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December 17, 1999 - Vol.53, No. 29

MBA graduate receives $10,000 seed grant

Derek Holmes receiving his seed grant.Derek C. Holmes, who earned an MBA degree from Drake in August, recently received a $10,000 seed capital grant from Drake's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Institute to help his fledgling business. Holmes, 29, is principal owner of TEC-LINK, which he founded last summer to offer a combination of e-commerce and market intelligence services to businesses. TEC-LINK
already has a contract to conduct market research for Bankers Trust Co. and hopes to work with other banks as well, he said.

"TEC-LINK's approach to providing consulting services is to first understand the core business processes along with marketplace intelligence," Holmes said. "Once understanding these essentials, technology-based business solutions can be implemented through information technology systems procurement and integration."

Holmes, a resident of Clive, was selected to receive the grant by Drake's $10,000 Seed Grant Advisory Board, a panel of faculty members and local business leaders that considered four business plans. Holmes was selected because of his enthusiasm and experience, said Scott Yetmar, assistant professor of accounting.
Theatre festival to feature play by Drake students

Drake seniors Allison L. Moody of Stilwell, Kan., and Micky York of Kansas City, Mo., are co-authors of a 10-minute one-act play selected for the American College Theater Regional Festival to be held January 19-22 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Their play, titled "On Men and Women," was one of seven out of 127 entries to be chosen from a variety of universities in the region.
William S.E. Coleman, professor of theater arts at Drake University, says having a play selected for the regional festival is akin to an athletic team getting into a bowl game.

"Our district is made up of six states and includes many universities with graduate programs in theatre," he added. "In fact, it is the largest in the country, therefore one of the most competitive since many universities have extensive playwriting programs."

"On Men and Women" is written in monologue form with male and female perspectives on four issues: virginity, shoes, sports and relationships. Two actors portray four men and four women as they give their views on each issue.

"It's exciting to be [going to the Festival], working with a director and actors I have never worked with before," said Moody, who is a theatre acting major.

Moody and York will sit with a director from another university in the district and work with the director as he or she directs the play. "We tell the director what's exactly in our heads, what our vision is," said York, a senior music theatre major.

Moody and York developed the play in Coleman's class, Theatre Arts 170: The Playwrights Acting Company, an annual workshop in which student plays are developed, rehearsed and showcased.

The Playwrights Acting Company has had unusual success over the years, Coleman said. For example, two years ago Melanie Wehrmacher, AS'97, had a play published. Seth Kramer, JO'93, who had a full-length play invited to the regional festival, just published a collection of plays. Another alumnus who completed the Playwrights Acting Company class is Jim Uhls, AS'79, who wrote the screenplay for the controversial movie "The Fight Club."
Goldberg's gifts to provide books, scholarships
Dorothy Goldberg
Dorothy H. Goldberg, JO'71, has recently made two gifts to Drake University that will provide new books for Cowles Library and scholarships for students majoring in theatre arts.
She has established the Louis and Ida Hyman Endowment Fund for Literature in memory of her parents who owned and operated Hyman's Book Store in downtown Des Moines. The fund was established with an initial gift of stock valued at about $26,000.

"Books have been one of the great influences on my family," Goldberg said. "I'm very happy to create this endowment fund in memory of my parents who instilled in me a love of books and literature."

Income produced by the Louis and Ida Hyman Endowment Fund will be used to acquire works of fiction, drama, critical studies, literary biography and reference sources. The works will be selected by librarians and faculty members.

"The University is honored to be the beneficiary of this permanent tribute to Ms. Goldberg's parents and appreciates the support for increasing the depth of our library collection," said Rod Henshaw, dean of Cowles Library. "In the years ahead, this endowment fund will enrich the library collection and add value to the Drake academic experience."

Goldberg also has created an endowment to fund the Daniel B. Goldberg Theatre Arts Scholarship in memory of her son who died in 1984. The fund was established with an initial gift of stock valued at approximately $26,000.

"Dorothy Goldberg has long been a strong supporter of the theatre department," said Ron Troyer, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "This endowment fund will provide a tremendous boost for the theatre program. We don't have a lot of scholarships for theatre majors. This gift will enable us to be more aggressive in recruiting talented students."

