30-November 2. Please note that we're planning to make the best of the situation by throwing a Halloween Party in the gym for alumni with children, as well as other festive events.
If you can come Home to Knox next October, please make your room reservations today. No matter when Homecoming is scheduled, hotel rooms always move fast! More information on area accommodations.
Campus News
New Health Care Center Opens on Campus
Knox College students have a new
professionally-staffed, on-campus Health Care Center. Created by Knox
and the Galesburg Clinic, the center is open 30 hours a week when Knox
is in session, with services provided by a physician, physician's
assistant, or nurse practitioner. "This is a significant new service for
Knox students, to have a professional medical staff and a Level One
Primary Care facility, right here on campus," said Xavier Romano,
vice president for student development and dean of students. The new
center opened this fall, sharing space in a residence hall with the
College's current Counseling Center. Read more. Knox, WIU Announce Radio Partnership
Since September 24, 2007, radio listeners in Knox County have been able to pick up National Public Radio's (NPR) Morning Edition on Tri States Public Radio from Western Illinois University (WIU), courtesy of Knox College's student operated WVKC 90.7 FM. Knox College President Roger Taylor and Western Illinois University President Al Goldfarb signed the cooperative agreement on Monday, September 17. Read more.
Harper Prize Fund Expanded
The Robert Stevens Harper Prize Fund, established in December 1986, by family, colleagues, former students, and friends of Dr. Harper upon his retirement from Knox College, is being expanded to offer up to three annual prizes. Originally the prize fund honored "the student who best exemplified Bob's philosophy of education and had been accepted into a Ph.D. program in psychology." While this prize will continue to exist, the fund will also now offer two additional annual prizes to the best research projects submitted by senior students toward completion of the requirements for a major in psychology. Gifts may be added to the fund at any time and can be made online (please note that this is for the Robert Stevens Harper Prize Fund in the comments section) or sent to the attention of the Advancement Office, Knox College, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, IL 61401.
Common Room Celebrates 10th Anniversary
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, The Common Room, the English department's online journal of literary criticism, released a special anniversary edition of the journal. The issue features 15 student essays covering a range of subject matter and time periods. Read the issue.
Center for Community Service Celebrates Accomplishments
Knox's Center for Community Service has made great strides since it officially opened its doors in January 2006. Read The Register-Mail article.
Student News
Senior Jaran Rutledge Top-Ranked Heavyweight in NWCA Preseason Poll
Jaran
Rutledge '08 is the top-ranked heavyweight in the 2007-2008
National
Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Brute-Adidas
individual preseason rankings, which were released October 23. Rutledge
was Knox's first wrestling All-American last season. "It is a nice
honor," said Rutledge. "But it really means nothing until the National
Tournament. Last year, the goal was to become an All-American; this
year, the goal is to become a National Champion." Read more. Knox Programming Teams Compete for Sixth Year
The Knox Programming Teams competed in their sixth Association for Computing Machinery Intercollegiate Programming contest in November. One-hundred-twenty teams from 60 colleges and universities competed in the Mid-Central regional competition at nine different sites. Knox competed at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). In the official results, the Knox Gold Team (Alex Nimmer '10, Thien Do '08, and Brian Zhang '09,with reserve Paul Cotton '08) solved three problems and came in third at the UIS site and in 30th place overall in the region. The Knox Purple Team (Chris Johnson '10, Andy Sheehan '08, and Alex Lindsay '09) finished fourth at the UIS site and in 32nd place overall. Knox was one of the top two liberal arts colleges in the region.
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| Tim Stedman '08 designed the cover of Lyle Lovett's most recent CD. |
Tim Stedman '08 seems pretty average strolling about campus -- friendly, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. But he was once the sought after designer that finagled CD art work for musical talents such as Roy Orbison, LIVE, Blink 182, New Found Glory, RXBandits, The Starting Line, and, most recently, Lyle Lovett. Stedman walked away from a vice president/creative director position with MCA Records, a division of Universal Music Group, the world's largest record studio, to go back to college . . . Knox College. He came to Knox from Los Angeles for what he calls a traditional education. Read more.
Junior Hayley Lerner Interns at PBS Peoria Affiliate
Junior Hayley Lerner's love of history and keen eye for e-mails from the Knox Career and Pre-Professional Development office led her to an internship at PBS affiliate WTVP in Peoria. In line with the Ken Burns' production of the World War II documentary The War, the local station produced stories on local citizens and their contributions to the war effort. "I love Ken Burns' work, and my favorite part of history is 20th-century America. . . . Getting the chance to hear these personal stories made it really interesting," Lerner says. Read more.
