Pulse 2012 by Gaylord College

Summer 2012

A Publication of the JayMac Alumni Group

Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication

COVER STORY: Entrepreneurialism inspiring innovation ALSO INSIDE:

At the Core

Apple recognizes student and faculty innovation

Eye of the Story

Crowdsourcing technology inspires development of StormCrowd to report severe storm damage

I’m frequently asked, “How is journalism education adjusting to meet the needs of the rapidly changing journalism and mass communication industries?” Here are five initiatives we are taking in Gaylord College to ensure our students are ready for the industry:

Cover photo from iStockphoto. The University of Oklahoma in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services. For questions regarding discrimination, sexual assault, sexual misconduct, or sexual harassment, please contact the Office(s) of Institutional Equity as may be applicable – Norman campus at (405) 325-3546/3549, the Health Sciences Center at (405) 2712110 or the OU-Tulsa Title IX Office at (918) 660-3107. Please see www.ou.edu/eoo. 2

We have converged much of our curriculum so that students are working on multiple platforms and across disciplines. Our journalism students are expected to be proficient in print, video and online output, able to produce strong content regardless of distribution platform. They still specialize, but know that they must be conversant with a variety of media. Our webzine, Routes, is just one example of that converged philosophy. The Oklahoma Daily has become a multi-platform news hub recognized for innovation by the Associated Press Media Editors. Our impressive new advertising/PR agency, Lindsey+Asp, is integrated where ad and pr students work side-by-side to devise creative solutions for clients. Advertising students engaged broadcast production students last semester resulting in a world-class commercial for a national advertising competition.

Helped by our outstanding Board of Visitors, we are integrating more business content into our curriculum. Today’s graduates need to know the economics of the industry. We have introduced content where students can learn the basics of budgeting, business plans, and P&L statements as well as understand the business models on which their specialties are based. Allied with this content is a stronger emphasis on ethics.

Our students are entering a world where their entrepreneurial skills are valued greatly and they must create their own opportunities to succeed. Increasingly, professionals begin as independent contractors and freelance creators rather than salaried employees. I’ve been impressed that so many of our students see the turmoil in the industry as an opportunity to create their own niche in the marketplace. Students are enthusiastically creating their own content, their own brand, and their own marketing strategy, and are ready to charge into an unsettled world where bold, new ideas have currency. Professor Kathy Johnson introduced an entrepreneurship course last year that guides students through this process. Several articles in this edition of Pulse show some of that activity.

We are providing our students with the best creative tools and building technological pathways to success. In Gaylord Hall, students have access to more than 400 workstations to tell their stories. Whether they are editing video across borders, building mobile applications for newsgathering, or writing illustrated e-books, students are finding their voice. Now that Apple has recognized our technological excellence by awarding their coveted “Distinguished Program” label to Gaylord College, we are in an even stronger position to innovate.

While journalism schools have traditionally been isolated within the university environment, they are now gaining strength through alliances. We in Gaylord College have been working actively with computer science to frame a new minor in their program that will make training in programming more accessible to Gaylord College students. This fall, we are joining with Information Technology on campus to open a mobile applications laboratory in Gaylord Hall that will unite journalism and computer science students. We are working with the College of Fine Arts to enhance our advertising students’ access to design classes and design students’ access to our co-curricular activities. We are discussing partnerships with the College of Business and the newly created College of International Studies. A long-running close relationship with the athletic department’s video production arm, SoonerVision, is enabling our students to produce a 30-minute weekly sports program, “Sooner Sports Pad,” on the new OU channel on Fox Sports this fall. An association with a local weather company has spawned the “StormCrowd” crowdsourcing effort to report on the damage done by severe storms. A partnership with the newly created “Oklahoma Watch,” a nonprofit investigative reporting organization located in Gaylord Hall, ensures our students will play a substantive role in serious, data-intensive journalistic efforts.

Just as the industry is changing, so are we in journalism education. We approach our Centennial Year committed to help our students succeed in the rapidly changing marketplace they will enter.

