Biological SciencesMary A. Bennett Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA, Senior (Award Amount:

Varies)Dr. Robert Henry Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Full-time undergraduate majoring in

Biology (Award Amount: $150)Mary McCutcheon Hofsess Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 25 ACT, Freshma

preference (Award Amount: $1,000 Minimum)Jean S. and Roger M. Morrow Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA, Junior

(Award Amount: $300)R. M. Myers Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA, Junior (Award Amount:

Varies)Paul Nollen Biology Honors Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Junior/Senior; 3.5 or

better GPA (Award Amount: Two awards at $1,000)Roy M. Sallee Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA, Freshman (Award

Amount: Varies)U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Internship Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA,

Undergraduate (Award Amount: $500 per semester)H. D. Waggoner Memorial Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA, Sophomore

(Award Amount: Varies)Whitetails Unlimited Inc. Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Junior/Senior; 2.5 GPA

(Award Amount: Amount varies)

ChemistryDr. and Mrs. R. L. Hardin Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Junior (Award Amount:

$500 annually)F. H. Currens Memorial Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding Senior (Award

Amount:$350 annually)Dr. Norbert Goekner scholarship in chemistry -- GPA, ACT, Year in school: 3.5 or better GPA;

undergraduate or graduate major, other requirements: chemistry major; preference will begiven to Burmese student (Award Amount: $500)

English and JournalismDr. Paul Blackford British Literature Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA (Award

Amount: Two awards - $300)Bill Bradshaw Memorial Scholarship Fund -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA, Junior

(Award Amount: $1,000)Lois Cordell Bruner Writing Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Open to all WIU

undergraduates, any major (Award Amount: Varies)John F. Castle Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: ACT 28, 3.0 GPA (Award Amount:

$500)Kenneth L. Dixon Memorial Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: ACT 26/Rank top 20%,

McDonough County High School, Preference Colchester/First Time Freshman (Award Amount: $500)

English Department Scholar of the Year Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding GPA and at least junior class standing (Award Amount: $500)

Dr. Olive Fite, American literature scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA (AwardAmount: $750)

Dr. Irving Garwood Shakespearean Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA, Junior (Award Amount: $50)

Eula Cordell Larner Writing Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: WIU Undergraduates, All majors, All classes (Award Amount: Varies)

Lila S. Linder English I Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.3 GPA, Sophomore (Award Amount: $750)

Lila S. Linder English II Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.3 GPA, Sophomore (AwardAmount: $750)

Alfred J. Lindsey Memorial Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Junior, Senior, Graduate student (Award Amount: $1,000)

John Merrett Scholarship in English -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Junior/Senior/Graduate (Award Amount: $750)

New Graduate Fellowship in English -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Graduate student who has completed one semester of work in department of English and Journalism. Must have a GPA of 3.5 or above (Award Amount: $500)

Beth M. Stiffler Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA, completed eligibility requirements for student teaching (Award Amount: Varies)

Drs. Nai-Tung and Lee-Hsia Ting English Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Undergrad or grad (Award Amount: $750)

Wanninger Foundation Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Undergrad or grad whose educa tion was interrupted by at least 2 Years (Award Amount: $500)

Foreign Languages and LiteraturesForeign Languages Alumni Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: ACT of 25 or above,25%

class rank, entering freshman (Award Amount: $1,000 ($250 for four)Foreign Languages and Literature Western Opportunity Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School:

Entering Freshman, Transfer, or Currently Enrolled (Award Amount: $500-$1,000 per year)Blenda Olson Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.5 GPA Foreign Lang./3.0 Overall,

Junior/Senior (Award Amount: $1,000 annually)Jerry Purdum Memorial Scholarship in French -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Must be full-time student, any class-freshman through senior; New freshman must have 25 or higher ACT and continuing students must have 3.0 or higher GPA (Award Amount: $1,000 annually)

GeographyRobert K. Fryzek Memorial Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Currently enrolled graduate student

in Geography; 3.0 or better GPA (Award Amount: $300 annually)Ruth Russell Memorial Scholarship in Geography -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA, 60 or more

sem. hrs. at time of application (Award Amount: $1,000 annually)Tillman Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Entering Transfer and Community College

Student; 3.0 GPA, 30 sem. hrs. at time of application - 48 sem. hrs. at time of enrollment (AwardAmount: $500 to $1,000-2 Year )

GeologyRichard Schafer Freshman -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 25 ACT, Upper 25% of Class

(Award Amount:$500)Geology -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding student (Award Amount: $100 to $200)Richard Schafer Community College/Transfer Student Geology Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in

School: 3.0 GPA. 30 semester hours credit at enrollment (Award Amount: $500- 2 Years)

HistoryDavid P. Pasquini Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Grad Student (Award Amount: $500 annually)Emily V. Leonard History Memorial Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: ACT 27/ACT 22 and top

10% (Award Amount: $750 per Year for 4)

MathematicsH. Glenn Ayre Award -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA, Junior/Senior/Graduate

(Award Amount:$1,000)Jacob Burlak Scholar Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding Scholarship,

Undergraduate (Award Amount: Varies)The Elizabeth Glenadine Gibb Mathematics Scholars -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: ACT 27/ACT22

and top 10%, Freshman (Award Amount: $750-Freshman and Sophomore)Mathematics Alumni Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Outstanding academic record

(Award Amount: Varies)Ronald Maurer Memorial -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Good standing (Award Amount:

$250 semester)Fred Rattner Memorial Mathematics Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: All math majors: 3.0

or higher for enrolled students and 24 ACT or higher and class rank of 10% for new Freshmen; Transfer and Community College students also considered (Award Amount: Varies)The Joseph and Mary Stipanowich Mathematics Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.5 GPA,

Undergraduate (Award Amount: $500)

Philosophy/Religious StudiesMary Olive Woods Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.0 GPA (Award Amount: Varies)Mary Olive Woods Scholarship for Minors in Religious Studies -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: Strong

grade point average; minimum of 3.0; must be enrolled as full-time student (Award Amount: Upto $500/semester)

PhysicsDr. Yan N. Lwin scholarship in physics -- GPA, ACT, Year in school: graduate or undergraduate

student outstanding GPA in major, other requirements: physics major; preference is to be given to a Burmese student (Award Amount: $500)

Political ScienceClarence E. Neff Memorial Scholarship -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: 3.25 GPA Jr., Sr., Transfer (Award

Amount: $500 each award)Clifford A. and Rosa Julstrom Scholarship-Foreign Languages and Literature -- GPA, ACT, Year in

School: 3.0 cum. GPA, Junior (Award Amount: $500)

PsychologyDonald Poindexter Research Award Fund -- GPA, ACT, Year in School: One student each year will be

selected to receive a $150 award to help support his or her research. Student must be an American ethnic minority, and have a research proposal approved. (Award Amount: Up to $150)

WIIU ss Collllegge off Arttss and Sciencess SchhollarsshhipssEarmark your giving; call CAS (309-298-1828) or Development (309-298-1861)

Spring 06 3

In This IssueFrom the Dean 4

News 5Monograph book series revived, new chairs for Poli Sci andChemistry, Geology prepares for Summer Field Camp, new hirein Biology replaces mentor

Feature Stories:

Psychologist Norman Teeter 10With partner Carmelita Bostre-Teeter, 1967 alum helps students

Cleaning up on America’s rivers 12Liberal-arts background handy for nonprofit coordinator

Reflections

Building on friendship 14Connections propel ex-athlete, activist, student to be media leader

The Real Sequel - Chris Mahaffey 18Poli Sci grad found success in associations

Western Illinois UniversityCollege of Arts and Sciences

DeanInessa Levi

EditorBill Knight

Graphics and layoutRobert Johnson

ContributorsLarry Dean, Margaret Eaton, Christina Forbes, Seth

Hanock, Rachel Matecki, Chelsea McDougall and GeoffRands.

Advisory boardBonnie L. Barker, Jeffrey L. Dodd, Sue Martinelli-

Fernandez, Pam Hoffman, James A. Schmidt, AmySpelman and Daniel L. Wise.

