Kenyon in the News
The Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald featured retired surgeon Byers Shaw '72, who has rekindled an interest in writing and recently won a $5,000 prize from the journal Creative Nonfiction for an account of a liver transplant. Shaw founded the University of Nebraska Medical Center liver transplant program. The newspaper account, published on May 15, 2011, said that Shaw took "numerous literature courses" at Kenyon and was inspired to submit fiction to magazines but his stories were never published until now. "The truth is, I want to keep working on (writing)," he said.
Alex Young '74 resigned as president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Sarasota County, Florida, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported on May 14, 2011. During a twenty-one-year run, Young boosted fundraising, established a 2-1-1 call-in assistance program, and helped develop a homeless-assistance program. Young is "known for his enthusiasm and sense of humor," the newspaper said.
Charles Glasrud '77 was appointed district court judge in the Minnesota Eighth Judicial District by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, the West Central Tribune of Willmar, Minnesota, reported on May 13, 2011. Glasrud had been the Stevens County attorney.
A profile of Shae Avery '64, who owns the Avery Gallery in Marietta, Georgia, was published by the online Marietta Patch (mariettapatch.com) on May 13, 2011. He began a career in art conservation, framing and restoration in 1973 and opened the gallery in 1982. "I always learned to like where I am," he said. "There are good experiences all around you."
Shaka Smart '99, the basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) who led his hustling, upstart team to the NCAA Final Four this year, remains a media darling, with a profile published on May 12, 2011, in USA Today. The story recounted Smart's "adventures," including attending the White House correspondents' dinner and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago Cubs baseball game. "I'm very appreciative of the attention, people wanting autographs, the governor having us over," Smart said. "We did it together. It was a group of players and coaches who bonded together." The newspaper concluded: "He's still golden." These are among the hundreds of media mentions:
• The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant reported, on April 5, that Smart agreed to a new, eight-year contract at VCU. VCU Athletic Director Norwood Teague said, "He exemplifies everything that is right about college athletics, and VCU is ecstatic."
• Smart told Sports Illustrated, on April 4, that reaching the Final Four was not the best day of his life. "Best day of my life was a couple of months ago. I found out that my wife was pregnant." His team, the magazine said, was "on an ungodly roll."
• More than 100 media outlets published an Associated Press story on April 2 that quoted former Kenyon basketball coach Bill Brown who attended the Final Four. "Well, you know, I'm very proud. He's been like a son to me," Brown said of Smart.
• Describing how VCU coaches sometimes practice with their players and take charges and dive on the floor for loose balls, Smart told the San Diego Union-Tribune, on April 1, "Our coaches figured we would step in and put our bodies where are our mouth is."
• A story posted at www.cbsnews.com on April 1 said Smart "has both a winner's swagger and a scholar's mind."
• An April 1 story in the Chronicle of Higher Education noted that some people were puzzled by Smart's decision to pursue a coaching career. Professor of American Studies Peter Rutkoff said, "He is using his talent."
• The Boston Globe, on April 1, called Smart "one of the hottest coaching commodities in college basketball."
• An Associated Press story on March 31 focused on Smart's use of an Emily Dickinson quote ("Dwell in possibility") to describe his team's chances at the Final Four. The story opened: "You know it's a new day at the Final Four when a coach pulls Emily Dickinson off his bench."
The Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Herald, on May 12, 2011, wrote about Michael Johnston '68, P'02, an artist and cyclist who combines his interests by stopping along his far-flung bike routes to compose pen-and-ink drawings at locations that inspire him. "Using the bicycle as an easel just came naturally," he said.
The May 8, 2011, shooting death in Los Angeles of Gabriel Aron Ben-Meir '03, an MTV music coordinator who was a production coordinator for the Ashton Kutcher program Punk'd, drew considerable media attention. The Los Angeles Times covered the homicide in a number of stories, including a May 11 report of the arrests of two men linked to a series of robberies in the area. Ben-Meir played tennis at Kenyon and was a physics and music major, the newspaper reported. His sister, Alexis Ben-Meir, described her brother as "one of the kindest and most gentle souls I have ever come across." The story was also picked up by the Berliner Morgenpost in Berlin, Germany; the Hartford (Connecticut) Courant; the Olympian of Olympia, Washington; and today.msnbc.com.
