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On Campus - Stories
May 10, 2002 - Vol. 54, No. 40



Doug Brown

Gen. Wesley K. Clark

Drake to hold three commencement ceremonies

More than 1,000 graduating students will be honored at Drake University's three commencement ceremonies, which will start at 7 p.m. Friday, May 18, with the Law School Commencement Ceremony in the Drake Knapp Center.
Judge Richard Arnold of the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court will give the keynote commencement speech for 102 Law School graduates.

Judge Arnold has served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit since 1980. He also served as Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1992-1998. Prior to that he was a United States District Court Judge in Arkansas.

Barbara Hodgdon, professor emerita of English, will be the keynote speaker at the 121st Drake Graduate Commencement Ceremony, which will start at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, in the Drake Knapp Center. Approximately 370 graduate degrees will be awarded, including 99 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.
Approximately 620 graduates will be recognized at the 121st Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony starting at 10 am. Sunday, May 19, in the Drake Knapp Center.

The speakers at that ceremony will be Drake President David Maxwell; Kari Charlson, winner of the Oreon E. Scott Award (the top honor for Drake seniors); and two recipients of honorary degrees – Doug Brown, long-time WOI Radio personality, and General Wesley K. Clark who dedicated 34 years to the U.S. Army.

Brown, who was known as the "Man of Many Voices" in his more than 35 years at WOI Radio, will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree. As host of "The Book Club" and "The Music Shop," a classical music show, Brown interpreted more than 250 complete books and numerous short pieces of fiction, poetry and nonfiction to thousands of central Iowa listeners. He is the only winner of the Governor's Award for the Best Arts Radio Program in Iowa and is known for making words "jump off the page and dance in the listener's brain." One fan recalls driving 75 miles out of his way just to listen to the rest of Brown's reading of Huckleberry Finn.

Kari Charlson holds her Oreon E. Scott Award and poses with President David Maxwell, Dean of Students Jerry Price and Assistant to the Dean of Students Jan Wise.

As a dedicated advocate of the arts, Brown is a tireless volunteer for the Des Moines Symphony, Iowa Music Showcase, churches, public libraries and schools in central Iowa. In addition to his work with WOI, Brown was the play-by-play commentator for Iowa Public Television's broadcasts of high school and college wrestling for 27 years. The National Wrestling Association honored Brown with the Most Outstanding Media Person award in March 1994 for his dedication to the sport.

General Clark also will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree. He served 34 years in the U.S. Army before retiring to become an emerging-technologies corporate consultant at Stephens Group Inc., an investment firm in his hometown of Little Rock, Ark.

A Rhodes Scholar who graduated first in his class at West Point in 1966, Gen. Clark's career includes positions as director of strategic plans and policy under the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Clinton Administration and commander in chief of the United States Southern Command in Panama, where he presided over all U.S. forces and was responsible for the direction of most U.S. military activities and interests in Latin America and the Caribbean. As commander in chief of the U.S. European Command, where he directed one of the nine Unified Combatant Commands in the Department of Defense, Gen. Clark assumed responsibility for all U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Special Forces activities in 89 countries and territories, including more than 109,000 troops across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In addition to his work with the European Command, Gen. Clark served as Supreme Allied Commander beginning in 1997. As overall commander of NATO's military forces in Europe, he led approximately 75,000 troops from 37 NATO and other nations in ongoing operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, including the alliance's military response to the Kosovo crisis: Operation Allied Force.

His numerous awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merits, Purple Heart and the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation's highest civilian honor. He is a member of the International Crisis Board and a distinguished senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.


Jazz Ensemble I to throw CD release party Sunday evening

Drake Jazz Ensemble I, under the direction of Andy Classen, will throw a CD release party on Sunday, May 12, to celebrate the release of "Here Be Mainstay USA," the ensemble's third CD.

The party will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Mainstay at 25th Street and Forest Avenue. Admission is $5, or free with the purchase of the new CD at $15. Members of last year's band and this year's band will perform selections from the CD, as well as more recent repertoire.

