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On Campus
- Stories
May
2, 2003 Vol. 55, No. 41
More than 1,000
graduating students will participate in Drake University's commencement ceremonies,
which will be begin with the Hooding Ceremony for pharmacy graduates at 4 p.m.
Friday, May 9, at the Drake Knapp Center. At 4:30 p.m. that day, President David
Maxwell and Madeleine Maxwell will host a reception for all 2002-03 graduates
and their parents and guests in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center.
The Law School Commencement Ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, in
the Drake Knapp Center. Linda Reade, LA'70, LW'80, federal district court judge
for the Northern District of Iowa, will give the commencement address. A reception
will follow at the Embassy Suites in downtown Des Moines.
The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10,
at the Drake Knapp Center. The recipients of the Madelyn M. Levitt Outstanding
Mentor of the Year Award and the Madelyn M. Levitt Outstanding Teacher of the
Year Award will be announced. Speakers will include Drake President David Maxwell,
Amber Clapp, winner of the Oreon E. Scott Award (the top honor for Drake seniors),
and Iowa Chief Justice Louis A. Lavorato, who will receive an honorary Doctor
of Humane Letters degree.
Lavoratto was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 1986 and has presided over
the court since 2000. The son of parents who emigrated from Italy to the United
States in 1920, Lavorato graduated first in his class from Drake University Law
School in 1965, served as assistant editor of Drake Law Review and was named to
the Order of the Coif. His father, Charles, worked as a shoe repairman by day
and a janitor at Drake by night while Lavorato and his siblings attended Drake.
Lavorato worked in private law practice in the firm of Williams, Hart, Lavorato
and Kirtley in West Des Moines until he was appointed to the 5th Judicial Court
in 1979. In 1983, he was elected chief judge of the 5th Judicial District Court.
As chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, Lavorato has been instrumental to
a reorganization of the Iowa court system and the construction of a new Supreme
Court building.
The Graduate Commencement Ceremony for students graduating with master's, specialist
and doctoral degrees will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Drake
Knapp Center.
The commencement address will be given by former College of Arts and Sciences
Dean Myron "Mike" Marty, who recently retired as the Ann G. and Sigurd
E. Anderson university professor of history. His address is titled "Recycling
the 'A's.' "
On Saturday, April
26, Drake officials and members of the Helmick family gathered to dedicate four
projects in Helmick Commons and honor the memory of Des Moines attorney Robert
H. Helmick, a Drake alumnus and long-time member of Drake's governing board. Helmick,
who died April 15, initiated the landscaping project that has transformed the
west side of the Drake campus from a barren field to an inviting area where students
live, relax and play.
"This dedication serves as a celebration as well as a memorial tribute to
the impact that Bob and the entire Helmick family have had on the University they
love so much," said Ben Ullem, LA'66, LW'69, chair of the Drake Board of
Trustees.
The projects dedicated were the Kragie Newell Agora, the Wells Fargo Financial
Reflecting Pool, the Wells Fargo Bank Garden and the Professor Paul and Dorothy
Helmick Courtyard, which honors Helmick's parents, who taught physics and mathematics
at Drake for many years.
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| Dennis Young describes his company's supportof the Wells Fargo Financial Reflecting Pool. | Rob Helmick and Suzanne Book pay tribute to their father and his passion for Drake. | Liz Newell says she's happy the Kragie Newell Agora helps fulfill Helmick's vision. | |
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Speakers and members of the Helmick family gather in front of the Kragie Newell Agora. | ||
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| Graduate students encourage gifted fifth-grade authors to share and refine their stories. |
Gifted and talented
fifth graders have been attending a series of workshops at the School of Education
this spring as part of a new program called "Give Your Writing Wings."
The program, conducted in cooperation with the Des Moines Public Schools Gifted/Talented
Program, was directed by Sally Beisser, assistant professor of education, with
the help of graduate students in Drake's School of Education.
Eighteen fifth graders participated in the series of workshops in which education
majors assisted them in refining their writing and editing, and sharing their
writing experiences. The series recently culminated in a "Places to Publish"
workshop in which children learned how and where to submit their writing for publication.
Each child also received a book containing the students' writings.
While the children were attending the writing workshops, their parents took part
in seminars about gifted students led by Arlene DeVries, gifted and talented consultant
for the Des Moines Public Schools. "This is a wonderful opportunity for bright
writers to get professional help from college faculty and graduate students,"
said DeVries. "It's also an opportunity for graduate students to learn about
gifted students and how to meet their needs."
The program drew praise from students and parents alike. "It was cool to
hear everyone else's stories and use their methods to make yours better,"
said Cady Patton, a student at Windsor Elementary School. "The schools are
not set up to provide really intensive writing experiences for gifted students,"
said her mother, Pam Patton, director of prospect research at Drake. "These
students need to be challenged and this program accomplished that in a fun, creative
way."
Drake's Center
for Digital Learning and Technology recently received a gift of $40,000 from Joseph
A. Weber Jr., LA'54, and Doris (Peterson) Weber, ED'54, of Arlington Heights,
Ill.
Joseph Weber is chairman of Weber Marking Systems Inc. He and his wife have been
long-time supporters of the University.
The Center for Digital Learning and Technology seeks to promote the interdisciplinary
use of information technology in curriculum, scholarly inquiry into how technology
can be used to support learning and discussion of how digital technology has had
an impact on political and economic environments.
The Webers' gift will be used to support faculty activities, according to Phil
Houle, center director and associate professor of information systems in the College
of Business and Public Administration.
Faculty and staff
are invited to the Alumni Awards Dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in Olmsted
Center, where six alumni will be honored for their professional accomplishments
and community service.
Morgan Cline, PH'53, a founding partner of Cline, Davis & Mann Advertising,
will receive the Distinguished Service Award for his many contributions to Drake
and to his hometown of Centerville, Iowa. Cline has endowed a major scholarship
fund for Drake pharmacy students and funded the renovation of numerous buildings
in downtown Centerville.
Brian Harms, AS'89, will be presented with the Young Alumni Loyalty Award for
his service to Drake. He has been a class representative, participated in two
class reunion committees, helped organize the Los Angeles Peggy's Party and assisted
with student recruitment.
Blaine Briggs, LA'46, and Laverne Briggs, FA'47, will share the Alumni Loyalty
Award for their numerous contributions to Drake and the Des Moines community.
They have created scholarships for Drake students, served on reunion committees
and actively supported Blank Children's Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club.
Laverne Briggs also has served on Drake's Board of Trustees.
Two Alumni Achievement Awards will be given this year. John August, JO'92, will
receive the award in recognition of his successful career in screenwriting. From
the 1999 film "Go" to the recent success of "Scooby Doo" and
"Charlie's Angels," August has become a hot Hollywood commodity. Susan
Neely Jones, GR'89, also will receive the award for her work as assistant secretary
for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as well as her
contributions in the political arena with former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, LW'74,
and her volunteer service with the Washington Rotary Club.
Reservations are required for the Alumni Awards Dinner, which costs $25 per person.
For reservations, call x3152.