AdministrationPresident Alvin GoldfarbProvost and Academic Vice President Joseph Rallo

Western’s CAS is made up of 15 departments whosedisciplines span the areas of the social sciences, thehumanities, mathematics and the natural sciences:African American Studies, Biological Sciences,Chemistry, English and Journalism, Foreign Languagesand Literatures, Geography, Geology, History,Mathematices, Philosophy and Religious Studies,Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology andAnthropology, and Women’s Studies.

Geology summer field camp students cross Elk Creek as they make their way tothe next study site.

Abe Thompson, a WIU student-athlete in the 1970s,remembers feeling safe in Macomb.

Focus, published twice a year; Vol. 1, No. 3, c/o 114 Morgan Hall/WIU, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455; email BK-Knight@wiu.edu.

“FOCUS will inform college stakeholders aboutCollege of Arts and Sciences activities and encouragetheir involvement in the life of the college.”

Phot

o by

Les

li M

elim

Phot

o by

Bill

Knig

ht

Cover Photo by Larry Dean

Focus4

I admit it: I’m a warm weatherperson. I love the long, sun-filleddays of spring and summer. Springholds special interest for me as thelandscape transforms from brownsand grays to one of seemingly end-less and changing color. I’mamazed at how the birds return homeyear after year after wintering inwarmer climes.

This issue of FOCUS seems tobe ideally fit to welcome spring aswe learn about members of the WIUfamily returning to campus in vari-ous fashions. For instance, NormanTeeter, a 1967 psychology graduate,discusses his academic and profes-sional career and how his work andthat of his wife, Carmelita Bostre-Teeter, M.D., have ultimate-ly led to assisting collegestudents from around theworld — includingthree students atWIU. You will readabout Dr. WendellFrench, whojoined CAS’Biology depart-ment this year,having started hiscareer at WIU in1986 studyingzoology. You’llalso read aboutthe revival ofWestern’sMonographpublication,which focuseson this regionand the research that alumnus FrankHicks, an engineering graduate, didon the former MIL (Macomb,Industry to Littleton) train line. AndTammy Becker, a 1999 graduate ofCAS, recalls her academic prepara-tion from some real-life tales of lifeon the river as an environmental

conservationist and educator. I’d like to spin my own brief

story of coming home by announc-ing the new chair of the Departmentof Political Science, Dr. RichardHardy. Hardy received his B.A. inHistory from WIU in 1970. Rick is aconstitutional law expert who hasbeen instrumental in founding theInstitute for Leadership in CivicEducation and directing the NationalInstitute for Advanced Civic Studies.He replaces retiring Dr. CharlesHelm, who served as chair of thedepartment for nine years — and 33years as a faculty member atWestern. Rick moves here with hiswife, Linda, and will assume hisduties on July 1, 2006.

On July 1, we also will welcomeDr. Rose Marie McConnell to cam-

pus as the chair of the Departmentof Chemistry. McConnell comes

to us from the University ofArkansas/Monticello. Her husband

Scott will join WIU’sInstitute for

EnvironmentalSciences as asso-

ciate director.While we

are on thetopics ofthe envi-ronmentand com-ing home,I’d like totake thisopportuni-ty to invite

each of you home to Western toexperience the Kibbe Life SciencesField Station through the variouspublic field trips we will offer begin-ning this summer. These are two-daytrips to the center. On June 9-10, wewill offer “Bird and Bees,” which isnot as saucy as it sounds, but will

From the DeanPh

oto

by B

ill Kn

ight

still offer a lot of fun as we take alook at the birds, wildflowers andnative orchids that inhabit the sta-tion’s grounds. Other trips willinclude “Meet Old Man River”(August 18-19), “Head’n South”(October 13-14), and “Eagles andIcicles” (January 19-20, 2007).These field trips are great ways notonly to reconnect with WIU, but toalso learn a great deal about the nat-ural assets our region has to offer.The field trips start in the early after-noon on Friday, include dinner onFriday night, and breakfast andlunch on Saturday — as well asdorm-type accommodations at thestation. I hope you will join my hus-band, George, and me as we enjoythese trips to one of the most inter-esting parts of WIU. Please look forthe registration page elsewhere inthis issue.

Earlier this year, I had the goodfortune to meet Abe Thompson, a1974 graduate of the department ofpsychology. You’ll read about him inthis issue, as well. He is a remark-able man who really exemplifies theimportance of a liberal arts degree.He is all about making connectionsin his extraordinarily busy and suc-cessful life. I hope you get a sense ofthe energy Mr. Thompson exudes.

It is said that spring is a time ofrenewal. I hope you will take time torenew your interest in and reconnectwith WIU’s College of Arts andSciences. Even if you’re no longertaking classes, there are plenty ofopportunities to be involved, tolearn, and to enjoy what we hope isan integral part of the community.

Alumnus Abe Thompson and Dean Inessa Levi

over to start the next one. The board isstill working out how to solicit futuretopics’ manuscripts.

“They have to be 100-150 pages,”Hancks says. “We’re going to get intouch with other local colleges and letthem know so that their graduate stu-dents can submit things. It’s a goodway for grad students to start.”

The series won’t be limited tograds and scholars, Hancks adds —anyone who has done research and hasa well-written manuscript can submitmaterial.

“We look at it as a service to theschool and to the state,” Hancks says.“We are trying to increase Western’sname as a research institution.”

CAS Dean Inessa Levi set up anew board to oversee the Monographseries. Board members are: MartinDupuis (Poli Sci), Raymond Greene(Geography), Greg Hall (History),John E. Hallwas (English andJournalism [retired]), Jeffrey Matlak(Libraries), Polly F. Radosh (Women’sStudies), and David Stevenson(English and Journalism), with CAS’associate dean Susan Martinelli-Fernandez and Hancks serving asSeries Editors. Levi is an ex-officiomember of the Board.

Eaton is a senior journalism majorfrom Shabbona, Ill.

News

Spring 06 5

a passion for trains.“He used years of his own time to

just sit up here in the library and com-pile all these notes about trains,”Hancks says. “He researched this oldline, the MIL – [the] Macomb,Industry to Littleton line, which does-n’t run anymore.

“When he was graduating, he wasgoing to give us all these notes in abox and someone just said to him,‘This is too much work. You’ve puttoo much time into this for it to just sitin a box. Why don’t you turn it into amanuscript?’

“He gave it to us and it was reallygood.”

Hancks says he anticipates havingHicks’ publication in hand, completedin a matter of months.

“We’re going to print about 300copies,” he says. “I know that doesn’tsound like a lot, but it is. We’re goingto give some of them to the bookstoreand some to local railroad museums.They’re being printed at DPS[Western’s own Document &Publication Services]. That way, if weneed like 100 more it will be no bigdeal to just run down there and askthem to print off 100. If we were out-sourcing it, it would be a big deal.”

Hancks says he thinks that selling300 copies will be enough to cover thecost of the publication and then havesome funds left

By Margaret EatonAfter 15 years, Western’s own

Monograph publication series aboutthe region is being revived, rescued bya generous gift from the late LillianSnyder, Western’s long-time politicalscience professor with a special inter-est in regional history.

Published as a joint venturebetween the College of Arts andSciences and the University Libraries– where starting in the 1970s it wasrun by English Professor John Hallwasand History Professor Bob Sutton –the series will expand to an annualpublication schedule thanks toSnyder’s recent endowment of$250,000, according to Jeff Hancks,endowed Professor of Icarian andRegional Studies.

The original journal-style books,devoted to Western Illinois’ literature,history, geography, politics and cul-ture, ended in 1991 after eight books,due to budget cuts.

The timing was right to resurrect aseries, because a suitable project wasalmost done when the idea arose,Hancks says.

“Everything really just kind ofcame together perfectly for us whenwe were looking for something topublish,” he says.