Keep us updated! Let us know where you are and what you have been doing since you left OU. Send your updates to Kristen Lazalier Director of Development klazalier@ou.edu or Alumni Update, Gaylord College, 395 W. Lindsey St., Room 3000 Norman, OK 73019-4201

Summer 2012

COVER STORIES

Entrepreneurial Inspiring Innovation At the Core Eye of the Story

COLLEGE NEWS

College gaining recognition Perfect Teammates Brian Lamb receives Gaylord Prize Faculty activities

PROFILES

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CharitySub crew – Jim Crewes The Advocate – Kim Bayliss At the head of the creative class – Kate Beard & Jarrod Higgins A Life of Leadership - Allison Harris Funneling Creativity – Kyle Bergersen Behind the Scenes – Stephanie Frederic Lifetime learner, educator – KJW Regents choose MVP – Bill Hancock

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ALUMNI AND FRIENDS NEWS Development Update Centennial Circle Alumna Joins Study Abroad Multimedia lab dedicated Alumna leaves legacy for women journalists Not always what you plan Alumni Association Thank You JayMac Members Board of Visitors Alumni Census Class Notes Celebrating Lives

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WEB CONTENT MANAGING EDITOR

EDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Dwight Normile Adjunct professor of journalism

Celia Perkins Director of Communications

PHOTOGRAPHERS Scott Hodgson Celia Perkins Robert H. Taylor Shevaun Williams

STUDENT WRITERS M.J. Casiano Adrienne DeWitt Kelsey Dunckel Alisha East Leslie Herring

Adriana Knight Nicole Rogers Sarah Thomas Jillian Ward

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JAYMAC BOARD MEMBERS

Watch the new student video, This is Our Classroom, on the Gaylord College YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/-Ffy24aF1hw.

395 W. Lindsey St., Room 3000 Norman, OK 73019-4201 www.ou.edu/gaylord

James Tyree President Ja’Rena Lunsford Vice President/President Elect Nancy Coggins Immediate Past President

Changes of address may be made in the alumni directory at www.ou.edu/alumni or by calling the Alumni Records department at (405) 325-1700.

Members at Large David Joplin Debra Levy Martinelli Steve Patrick Daryle Voss

Pulse is the annual magazine published by the JayMac alumni association of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. Students in the fall 2011 and spring 2012 classes of JMC 3011 Magazine Practicum provided the majority of the stories. OU Printing Services printed 11,000 copies of this issue at no cost to taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma. The Gaylord College distributes Pulse to alumni and friends of the journalism and mass communication program.

2011 Platinum Winner

CollegeNews

Entrepreneurialism inspiring innovation Big words, big dreams BY JILLIAN WARD

any journalism majors choose their field of study in order to avoid all encounters with math and financials. Their rivals in Price College, however, have at least one thing going for them: practicality.

Professor Kathy Johnson, McMahon Centennial Professor, has found a way to make the realistic field of business not only applicable to the creativity of journalism students, but enjoyable and rewarding as well. She describes her class, Principles of Media Entrepreneurship, as being about “dream making,” and her students embraced the concept. “It’s about turning your passion into a business that will provide income and satisfaction, while learning the business skills that will help you do that,” Johnson said. “Entrepreneurship is in our blood as media professionals, even today, as a billion-dollar business. While there are a lot of conglomerates now that are running the media industry, every day there is a media professional launching a new independent business in order to fill a new void or to compete with the ‘big guys’.” One can even picture Gaylord College as an independent business run by students and faculty. Lindsey + Asp, OU Nightly and The Wire are all examples of how students are participating in student-led business endeavors. Johnson’s class, however, provides the educational structure to focus more deeply on the business aspects of the media. Johnson says that entrepreneurs have always surrounded her in the media business. She says that entrepreneurs “have the freedom to be as creative as they want to be about their passion, whatever that may be. That’s why I launched my own media company – so I could create the projects that I felt the most passionate about.” Johnson has more than 25 years of experience in numerous phases of network, cable, satellite and new media.

