December 2005

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CAMPUS MOURNS HEYWOOD
Several hundred people paid tribute to C. William “Bill” Heywood, one of the most distinguished figures in Cornell history, at his memorial service Nov. 27 in King Chapel. Hired in 1954 to teach history, he also served the college as dean (1983-87), acting president (1994), and a member of the Board of Trustees. Bill’s community service included three terms on the Mount Vernon City Council and president of the Mount Vernon Board of Education. He authored Volume I in the two-volume scholarly history of the college published in 2004. Read more about Bill’s life and legacy in the winter issue of Cornell Report.

FIRST FELLOWS HONORED
Several students in the inaugural class of Cornell Fellows gave presentations during a recognition program Dec. 10. These 2005 Fellows completed work at the Minnesota Governor’s Office, the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., the Creede (Colo.) Repertory Theatre, the Hennepin County (Minn.) Law Library, Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee, and Hardin County Savings Bank in Eldora, Iowa.

HIGH NOTE FOR SINGERS
Joe Okell won the senior men’s division and Erin Prall won the senior women’s division in the Central Region auditions sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. “It’s unprecedented for the two senior division winners to be from the same school and studio,” said their instructor, Lisa Hearne, associate professor of music. “We were certainly the smallest college represented at the auditions, so this showing from Cornell was remarkable.”

4 STUDENTS JOIN OPERATION WALK IN '06
Operation Walk, the international medical mission project founded by trustee Larry Dorr ’63, will take four Cornell students abroad in 2006. Junior Britton Walker, of Fort Collins, Colo., and Amber James, a junior from Hill City, Kan., will participate in the April trip to Nicaragua. Stephanie Healy, a junior from Cedar Rapids, and Jessica Johnson, a junior from Maryland Heights, Mo., will go to Guatemala in November.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIBRARY
Cornell and Mount Vernon celebrated the centennial of their shared library this fall, marking the opening in 1905 of the Carnegie Library on campus. The celebration included a keynote address by Mount Vernon children’s book author Jacqueline Briggs Martin. The library moved to the current Russell D. Cole Library in 1957. The original library houses the geology department.

HEARD ON CAMPUS
Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria told a capacity crowd in King Chapel that U.S. citizens must adapt to living in a “world where everyone is at the table, rather than where America is chairman of the board.” His November lecture, “The Future of Freedom,” was the second in Cornell’s Delta Phi Rho Lecture series, funded by the Delta Phi Rho Centennial Endowment.

FAITH AND JUSTICE
A Catholic laywoman from England who founded a haven for prostitutes in Chicago gave the Small-Thomas Lecture, focusing on the intersection of faith and social justice, earlier this month. Inspiring and entertaining, Edwina Gateley described how she persevered in her mission to serve the marginalized around the world. The lecture series is funded by Richard Small ’50 and Norma Thomas Small, honorary alumna.

FINE ARTS RENOVATIONS HONORED
The fine arts renovation project of Armstrong Hall and Youngker Hall received an honor award for excellence in architecture in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Central States Region Awards. McWethy Hall, the first building completed in the fine arts project, received an honor award from the AIA Iowa chapter.

RAM COACH WINS 'BIGGEST LOSER'
Assistant wrestling coach Matt Hoover had a lot to lose and $250,000 to gain when he tried out for the NBC television reality show “The Biggest Loser,” where overweight contestants pursue intense exercise and diet programs in bids to drop the highest percentage of weight. He lost 157 of his 339 pounds to win the top prize. “I’m 29 years old, I’m debt-free, I have my health back. The sky’s the limit for me,” the two-time state high school wrestling champion from Belle Plaine, Iowa, and former University of Iowa wrestler told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Read more about Matt's story here.

YEAR END GIVING REMINDER
As the end of the calendar year approaches, please consider making your gift to take maximum advantage of tax benefits.  All gifts postmarked by Dec. 31 are tax deductible for 2005.  You can make your gift today by visiting Cornell’s secure online giving site. 

COE LEADS CORNELL IN YOUNG ALUM CHALLENGE
Although many young alumni have responded generously to the Coe-Cornell Young Alumni Challenge, Cornell is trailing Coe. Visit the challenge web site to see current standings.  The Rams and the Kohawks have faced off to see whose young alumni (class years '96-'05) have the highest participation rate and most school spirit by contributing to their college.  We need the help of all young alumni to BEAT COE!  Please show your support and make your gift today.  GO RAMS!

INTRODUCING MONICA DAVIS
Monica Davis ’02 has joined Cornell as a development officer, annual giving and grants, in the office of Alumni and College Advancement. Previously a staff assistant and caseworker for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, she also served as a Young Trustee for the Class of 2002. During her term she helped spearhead Cornell’s Young Alumni (C’YA) initiatives.

EARHART-CORNELL LECTURE
The Earhart-Cornell Lecture series continues its tradition of bringing distinguished speakers to campus when Samantha Power visits Jan. 26. She is professor of practice in public policy at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. A former reporter for U.S. News & World Report, the Boston Globe, and the Economist, she will speak on “Iraq’s Collateral Damage.” Previous Earhart-Cornell lecturers include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and evolutionary biologist and popular science writer Stephen Jay Gould.

LYRIC THEATRE
The annual Lyric Theatre production is the musical thriller Sweeney Todd, Jan. 27-29 and Feb. 2-4.

SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION
The Shakespeare production this year is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, March 15-19, directed by artist-in-residence Ron Clark, founder and co-artistic director of Iowa City’s Riverside Theatre, which is celebrating its 25th season.

MUSIC MONDAYS
Music Mondays brings back one of its most popular acts, the Deanna Bogart Band, Feb. 13.

HOMECOMING 2006 DATE ANNOUNCED
Mark your calendars now for Homecoming 2006 - Oct. 20-22. Special Reunion classes include: '41, '46, '51, '56, '61, '66, '71, '76, '81, '86, '91, '96, '01.