Richard Barron '91 was hired as head coach of the University of Maine women's basketball team, boxscorenews.com reported on May 10, 2011. He is a former head coach at Princeton University and at the University of the South.
A list of celebrity alumni at Ohio colleges, published on May 9, 2011, by the Plain Dealer of Cleveland, Ohio, included U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes 1842, actor and philanthropist Paul Newman '49, and cartoonist Bill Watterson '90 from Kenyon.
George Pandaleon '78 was sworn in as a Lake Forest, Illinois, alderman, triblocal.com reported on May 6, 2011. He has been chairman of the city's Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.
The Sentinel of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, reported on May 4, 2011, that Annette Brickley '88 has become a candidate for the Mattapoisett School Committee. She described herself as a science education consultant. "I have gone from a teacher of children to a teacher of teachers, and now to the town level with the school committee," she said.
Kenyon research into the sexualization of children's clothing captured the attention of the global media after the online publication of the study on May 3, 2011, by the international research journal Sex Roles. The study found that 29.4 percent of clothing sold for preteen children had "sexualizing characteristics" that can lead to self-objectification. Professor of Psychology Sarah Murnen led the research team that included Professor Emerita of Psychology Linda Smolak, Samantha Goodin '10, and Alyssa Van Denburg '12. The story was reported online by Atlantic Monthly; www.bild.de; Glamour; KSL-TV in Salt Lake City; lifestyle.iafrica.com; lifewise.canoe.ca; scienceblog.com; Time; www.alphagalileo.org; www.globalnews.ca; www.finanznchrichten.de; www.medilexicon.com; www.pressetext.com; www.sciencedaily.com; www.upi.com; and was published in the Albuquerque Express; Frankfurter Neue Presse; Jakarta Globe; Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) Citizen; Taipei Times; Toronto Sun; Vancouver Sun; and Zimbabwe Star of Harare, Zimbabwe, among others. Murnen also was heard live on KNRS talk-radio in Salt Lake City on May 11.
Tricities.com reported on May 3, 2011, that David Hicks '95 was selected as the athletic director at King College in Bristol, Tennessee. "As athletic director I will bring a well-defined philosophy to Tornado athletics founded on collaboration, engagement, excellence and integrity," he said. Hicks is a former head coach of the Rhodes College softball team.
Jamie Smith '99 was named special assistant to the president and deputy White House press secretary, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, reporting on April 29, 2011, and dyn.politico.com the next day. Smith will manage the day-to-day operations of the communications office.
A column published at www.chinadaily.com.cn on April 26, 2011, mentioned Kenyon in the context of a centennial celebration at Tsinghau University. University officials there hope to put greater emphasis on "thinking deeply about problems" rather than just asking students to memorize lectures. The column noted that at liberal arts colleges in the United States "such as Kenyon College in Ohio" students have "lots of opportunities to interact personally with faculty."
Our Time, the nonprofit organization that aims to enhance the economic power of young people, was the subject of a story published on April 24, 2011, in the Baltimore Sun. Our Time was founded by Matthew Segal '08 and has drawn financial support from Edward Rensi, former president and CEO of McDonald's USA; television producer Norman Lear; Viacom and CBS Corp. Vice Chair Shari Redstone; and Alexander von Furstenberg, son of designer Diane von Furstenberg, the newspaper said. Segal wants Our Time to evolve into an advocacy organization. "But first we're an educational one," he said. A story about the organization was also posted, on March 28, 2011, at www.huffingtonpost.com.
Sculptor and boat builder Brad Story '69 was the subject of a feature story in the Gloucester (Massachusetts) Times on April 21, 2011. Discussing his art, he said, "What mostly feeds my artwork are my daydreams." His sculpture can be found in museums and galleries in the Northeast and at SeaTac Airport in Seattle.
The $105,203 winnings of Megan Rafferty-Barnes '03 on the game show "Jeopardy!" drew the attention of the Messenger Post of Canandaigua, New York, on April 19, 2011. "It was such an adrenaline rush to be on the show," she said. "My easiest category was 'All God's Children.' I minored in classics at Kenyon College and mythology was my favorite subject. Literature was also a strength."
Kenyon swimming and coach Jim Steen were the subject of a video report posted on April 18, 2011, at www.ncaa.com . The report noted "the incredible winning streak ... the longest streak in all of college sports " accomplished by Steen's teams. He said his first championship was a relief and the second was a joy.