Hancks details the firstMonograph due out this spring, byFrank Hicks, a Western engineeringgraduate who worked in WIU’slibrary and had

Series gets back on track with new monograph

Fanfare

Fanfare Several campus organizations, including the

Women’s Center and Gwendolyn Brooks CulturalCenter, on March 4 sponsored the third annual Womenof Color Seminar.

Physics chair VIVIAN INCERA this year helpedcoordinate Western’s outreach celebration of the WorldYear of Physics, for which the region’s junior and seniorhigh schools were invited to write essays about AlbertEinstein and his career.

Assistant professor MATTHEW BONNAN was oneof the dinosaur experts sourced in the December issueof Science magazine, in the article “How Fast DoesYour Dinosaur Grow?”

Life Stories, a chapbook collection of stories byEnglish and Journalism Department students who inter-viewed residents of Macomb’s Wesley Village, was pub-lished this spring.

The January issue of Teaching Theology & Religionincluded an article entitled “Vanishing Boundaries:

Focus6

For decades, the Kibbe LifeSciences Field Station has provid-ed a unique chance for students tosee and work in Mississippi Riverenvironments, and this summerWestern will offer the opportunityfor alumni and others, too.

Through a series of field trips,participants can experience thevarious flora and fauna that makeKibbe such a valuable educationaland outreach resource.

“This would be an excellentopportunity for alumni whoattended classes or conductedresearch at the field station torevisit what for many has beenkeystone of their academic experi-ence,” comments Rick Anderson,chair of the Department ofBiological Sciences, “— or to justbecome reacquainted with the out-doors.”

The two-day field trips willoccur over four different Fridaysand Saturdays, he said.Participants would arrive at thefield station by 1 p.m. of the firstday, with introductions followed

by a guided outing. In the evening, ameal would be served at the fieldstation, followed by a presentationby a faculty member from Biology.

On Day 2, participants wouldhave a light breakfast followed by amorning trip ending with a shortpresentation and lunch. In the after-noon, participants would be free to

Dr. MARIO MORELLI, a 34-year memberof the Philosophy Department, retired inFebruary. His interests have been ethics,social philosophy, and the philosophy of law.JOHN SIMMONS, distinguished professor ofreligious studies, was named new chair, effec-tive February 1.

Associate Professor JAMES RABCHUK ofPhysics is credited for helping to conductground-breaking research about trapped ionquantum computing, which Applied PhysicsLetters published as its January cover story.While on a sabbatical leave, Rabchuk workedwith a team headed by Professor ChrisMonroe of the University of Michigan andincluding 2005 WIU grad JACOB BURRESS.

The History Department is in the finalstages of planning its 31st annual WIU HistoryConference, set for April 29.

continue to explore along the manytrails at the field station or begintheir journey home.

Each of the field trips is sched-uled for a differentseason of the year anddesigned to let partici-pants observe some ofthe distinctive andexciting plants andanimals at the fieldstation and its sur-rounding area, and tolearn about theseorganisms from theexperts who workwith them. The fieldtrips are:

• “Birds and Bees”(June 9-10) will fea-ture the station’s manybirds still nesting inlate spring. Also,many of the local

wildflowers are in bloom – such asnative orchids.

• “Meet Old Man River”(August 18-19) will focus on theMississippi River itself. In late sum-

Kibbe promises thr i l ls in new ‘Nature Adventure ’

August could see scenes like this one, as a reptile shares a momentwith a student.

Phot

o by

Visu

al P

rodu

ctio

n Ce

nter

Spring 06 7

By Rachel MateckiIf faculty and staff are key mem-

bers of the university family, there’ssomething comforting about thepassing of an aca-demic torchbetween genera-tions.

At Western’sBiology depart-ment this year, Dr.Ken Keudellretired, replacedby Wendell L.French, a Keudellstudent decadesago.

French, whospecializes inmicrobiology,molecular biology,pathogenic bacte-riology, andimmunology, start-ed his career at Western IllinoisUniversity in 1986, initially studyingzoology, with minors in both chem-istry and Spanish.

“I started as a pre-med major,”French says. “I graduated in 1990with a Bachelor of Science degreeand decided to continue my educa-

tion in the gradu-ate program in theDepartment ofBiologicalSciences at WIU.”

Keudell helpedhim choose whatclasses to take, andanswered ques-tions about whatareas to specializein, said French,who describedKeudell as a valu-able guide.

“Dr. Keudellwas my adviserand I chose micro-

biology as a major,”French says. “He

was a wonderful mentor and Ilearned a great deal from himwhile I was a graduate student.”

Undergraduate and graduate

New professor fills shoesof his own mentor

When Teaching About Religion Becomes SpiritualGuidance in the Classroom” by JOHN SIMMONS, chairof the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Dr. KRISTINE KELLY of the PsychologyDepartment was awarded a CAS Faculty GrantwritingMentoring Grant for $3,000 for work on Children ofDivorce Intervention.

BOB MANN of Mathematics coordinated the 55th

annual Western Regional Mathematics Conference,hosted by WIU in March.

The History Department was awarded a three-yearpartnership grant, “Exploring American History;Teachers Bringing Traditional American History toStudents,” from the U.S. Department of Education.Shared with the Illinois Regional Office of EducationNumber 26, the $581,000 grant will fund an attempt toimprove the teaching of American History in secondaryschools.

TAMA BALDWIN of the English and Journalism

Department was a finalist in two writing competitions:her “Vanishing” in the Annie Dillard Creative NonfictionAward and her “Sun Elegy” in New Millennium Writings.

Geography’s CHRIS MERRETT was namedWestern’s 2006 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. Directorof the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, headquarteredon campus, Merrett this spring addressed audiences atboth WIU’s Macomb and Quad Cities campuses on “Ina Global Economy, The Marlboro Man Needs ANeighbor – The Enduring Need for Community in the21st Century.”

WIU alumnus THOMAS GRAFF, now an associateprofessor at the University of Arkansas, returned tocampus in February, when he presented “UnequalCompetition Among Chains of Supercenters: Kmart,Target and Wal-Mart” as part of the annual GablerLecture, named for WIU’s longtime Geography chairRobert Gabler.

BILL KNIGHT and MARK BUTZOW of English and

Phot

o by

Rob

ert J

ohns

on

mer, the miles of shorelinehave turtles and clams, andancient fish can be surveyed.

• “Head’n South”(October 13-14) will teemwith birds heading south forthe winter along the mid-conti-nental migratory corridor.Species from hummingbirds topelicans pass through.

• “Eagles and Icicles”(January 19-20) will show-case one of the region’s mostprominent inhabitants, the baldeagle. Eagles can gather by thehundreds, moving from roostsin the timber to fish in the openwater.

Each field trip will be lim-ited to 24 people, selected on afirst-come, first-served basis,Anderson says. The fee is $75per person and includes dinneron Friday night, breakfast andlunch on Saturday, and dorm-style overnight accommoda-tions at the station.

(See ad on page 19.) Continued on page 17

Assistant professor Wendell L. French filled aBiology vacancy created with the retirementof his one-time mentor, Ken Keudell, Ph.D.

Focus8

By Christina ForbesTrying to get immersed in the

study of geology sounds like aphysical impossibility, but everyother year, Western’s geology stu-dents travel to the South DakotaSchool of Mines andTechnology in Rapid Cityto do just that.

Coordinated by Drs.Kyle Mayborn and LeslieMelim, the Geology FieldCamp is a requirementfor geology undergradu-ates, and is especiallyvaluable to those plan-ning to continue withgraduate studies, accord-ing to Dr. Peter Calengas,Geology Departmentchairman.

“It’s a very intenseexperience,” Calengassays. “It teaches you alot about observation, disciplineand time management.”