She also founded KJ Media Creative Solutions (www.kjmedia. tv), which carries the tag line of “Think Outside the Box.” Johnson’s creative, contagious attitude has helped inspire her Gaylord College students to realize and pursue their dreams. One successful idea was by Candace Cindell, who created a business plan for the iCan Kids Network, a 24-hour television channel dedicated to kids, with programming and advertising geared toward active and healthy lifestyle choices. Classmate and Honors student Sarah Fullerton thought Cindell’s plan was exactly what she needed for her honors research project. Fullerton says that the business plan was something she wanted to actually launch and could do so in Johnson’s class, with her support. Projects like these are what become a reality through Gaylord College’s innovative classes and creative faculty. The network was competitively pitched to potential investors and went on to place fourth in the final round of the Sooner Launch Pad entrepreneurship competition, winning a prize of $1,000. Fullerton represented journalism students well by being one of two solo presenters and the only non-business student at the competition. This is just one example of how journalism and creativity can be applied beyond the boundaries of Gaylord Hall. After receiving so much recognition from her work, Fullerton acknowledged how much Johnson had helped and supported her through this class. “Kathy is so enthusiastic about helping students innovate and make their ideas become realities,” she said. “She always emphasized that, even during college, we are already in our careers, so we can and should turn our ideas into marketable products.”

Fullerton said that the Brent Wheelbarger, founder Gaylord College also played of Moore Monthly and a large role in supporting her Trifecta Communications; business media goals. and Armand McCoy, “People around Gaylord Trifecta Communications. often say that you get out Johnson says the of the college what you business ideas included put in – this is a clear a sports marketing firm example of that,” Fullerton that represents only female said. “Gaylord is a great athletes, an Internet-based environment because as sports radio network, and a college, it is open to a private airline service that students’ ideas.” provides everything from With the support of consumer plane trips to Gaylord College faculty aerial videotaping services. and staff, those ideas are This is just another example what make the college an of how students can apply inspiring place to study and their class work to real Sarah Fullerton Kathy Johnson learn. The opportunities business situations through 2011, Broadcasting and McMahon Centennial Professor available are never-ending, this course. Electronic Media unique and collaborative, “The course teaches media students basic business skills while and Fullerton believes they also are wide-reaching. providing them a platform to dream and launch their own “Entertainment, advertising and news media are a huge part companies,” Johnson said. of the business world,” said Fullerton. “Every company uses the While everyone needs the ability to communicate, Johnson media to promote their business, sell products and reach their also says that business skills are something utilized by various target market, but journalism and entertainment media are Gaylord College students, including members of Lindsey + businesses themselves. Without Asp Advertising and Public the business side, the creative side Relations. The emphasis can’t happen.” on how business applies to It’s about turning your passion into It is this understanding that real life, including the lives a business that will provide income makes Johnson’s class possible of journalists, is something and practical. Johnson strives to teach her and satisfaction, while learning the Another project was launching students. a public relations Web venture, While there still may business skills that will help you do linking existing PR agencies with be some on-campus rivalry that. – Kathy Johnson consumers needing services to between business and event production services for upjournalism students, Johnson’s and-coming music stars. Johnson entrepreneurship class may does not discourage an idea finally provide the bridge to unrelated to media. bring their ideas together. And what Fullerton accomplished “If it’s the student’s passion and it’s a ‘doable’ project, then clearly epitomizes Johnson’s goal of integrating these fields to they should do it,” she said. “That’s the great thing about a create unique opportunities for Gaylord College students to gain communications-related degree – it applies to everything.” experience in the business world. Johnson’s class also participated in the “Shark Tank,” during which three local ‘sharks’ from area businesses visited Gaylord Jillian Ward is a public relations senior from Arlington, Texas. Jillian College to hear business-plan pitches from students. These sharks wants to some day know something about everything, and own every included Pattye Moore (1979, PR), Gaylord College Board of elephant necklace in existence. Visitors and chairman of the board for Red Robin Restaurants;

Stephanie Pham delivers a presentation to Gaylord College’s own “Shark Tank” representatives (from left) Armand McCoy, Brent Wheelbarger and Pattye Moore. 5

CollegeNews

At the Core

Apple recognizes student and faculty innovation BY ADRIANA KNIGHT

hen visitors see the innovative technology in Gaylord Hall, they might think they have arrived at some type of high-tech headquarters, or even a new Apple store on the South Oval. But in reality, they have merely entered an inspiring new world of journalism studies.