A $10,000 grant from the Arts Council of Indianapolis won by Amy McKune '84 in 2009 was used to improve her singing voice and document the experience with three-dimensional photography, she told the Indianapolis Star on April 13, 2011. McKune is the director of collections at the Eiteljorg Museum. "When I attended Kenyon College, I was a member of the Kenyon Community Choir," she said. "I realized I missed it and pursued vocal training to once again become a chorister."
Letters written by U.S. Attorney General Edwin M. Stanton 1834 to relatives in Pittsburgh shed light on Stanton's thoughts before the Civil War, according to a story published on April 12, 2011, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The letters are held at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. "The government cannot be overthrown except by treason and even that could only succeed for a short time," Stanton wrote. He went on to become secretary of war in the Lincoln Administration.
The hiring of Alison Kerns '88 as president and chief executive officer of United Way of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, was reported on April 7, 2011, by the Times Reporter of Dover-New Philadelphia.
The April 1, 2011, issue of the American Bar Association Journal examined the political relationship between Abraham Lincoln and David Davis 1832, who was described as "the architect of Lincoln's nomination and election" and later served as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Davis also became the executor of the Lincoln estate.
Retired physician Peter Philips '59 of Missoula, Montana, has decided to pursue his interest in the theater, according to a story published on March 31, 2011, in the Missoulian. Philips is enrolled at the University of Montana and is taking courses in acting and directing. As a Kenyon student he won the acting award named for Paul Newman '49 and later met Newman who suggested he focus on a career in medicine. "Anyone at that age needs something to guide them," Philips said. He stayed active in community theater groups.
Playwright Douglas Anderson '75 was featured in a preview of his play The Beams are Creaking, about the World War II-era German theologian and resistance hero Dietrick Bonhoeffer, published by the Seattle Times on March 24, 2011. Anderson said he learned about Bonhoeffer while a Kenyon student. The play debuted at Kenyon in 1976. This production took place at the Taproot Theatre in Seattle. "The lesson for beginning playwrights in this is start with a good story and an amazing character," Anderson said.
The Guardian of London, England, published a profile of Matthew Winkler '77, H '00, P '13, who is editor in chief of Bloomberg News and a Kenyon trustee. A Bloomberg news story, Winkler said, has to be "the most factual, the first word, the fastest word, the final word and the future word." The newspaper, which published the story on March 14, 2011, added that Winkler "has developed a particularly exacting style of journalism."
The Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator, on March 13, 2011, reviewed the novel Zombie, Ohio by Scott Kenemore '00. The central character, part-human and part-zombie, is a professor at a liberal arts college in the fictional town of Gant. "These are barely concealed parallels to the real-life Kenyon College in the town of Gambier," the reviewer wrote. The book is a "fun and light-spirited romp through a post-apocalyptic Knox County, Ohio."
In a report about Ohio Gov. John Kasich hoping to bring Teach for America to Ohio, the Dayton Daily News, on March 13, 2011, noted that the organization is the largest employer for the senior classes of four Ohio colleges, including Kenyon.
An appreciation of the work of artist Steve Bartlett '84 was posted at www.trendhunter.com on March 10, 2011. Bartlett is based in Los Angeles and his "whimsical paintings depict fruits, vegetables and baked goods of abnormally large size," according to the blog.
A spot on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list for the novel Four Years from Home brought the attention of the Gloucester County (New Jersey) Times to Larry Enright '72. In a story published on March 6, 2011, Enright said his novel is a "mystery with a message" and includes a character who attends Kenyon. "Now that I've done this, I think I'll just keep doing it," he said.
A column on Olof Palme '48, posted at www.stockholmnews.com on February 28, 2011, reflected on the life of the prime minister of Sweden, who was assassinated on February 28, 1986. "His American education and experience molded him to be what he became upon his return to Sweden," according to the column.
Efforts by college admissions officials to attract prospective students brought the attention of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch to Jennifer Delahunty, dean of admissions and financial aid, in a story published on April 18, 2011. While Kenyon takes advantage of online contact with prospective students, Delahunty emphasized one-on-one rapport. "We're a face-to-face place, not a Facebook place," she said. "Electronic relationships are a weak substitute for a face-to-face relationship."
