Willard Greenwood Publishes Book
June 30, 2009
Associate Professor of English Willard Greenwood’s book, “Reading Cormac McCarthy,” has been published. Greenwood relates McCarthy’s novels to current events and popular culture, and how he uses his novels to deliver his ideas. Greenwood explains that he wrote the book for use by “high school, community college and first/second year college students. It has sections on biography, pop culture, [McCarthy’s] novels, film adaptations, his presence on the Internet and contemporary issues.”
According to an editorial review on Amazon.com, Greenwood’s book “looks at [McCarthy’s] works, themes, characters, and contexts. It then discusses his exploration of current events and the presence of his fiction in popular culture. Chapters include sidebars of interesting information and provide questions to stimulate book club discussion and student research.”
To see more about this book, click here.
Hejmanowski Calling Games
June 30, 2009
Dave Hejmanowski ’96 helped head the inaugural game of the week broadcast of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League season opening. The broadcast of the June 12, 2009, is on sportsjuice.com. Hejmanowski, with color man David Boger, heads up the broadcasts.
Hejmanowski broke into the broadcasting business in 1992 while working as an intern in the sports department of an NBC affiliate in Buffalo, N.Y, then was the voice of the Hiram College Terriers on WHRM radio. In four years with the Terriers, Hejmanowski broadcasted both basketball and football games, and coined the phrase “He’s slower than a two-toed sloth in a three-legged sack race.”
Hejmanowski works as a magistrate at the Delaware County Probate/Juvenile Court, but he says his true love will always reside with the game of baseball.
To read the full story, click here.
Goodner and Students Publish Research
June 25, 2009
Associate Professor of Biology Brad Goodner and five of his students helped co-author a paper with scientists from around the world. Their research on the Azotobacter genome appears in the May 8, 2009, issue of the “Journal of Bacteriology.”
Goodner notes the students involved in the project were “Divya Balasubramanian – currently in a Ph.D. program in Microbiology at University of Illinois; Lindsey (Wilson) Cromes – currently in Ohio State Vet School; Kaitlyn Hellner-Burris – entering this fall into University of Pennsylvania Vet School; Rebecca Roemer – currently working for Ganeden Biotech in their R&D lab; and Erik Wallin – currently in medical school at University of Toledo.”
To review an abstract of this article online, click here.
Wallach Receives Advocacy Award
June 25, 2009
Jason Wallach ’90 Jason Wallach has been awarded the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s fourth annual Daniel M. Gribbon Pro Bono Advocacy Award. This prestigious award recognizes an individual or law firm for distinguished advocacy in a pro bono matter before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Wallach, an associate in Dickstein Shapiro’s Antitrust & Dispute Resolution Group, has extensive experience litigating complex, multijurisdictional cases, particularly in the areas of insurance coverage and state and federal false claim actions. He also has a significant pro bono practice.
Wallach received the advocacy award for his work in “Sellmon v. Reilly.” The U.S. Parole Commission had applied parole guidelines adopted in 2000 to Washington, D.C., to offenders who had committed their crimes before the Commission replaced the District of Columbia Board of Parole in August 1998. Wallach challenged that, and four of his clients received new parole hearings. Following Wallach’s success in the Sellmon case, the U.S. Parole Commission issued a proposal under which it will apply the D.C. Board of Parole’s guidelines to all Washington, D.C. offenders who committed their crimes between 1985 and 1998.
Roland Layton – A Gentle Soul
June 22, 2009
On Father’s Day, June 21, 2009, Professor Emeritus of History Roland V. Layton passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He was 79. Layton graduated from Western Maryland College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Georgetown University with a Master of Arts degree and the University of Virginia with the Doctor of Philosophy degree in history. He taught for five years at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and for 22 years at Hiram College before retiring in 1989 and moving to Lewisburg, W. Va., in 1993.