Nine Earn All-Conference Football Recognition
Nine Knox College football players were named to the All-Midwest Conference Team, including three second-team selections -- linebacker Tyler Hill '08, defensive lineman Jaran Rutledge '08, and running back Aaron Willits '08. Six others -- offensive lineman Will Becque '08, defensive lineman Tighe Burke '10, defensive lineman Paul Bennett '08, linebacker Kevin Corley '08, defensive back Sam Almohandis '09, and defensive back and special teams standout Jarrett Corrow '08 -- earned honorable mention. Read more.
More coverage of Knox students is available on the Knox news page.
Alumni News
Brett Tilly '95 One of Peoria's Top 40 under 40
Brett Tilly '95, trustee and former chair of the Alumni Council, was recently named as one of Interbusiness Issues magazine's outstanding 40 leaders under 40 in Peoria, Illinois. According to the magazine, they choose leaders "who are committed to making Central Illinois an even better place in which to live and work. They were chosen because of their dedication to advancing both their professional lives and supporting organizations that benefit their friends and neighbors." In addition to his service for Knox, Tilly is an active volunteer with church, as well as the Central Illinois Alzheimer's Association and Easter Seals. He works for Caterpillar, Inc. Read more.
Jake Kuhnline '07 Interviewed by PBS News Program
Economics major Jake Kuhnline '07 may have planned to take a break from the classroom after graduating from Knox, but just two days after Commencement ceremonies, he found himself studying a new lesson plan through Teach for America. He now teaches chemistry at L.E. Rabouin High School in New Orleans. Kuhnline was recently interviewed about his teaching experiences in New Orleans by PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Listen to the interview.
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| Members of the 1959 men's basketball team. |
Four Inducted into Hall of Fame at Homecoming
Four new members were inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame as part of 2007 Homecoming festivities. The 1959 Knox men's basketball team, James Brown '86, J. Charles Janes '55, and Lisa Williamson '86 are the newest members of the Hall of Fame. Read more.
Alumni Notes
Shirley Hardin Cann '54 joined the All Children's Chorus of Annapolis, Maryland, as its accompanist. She has previously taught at Gettysburg College, St. Mary's College of Maryland, the University of Virginia, George Mason University, Prince George's Community College, and Averett College.
David Lunde '63 received the 2007 USA Pen Award in the category of translation for his co-translation with Mary M. Y. Funge of The Carving of Insects by Bian Zhilin.
Walt Stinson '70 and Steve Weiner '71, owners of the Denver-based ListenUp Audio/Video, were featured in the October issue of Home Theatre and in the September issue of the trade magazine Dealerscope. 2007 marks ListenUp's 35th year in business.
Jim Dean '69, a legal services attorney, recently received the "Heroes in the Fight -- Individual Community Supporter" award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Colorado. The award recognizes those who provide exemplary care and support for mental health consumers and their families.
Ed Novak '69 has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for the 10th year in a row.
Knox College Trustee James M. Kilts '70 was recently elected to the Pfizer Board of Directors. His book, Doing What Matters: How to Get Results That Make a Difference -- The Revolutionary Old-School Approach, was published in September.
Janice Vin Sharry '73 was recently named one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas for 2007 (D Magazine), a Texas Super Lawyer for 2007 (Texas Monthly Magazine), one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas for 2007 (Texas Monthly), and a "Top Notch" Lawyer for Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Securities (Texas Lawyer, 2007). She was also ranked for the third consecutive year as a Best Lawyer in America for 2008.
The Zephyr, published and edited by Norm Winick '74, received the Verle V. Kramer Memorial Trophy from the Illinois Press Association (IPA) for editorial achievement in the outstanding weekly newspaper in Division A.
Christopher Cain '75 recently published a scientific paper, on which he was the first author, on the discovery of a new class of kidney hormones in the November issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper was highlighted in the journal's "In This Issue" section.
After qualifying at the national traithlon championships, Doug Hill '77 and his daughter, Alycia, both qualified to attend the world triathlon championships in Hamburg, Germany, as members of the U.S. team. The championships were held over Labor Day 2007, and Doug finished 29th out of 99 participants.
Jeff Radakovich '84 recently started his 10th year at Washington State University as a staff physician at the campus' student health services and as one of three "Team Docs" for the athletic department. Read his profile in Galesburg's The Paper.
Joe Plomin '84 was named vice president of the truck business unit within Commercial Vehicle Systems at ArvinMeritor, Inc. He is now responsible for the overall development of product marketing and strategic planning, program management, sales and service, pricing, delivery, and customer relations for the unit.
Vida Cross '88 was recently awarded a scholarship to attend the Napa Valley Writers Retreat and receive instruction from Elizabeth Alexander. In addition, her poem, "Jack McAdoo," appears in the summer/fall issue of MAKE magazine.