The media are still fascinated with what has become a classic commencement address by the writer David Foster Wallace to the Kenyon Class of 2005. The posthumous publication of the Wallace novel The Pale King has generated a new wave of Kenyon mentions in the Wallace context. On April 4, 2011, the New York Times noted the "D.F.W. cottage industry," including publication of the Kenyon address "laid out to look like a vaguely inspirational book of wisdom for your bedside table." An April 7 column in the Yakima (Washington) Herald-Republic urged readers who have not read the speech to "look it up immediately."
The historic, 31-year-run of NCAA Division III men's swimming national championships ended on March 26 with a narrow loss to Denison University and its coach, Gregg Parini '82, and that brought an editorial published on April 2 by the Plain Dealer of Cleveland, Ohio. "Something astonishing happened," the newspaper said, saluting the long run by Kenyon and congratulating Denison. "Perhaps no one outside of Granville was prouder of Denison and Parini than Jim Steen, the coach who has steered Kenyon's dynasty to all those titles." Steen, the Plain dealer said, "can now go back on offense" while his protégé defends the title. The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, in a story published on March 29, included this comment from Parini: "We had a good game plan like Buster Douglas did against Mike Tyson. This was a heavyweight championship."
Peter Rutkoff, professor of American studies, was part of a story published on March 31, 2011, in the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch about the durability of baseball. "The game is too integrated into our cultural spirit to really disappear," he said.
Coverage of the "Symposium on the Future of the Humanities" at Johns Hopkins University included comments from President S. Georgia Nugent published on March 29, 2011, in the Chronicle of Higher Education and on March 30 in Inside Higher Ed. In defending the humanities, Nugent told the Chronicle, "The nation has succumbed to the myth that everything can be measured, and that, moreover, the measurements that count are those of the market economy."
Our Time, a nonprofit organization that aims to enhance the economic power of young people, drew more attention to Matthew Segal '08, who founded the organization, based in Washington, D.C. Our Time was the subject of a blog posted at nextgenjournal.com on March 28, 2011. "Our Time ... must make youth-voter turnout their immediate and primary goal," the blog said.
The Fourth Annual Forum on Women in Leadership in Washington, D.C., brought together four female college leaders, including President S. Georgia Nugent, to share advice and insight into the ways and means of success, according to reports posted on March 24 at the Chronicle of Higher Education (chronicle.com) and on March 25 at Inside Higher Ed (www.insidehighered.com). One conclusion reached by the group was that the percentage of female college presidents (23 percent) should reflect the percentage of female students (57 percent) in higher education. Nugent said the conventional description of a "glass ceiling" restricting women is better framed in higher education as "the starry empyrean," according to Inside Higher Ed. "The presidents of Harvard, Brown and Penn are all women," Nugent said. "That's very visible, and it gives a mistaken impression of the progress women have made in higher education."
The College and village group dedicated to the shared, aloud reading of Dream of the Red Chamber, the sprawling, 18th century Chinese novel, attracted the attention of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch on March 20. The group has met on Fridays during the academic year since the fall of 2008. "It's a great story," said Ruth Dunnell, James P. Storer Professor of Asian History. Assistant Professor of Sociology Anna Sun and her husband, Associate Professor of Philosophy Yang Xiao, have participated by Skype while in New Jersey this year. "It has several amazing love stories," Sun said. "I don't want to lose it while being away."
Shaka Smart '99, hoops scholar and head basketball coach of Virginia Commonwealth University, captivated the nation's sports media with his singular name, Kenyon pedigree, and his team's attacking style. Riding a string of upsets, the Rams reached the NCAA Final Four in the men's tournament. These are among the many media references to Smart that include the Kenyon connection:
- More than 120 electronic and print media outlets, including the New York Times, picked up a March 19, 2011, Associated Press profile that opened, "Shaka Smart could have been an Ivy Leaguer. He was accepted at Harvard before deciding he'd be more comfortable at a small college in Ohio. Like most of his choices, it turned out to be a wise one." The story noted his magna cum laude work in history, his three-year turn as a Lords basketball captain, and his school assists record, calling him "one of the most talked-about young coaches in the game" and "sharply dressed" to boot. The story was also published by the Anchorage Daily News; Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald; Modesto (California) Bee, San Diego Union-Tribune; Seattle Times; and Quad-City Times of Davenport, Iowa.
