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On Campus - Stories
August 18, 2000 Vol. 53, No. 11


PROF. MARSTON TO GIVE FAREWELL PRESENTATION TONIGHT

Tony Marston, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Drake University, will give his farewell presentation at the Drake Municipal Observatory at 8 p.m. today (Friday, Aug. 18). He will discuss the future of astronomy and assist visitors in viewing stellar objects through the large refracting telescope and several smaller reflecting telescopes.

The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held regardless of the weather. The observatory is in the middle of Waveland Park and can be reached by turning west off Polk Boulevard onto Observatory Road.

Marston, who has been conducting public presentations at the observatory for six years, is leaving Drake to join the Operations and Observing Support section of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) Science Center in the Ifrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology. SIRTF is a NASA project, the last of its four "great" observatories (the others were the Hubble Telescope, the Compton Gamma Ray Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Telescope). Beginning Sept. 1, he will be helping with operations, supporting astronomers in their use of the observatory and doing research.

Public presentations at the Drake Municipal Observatory on Friday nights will continue this fall under the direction of Herbert Schwartz, Drake's astronomy lab instructor. His first program, titled "The Earth is Born," will start at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1.

For more information about the presentations, call x3141.

DRAKE SETS RECORD FOR IOWA PRIVATE COLLEGE WEEK


Drake welcomed 339 prospective students and their families to campus during Iowa Private College Week (Aug. 7-11) ó the largest number of campus visits experienced by any of the 29 colleges and universities participating in the program.

Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, had the second largest number of campus visits (322), according to the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (IAICU).

Drake officials said they were very pleased with the turnout at Drake, which eclipsed last year's total of 192 campus visits during the first annual Iowa Private College Week.

"The commitment and enthusiasm of current Drake students, staff, faculty, President David Maxwell and the Drake neighborhood businesses was a true reflection of Drake's mission," said Deneen Dygert, associate director of admission. "Families were very surprised at the many opportunities they had to learn about the benefits and features of the Drake experience."

During Iowa Private College Week, prospective students and their families attend free campus tours and information sessions starting daily at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The prospective students will have their application fees waived at each of the colleges they visited. Those who visited three or more colleges will have their application fee waived at any of the 29 participating colleges and universities.

Statewide, there were 3,066 campus visits during Iowa Private College Week, a 38 percent increase over last year's total of 2,214. "It was a good increase," said Kathleen Gannon, director of marketing and public affairs for IAICU.


NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR LEVITT COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Faculty and staff are invited to submit nominations for the 2000 Madelyn M. Levitt Distinguished Community Service Award, which will be presented at the Fall Faculty and Staff Convocation at
3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main.

Levitt, a member of Drake's Board of Governors and national chair of Campaign Drake, created the award seven years ago recognize outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff. This award is given to one who exemplifies the ideals of volunteerism and community service.

Past recipients have been Dean Wright, professor of sociology; Alan Cubbage, former director of marketing and communications; Neil Hamilton, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt distinguished professor of law; Herbert Strentz, professor of journalism and mass communication; Russell Lovell, professor of law; and Aimee Beckmann-Collier, associate professor of conducting.

Nominations and supporting material are due in the presidents office by Wednesday, Aug. 30. A screening committee, composed of senior administrative staff, will review all nominations and make recommendations to President David Maxwell.

DOCUMENTARY NOMINATED FOR EMMY AWARD

A documentary about Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs that includes a series of photos showing "The Slugging of Johnny Bright" (Drake's greatest football player) has been nominated for a 21st annual News and Documentary Emmy award.

Winner of the 2000 Telly Award, "Moment of Impact: Stories of the Pulitzer Prize Photographs" was produced and directed by Cyma Rubin, in association with Turner Network Television. The 90-minute documentary aired on TNT and CNN in 1999.

The documentary returned six of the Pulitzer photographers to where their prize-winning photographs were taken. Their stories, directed and edited in a style of film verite, reveal the personal impact of the events surrounding these photographs.

The photos of Bright, an African-American, were taken by John Robinson and Don Ultang of The Des Moines Register during the Drake-Oklahoma A&M (later named Oklahoma State) football game Oct. 20, 1951. The photos captured Bright taking a malicious forearm from the Aggies' Wilbanks Smith well after the play had ended, resulting in a broken jaw.

Bright's college football career came to an end because of the injury. Drake withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference and severed all future ties with Oklahoma A&M. As a result of the incident, the NCAA changed its rules mandating facemasks and mouth guards for all players, as well as making such illegal hits grounds for suspension.

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