This year, the field camp starts

May 21 and continues until July 1.Considered by the department to beits “capstone course,” the six weeksof concentrated study puts into prac-tice most of the concepts students

discover in course work. Many activ-ities that are impossible to do in theclassroom or on short area field trips

become possible in South Dakota.Melim, who teaches the first

half of camp – which focuses onsedimentology — says she hopes toteach students how to map whileshowing them how to move in the

field and do field workwithout getting lost orhurt in the process.

Throughout, fieldcamp pushes studentsphysically as well asmentally.

But students and fac-ulty alike anticipate the“Eureka! Moment,” asMelim describes it — thepoint at which a conceptsuddenly makes sense.

“That Eureka!Moment is part of theprocess,” she says. “It’san important part.”

Students can get frus-trated, she adds, but they learn tokeep going, too.

The length of the program can

Summer could be hot for Geology campers

Continued on page 11

Journalism in March conducted a Rural PressWorkshop for reporters and editors from the region,including newspapers from Havana, Carthage,Macomb, Kewanee, Toulon and Keokuk, Iowa.

SIYOUNG PARK of Geography was awarded a$67,000 Fulbright-Hays grant for “Understanding KoreaToday: Traditional Values and Modern Technology.”

Foreign Languages and Literatures chair ANDREWLIAN delivered the keynote address at November’s2005 AsiaCALL Conference in South Korea: “TheFuture of CALL,” about Computer Assisted LanguageLearning.

PEARLIE STROTHER-ADAMS of English andJournalism received a $5,000 grant as a JournalismExcellence Fellow of the American Society ofNewspaper Editors.

A 22-year veteran of WIU’s Institute for Regionaland Community Studies, BILL GRIFFIN, this winter wasappointed to Western’s Board of Trustees by Gov. Rod

Blagojevich. Griffin also was on the editorial board ofWestern Illinois Regional Studies.

TOM BLACK of Mathematics coordinated the IllinoisCouncil of Teachers of Mathematics math contest thiswinter.

TOM JOSWICK of English and Journalism won theEditor’s Prize Contest of Isotope: A Journal of Literary ofNature and Science Writing for five poems on Audubon.

SALEEM G. RAO of Physics presented “CarbonNanotubes: Introduction, Properties, Applications andResearch Findings” at a colloquium on campus this fall.

The Bulletin of the Illinois Geographic Societynamed two WIU faculty as editors. RAYMONDGREENE is new editor and cartographic editor isCHRISTOPHER SUTTON.

CAS Dean INESSA LEVI from Mathematics pub-lished “On Properties of Group Closures of One-to-OneTransformations” in the Journal of the AustralianMathematical Society.

Dr. Peter Calengas and students discuss the geology they have encountered dur-ing the day’s field activities.

Phot

o by

Les

li M

elim

Spring 06 9

Assistant professor MARK BUTZOW of English andJournalism presented “Convergence is in the Cards,”about media for the Society of Professional Journalistsnational convention in October.

FACULTY’S NEW FACESNew in the History Department is assistant profes-

sor JENNIFER McNABB. Holding a Ph.D. from theUniversity of Colorado, McNabb’s interests include 16thand 17th century English social history, especiallyRenaissance-Reformation European history … TheDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology has gained

four new members this semester. Assistantprofessor of anthropology DAVIDCASAGRANDE focuses on human-envi-ronmental relationships in Mexico andVenezuela. He co-founded and edits theJournal of Ecological Anthropology.Assistant professor of sociology ROBERT

HIRONIMUS-WENDT hasresearched ties betweenracial inequities and unem-ployment within the urbanlabor market. In previousuniversity posts at JamesMadison, Millikin and Xavier,

Hironimus-Wendt has implemented community-basedservice learning projects for students. Dr. CRAIGTOLLINI, assistant professor of sociology, specializes inthe areas of applied sociology, collective action, and thesociology of knowledge. He earned his

Ph.D. from Western MichiganUniversity in December. Dr.OSWALD WARNER, AssistantProfessor of Sociology, hasinterest in the areas ofrace/ethnic/minority relations,urban sociology, and

Constitutional law expert, alumnusnamed WIU Political Science chairA WIU alumnus who became an

expert in constitutional law will bethe chair of Western’s PoliticalScience department effective July 1,according to College of Arts andSciences Dean Inessa Levi.

Richard “Rick” Hardy will suc-ceed Charles Helm, who is leavingthe department this spring after nineyears as chair and 33 years as a CASfaculty member.

“We are delighted to welcomeDr. Hardy back to his alma mater aschair of the department of politicalscience,” Levi said. “His impressiveresume of administrative posts,research publications, and teachingcombined with his familiarity withWIU make him an ideal candidate tofill this position. I know his contri-butions to the College of Arts andSciences will be far-reaching.”

Joining the Western Illinois fac-ulty from the University of Missouriis a homecoming of sorts for Hardy,who was born and raised in nearby

Burlington, Iowa, and graduatedwith the first class fromSoutheastern Community College in1968. He transferred to Western andearned his bachelor’s degree inpolitical science in 1970, then taught11th grade U.S. history for one yearat Macomb Senior High Schoolbefore going on to graduate school.

Hardy earned his Master’sdegree in political science from theUniversity of North Dakota, GrandForks (1972) and his Ph.D. in politi-cal science from the University ofIowa (1978).

“I can’t wait to get started. I ama product of WIU and have pro-found respect for the institution,”Hardy said. “What draws me toWestern is the progressive, dynamicleadership from the top on down.President Goldfarb’s strategic planthat emphasizes the need for civiceducation and civic engagementespecially caught my eye. And I amparticularly impressed with Dean

Inessa Levi’s positive, visionaryleadership style. Her boundlessenthusiasm is contagious.

“I will be joining a collegial andtalented department laden with gift-ed teachers and fine researchers,” hecontinues. “My predecessors,Charles Weston and Charles Helm,have set the bar high. I will be for-ever mindful of the need to carry ona rich tradition.”

Levi echoed his praise for thedepartment’s leadership in generaland Helms in particular.

“We have been so fortunate tohave enjoyed Charles’s leadership,”Levi said. “We are especially grate-ful for his efforts to establish anddirect the Western Survey ResearchCenter and the scholarship hebrought to the Liberal Arts Lecturein 2004. Charles’s hard work hasgiven the department of political sci-ence a solid foundation on whichRick can build. Dr. Helm’s dedica-tion, intelligence and humor will be

Continued on page 17

Casagrande

TolliniHeronimus-Wendt

Warner

Deng

Continued on page 17

Focus10

abuse was not the way to go, that itwas heading down a road peoplewould be sorry to travel.

“Substance abuse can be persua-sive and destructive and I got more

and moreinterested inaddictions,” headds. “Ithought – Istill think –that it’s anarea of studynot givenenough inter-est in coursework, espe-cially consid-ering that it’s asocial problemthat accountsfor such alarge percent-age of ournation’sresources.”

Teeter’sown resourcesgrew out of hisprofessionaland personalpartnership

with Carmelita, whom Norman mar-ried in 1977.

“We met working at a hospital,both doing the same kind of work,”Teeter says, “and after a while wethought we’d set up our own busi-ness and start doing for ourselveswhat we’d done for hospitals. It’s areal partnership, a working relation-ship before we were married and onethat’s continued.

“We practiced together in whatbecame eight clinics in Kentuckyand Tennessee, and sometimes we’dbe separated for days – although wetalked every day – and if there everwas a down side it was that we tend-ed to work too long,” he says. “It

“Oh, I had several majors thatfirst year or so,” he says. “I’d beenin the Air Force and was interestedin airplanes, but soon realized that’sengineering and I was not cut out for

that. I liked some of the ‘softer sci-ences’ – political science and eco-nomics and so on – but when I tookan introduction to psychology, reallythought, ‘Hmm, this is interesting’.”

Another turning point camewhen Teeter began to focus his liber-al-arts studies, blending his interestin social sciences with psychologyand starting to specialize in sub-stance abuse.