- A profile posted on March 25 at msn.foxsports.com included comments from former Kenyon basketball coach Bill Brown and Professor of American Studies Peter Rutkoff. Brown, a father figure to Smart, said, "Even if he didn't know what he was doing, he could convince his teammates that he knew what he was doing." And Rutkoff, described as a Smart confidant, praised Smart's work on his senior honors thesis on the migration of African Americans to Chicago in the early 20th century. "He did a lot of what we call primary-source research," Rutkoff said. "It was really remarkably good."
- On March 26, the New York Times added a feature piece on Smart that called him the "breakout star" of the NCAA tournament. "Make no mistake about it - our guys believe we can win," Smart said. "I know we can win." He added that his first name, in honor of the Zulu warrior, "is about the best thing my dad ever did for me."
- A New York Times blog on March 29 said that Smart was "aptly named" and played his college ball at Kenyon, "a place more identified with deep liberal-arts thinkers than great crossover dribblers."
- The sports-betting site www.betus.com profiled Smart on March 29 and explained that Smart's career is founded on education. "Smart's incredible coaching ability is built from his incredible background in education." The story noted Smart's inclusion on the 1999 USA Today All-American Academic Team.
- The Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch, on March 29, said that Smart has "honored his first name and his last" in the tournament, noting his on-court dignity. Kenyon, the newspaper said, is "one of the non-Ivy Ivies" and Smart is "a scholar."
- Smart is the "hottest coaching prospect in NCAA basketball," according to a story published on March 29 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Former Kenyon basketball coach Brown said, "The best is yet to come."
The Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Journal reported the signing of former Kenyon Lords football wide receiver Harry Von Kann '10 by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, on March 3, 2011. Several other Canadian newspapers and Web sites, including the Gazette of Montreal, Quebec, and www.canada.com, also reported the signing. The Eskimos "believe they have a good one," the Edmonton Journal said.
A Moammar Gadhafi connection brought media attention to Kai Schoenhals, professor emeritus of history, on February 25, 2011. Schoenhals told the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch that he chatted with the Libyan dictator during a conference Schoenhals attended in Libya in 1983. Schoenhals was heckled by some Libyan youths during the conference, an incident that was captured on television and seen by Gadhafi. Gadhafi then invited Schoenhals to his tent to apologize. "I found him very naïve on foreign affairs," Schoenhals said. "But he was intelligent, understandable and he looked me in the eyes."
Walter Miller, the culinary director at Kenyon for AVI Foodsystems, traveled to Los Angeles in February to help prepare food for the Governors Ball, a prestigious event after the Academy Awards that features foods prepared by Wolfgang Puck Catering. The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, on February 23, 2011, interviewed Miller, who said he volunteered for the event for the experience and a chance to work with Puck. "I'm super-excited," Miller said. The Dispatch noted that Kenyon is "known for its well-prepared, locally sourced dishes." WBNS-TV of Columbus also reported on Miller.
Comedian Jonathan Winters 1950 H'80 was interviewed by the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun for a story published on February 18, 2011. "I'm in overtime, I know that," Winters said in a reference to his age—85. "I've had a great career, a great time." In a comic bit about Ohio presidents, he noted, "Rutherford B. Hayes went to my college."
Kenyon ranked No. 17 on a list of U.S. colleges that offer the most extracurricular opportunities. U.S. News & World Report published the list on February 15, 2011. The College has 11.66 students per registered organization.
A report in the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch on February 14, 2011, on an advisory group of Fairfield County, Ohio, development directors, planners, and farmers formed to foster interest in local foods, used Kenyon as an example of successful use of buying and serving locally raised food.
Matthew Segal '08 was the subject of an interview posted on February 9, 2011, at www.fastcompany.com. While at Kenyon, Segal founded the Washington, D.C.-based SAVE (Student Association for Voter Empowerment) and "became one of the youngest visitors to Capitol Hill offices," the story said. Segal has since transformed SAVE into Our Time, a nonprofit organization that aims to enhance the economic power of young people. "I realized that civic participation cannot only be built around an Election Day but that it needs to be a year-round process," Segal said.