Donna Kidwell '96 was named the new admissions/marketing coordinator at Marigold Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Galesburg.
Kamesha Jackson '97 was cited for Best Direction by the 2007 Black Theatre Alliance Awards for her production of Stoops at Chicago's ETA Creative Arts Foundation. Her production of Bedtime Story, also performed at ETA, received citations for Best Ensemble and Best Costume Design.
Ted Delong '00 recently received his master of fine arts in theater management from the Yale School of Drama. He also received the Morris J. Kaplan Award, which is presented to a graduating theater management student.
Mary E. Morales '02 recently performed in the play Dirty White Tuxedo Pants and a Brown Plastic Bag by Michael McFall at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.
Nick Young '03 is the new head coach of Galesburg High School's freshman football team. Read his profile in Galesburg's The Paper.
Justin Haynes '04 is taking the ROWVA High School band to new heights during his first year on the job. Read The Register-Mail profile.
Nate Thomas '05 was recently elected president of the Student Assembly for the American Physical Therapy Association. Currently, Nate is completing both his doctorate in physical therapy and master's degree in business administration at Emory University.
Amy Watts '07 received a $1,000 grant to renovate the art department at
Faculty & Staff News
Tim Heimann '70 to Join Advancement; Purlee Takes Over as Basketball Coach
Long-time
basketball coach Tim
Heimann
'70 will coach his last season with the Prairie Fire this winter.
Heimann will not be leaving Knox, however, as he moves to the College's
fundraising and alumni relations team. Effective April 1, Heimann will
join the College's Advancement office as a major gifts officer. In this
role, he will visit alumni and donors, update them about the College,
and encourage their financial support for his alma mater. "As a coach for 34 years, Tim has developed relationships with students -- who are now alumni -- that will serve him well in the Advancement office," notes Beverly Holmes, Knox's
vice president for advancement.
"Advancement is about building relationships and keeping our alumni
connected to their alma mater. His years of experience here give him a
real running start."Taking the lead as new head basketball coach is Rob Purlee, Monmouth College graduate and former All-Conference player in basketball and football. Purlee began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Monmouth in 2004 and came to Knox in 2006. Read more.
Carlin-Metz
Wins Theatre Award
Elizabeth Carlin-Metz,
associate professor of theatre, received a 2007 Chicago After Dark
Award for Outstanding
Direction for her Vitalist Theatre production of Bertolt
Brecht's Mother
Courage and
Her Children. Carlin-Metz is one of just
four directors to receive the award, out of more than 2,000 productions
in Chicago during the 2006-2007 theatre season. "The
profundity and current relevance of Mother Courage was
matched only
by its demanding scope," stated the award citation, which was read at
the award ceremony in Chicago on October 8. Vitalist Theatre
also earned an Outstanding Performance
Award for Lori Myers' portrayal of Mother Courage and an Outstanding
Season Award for Kevin O'Donnell's original musical composition. Read
more.
President
Roger Taylor '63 Featured in Northwestern University Magazine
President Roger Taylor '63 was recently featured in Northwestern,
the magazine for alumni and friends of Northwestern University. Taylor,
who graduated from Northwestern's School of Law in 1971, was featured
along with 13 other Northwestern alumni who have risen to college and
university presidencies. Read
the article.
Stuart Allison, associate professor of biology, attended the joint meeting of the Society for Ecological Restoration and the Ecological Society of America held in San Jose, California, in August. While at the meeting, he presented the paper "You Can't Not Choose: Embracing the Role of Choice in Ecological Restoration." He also participated in the meeting of the board of editors of the journal Restoration Ecology.
Emily Anderson, assistant professor of English, participated in a month-long Summer Seminar funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities in July. This seminar for university professors, entitled "Adaptation and Revision: The Example of Great Expectations," was hosted by the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Neil Blackadder, associate professor of Theatre, recently published a translation from the French of Jacques Réda's Rue Laferrière in Two Lines, and a review of Bertolt Brecht's Dramatic Theory by John J. White in Text & Presentation, 2007.
Steve Cohn, professor of economics, along with Tim Kasser, psychology, Allen Kanner of the Wright Institute, and Richard M. Ryan of the University of Rochester, recently had two articles on American capitalism published in the journal Psychological Inquiry.
John Dooley, associate professor of computer science, was awarded a Hughes Summer Faculty Fellowship for summer 2007. In addition, he gave a presentation on curriculum development at the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science (ITiCSE 2007) at the University of Dundee, Scotland, and published several "Reviews of Cryptologic Fiction" in the April 2007 issue of the journal Cryptologia.
Lance Factor, George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy, was recently scholar in residence at the Glen Arbor Art Association in Glen Arbor, Michigan.