"Here Be Mainstay USA" celebrates the building Drake gave to the jazz program as its home, the Mainstay. This building is used for all jazz rehearsals, classes, combo performances and is being expanded to include a state-of-the-art recording studio. The CD contains a wide variety of big band compositions from Thad Jones, Maria Schneider, Hank Levy and others.

Jazz I has had great success in recent years. Last summer, Jazz I toured France, England and the Netherlands for 14 days, culminating with four performances at the internationally acclaimed North Sea Jazz Festival. Only four U.S. college bands were invited to the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Last month, 11 members of Jazz I were selected by audition to perform with the Iowa College All-Star Big Band at the Iowa Jazz Championships. Drake had more students selected than any other university in Iowa.

Drake President David Maxwell, son of legendary lead trumpet player Jimmy Maxwell, contributed to the CD's liner notes. Jimmy Maxwell followed Harry James as the lead trumpet in the Benny Goodman band and later was the lead trumpet on the "Tonight Show" among other notable accomplishments.

In the liner notes, President Maxwell says, "When I hear the [Drake] jazz ensembles playing, I expect to turn around and see my father and his friends playing. I continue to be astonished by the quality of Drake's jazz musicians. The jazz program is one of the jewels in Drake's crown."


Make reservations for the Alumni Awards Dinner Friday

Faculty and staff are invited to the All-Alumni Reception and Alumni Awards Dinner at 6 p.m. Friday, May 17, in Olmsted Center.

Six alumni will be honored at the event. Larry Katzen, BN'67, a managing partner for Arthur Andersen LLP in St. Louis, will receive the Distinguished Service Award – the highest honor bestowed upon Drake alumni.

Jill Waage, JO'91, will get the Young Alumni Loyalty Award. She is a senior editor for Meredith Corp.' s Bedroom & Bath magazine and a department head in Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications.

Barb Ford, JO'74, vice president of advertising for Kraft Foods, will receive the Alumni Loyalty Award.
The Young Alumni Achievement Award will be presented to Brett Casebolt, BN'95, president and CEO of Corlux Corp., a new technology company he started. He is one of the youngest major donors to the University's annual fund.

Two Alumni Achievement Awards will be given this year. They will go to Joe Crookham, LW'68, and John Dedrick, LA'61. Crookham is president of Musco Lighting Co. of Oskaloosa, Iowa, which has provided lights to help with rescue and salvage efforts at Ground Zero following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Dedrick, who recently retired as CEO of West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. in Wisconsin, founded the West Bend Mutual Charitable Trust, which aids local charity campaigns and provides scholarships to needy and worthy individuals.

Reservations are required for the Alumni Awards Dinner, which costs $25 per person. For reservations, call x3935.


Heaston named interim dean of business college

Provost Ronald Troyer announced today that Pat Heaston, the Aliber distinguished professor of accounting and director of the School of Accounting, will be interim dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. Professor Heaston will become interim dean when Joe Alber leaves Drake to become dean of the Richard J. Wehle School of Business at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y.

"Dr. Heaston is highly respected by the College of Business and Public Administration faculty and staff members," Troyer said. "He has extensive experience in both CBPA and University-wide governance. He is an accomplished teacher and scholar and he has earned the admiration of people across the University. I am confident he has the ability to lead the college during the next year. I appreciate his willingness to step up and assume the duties of the dean's position."

Professor Heaston, CPA, is in his 19th year at Drake. He has accounting experience in both public accounting and government and teaches financial accounting. He has been selected as the outstanding teacher in the College of Business and Public Administration three times, twice at the undergraduate level and once at the graduate level.

His published research is in the areas of professional licensure and professional ethics. During Heaston's tenure as director, the School of Accounting attained initial accreditation from AACSB International, initiated a master's degree in accounting and redesigned the accounting major to incorporate it within with four years of liberal arts study. In addition, the school created joint accounting majors, which allow accounting majors to study other major business areas as part of the accounting degree.


Don Adams, center, poses with graduates of the Adams Academy, which provides intensive leadership development opportunities for students. The academy is part of the Donald V. Adams Institute, which was established by Drake alumni and friends to reinforce Adams' values and ideals and to help students develop new abilities and a strong commitment to public service. Adams is executive assistant to President Maxwell for community and alumni affairs.


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