A Gannett News Service report on charitable giving to Ohio colleges included a mention of Kenyon, which saw gifts increase 5 percent to $24 million in 2010.Twenty-one of thirty-nine Ohio colleges and universities saw donations increase in 2010. The report was widely reported in Ohio, starting on February 4, 2011, in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Haaretz of Tel Aviv, Israel, published a profile of author E.L. Doctorow '52 on February 4, 2011. The newspaper noted that "Doctorow's greatness lies in his ability to examine abstract ideas ... as values that infuse everyday reality."
The Westport (Connecticut) News caught up with Fulbright scholar Claire Garmirian '10 on February 3, 2011, in Armenia, where she is teaching English at Yerevan State Linguistic University. Garmirian learned Russian at Kenyon. "People respond really positively to America, especially because we have an Armenian diaspora," she said. "Language got me here. And language is going to allow me to keep doing things like this."
Brownlee Currey '96 was named president of the Atlanta-based home-furnishings maker Currey & Co., according to a story posted on February 2, 2011, at www.homeaccentstoday.com.
A USA Today blog posted on February 1, 2011, by Alexandra Patterson '12 explored virtual internships and offered tips on finding opportunities, applying, and succeeding. "As a seven-time virtual intern myself, I can attest to the benefits," she wrote.
Book reviewers at the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, on January 30, 2011, and the Plain Dealer of Cleveland, on January 25, speculated on the location inspiration for the novel The Weird Sisters, by Eleanor Brown. The author's description of the small liberal arts college and surrounding community could fit Kenyon and Oberlin colleges or Denison University, the reviewers mused. The Dispatch went so far as to ask Brown, who said she "conjured up ... a combination of Kenyon and Oberlin, with a bit of Wooster thrown in."
A blog by Ellen Blanchard '12 about her adventures during a semester abroad in India with her ukulele was posted on January 27, 2011, at blog.roomtoread.org and www.humanitariannews.org. "The ukulele was a big hit in Rajasthan," she wrote. Blanchard gained field experience as an intern with a weaving cooperative that also sponsors development programs. The instrument, she said, was her "most important tool" in reaching Indian youngsters.
The Pilsen Junior Tennis Camp, co-founded by former tennis Lord Mark Revermann '99 in Chicago's mostly Latino Pilsen neighborhood, was the focus of a story in Café Magazine, published on January 27, 2011. "I want the kids to have the same experience affluent kids have," he said. The free, five-week camp takes place on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Joseph Smukler '49 and his wife, Connie, were the subjects of a profile in the Jewish Exponent of Philadelphia, on January 27, 2011. The couple was honored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia for their work in "igniting passion among hundreds of other Jewish philanthropists and activists" to strengthen the Jewish community.
Screen-printed family letters on fabric by artist Marguerite Jay Gignoux '79 were on display at the Belk Library on the Elon University campus, according to a story published on January 26, 2011, in the Times-News of Burlington, North Carolina. "I'm constantly marrying language and fibers," she said.
The Boston Globe published an interview on January 23, 2011, with Lewis Hyde, Richard L. Thomas Professor of Creative Writing and the author of Common as Air, an examination of the American cultural commons. Asked about his nonfiction writing models, Hyde replied, "I've always been interested in poets who are forced into writing prose but do not abandon their poetic sensibilities."
Colleen Damerell '13 took part in the Feminist Winter Term in New York City organized by feminist activists and authors Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards. Damerell was mentioned in a story on the week-long Feminist Winter Term in the Chronicle of Higher Education, published on January 23, 2011.
Former Kenyon swimming coach Arthur Albiero, now the coach at the University of Louisville, was the subject of a profile on January 20, 2011, in the Courier-Journal. Lords swimming coach Jim Steen commented on his protégé: "He was really cut out for this game—high energy, full-throttle and loves the sport."
A study-abroad trip to Germany taken by Alex Reinthal '12 attracted the attention of the Ashland (Ohio) Times-Gazette on January 19, 2011. Reinthal attended the University of Freiberg. "Being forced to speak a second language exclusively makes you a lot better at it in a hurry," he said. Reinthal called Kenyon "very serious academically" with an inclusive campus.