Hiram President Tom Chema said in an e-mail to the campus, “While I did not know Roland well, I have certainly talked with many Hiram College graduates whose lives were transformed by his loving heart and immense talent as a teacher and mentor. In addition to his teaching and committed service to Hiram, Roland led many study abroad programs to England, Germany and Russia. Those trips proved to be life-changing experiences for many of the students fortunate enough to experience living and learning with Roland. After his retirement in 1989, Roland and Frances moved to West Virginia but stayed close with their many friends here who appreciated his gentle nature and keen intellect.”
Layton is survived by his wife of 52 years, Frances Houston Layton, his son, Matthew and wife Katie of Lexington, Ky., his daughter Sarah and husband, Bob, of Vine Grove, Ky., two grand-daughters, Jessica and Jennifer, and three great grand-daughters, Alexis, Adrianna and Aaleyah. A memorial service to celebrate Roland’s life is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, at 5 p.m. at the Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg, W. Va. The address is 200 Church Street, Lewisburg, W.V. 24901. For more information, call the church at 304.645.2676.
To contribute to a study abroad fund in memory of Roland Layton, send gifts in his name to Hiram College.
Hiram College Officials Offer Reward for Safe Return of Missing Part of James A. Garfield Statue
June 22, 2009
College officials are offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the head of the statue of James A. Garfield which was recently unveiled on the Hiram campus. The statue is located adjacent to the College’s new Garfield Institute for Public Leadership. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, attended Hiram and later served as the institution’s president. The Garfield Institute was created to prepare students to assume the responsibilities of public leadership by developing expertise in matters of foreign and domestic public policy grounded in Hiram’s traditional liberal arts education.
The statue was damaged on the evening of May 14 and college officials discovered that the head of the statue was missing during the early morning hours of May 15. Campus security and Village of Hiram police personnel were notified and began an investigation.
“Our first priority is to restore the statue to its original condition,” said Hiram President Thomas V. Chema. “We’re not focused on why this occurred. We simply want to make the Garfield statue whole again as it is a magnificent new addition to our campus and a nice complement to our new facility, home to the Garfield Institute.”
Anyone with information should contact Shawn Brown, Director of College Relations, at 330.569.5286.
All-campus Brunch – Fare Well (Mmmm…) Dining Event
June 21, 2009
AVI serves it up however you want it!
Sunday morning, June 21, may have been the last day of the 2009 Alumni Weekend, but we still had plenty of time to enjoy (more) good food and visiting at the All-Campus Brunch. As with all of the food that AVI served up at this year’s celebration, the brunch fare was great, with something for everyone: eggs, bacon, potatoes, pastries, French toast, pancakes, and of course those wonderful “custom designed” omelets. I stocked up on fresh fruit – strawberries, melons, blueberries, pineapple, grapes… as usual, my eyes were bigger than my stomach!
Although it was the last event of the 2009 Alumni Weekend, Dix Dining Hall was still full of attendees, and it was a nice time to visit over coffee – and make plans for next year!
Had enough food and visiting yet? Nope! Plenty of each at the All-Campus Brunch.
All-Alumni Reception and Dinners
June 21, 2009
Brooke (Horning) Kays '97, David Kays '99 and their family at the All Alumni Awards Reception.
I attended the 2009 Alumni Reunion in two capacities: that of college editor, and that of alumni along with my husband Arnold Hayes ’86. And I had a great time in both capacities, not the least of which involved attending the All-Alumni Reception and Awards Celebration and the Reunion Dinners. The gathering on the green for the former was entertaining and fun – beautiful weather, happy reunions and beautiful (and delicious) hors d’oeuvres – with over 600 attendees at this year’s Alumni Weekend, it was nice to have a place where all could gather at once to celebrate.
President Tom Chema and Executive Alumni Relations Director Jennifer Schuller present the Alumni Achievement Award to Jonathan Estrin '69.