“It came pretty naturally,” hesays. “I saw alcoholism in the mili-tary and after that drug use with mypeers, and, you have to remember,that was a time when Timothy Learywas running around and it becamepretty clear to me that substance

By Bill KnightNorman Teeter was a young air-

man with what he says was a dismalacademic past when a seeminglyrandom observation led him to sud-denly value education –a judgment that, decadeslater, would benefit col-lege students fromaround the world.

“I was in the serviceworking at a desk along-side this young lieu-tenant,” Teeter says.“We were both doingreports and workingwith maps and so on –and I realized that thisguy was getting a heck-uva lot more respect –and four times the pay –and the only differencewas a degree. I remem-ber thinking, ‘I’m goingto get me one of those.’

“I was a lousy highschool student – Ientered Western on aca-demic probation – butI’d learned to appreciateeducation,” adds Teeter,a 64-year-old psycholo-gist who earned a B.S. in psycholo-gy at WIU in 1967. “I wanted it.”

Today, as benefactors and majordonors, Teeter and his wifeCarmelita Bostre-Teeter, M.D., valueeducation so much that they helpstudents. They support them andacademic programs through theinsights and encouragement theydeveloped and shared throughdecades of working with each other,with patients, and with substance-abuse treatments.

A Mount Carroll, Ill., native,Teeter chose Western because hissister had gone here, he says, and hetried different directions before set-tling on psychology.

Norman and Carmelita Teeter are a formidable team.

Doctors try to create opportunities

Phot

o by

Lar

ry D

ean

Spring 06 11

was funny, though. We’d get backtogether and want to be more thanemotionally connected. She’d begardening and I’d be in another partof the house or whatever, and one ofus would say, ‘Hey! Where are you?Why don’t you work where I can seeyou?’

“We like to stay connected.”Still connected to each other in

various endeavors, Norman andCarmelita after more than 25 yearshave phased out their connections totheir clinics, he says – at least theday-to-day operations. They soldmost of them and manage none ofthem, he says.

“We never retired exactly,” hesays. “We still have a lot of things todo. Plus, we didn’t just take themoney and run. We sold to goodpeople, excellent employees, who’dcontinue to operate in an ethicalmanner – people who’d done goodwork and needed to catch a break.We’re not in the rehab business.”

Laughing, Teeter adds, “We getquarterly reports; we work on a con-sulting basis. We helped a few for-mer employees create three morefacilities.”

His strong voice falling silent,Teeter lets his smile peer through hisbeard like the sun peeking out frombehind a cloud. He laughs again andadds, “I don’t want to sound too …too Pollyanna. I’m not that nice aguy! We’ve done what we’ve done.

“We’re not out there to changethe world or help everyone or fixeverything,” he continues. “We haveinterests, we have resources –‘excess’ resources, in our view —and we try to create opportunities.”

Some of their creative activitieshave extended from professionalassistance to helping schools in gen-eral and students in particular.

“We’ve been successful, and we

had a few choices,” he says. “Wecould leave something at some pointin the future, or we could take moreof an active role in supporting peo-ple and educational institutions sothat our goals are accomplishedwhile we’re still alive. So wethought, ‘Let’s have a trust.’

“There are needs right now,” hecontinues, “especially in these daysof cutbacks in quality education.That makes it tougher for somekids.”

Norman and Carmelita assistvarious students attend college,including three at Western.

“We were always interested inhelping students, but we did that ona more limited basis while we wereworking,” he says. “Later we startedhaving some students stay in ourhome. The interest in foreign stu-dents came from my wife havingcome from another country. We’vehelped students from the Philippines,Russia, the Czech Republic…”

Quiet some, Teeter almost whis-pers and laughs at the same time.

“You know, we enjoy nothingmore than seeing a kid’s face whowe’ve helped a little,” he says.

Well, maybe some time, Teeterconcedes, he’d enjoy a little break,too.

“Here’s some advice. You knowall those piles on your desk that youcan’t get to because you’re work-ing?” he asks. “Get rid of every-thing. Burn it. Otherwise, after youretire there’s no longer an excuseand you’ll be swamped.

“Even now, sometimes I think,‘We gotta get back to work so I canget some rest!’.”

Knight is as associate professor ofjournalism and editor of Focus.

be tiring, too, she adds. There isno real downtime and some-times cliques develop and canbecome social pressure-cookers.It’s even more difficult fromthe faculty viewpoint: Theywork 24/7 as professors andas leaders.

While most of the time isspent at the School of Mines,students also visit YellowstoneNational Park, the BighornMountains, and the GrandTetons during the third week ofthe experience.

It’s possible that the fieldcamp provides a little inspira-tion as well as practical applica-tions of academic models.

In the past 10 years, forinstance, about one-third of thedepartment’s students continuedto graduate school, and in thelast four to five years, evenmore — about half — of thedepartment’s graduates havepursued advanced degrees.Most remaining students tend tofind jobs in engineering firmsor government agencies such asthe Illinois EnvironmentalProtection Agency.

Western has run the campsince the early 1970s, accordingto Calengas, and enrollment hasvaried from summer to summer.In the early 1980s, there wereas many as 30 students attend-ing field camp. This year, 14students already are registeredto go to what promises to be amemorable experience.

In fact, Melim says, whenstudents describe a list of whatthey found most valuable atWIU, many geology graduateswrite “field camp.”

Forbes is a senior Geologymajor from Cary, Ill., and isregistered for field camp thissummer.

from “Geology Camp” page 8

Focus12

By Chelsea McDougallLike many college students,

Tammy Becker had no idea what thefuture held for her when she gradu-ated in 1999.

But liberal-arts courses atWestern Illinois University —English comp, sociology, biology,psychology – all helped ready herfor the requirements of beingEducation Coordinator for LivingLands & Waters, a nonprofit groupset up in 1998 to restore and protectthe nation’s rivers.

“I do everything from grantwriting to outreach – there’s mysociology minor at work! – which Idrew on after graduating fromWestern,” Becker says.

First, though, Becker followedcommencement in Macomb with aroad trip out West for six weeks withher best friend, she says.

“I put 9,000 miles on my mom’scar!” she says, laughing.

After Becker returned, she hiredon at a travel agency, then moved toDenver, Colo., to volunteer withAmeriCorps-VISTA, where she wasLife Skills Coordinator for MileHigh Youth Corps, a nonprofitorganization that gives jobs to inner-city teens, provides job-skills train-ing, and helps with GED courses.

Becker says she was responsiblefor putting together workshops foryouths on a variety of “life topics,”such as drugs, gangs, nutrition, andhow to manage money.

“It was during my time withAmeriCorps that I applied to thePeace Corps,” Becker says. “I camehome to Illinois in December of2000 and lived at home with mymom and once again worked for sixmonths. I left for my Peace Corpsservice in July of 2001.”

After her Peace Corps stint, in

Kingston, Jamaica, Becker met ChadPregrake, the Living Lands &Waters (LL&W) founder who wascoordinating a St. Louis-area rivercleanup where she was volunteering.When he offered her a staff job, herlife changed drastically, she says.

The job she took requires her tobe a “river rat” for 10 months of theyear, living on a barge travelingrivers on clean-up campaigns. Whennot on a river, Becker lives in theQuad Cities, where LL&W is based,but on the barge, Becker directs edu-cational workshops, applies forgrants and does her share of cleanupduties.

Becker and a crew of eight takepart in about 50 river cleanups, 20workshops, and 20 restoration proj-ects a year, she says, working inIllinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota,Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky,Virginia, Maryland and Washington,D.C.

With all of that comes the logis-

tical challenge of moving and main-taining all sorts of equipment.

“There is a lot to maintain,” shesays, “—four barges, six trucks, fiveplate boats and boat trailers, a tugboat, pumps, generators, a skid steer,solar panels, etc.”

The crew also notifies localmedia and publicizes activities torecruit volunteers, she adds.

“It’s a lot of hard work, coupledwith fun and adventure,” she says.