Rob Sharrer '92 was endorsed by the Muskingum County Republican Party as the candidate for mayor of Zanesville, Ohio, WHIZ-TV of Zanesville reported on January 19, 2011. "Politics is new to me," the Zanesville businessman said in a story published on January 21 in the Zanesville Times Recorder. "I was a starting fullback on the only Kenyon College team to win a league championship, so I may need to throw on the pads again."
A report on the influence of television on eating disorders, posted on January 19, 2011, at www.discovery.com included comments from Michael Levine, Samuel B. Cummings Professor of Psychology. The study found that watching television shows with overly thin actresses and socializing with others who watch those shows can contribute to eating disorders in girls. "While mass media is extraordinarily important in any advanced civilization, like many powerful things, it can have negative effects," Levine said.
The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, focused on the founders of Kids Acting Against Cancer—sisters Jaclyn Montgomery and Whitten Montgomery '12 in a story published on January 14, 2011. The sisters formed the nonprofit to raise money to fight cancer, which their mother, Sandy Montgomery, has fought for several years.
Doug Bean '75 was promoted to chief operating officer at Eric Mower and Associates, a marketing communications company based in Buffalo, New York, WKBW-TV of Buffalo reported on January 14, 2011. "The marketing communications industry is in the midst of a five-year renaissance," Bean said. The promotion was reported later by the Buffalo News.
Environmental damage wrought by the Vikings in Iceland over several centuries starting in 874 is being studied by archeologists and anthropologists, including Douglas Bolender, visiting professor of anthropology. A story written by the National Science Foundation and posted at www.usnews.com on January 12, 2011, examines research into the impact of Vikings who leveled trees and overgrazed land during a time of climate change. "Because the Arctic had greater shifts of climate during past periods of climate change and the environments are more easily degraded, it may be one of the best past examples of how people dealt with dramatic climate changes we are now seeing across the globe," Bolender said.
The band Walk the Moon and its frontman and songwriter Nicholas Petricca '09 were the subjects of a story posted at www.citybeat.com in Cincinnati on January 11, 2011. The story was pegged to a new Walk the Moon album, I Want! I Want!, which includes the single Anna Sun. The band borrowed the name of Anna Xiao Dong Sun, assistant professor of sociology, for the title. Petricca said of the album: "There was a lot of pressure ... and I'm really thrilled about it."
The January 2011 attack on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others that led to six deaths in Arizona generated commentary and analysis, which included comments by Pamela Camerra-Rowe, associate professor of political science, in the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, on January 11. The shootings could spur efforts to engage in "more civil" political dialogue, Camerra-Rowe said. "The parties are pretty polarized, and politicians do cast politicians of the other party as enemies."
The Houston-based electronics-distribution company Smith & Associates named Michael Weaber '67 chief financial officer, according to www.americanbankingnews.com, which reported the news on January 10, 2011.
The Kenyon Athletic Center was mentioned in a story in the January 9, 2010, issue of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch about the national trend of colleges building or improving recreation facilities. Kenyon was among those schools adding "spectacular new sports centers" in recent years.
An experiment to test the hunting acumen of Neanderthals, conducted by Bruce Hardy, associate professor of anthropology, and David Hohl '12, was featured in the January 9, 2011, edition of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. Hardy and Hohl launched replica spears with a replica ballista, a large, Roman crossbow, at the hides of a cow and a sheep to measure the long-range efficacy of the weapons. "These are the oldest hunting tools that we know of," Hohl said of the spears. "We clearly showed that these spears were effective as long-range projectiles for thin-skinned animals," Hardy said. "They were doing something right." The newspaper also posted a video report on the experiment at http://www.dispatch.com.
President S. Georgia Nugent was central to a story posted on January 7 by www.insidehighered.com about colleges exploring a shift in financial aid priorities. Nugent attended the annual institute of the Council of Independent Colleges in Palm Springs, California, where the discussion focused on channeling more financial-aid dollars to students in need and less to students based on merit. Consensus is building for a more need-based distribution of financial aid, according to the story, but work needs to be done to establish a new structure for spending. "There would be a need for real negotiation," Nugent said.
Baltimore community leader April Garrett '92 was interviewed for a blog posted on the Web site of the Baltimore Sun about the launch of her Amplify Baltimore program. The program includes a series of community discussions about issues affecting the city. "We have to build on what's good," she said in the interview that was posted on January 6, 2011. Garrett founded the nonprofit Civic Frame in Towson, Maryland, in 2002.