We also enjoyed celebrating the Alumni Award winners. Mandy Mehlman ’02 received the Recent Graduate Service to Humanity Award for her teaching and volunteer service. Thomas Reuschling ’64 received the Alumni Achievement Award for his 40-some-odd years of work in higher education. Jonathan Estrin ’69 also received the Alumni Achievement Award for his eclectic writing, producing and direction career, as well as his academic and public leadership successes. And Kathy Coleman ’87 received the Alumni Volunteer Award for her tireless efforts on the behalf of Hiram and Hiram’s alumni. Thanks and congratulations to all of this year’s winners.
After the reception and awards ceremony, I visited with the classes of ’64 and ’79 to take pictures, then Arnold and I joined the class of ’84 (closest to our graduating class year of ’86) for the reunion dinner. We sat with Christina (Brich Griffor) Hughes ’84 and William Hughes ’83, and had a great time catching up and regaling each other with stories.
By the time we left our dinner, the KingBees were getting fired up on Oliver Plaza so the weekend’s attendees could all dance the night away. The Hugheses came with us for a visit of Teachout-Price and the new nursing suite. As we were leaving, we heard the revelry of the class of ’59 celebrating their 50th reunion in the Alumni Heritage Room; we laughed about when we’d get to celebrate our own 50th reunions. That’s a few years off – but in the meantime, we’ll keep plenty busy and entertained with Hiram’s annual Alumni Weekends!
The reception "hors d'oeuvres" were artistic as well as yummy.
Bowler Revisited
June 20, 2009
The Bowler Lounge remains a gathering place today as much as it was in years past.
So many of us had experiences in Bowler Hall over the decades – it was my home for four years (although my room is gone now, demolished in part of the renovation ten years ago. Now there’s a pop machine where I used to sleep!); my husband lived there during one summer he stayed on campus; and judging from the crowds of people touring and reminiscing during the Bowler Hall Reunion, Bowler holds a place in a lot of peoples’ hearts.
I know lots of folks remember lively discussions on Bowler’s front porch. I don’t, personally – but I do remember one cold winter morning when a deer and a little white dog showed up on the porch. No kidding! And no, I hadn’t been drinking.
And what about Ethel? Did you ever see – or sense – Ethel? I’m not a ghost hunter, but I’m convinced I DID see Ethel one day, when I was walking back from class – she was standing in the attic window looking out. Keep in mind that in the mid ’80s, the attic was locked up – and it was that day, too. We all liked the legend of Ethel. In fact, Ethel intrigued Robin Christopher ’88 so much that she wrote “Let me Live,” a historical fiction play about Ethel’s life and death in Bowler (thanks to Bill Hearth’s discussion earlier Saturday about writing historical fiction, I can now accurately describe Robin’s play as such). Several of us Bowlerites had parts in the play, which was staged in the Kennedy Center Ballroom, with Sandy Berger ’87 in the role of Ethel.
Anyway, I guess the point is, regardless of the era, Bowler residents share a special sense of community. It was delightful to congregate there again, celebrate the 10th anniversary of its restoration and share memories and stories over lemonade on the front lawn.
Did you paint your door when you lived in Bowler? Like the ones on show here?
Studying the Study Abroad Experience
June 20, 2009
Jan Hopkins talks with alumni about the Hiram study abroad experience, and how to help make it available for all Hiram students.
One of the most important things that Jan Hopkins Trachtman ’69 learned while studying abroad in the late 60s was the ability to improvise, to “think on her feet.” On Saturday afternoon, in her discussion “How Studying Abroad Changed My Life,” she talked about her experience as a student in Czechoslovakia in August 1968 when the Russian tanks arrived. In a lively, interactive discussion with several dozen alumni and friends, Hopkins talked about how she reacted and how she eventually became a journalist, and also asked participants to share their study-abroad experiences.
Hopkins is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winner. Prior to her longtime anchor/correspondent role at “CNN Financial News,” she worked for “ABC World News Tonight” and, earlier, for “CBS Network News.” She has since worked for Citigroup as managing director and head of client communications as well as the private bank unit, leaving in 2005 to form her own New York-based strategic communications consulting company. She is currently the president of the Economic Club of New York and is on the board of Bostwick Labs and Franklin Templeton Mutual Shares.