And on April 20, 2012, the journalism program that thrives in Gaylord Hall was recognized for its growth and vision. That’s when the Gaylord College was presented with the Apple Distinguished Program award during a ceremony attended by Apple representatives, OU President David L. Boren, the OU Board of Regents, faculty, staff and students. Gaylord College is the first collegiate journalism program in the United States to receive the award, which honors innovation, leadership and educational excellence. “I believe that Apple noticed us because we were out there trying to be better and giving students more opportunities,” said Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote. “They saw that we had a physical plan that invited creativity.” Foote applauds Buddy Wiedemann, Gaylord College director of information technology, and Chris Krug, Gaylord College instructor, as being the two vital components of the technological advancement of Gaylord College. “They are exceedingly savvy at technology and are great content creators, too,” Foote said. “They understand so innately what the mission of this college is and how technology can be used to fulfill it.” Foote said their exemplary effort, sacrificing personal time toward the better interest of the college, has really made a difference. “After so many years of doing that and being so helpful to so many people in so many ways, there’s bound to be an outcome,” Foote said. “And we’re just very pleased that the outcome of their work and others in the college has been recognized by one of the leading technology purveyors in the world.” Wiedemann has been with Gaylord College since 2003 and has been a thriving technological force for the college ever since. Krug says that Wiedemann has been able to see the big picture of how Apple can help fulfill this mission. “Everything we do in this college is done on Apple computers,” Wiedemann said. “It’s not that we’re using Apple computers that makes us stand out. It’s what we’re doing with them.” “We’re really using Apple to fulfill our mission as a college,” Krug said. “We’re trying to go into the digital age.” Krug said the technology enables the college to create opportunities for students to do exciting things that go beyond what everybody else is doing.

“We have all the tools, if not more, than what some people consider the best programs in the nation,” he said. According to Apple, OU is ahead of other journalism programs and other colleges in general throughout the nation. “We received the award because of our innovative use of Apple technologies in the classroom, in student projects, in student outreach projects that we’ve done,” Krug said. While Gaylord College’s prestigious recognition from Apple was definitely an honor, it wasn’t something the college was actively seeking. It was the other way around. “This was something that senior Apple administrators and the education specialists who worked with us saw and said, ‘You know, you really stand out. We think you deserve the recognition,’” Wiedemann said. Wiedemann also said that as he and Foote went through the application they became overwhelmed with all the things the college was doing. “We had so much stuff that we had to take things away. There was so much going on,” Wiedemann said. The Gaylord College has grown considerably over the past few years alone. With two new buildings, more than 400 Macintosh installations, 13 servers and nearly 17 different lab configurations, Gaylord Hall is a veritable technology force. “I think it’s really exciting,” Wiedemann said. “We go so fast and so hard around here; we do so many things,” From Mac minis driving webcams in the Creative Lab to streaming events to share on iTunes U, Gaylord College has found solutions in Apple technology. The college streamed 35 live events in the fall of 2011 and annually streams the college’s convocation ceremonies. “We always stream the ceremony live, so if someone’s grandmother who lives in Peru or Belgium can watch it live on the Web,” Wiedemann said. Due to popular demand, Gaylord College has built a team to help stream these events across campus. Streaming also is extremely helpful for students who cannot attend a particular event. “What’s even more important is [that] when we have a guest speaker, we capture that stream and then make it available on iTunes U,” Wiedemann said. “So later on, if someone was ill that day, [he or she can] watch the lecture again.” Another project that harnessed Apple technology is the Telly award-winning video documentaryTornado Emergency: Saving

President David L. Boren was on hand for the official announcement that Gaylord College is one of few Apple Distinguished Programs in the nation.

Lives. The video was produced for the National Association of Broadcasters and the Broadcast Education Association to highlight the role newscasters and TV meteorologists play in the wake of natural disasters. Gaylord College Professor Scott Hodgson and Professor Chandra Clark from University of Alabama and two teams of students produced this awardwinning video across state lines using Final Cut Pro and Apple computers. So what’s next for the innovative college? “We hope it will be a magnet to attract students who want to explore their creativity through the best technological means possible,” Foote said. “If that’s the case, we’ll draw more students, more creative students.” Foote also is planning to involve other majors at OU in the project. “We are currently partnering with IT to bring a media innovation lab to Gaylord Hall to where computer science students and mass communication students can work together on mobile applications,” he said. He said the development of a computer science minor will help students to better understand code writing and the back end of creating applications, while helping computer scientists to understand the importance of creativity and content. The college will continue to strive to measure up to the standards of the Apple Award. “Our dean is very visionary,” Wiedemann said of Foote. “That’s the reason we have this award. We wouldn’t have been here without his vision, without the grants that he brought in.” The award is an exciting accomplishment for the college and gives everyone involved with Gaylord College a sense of pride. “I think for students it gives them validation that they made the right choice coming to the Gaylord College,” Krug said. “It really shows they’re headed in the right direction. They’re going to be innovators in their future careers.” Added Wiedemann: “We want to be the best program. We want to provide the best educational and teaching environment we can. When people come here and get a degree, I want you to leave and feel like, ‘Wow, I really got what I paid for.’” Foote said technology helps to spur creativity, inspire people to do better and to produce a better product.