Tim Kasser, associate professor of psychology, gave two invited talks in Italy during summer 2007. The first, "A Revolution of Values: Materialism and Its Alternatives" was a keynote address at the International Conference on Policies for Happiness; the second, "Time Affluence and Well-Being," was presented as part of a workshop sponsored by the Cream Economic Center at the University of Cassino. In addition, he has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the The Marjorie Weil and Marvin Edward Mitchell Foundation for a research project entitled "How Can Families Help Children Develop Healthy Financial Habits?"
A short story, "Ashes Ashes," by Cynthia Kitchen '00, lecturer in English, appears in the current issue of The Louisville Review.
Frank McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, recently published three articles and was the keynote speaker at an international conference. He was the co-author of the article "Celebrities: From Teachers to Friends," which appeared in the magazine Human Nature, and the article "Beliefs about Gender Differences in Methods and Causes of Suicide," which appeared in the July issue of Archives of Suicide Research, the former with Andy Garrison '02. A third article, "Who Do We Tell and Whom Do We Tell On? Gossip as a Strategy for Status Enhancement," was co-authored with Maria Garcia '02 and Emily Bell '04 and appeared in the July issue of The Journal of Applied Social Psychology. He delivered the keynote address at the 2007 IDeoGRAMS Conference in Leicester, England, in September. In addition, McAndrew's research on gossip was also recently featured in a science blog in the New York Times.
Robin Metz, director of Knox's Program in Creative Writing, introduced and led a discussion at Galesburg's annual Black Earth Film Festive on the documentary The Times Were Never So Bad, in which he is a featured commentator along with writers and editors Tobias Wolff, DeWitt Henry, Andre Dubus III, and Peter Orner, among others. He also presented a paper, "Man Overboard: The Shoals and Depths of Norman Mailer's An American Dream," at the International Normal Mailer Conference in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which attracted writers and scholars from five countries. And his poem "Syndrome, continued from page 1," which won First Prize in the 2007 International Poetry Competition sponsored by Literal Latte Magazine (New York City), currently appears online at www.literal-latte.com
Owen Muelder '63, director of the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Freedom Station, was an invited speaker at the Fredrick Douglass International Railroad Conference & Freedom Festival in Rochester, New York, in September. The conference brought together 30 leading experts on the Underground Railroad.
Bruce Polay, professor of music, celebrates his 25th year as conductor of the Knox-Galesburg symphony in 2007. Read The Register-Mail story. He was also recently awarded a commission to compose a string quartet from the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University.
Xavier Romano, dean of students and vice president for student development, led workshop sessions and delivered the keynote address at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators East Regional New Professionals Institute in Indianapolis in November.
Natania Rosenfeld, associate professor of English, received an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award for her poem "Bodies," published last year in Another Chicago Magazine. This summer, her short-short story "Instruments" was published in the journal RHINO. And, most recently, her poems "Soutine, Two Pheasants on a Table" and "Soutine, Landscape with Trees" appear in the journal Cimarron Review.
Magali Roy-Fequiere, associate professor of gender and women's studies, delivered a paper at the Latin American Studies Association in Montreal, Canada, on the work of acclaimed Puerto Rican writer and activist Mayra Santos-Febres.
Chad Simpson, visiting assistant professor of English, published his short story, "The Real and True Story," in the 2007 issue of Red Wheelbarrow in May; his essay, "The Perseids," was published in the The Duck & Herring Co. Pocket Field Guide in June; an essay he co-authored, "Risks in Collaboration: Accountability as We Move Beyond the Center's Walls," was published in the anthology Marginal Words, Marginal Work?: Tutoring the Academy in the Work of Writing Centers in July; and his story "Glass" was published online in Guernica: A Magazine of Art & Politics in September. In July, Simpson attended the Sewanee Writers' Conference as a Tennessee Williams Scholar, and, in August, he attended the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.
Douglas Wilson, co-director of the Lincoln Studies Center, was a featured author at the National Book Festival in September. The annual festival is sponsored by the Library of Congress and is held on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He also participated in a Lincoln symposium at the Lincoln Memorial Library and Museum in Redlands, California, and delivered a talk on Lincoln's writing about his war powers at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.
Advancement News
Shop and Support Knox!
By registering online at I-Give.com and selecting the Knox Fund as your charity, you can shop online and benefit Knox at the same time. The retailers you buy from will give a percentage of what you spend to the Knox Fund. With the holidays fast approaching, this is a great way to support your alma mater while tackling your holiday shopping. Find out more about I-Give.
Contact Us
Submissions to The Gizmogram should be made to the editor at gizmogram@knox.edu. Submissions may be edited for space.
Editor
Megan Scott '96
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