Although inexperienced whenshe started, Becker stresses theimportance of her background in thearts and sciences from Western.

“My education at WIU gave mea broader knowledge base to under-stand the world — specifically howpeople interact with one another andthe environment,” she says. “A cou-ple of classes and professors instilleda new consciousness within myself... making me more aware and sensi-tive to how particular groups of peo-ple are treated.”

Seven other people live andwork side by side with Becker onthe barge, including WIU alumGeoffrey Manis. (A third Westerngrad, Madeine Luloff, joined LL&Wlast year as manager of the group’sEast Moline, Ill., office.) Most of theLL&W folks are in their 20s andshare a common outlook, Beckersays.

“We are all passionate abouthaving a great opportunity to dosomething positive for individuals,municipalities and the natural envi-ronment,” she says. “And we arepassionate about having fun.”

Becker says she feels lucky tobe a part of something that makessuch a big difference in the environ-ment.

“Unless you’ve done it, youwould be surprised at how good

Phot

o fro

m M

adel

ine

Lulo

ff

A 1999 graduate of WIU, Tammy Becker usedher liberal-arts background to find herself. Nowshe sees cleaning rivers as hard work, but fun,adventurous and positive.

‘River rat’ feels blessed to clean up

pulling tires and rolling refrigeratorscan be,” she says, laughing. “So wefeel fortunate that we get to dosomething for the greater good — noone can argue against clean rivers —and have a blast when we do it.”

Tammy spends a lot of time onthe river, travels all around theUnited States, steers boats throughbackwaters, watches the river changedaily, observes birds and otherwildlife, and makes business callsfrom a deck-side hammock.

“I feel blessed to do what I do,”she says.

But with all the good comes alittle bad, she concedes.

Spring 06 13

Phot

o fro

m M

adel

ine

Lulo

ff

“Granted, there aredown sides to it all,” shesays. “I often work in thecold when we have no heaton the barge, often work inthe hot humidity with no airconditioning —workinglong hours, being awayfrom family and friends,having little privacy, thatsort of thing.

“But the pro’s of thejob far outweigh the con’s,”she continues. “I do what Ido for a very simple reason— because I feel that it’sjust the right thing to do.”

Becker says she decided in highschool that whatever she would dowith her life, it would be a servicejob, and she always knew she want-ed to do something positive becauseshe feels that she’s always lived acomfortable life and wanted to giveback.

“Most of the world doesn’t havethe resources that I do in America,”she says. “Also, sitting back andcomplaining about all the problemsin the world does nothing but makeyou and everyone around you feelworse. So I can’t allow myself tothink that I am up against a never-ending challenge.

“There’s nothing more satisfy-ing to me than trying to make oth-ers’ lives a little more comfortableand enjoyable,” she says. “WhetherI was teaching, helping folks planvacations, or getting people out toexperience big rivers, it was doingsomething positive to enrichother’s lives.”

McDougall is a senior journalismmajor from McHenry, Ill.

Becker was part of a Living Lands & Waters team that helped with recovery efforts in the regiondamaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Focus14

extra-curricular activities includingexperiences as an athlete, activistand impresario of sorts; and intro-ductions to ideas and people withwhom he’d stay connected fordecades.

He remembers his years at WIUas a time when he learned how tolearn.

“I took no broadcasting classes.I think I took a businesscourse — I’m not sure,” hesays. “But I learned. Ilearned how to think.

“I’m still thinkingbecause I’m still learning,”he continues. “I was inEurope a while back andreally saw how much lessthere is there in categoriz-ing people. There are dif-ferent dimensions but fewerlabels, I guess you couldsay. I swear I heard theterm ‘African-American’applied to a black man inEurope once who certainlywas not an American. Butwhile traveling I noticedhow arrogant Americanscan be. Not malicious –arrogant and innocent. Thatwas a learning experience.”

Thompson says hetries not to travel much during theschool year because he wants to bepresent when his 13-year-old sonPhoenix gets home.

“I want to drop him off, pickhim up, help with homework, what-ever,” he says.

A single parent after the death ofhis wife and Phoenix’s mom, Launa,in 2004, Thompson anticipated beingpresent for his son even when hewas absent.

“I didn’t have the intention towrite a book, really, but just to col-lect some thoughts for my son,” hesays. “The book was to leave a mes-

By Bill KnightWhile traversing traffic in down-

town Chicago in a wet snowstorm,54-year-old Abe Thompson makesconnections. In a series of cell-phone calls, he has bursts of conver-sations, leaving a few messages.

“No really,” he says into hisphone, smiling at no one in particu-lar through the moisture trailingdown his SUV’swindshield. “Iwas at the Kingbreakfast andhad a copy ofFortune maga-zine I wanted togive Martin III,but there weretoo many peopleand I had to go.I’ll get it to him.Yeah.”

He thumbsthe phone’s but-tons: “Deetdoot...”

“Hi, this isAbe. I have afriend in townand then ameeting. Uh-huh. Sure. OK.”

“Deetdoot…”

“ – he needs to work. Right.Sure, sure. He’ll be good. OK.”

“Deet doot...”“Hi, this is Abe. It’s a little

before noon … call her post haste.She has a project she needs help on…”

“Deet doot…”Smile.“Hi, this is Abe. I saw them,

yeah. The smaller of the two theaterswould work perfectly. Yeah. I mightcall O. Sure, yeah,”

“Deet doot...” Smile.Connections.

One imagines a room full ofmovers and shakers, Abe movingand shaking hands and smiling —making connections, returningfavors, extending friendship.

“I always say, somebody offersyou a choice between a million dol-lars and friendship, take the friend,”he says. “Every time.

“Two people walking down the

street — me and you, say – and peo-ple might think, ‘Oh, he’s black andhe’s white; he’s from Chicago, he’sfrom downstate; and so on and soforth. But if people look a little –just a little — they find a lot of com-mon ground, a lot of connections.

“Most of us need to realize, weare all connected.”

Thompson, a 1974 WIU psy-chology graduate and successfulbroadcast executive, says he’s anexample of someone who benefitedfrom connections he noticed while atWestern and in Macomb. He creditsa broad-based liberal-arts education;

ReflectionsSuccessful business leader: ‘I learned how to learn’

Abe Thompson played basketball for WIU as an undergrad majoring in psychology.

Phot

o by

Visu

al P

rodu

ctio

n Ce

nter

15

sage for my son, you know, in case Ididn’t get a chance to talk to himabout certain things. I wrote it out,thinking I’d go to Kinko’s or wher-ever and copy some, bind it up, thenfriends heard about it, and prettysoon it took a life of its own. It wasin book form and I was doing booksignings and so on.

“I gotta say, though: One time atschool this little guy, a second graderI’d guess, pulled the book out of hisbook bag and said, ‘Mr. Thompson,I’m reading your book.’

“I would not have felt better ifsomeone said, ‘Your book is on thebestseller list’.”

The book, My Thoughts, YourJournal, Our Book, is an interactivetitle, inviting readers to jot downtheir responses to Thompson’sobservations.

“Growing up, I was taught neverto write in books,” Thompson wrote.“I made a great discovery [in] col-lege – it was OK to write in yourbooks. They actually sold specialhighlighter pens in the college book-store. What a revelation!”

The book, which came out in2000, also features Thompson’sreflection on mortality.

“Passing on is inevitable,” hewrote. “The only way that you willnot experience death is if you havenever lived.”

Some four years later,Thompson’s wife, theformer Launa Turner,died at the age of 52after a brief illness.

Launa and Abeboth worked in radiosales when they metin the 1980s, marry-ing in 1985. Theirshared career wentfrom Chicago’s WVONand WGCI to Detroit’sWRIF and back to Chicago to man-age WGCI, WVAZ and WGRB.

Now president of Focus Radio,Inc., in South Bend, Ind., Thompsonalso is CEO of Partnership Radio,Inc., in which Focus Radio has partownership.

Thompson says he felt drawn toradio as a recent WIU grad 32 yearsago.