“There’s a climate here that makes you want to create, want to innovate and jump out of your comfort zone and do some exciting things,” Foote said. The Gaylord College integration of Apple technology is a big reason why. A native of Spencer, Okla., Adriana Knight is a journalism senior who was accepted into the 2012 Teach For America Corps and aspires to found a nonprofit organization and increase her collection of fortune cookies.

Apple integrated programs • U.S. State Department SUSI Program for South Asian students using iPad2 tablets for citizen journalism • Quicktime Broadcaster enables the Stream Team to provide live streaming for events across campus • Largest collection of podcasts on the University of Oklahoma’s iTunes U channel • Collaborative tornado video production with Final Cut Pro X across statelines between OU and University of Alabama • Apple ibooks integrated into curriculum • iPhone application for room reservations in the Lindsey+Asp advertising and public relations agency • StormCrowd uses the open-source Ushahidi platform and specially equipped iPhones for video and photos to crowdsource severe storm damage reports • PaceSetter custom podcast tutorials hosted on iTunes U 7

CollegeNews

Eye of the Story

Crowdsourcing technology inspires development of StormCrowd to report severe storm damage BY KELSEY DUNCKEL

riday the 13th is thought to be cursed, and last April in Norman, Okla., it even featured tornadoes. It happened quickly that afternoon. The sky turned pitch black, the wind picked up to mighty gusts of cool, humid air, and then came the rain in giant droplets.

As the eerie wail of the warning sirens rushed through the community the whirling funnel cloud touched the ground, uprooting trees, shredding rooftops and destroying buildings. In a matter of minutes, a tornado had left a path of destruction from I-35 to Porter Avenue. It also left many stories. The Gaylord College was prepared. Through a recent partnership with Weather Decision Technologies Inc.,and the NOAA National Weather Service, it had developed StormCrowd, a varied media platform that allows people to receive weather information quickly and effectively. As a result, a new Mobile News Practicum, which uses crowdsourcing, started in the spring 2012. Gaylord College faculty members John Schmeltzer and Julie Jones created StormCrowd and also taught the class. “We believe that where the good stories are there are no media,” Schmeltzer said. “Journalists can’t get there in enough time because people have already left or have been escorted by the police. If journalists get there sooner, and be where they need to be, they can get better stories.” In August 2011, Schmeltzer and Jones attended the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in St. Louis. They heard of the Knight Foundation’s Knight News Challenge that had different technology developers create software to use in academic applications. Alongside AEJMC, the Knight Foundation has provided funding for 10 different proposals to use the technological developments and enhance the education of future journalists. One was Gaylord College’s “StormCrowd: Reporting from the Storm.” “[The grant] (AEJMC partnering with the Knight Foundation) had a maximum payout of $8,000 to take the technology that had previously been developed by the Knight Foundation through its news challenge, and to see if any of those technological developments could be moved into a journalism school where it will eventually transfer into the industry,” Schmeltzer said. The platform Schmeltzer and Jones chose was the Ushahidi software, which was first used in Kenya, according to Schmeltzer. “It has been used extensively in Kenya and other African countries to crowd source election information,” he said. “Since then, it has kind of morphed, and it’s growing.”