Income generated by the fund will provide annual scholarships to students who are theatre arts majors in good adademic standing in their sophomore, junior or senior years at Drake. The recipients will be selected by a panel of theatre faculty on the basis of their demonstrated special talent, ability and endeavor in the theatre arts. The first scholarship will be awarded for the 2000-01 academic year.

Goldberg has supported Drake in many ways, contributing to fundraising campaigns and the Actors and Playwrights Program for equipment and for the renovation of the Studio 55 lobby. She also gives her time to Drake as a member of Friends of Drake Arts and the Cowles Library National Advisory Board.
Drake mourns Professor C. Edward Dyer

C. Edward Dyer, professor emeritus of education and associate dean emeritus of the Graduate School, died of a stroke at age 86 in Pittsfield, Mass., on Nov. 29. Memorial services were held Dec. 4 in Pittsfield. Dyer and his wife, Prudence, professor emeritus of education, had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 10. "It's wonderful that they were able to reach that milestone together," said Earle Canfield, dean emeritus of the School of Graduate Studies.

Canfield described Dyer as "a fine man who was respected by faculty and students, alike." He noted that Dyer was well suited to his position of associate dean of the Graduate School. "He was excellent in that role because he'd work with grad students to accomplish what they wanted but he would be firm and maintain academic quality when necessary."

Lloyd Stjernberg, professor of education, remembered Dyer as "a gentleman who always stuck by his principles and was very concerned about the graduate program being well respected."
Marvin Fellers, associate dean and professor emeritus of education, said Dyer "was always interested in students and concerned for their welfare. He would go out of his way to make sure that students were taken care of."

A native of Freewater, Ore., Dyer joined the Drake faculty in 1966 as professor of education. He was named associate dean of the School of Graduate Studies in 1968 and remained in that position until he retired in 1978.

Dyer served in the Army in World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean War. He also was a Fulbright lecturer in Greece.

In addition to his wife, Prudence, survivors include three sons, Richard and Davis, both of Cambridge, Mass., and Daniel of Hudson, Ohio; four brothers, two sisters and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Pittsfield, where Dyer was lector and chorister.
Second conference planned on college sports corruption

The National Association for College Athletic Reform (NAFCAR) will hold a second conference March 24-25 at Drake University to resolve issues regarding corruption in college sports.

The first NAFCAR conference took place at Drake Oct. 21-22 for college professors and critics of modern-day intercollegiate sports programs. Jon Ericson, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of rhetoric and communication studies at Drake, said the second conference is designed to decide "what kind of organization we want to create and what action we are prepared to take."
Walk to Cure banquet planned

Faculty and staff are invited to the 2000 Walk to Cure Diabetes Kick Off Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 6, at the Hy-Vee Conference Center. The free banquet will provide information about the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the 2000 Walk, which is set for March 4.

"We would like to fill as many tables with Drake people as possible to show our support and involvement in this cause," said Melissa Junge, assistant director of recreational services. Anyone interested in attending should contact Junge ASAP at x2027.
Drake to host King Banquet

Donald Adams, executive assistant to President Maxwell, has been asked by the National Conference for Community and Justice to co-chair the banquet celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday on Saturday, Jan. 15. He also serves on the King Holiday Planning Committee.
The 15th annual King Holiday Interracial Banquet will be held in Parents Hall in Olmsted Center. The event will begin with a reception at 5:45 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

The featured speaker will be Lisa Buckley, vice president and general manager of Maytag Corp. "She will not only talk about Martin Luther King Jr. and keeping his dream alive," Adams said, "but how all of us can help with Partners in Economic Progress (PEP), an organization founded by Maytag CEO Lloyd Ward and Dick White, a former member of Drake's Board of Governors."

Drake's student-run advertising agency, Bow Wow, is preparing a publication that will be distributed at the banquet and other King Holiday events

All members of the Drake University community are invited to attend the banquet. The cost is $25 and pre-registration must be concluded by Tuesday, Jan. 11. For information and registration, call Rudy Simms at 274-5571.


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