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August 2008
Gontarski named 2008 Lawton Professor Florida State University Professor of English Stanley E. Gontarski, an internationally
performance); Eun-Hee Park, piano (FSU doctoral candidate in accompanying/chamber music); and M. Brent Williams, violin (D.M. ’08, Violin Performance).
New dean arrives at College of Medicine The Florida State University College of Medicine has a new dean.
acclaimed scholar and critic, influential editor, innovative dramatist and inspiring teacher and colleague, has been named the 2008-2009 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor. It is the highest honor bestowed by the FSU faculty on one of its own. “We have an extraordinarily productive faculty here at Florida State, across all disciplines, and so to have one’s own work singled out for such attention is simultaneously exhilarating and humbling,” Gontarski said. Among his prolific array of scholarly, literary, editorial and teaching achievements, Gontarski is considered the world’s foremost authority on the writings of acclaimed Irish author, poet and dramatist Samuel Beckett (1906-1989).
Ensemble makes Carnegie Hall debut A musical ensemble that formed last year at Florida State University made its debut to critical acclaim at Carnegie Hall during the 3rd International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in May. _ The ensemble enhake (in-HA-kee), which is Seminole for “sound” or “call,” won first prize in the winds division and, therefore, was entitled to perform in the competition’s Winners Concert in the Weill Recital Hall. _ The members of enhake are Jayoung Kim, cello (FSU doctoral candidate in cello performance); Wonkak Kim, clarinet (FSU master’s student in clarinet
Dr. John P. Fogarty became dean of medicine in early August. He previously worked at the University of Vermont College of Medicine as the senior associate dean for operations and associate dean for primary care. Fogarty succeeds Dr. J. Ocie Harris, who retired after more than five years as dean.
Towey joins Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission Florida State University alumnus Jim Towey (B.S. ’78, J.D. ’81), who is the president of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., has joined a commission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that has been charged with looking beyond the medical care system for ways to improve the health of all Americans. The two-year commission will investigate how factors such as education,
environment, housing and transportation shape and affect personal behavioral choices.
Ringling campus receives ‘StormReady’ designation The National Weather Service has granted “StormReady University” certification to the campus of the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla. Florida State University operates the museum. The Ringling Museum campus had been certified as a “StormReady Supporter” before achieving the more stringent, current designation. The main FSU campus in Tallahassee received the “StormReady University” certification in 2007.
elementary- and middleschool audiences. According to Edwards, it is a true collaboration between Asolo Rep, Florida State University and The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, and will feature the talents of FSU/Asolo Conservatory students, FSU graduate design students and a cutting-edge, professional director.
The on-screen magic that dazzled audiences in “The Golden Compass” and won an Academy Award for “Achievement in Visual Effects” was partly the result of Kevin Beason’s education at Florida State University.
Lobree named commander of Navy ship With a crew of 360 sailors and three Marines in his charge, Florida State University alumnus Shawn Lobree has taken command of a new Navy warship that carries Marines or other joint forces into action overseas.
And the winner is … Florida State University alumnus Kevin Beason, right, was part of the Oscar-winning visual effects team from Rhythm & Hues who worked on the movie “The Golden Compass” (2007). Pictured to the left of Beason is Rhythm & Hues’ Visual Effects Supervisor Bill Westenhofer.
Asolo Rep celebrates 50th season Asolo Repertory Theatre is celebrating its 50th season in 2008-2009. Located in Sarasota, Fla., it is the premier professional theater of the state of Florida and one of the most important cultural forces in the southeastern United States. “The Asolo Rep golden anniversary season takes us on a journey of discovery as we celebrate life, creativity and the indomitable spirit that dwells within us all,” said Michael Donald Edwards, the Asolo’s producing artistic director. For a listing of the season’s shows, visit www.asolo.org. This year, Asolo Rep has launched a new component of its already acclaimed Access to the Arts program — a production specifically tailored to upper
Beason part of Oscar-winning team
Even though the USS Mesa Verde was commissioned in December 2007, Lobree (B.S. ’86, Economics) was named captain of its “pre-commissioning unit” in February 2004. The Mesa Verde is his first command post. As captain, Lobree is responsible for the training and safety of the crew, and the execution of assigned missions. The ship, which is an amphibious transport dock, is the third-largest type of warship in the Navy behind aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. It can carry up to 800 Marines.
Floyd will be color analyst for FSU Football Radio Network Florida State University alumnus William Floyd, who won a national championship as a fullback for the Seminoles in 1993 and a Super Bowl ring as a San Francisco 49er in 1995, will join Gene Deckerhoff this season as color analyst on the Seminole ISP Sports Network. “I’m ecstatic about working with one of the best play-byplay personalities in all of sports,” Floyd said.
Beason (B.S. ’00, computer science; M.S. ’05, computer science) works as a software engineer for Rhythm & Hues, a Los Angeles visual effects company. His job is to support the company’s propriety software, which allows its artists to render such fanciful creatures as the “daemons” and golden monkeys that appeared in “The Golden Compass.” “As a software engineer, it is very satisfying to be able to see the changes and fixes I make in the computer code have a direct impact on the artists’ work flow in an almost immediate manner,” Beason said. “I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if it weren’t for my graduate adviser, (Associate Professor) David C. Banks, in the computer science department at Florida State University,” he said. “I was also very lucky to have the support of (Associate in Mathematics) Mickey Boyd in the mathematics department.” Beason also expressed gratitude to the faculty of the FSU Department of Physics and the School of Computational Science, where he did his thesis research on applying realistic illumination to scientific visualization.