After applying for the grant in September, Schmeltzer and Jones talked to people at Weather Decision Technologies Inc. “We knew we needed somebody to help with technology since we were going to focus on weather,” Schmeltzer said. “WDT signed on right away; they didn’t hesitate. It would require some software development, taking the open-source software developed by Ushahidi and adapting that to what we were doing.” The StormCrowd website (http://stormcrowd.wdtinc.com) includes a map of Oklahoma dotted with clickable red circles, which provide short weather descriptions sent by students, citizens or the National Weather Service. The site also includes videos and images of the weather. One tab offers a method for people to submit information, pictures and videos. Twitter is another digital tool through which the public can communicate weather issues. Besides assisting journalists in the field, StormCrowd also is helping the students inside Gaylord College with the practicum. “They talked to me about the [class] early on, and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to work with something like this,” said

Students enrolled in the new Mobile News Practicum class taught by John Schmeltzer and Julie Jones tested their reporting skills on April 13, 2012.

Katherine Borgerding, online manager of The OU Daily and an online journalism student at Gaylord College. “We are really on the [edge] of technology, and right now no one is doing this, no other college in the U.S. It’s a way to get information to the public before the storm, during the storm, after the storm, and to become way more aware of the weather in Oklahoma.” According to Borgerding, the class is considered a “newsroom.” When the course began, the time was used to prep the students on technology, good photo and video skills, and safety. Storm chasers were brought in to talk to the students, and professional journalists lectured about good reporting. As the semester progressed, and the weather grew more volatile, the students went out into the field. “My job is to edit all the information that is coming in to the site, but we have trusted users [whose] information will just come in without us looking at it,” Borgerding said. “I want to have a first-hand experience on how this crowd sourcing works in real-life situations … I am most interested in working alongside the students and working with the technology, and to gain some personal insight on how this might work in the future.” The students in the class were given powerful and exciting tools to aid their fieldwork: iPod Touches, mounts for the phones, special lenses and shotgun microphones. According to Borgerding, the students were on call every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 4 to 9 p.m. It was their job to find out what the weather was like that day, and it was up to them as to how far they ventured in Oklahoma. But their jobs were to also follow the storm chasers and the National Weather Service, and to use them as resources to locate the storms, or the people most affected. “The premise of the class is mobile reporting, and mobile reporting on severe weather,” Borgerding said. “It’s pushing the limits of technology and trying to still do good journalism with

it. The most important part is to find the stories that involve the people.” StormCrowd is a new wave of mobile media, and Gaylord College plans to be a leader in the nation’s journalism schools. “Our vision is to change the way reporters do their job in the field, and we are trying to create a system where journalists are running it,” Schmeltzer said. “By using citizen responses and citizen involvement, we will get better information for the journalists such as where they need to go to report the story. Instead of relying on the police department telling us where we need to go, we can be 10 miles down the road where the real stories are.” According to Schmeltzer, the goals for StormCrowd vary. First, it hopes to successfully test this new platform with the mobile practicum class. The second goal is to develop more apps, such as one for an iPhone that WDT is working with now that will be used as a reporting tool. “Our long-term goal is to look at it and be able to fix it and really build it out into a full-blown platform that can be used in other journalism schools to go and train students,” Schmeltzer said. “That’s where we see this thing going.”

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Go to stormcrowd.wdtinc.com to see the reports made in the time during and immediately following the April 13, 2012, Norman tornado. 9

CollegeNews

College gaining recognition Strategic communication, broadcasting and electronic media, journalism programs excelling Ad team takes second place at 10th District NSAC competition Gaylord College received its highest ranking yet at the National Student Advertising Competition this past April. More than 20 creative and enthusiastic students with an incredible work ethic put together an outstanding campaign for their client, Nissan Motors. The campaign garnered them second place in the massive 10th District – composed of 20 schools from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana – and a chance at a wild-card bid to the national competition in Austin. The team was the result of a keen collaboration between Professor Scott Hodgson’s new Broadcast Advertising Production class and Professor David Tarpenning’s NSAC team. From research to a television spot with all the earmarks of “professional,” it was a competition to be savored and improved upon for 2013. Unfortunately, the wild card bid went to someone else, but not because the The team presented their campaign to the Gaylord College team lacked the talent and creativity. Board of Visitors at the end of April. You can watch the Five presenters – John DeGuilio, Christine Becerra, presentation on our iTunes U page at http://goo.gl/yTmln. Christina Hoener, Kaitlin Phillips and Tristen McLeod – whose work was flawless, and a creative team – Austin Anderson, Tim Ketcher and Allison Baxter – whose genius showed on the TV screen and in print represented OU at the competition. The media plan created by Morgan Swingle and Aubrey Mitchell also was perfect in the efficient use of the client’s budget and maximum audience reach. The TV spot was created by a team of 10 broadcasting and electronic media students led by graduate student Josh Shockley as Executive Director and included Zack McMakin, Cameron Masingale, Kayla Docto, Walter Schoen, Sean Hobbs, Brandie Davis, Jack Norcross, Colin Mullens, Molly Mohr, and Stephanie Townes.