“I’d had some slight experiencewith the music business and ran intosome opportunities,” he says. “Ithought, ‘Hmm, go to parties, meetpeople, have a nice time and worktogether. That became my goal rightout of school: radio, newspapers,record business – it was all the sameto me.”

Once active in radio, Thompsondrew on talents developed at WIU,he says.

“Maybe psychology helps medeal with all the crazies in broad-casting,” he says, laughing. “I knowstatistics really were a big help. Youknow, when I got into radio, every-body else was like, ‘Oh, look atthese numbers, what they show,’because there was a lot of data fromArbitron and Nielsen around. Butonce I just said, ‘Hold on now, whatabout the reliability of the data?’

“Reliability andvalidity of

numbers have meanings, and takingstatistics at Western helped meappreciate what numbers meant –and didn’t mean, in terms of scientif-ic research,” he says. “Learning thatback then helped me later on – andI’d had no idea that would ever be

useful. Still, when validity of thedata was brought up, I thought, ‘Hey.I know this stuff.’

“It’s great sometimes to retro-spectively make the connectionbetween things that seem entirelyunconnected.”

Thompson worked outsideWIU’s classrooms, too.

“I did almost everything inMacomb,” he says, looking at theceiling in his downtown apartment.

“I worked at the onion factory,making onion rings. I did a little on agrounds crew, worked some forLeroy Daniels in the Union. I pickedup and redeemed bottles – this wasthe ‘70s – and I managed a band,Tomorrow Today, which played allover but not in Macomb, I don’tthink.

“No matter what it was, Iworked and all those jobs made con-nections,” he continues, “—and Ialways felt safe in Macomb.”

While a student living inHenninger Hall – a Resident Adviserfor a while, he says – Thompsonespecially enjoyed the campus.

“I loved the buildings there —walking by them, walking intothem – I always had a sense ofsomething happening in there.

“I played basketball, was inBlack Student Association and

went to things at the BrooksCultural Center – ‘the

Black House,’ we usedto call it,” he says.

“In fact, it’s funny.One time, DickGregory, thegreat comedi-an, was oncampus andhe comesover to

Brooks witha white guy

in a business suit and somebody saidsomething and Gregory said, ‘That’smy brother, George.’

“It turned out to be GeorgeO’Hare, an executive with Searsthen, and I became close friends withhim – and Dick Gregory.”

Spring 06

Abe Thompson, a 1974 psych grad, visits with Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks this winter.

Phot

o by

Bill

Knig

ht

Continued on next page

16 Focus

In fact, Thompson was asked to help produce a TV spe-cial on Gregory filmed this February in Chicago.

Thompson’s connections extend from the campus atWestern – which in December honored him with an alumniachievement award – to Hollywood. He was an invited guestat Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball last year. Between,

Thompson has helped withmotion pictures, promotedconcerts such as the CancunJazz Festival and Sinbad’sSoul Music Festival, volun-teered with Athletes AgainstDrugs and the Rainbow PushCoalition, and stepped upwork as a motivationalspeaker.“I’m most proud of my jobas father,” he says.Thompson is a tornado –breezy, energetic, grounded:

connected.And caring. A visiting friend mentions that her father

decades ago had been an Oak Park eye doctor whose patientshad included Ernie Banks, the Cubs legend who’s in townfor the annual Cubs Convention.

His eyes gleaming, Abe makes one call and quicklyarranges a brief rendezvous in a hotel lobby for his friend.

Minutes later, a few blocks away, Banks stands betweena hotel elevator and a revolving door where a doorman tipshis hat.

Handshakes, smiles, nods and small talk about the WorldBaseball Classic and the movie business all rise from a mur-mur to a conversation.

Finally, Banks has to leave but pauses and asksThompson whether he’s thinking about marriage now, almosttwo years after Launa passed away.

“Well?” asks the Hall of Famer.“It’ll come maybe,” Thompson says, shaking his head,

still smiling.“Two words,” Banks adds: “Halle Berry.”Abe laughs and says, “Whoa, whoa, I think she’s with

someone—”“Halle Berry,” Banks interrupts. “Halle Berry.”“Well,” Abe says, shrugging, “she is awfully pretty–”“Halle Berry.” Banks’ face stays straight. “Halle Berry.”“Halle Berry.”Abe shakes his head and smiles.Maybe thinking about connections.

Knight is editor of Focus magazine.

The College of Arts and Sciences this springhired a professional teaching and research couplefrom the University of Arkansas at Monticello to fillvacancies in the Chemistry Department.

Rose Marie McConnell was named chair ofChemistry, and J. Scott McConnell will join WIU asthe associate director of the Institute ofEnvironmental Sciences and an associate professorof Chemistry. Both appointments are effective July 1.

“Once again, through use of WIU’s dual careerrecruitment program, we have been able to attracttwo outstanding faculty to the department of chem-istry,” says CAS Dean Inessa Levi. “We look for-ward to welcoming Rose Marie McConnell toWestern’s College of Arts and Sciences as ournewest chemistry chair.”

Rose Marie McConnell has taught and conduct-ed research at UAM since 1992. She is the principalinvestigator on 17 external grants totaling more than$1 million. She continues to conduct research fundedby the National Cancer Institute on developing andtesting inhibitors of cathepsin D and B, which arelinked to metastatic cancer. She also plans to contin-ue researching in the field on polymer and materialscience.

“Scott has been listed as the principal investiga-tor on $1.3 million of external grants,” Levi adds.“His primary research interest is environmentalchemistry and sciences, and like Rose, he is dedicat-ed to undergraduate research.”

Scott McConnell comes to Western from hisposition as associate professor in UAM’s departmentof crops, soils and environmental sciences. In addi-tion to teaching, he has supervised more than 50undergraduate research student projects, chairednational scientific committees and national educa-tional programs, and helped establish the Journal ofCotton Science (1997). His research focus is on envi-ronmental and soil chemistry; natural water chem-istry, composition and quality; soil fertility and plantnutrient dynamics; water and irrigation factors in theenvironment; and soil management and tillage.

Edited from material provided by Bonnie Barker,University Relations

DDuuaall hhiirree ffiillllss CChheemmiissttrryycchhaaiirr,, ffaaccuullttyy ppoossiittiioonn

Thompson: Media executive andalumni achiever.

17Spring 06

students alike benefited fromKeudell being a caring and brilliantadviser, French says.

“Dr. Keudell is a great mentorbecause he sincerely cares about thewelfare of his students,” he says.“He is very nurturing and truly car-ing and compassionate in makingsure stu-dents learna greatdeal in theclassroomas well asoutside theclass-room.”

Keudell was instrumental inhelping French develop and advancehis own academic career. Amongmany things he learned fromKeudell, French became determinedto make his ideas realities.

“I believe the most valuablething I learned from Dr. Keudellwas to continue in pursuing mydreams, no matter what obstacle oradversity I would encounter in thefuture,” French says.

French plans to start a researchprogram by this summer.

“This research will focus on theroles bacteriophage play in the viru-lence or pathogenicity of salmonellaenterica serovar typhimurium,” hesays.

French first started teaching as agraduate assistant at Western Illinoisin 1990, coming back this year as an

assistant pro-fessor.

“There iscertainly nogreater honorthan to be backat WIU as anassistant pro-

fessor,” he says. “It has been 20 yearssince I started my career here andnothing gives me more pleasure thanbeing here.”

French says he hopes to give tohis own students what Keudell gavehim.

“Now is the time for Dr. Frenchto give back to the students like indi-viduals such as Keudell have given tome,” French says. “I thoroughlyenjoy my new role in life, which iseducating and mentoring students tothe best of my ability.”

sorely missed by all the fac-ulty, staff and students of thecollege.”

