Holocaust remembered through survivor, exhibit at Cowles Blumenthal Lazan is co-author of the award-winning book, "Four Perfect Pebbles," which covers life in the concentration camps, liberation and, finally, starting life anew. The title comes from the author's childhood quest to find four pebbles of almost exactly the same size and shape in hopes that assembling such a set of stones would mean that her immediate family would survive the Holocaust. Following Hitler's rise to power, the Blumenthal family - father, mother, Marion and her brother, Albert - were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get to Holland, but soon thereafter the Nazis occupied it. For the next six and a half years the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit and prison camps that included Westerbork in Holland and the notorious Bergen-Belsen in Germany. Though they all survived the camps, Walter Blumenthal, the father, succumbed to typhus just after liberation. It took three more years of struggle and waiting before Marion, Albert and their mother at last obtained the necessary papers and boarded ship for the United States. The speech, which is sponsored by the Drake Center for Global Citizenship, is free and open to the public. For more information on Blumenthal Lazan, visit The exhibit provides a vivid look at the first steps the Nazis took to suppress freedom of expression and the strong response that occurred in the United States both immediately and in the years thereafter. The exhibit focuses on how the book burnings became a potent symbol during World War II in America's battle against Nazism and concludes by examining their continued impact on our public discourse. The James M. Collier Heritage Room will feature additional exhibits related to local Holocaust survivors and modern-day book banning and censorship. Events this month include: March 26 - Exhibit opens, 1 p.m., Cowles Library March 27 - Opening ceremony, 4 p.m., Reading Room. Pomerantz Lecture, room 101, Meredith Hall, 7:45 p.m., featuring Judith Gerson, a scholar from the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies and associate professor in sociology at Rutgers University. She is currently a visiting fellow in residence at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, having been awarded the center's prestigious "Life Reborn" Fellowship for Research on Displaced Persons. Her research project focuses on the topic of German-Jewish immigrant identities, in particular the assimilation of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, and is titled "By Thanksgiving We Were Americans: Hidden Legacies of the Holocaust Among German Jewish Immigrants." For a complete schedule of events, visit www.lib.drake.edu and click on News and Events. More information about the exhibit can be found at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: (Pronounced: La ale-lah pwad-rig son-ah jeev) The wily leprechauns in the All-Staff Council have organized a pre-spring break social on the eve of St. Patrick's Day from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Pomerantz Stage area of Olmsted Center. Karaoke, food and beverages will be provided along with prizes galore. No kissing of blarney stones will be permitted, however. (*) That's "Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone," in Gaelic. For more fun Irish phrases, visit The podcasts were shot in the style of one of those Publisher's Clearing House ads where Ed McMahon shows up with a big check. The only difference is True Blue winners get blue caller ID telephones and bulldog statues. And there is generally less screaming and crying. The podcasts can be viewed on Mac or Windows using the free downloadable application iTunes at Drake University will host the Greater Des Moines Partnership's Multicultural Celebration from 5:30 to 7 p.m., on Wednesday, March 15 in the upper level of Olmsted Center, 2875 University Ave. The event is free and open to the public. The event seeks to connect people of diverse backgrounds in an effort to make them feel more at home in their new community. "It's about being inclusive," said Alba Perez, diversity development director for the Greater Des Moines Partnership. "It's an opportunity for new Iowans meet people with similar cultures and backgrounds in the Des Moines area and see how truly multicultural this community is." Drake's multicultural student organizations will also be at the event with information tables, and students will be serving as hosts. The groups included are: Black Law Student Association The Drake Vietnamese Student Association will perform a traditional Vietnamese dance including traditional clothing, music, fans, umbrellas and a short kung-fu segment. Another Drake dance troupe, Fusion, will also perform. Drake and the Greater Des Moines Partnership are the co-sponsors of the event. Follow in their footsteps by attending one of the spring series of Friday evening public presentations at the Drake Municipal Observatory. The first session is set for 8 p.m., March 17, at the observatory in Waveland Park on the west side of Des Moines. The series, presented by Herbert Schwartz and Charles Nelson of Drake's Department of Physics and Astronomy, will focus on "Life in Our Solar System?" Each week there will be a non-technical, illustrated presentation on an astronomical topic followed by the opportunity to view several stellar objects through the large refracting telescope and several smaller reflecting telescopes. The program will be held regardless of the weather, although the selection for observation is subject to change due to sky conditions or other special circumstances. Individuals, families and small groups of adults are welcome to attend the presentations, which begin at 8 p.m. each Friday from March 17 through May 5. A responsible parent or an adult must accompany children. Check the calendar and future editions of OnCampus for future sessions. So in love with the stars was Morehouse that he secured the donations to build the Drake Observatory - along with Cowles Library and Drake Stadium - while he was Drake president. Even while managing the stressful tasks of the University's highest office, Morehouse spent the wee hours of the morning looking into the dark sky and the stars twinkling above. Did you score four touchdowns in a single game for Polk High a la the erstwhile Al Bundy? Perhaps you sank the game-winning jumper to give Hickory High the Indiana state basketball championship. Maybe you rattled around the minor leagues with guys named Crash and Nuke. The Times-Delphic is seeking faculty members willing to share their stories of past athletic glory for a feature story in the student newspaper's Relays edition. Whether you were a college star or a high school benchwarmer, the T-D wants to hear from you. If you're willing to participate, send an e-mail to reporter Kate Baier at A TIAA-CREF consultant will visit Drake from Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 15, to give individual retirement management and investment goal counseling. All appointments are full, however, a wait list is available and future sessions will be scheduled. Call Kay Bretthauer at x3339 for more information. On Campus will take off next week for spring break, however the friendly folks in Marketing and Communications will be here, as will all our fellow Drake staffers. All University offices will remain open for regular business hours during the recess. On Campus will return from spring break, perhaps with a hard-to-explain tattoo and an odd piercing, on Monday, March 27. |
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