Hardy, who previouslytaught at Duke and NorthernState College in SouthDakota, also is a presidentialelector in the ElectoralCollege. A 1992 nominee forU.S. Congress, he has been aconsultant and political ana-lyst for major media includ-ing NBC, CNN, Fox,Newsweek and the WallStreet Journal. He has hostednumerous national civic lead-ers as “Professors for theDay” in his classes, includ-ing U.S. Supreme CourtJustice Antonin Scalia, for-mer President George Bush,former U.S. Senator andU.N. Ambassador JohnDanforth, former chair of theDemocratic NationalCommittee David Wilhelm,Elizabeth Dole, Ross Perotand then-Texas governor, nowPresident George W. Bush.

— excerpted from UniversityRelations

from “Biology Mentor” page 7from “Poli Sci Chair” page 9

from “Fanfare ” page 9

African diaspora …New facul-ty in the GeographyDepartment include YONGXINDENG of the University ofSouthern California, REDINAHERMAN of the University ofIllinois, and SU-YEUL

CHUNG, of Ohio State University. Their specialties,respectively, are digital terrain analysis, interactionbetween gravity waves and large-scaleatmospheric flows, and examination ofurban racial and ethnic segregation …Mathematics this year welcomes VICTO-RIA BARAMIDZE, who earned her Ph.D.form the University of Georgia-Athens.Her interests include spline theory, com-puter-aided geometrical designs and

atmospheric data analysis … The Psychology Departmentis joined this semester by MELANIE HETZEL-RIGGIN,who teaches clinical psychology. Her research interest isin trauma. Also joining Psychology is SANDRAMcFADDEN, whose teaching and research is in neuro-science, particularly audition …This spring Psychologyalso had a Visiting Scholar, DANIELLE BROWN, a gradu-ate student in the Department of Psychology and BrainSciences at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Oneof her public presentations was “Attention and Television:The Role of Individual Differences in the Everyday Skillsof Children.”

Bonnie Barker and Geoff Rands contributed to this materi-al. Barker is with University Relations. Rands is a juniorjournalism major from Macomb.

Hetzel-Riggin

Herman Ghung

“I believe the most valuable thing Ilearned from Dr. Keudell was tocontinue in pursing my dreams, nomatter what obstacle or adversity Iwould encounter in the future,”

18

By Seth Hancock

While studying at Western,students sometimes don’t realizethat life outside of Macomb canbe filled with much success.

This is the case for 1975 grad-uate Christopher Mahaffey.

Earning a Bachelor of Arts inPolitical Science,Mahaffey creditshis experienceinside and out ofthe classroom asgiving him thetools necessary forsuccess after col-lege.

Talking abouthis experience atWestern, Mahaffeysays, “It taught melessons in theclassroom and out-side of the class-room.

“It gave methe overall founda-tion,” he adds.

He also creditsseveral professorswith helping to“make a studentout of me.”

Mahaffey fur-thered his educa-tion by receivinghis Master’s ofScience degree (with distinction)in public-nonprofit managementfrom DePaul University.

During his undergrad sum-mers, Mahaffey worked onCapitol Hill for a U.S.Congressman. Then, after gradua-

tion from Western, Mahaffey went on to work for a national professionalassociation in Washington as a legislative assistant.

Currently, Mahaffey is CEO of the American College of Foot and AnkleSurgeons in Chicago. Before that he was CEO of the Association Forum ofChicagoland – what he calls the “association of associations” for 1,500business, charitable, civic and professional organizations headquartered inthe Chicago area.

“I saw first-hand how hundreds of associations ran, good and bad inthat position,” Mahaffey says.

Even though it’s still rela-tively rare for a student topursue association manage-ment as a career, it was natu-ral for Mahaffey, he says.Because his father was CEOof another association, he“grew up knowing what they(association executives man-agers) were.”

Since graduating fromWestern, Mahaffey hasachieved many successes,including becoming thenation’s youngest CertifiedAssociation Executive in1983, being elected a Fellowof the American Society ofAssociation Executives(ASAE) in 1986, and gradu-ating from the U.S. Chamberof Commerce’s Institute forOrganization Management in1987.

Mahaffey received theWestern AlumniAchievement Award in 1992and two years later received

the ASAE Key Award, thehighest honor in association

management for professional achievement.Even after all of these accomplishments, he is not done, he says.“There’s another association waiting for me, somewhere, sometime!”

Mahaffey says. “One more career move.”

Hancock is a senior journalism major from Hanover Park, Ill.

Focus

The Real SequelWestern was foundation for Poli Sci student, grad and association leader

In the 1970s, Chris Mahaffey briefly worked as alegislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Harold R. Collier.

Mahaffey today

19

Field Trips for YOU

Western Illinois University’s renowned Kibbe Life Sciences Field Station on the Mississippi River opens up a singular opportu-nity to plunge into Nature.

In four distinctive outings -- one each season -- WIU offers participants an experience with various flora and fauna.Participants in the two-day field trips start early Friday afternoon and continue overnight through lunch Saturday. Dinner Friday,

and breakfast and lunch on Saturday are included in the modest fee -- $75 each.Guided hikes and expert presentations help participants find,

appreciate, or re-discover wonders such as migratory birds, plentifulamphibians, abundant water life, and wilderness brush and beautyalong trails.

The field trips are:

June 9th and 10th -- BIRDS and BEES: Conducted in late spring,this trip is during the nesting season for many of the birds that inhabitthe field station environments. Males are often still in breedingplumage, the birds are still very vocal, and high levels of activity canbe found in the woodland and grasslands as the birds hunt for food.For best viewing, Saturday’s outing starts early in the morning. Also,many of the wildflowers that prosper in the varied habitats are inbloom. Did you know we have native orchids in Illinois? If we arelucky you may see some – bring a camera.

August 18th and 19th -- MEET OLD MAN RIVER: This late-summer field trip will focus on the Mississippi River. With almostfive miles of shoreline and associated floodplain forests, the field sta-tion has a direct link to the river. Pollywog for clams, capture turtles,or conduct surveys of some of the fishes of the river. Bring clothesthat you don’t mind getting wet and muddy, and you will have anopportunity to “beat your feet on the Mississippi mud.” You mayeven help net the largest fish you have ever seen, or try to catch a fly-ing carp!

October 13th and 14th -- HEADIN’ SOUTH: During the fall, thearea at and around the field station becomes alive with birds headingsouth for the winter. Located in the heart of the Mid-continental

Migratory Corridor and along a major river, the area welcomes everythingfrom hummingbirds to pelicans. Waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, atremendous variety of perching birds, and hawks all can be found in asingle day of bird watching. Have you every watched an Osprey capture afish or heard a Pileated Woodpecker hammering on a tree just above yourhead? It may happen here!

January 19th and 20th -- EAGLES and ICICLES: Historically, thisarea has been a critical location for wintering Bald Eagles. During theharshest winters, they collect by the hundreds to fish in the small amountof open water still present on the Mississippi River, and to spend coldnights in protected glens cut into the river bluffs. Get up at sunrise to hearthe crows announce the coming day, and watch the eagles move from theroost sites to fish in the river. See eagles dive and capture fish, and com-pete for the fish on the wing as other birds try to pirate it from them. Youmay even see 30 or 40 eagles in a single tree as they perch, sunningthemselves in the cold winter. Lots of warm clothes, gloves and boots arenecessary items on this trip.

Each field trip is limited to 24 participants. Reservations are first-come, first-served.To reserve your spot at Kibbe, complete the form below and send it to us with a check for $75 per person.Information with travel directions, suggested items to bring, and other area sites of interest will be sent to you about three

weeks before the field trip. Join us on what we feel will be a unique experience.

Name(s) _____________________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Contact: phone _____________________________________ e-mail ____________________________________

Field Trip ____________________________________________________________________________________

MAIL TO KIBBE LIFE SCIENCES FIELD STATION, C/O WAGGONER HALL, WIU, 1 UNIVERSITY CIRCLE, MACOMB, IL

Field Trips for YOUIMMERSE YOURSELFIMMERSE YOURSELF