WEB CONTENT

Gaylord College listed as one of top 20 journalism programs

Advertising program listed among top 10 in nation

Gaylord College has been listed as one of the top 20 journalism programs in the country by the College Media Matters blog from the Associated Collegiate Press. Dan Reimold, the author of the blog, cited one of the criteria for making the list as “schools that are exciting me in the digital journalism realm and that are in some way aligned with quality campus media or professional publishing opportunities.” The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest U.S. collegiate journalism organization and administers the Pacemaker awards for collegiate newspapers, online newspapers, magazines and yearbooks. Sooner Yearbook and The Daily have each won multiple Pacemakers this past year.

Bestofcolleges.com has listed the Gaylord College advertising program as one of the nation’s top 10 advertising programs. The advertising program provides students practical, hands-on experience as well as the theoretical foundation to build successful campaigns. The program grants both bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees with emphases in strategic communication preparing students for management and leadership roles within agencies. The college also offers a doctorate in philosophy, which prepares students to enter academia. Professor Jim Avery, a veteran of agency account planning and consulting and author of Advertising Campaign Planning, now used at more than 150 universities and translated into four languages, leads the advertising program. “The advertising program here at the University of Oklahoma has a blend of the academic and the practical. I suspect that blend is what has paid off for us with this nice recognition,” said Avery.

Students, faculty and recent graduates receive Telly Awards

Lindsey and Asp student agency receives national affiliation

Sixteen video projects produced by students and faculty of the Gaylord College received awards in the last two rounds of the professional Telly Awards. Faculty members Scott Hodgson, Kyle Bergersen and Kathy Johnson each have received Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions and work created for the Web. Since 1978, the Telly Awards’ mission has been to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting and supporting creativity. Each round of the Telly Awards received more than 11,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

Lindsey+Asp advertising and public relations, the student-run agency of the Gaylord College, is the newest agency to be counted as one of the top student agencies in the country by the Public Relations Student Society of America. To receive national affiliation with the PRSSA, a studentrun agency must have successfully completed an application process that ensures the firm operates in a professional manner and maintains a strong connection with local and national student and professional chapters of PRSSA and PRSA, the professional organization. Agencies must be re-accredited every three years. Learn more about Lindsey and Asp on the agency website at lindseyandasp.com.

Journalism project focuses on hard-hit Oklahoma National Guard, provided stories about soliders for Oklahoma newspapers Even though the Bedlam football game ended badly for OU last fall, good can still be seen from the OU/OSU rivalry. Students from both schools worked together to document some of the very specific costs of war suffered by members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Division. The Oklahoma at War project was led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Professor John Schmeltzer and Emmy award-winning ABC News Correspondent Mike Boettcher as part of the Advanced Multimedia Journalism class, which also produces the Routes webzine. The team of student journalists produced a series of multimedia and print stories about the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oklahoma National Guard, which endured heavy casualties in the Middle East conflicts in first half of 2011: 14 members were killed in the last six months of 2011. With the support of the Oklahoma Press Association and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, students spent weeks unearthing stories about Oklahoma’s fighting men and women – and their loved ones left at home. The resulting stories, photos and videos were made available for state newspapers and broadcasters to use. Within the first 10 days, stories produced had been republished more than 100 times by newspapers in Oklahoma and ultimately more than 200 times over the next few months. One paper, the Newcastle Pacer, created a special section using the content provided. A special website was created to host the content has been viewed by more than 5,900 unique individuals since it went live the day after Thanksgiving 2011. These stories serve to enlighten audiences about the brave men and women from Oklahoma who are dying in record numbers overseas, and what those left behind are dealing with.

The stories can be found at

WEB CONTENT http://routes.ou.edu/oklahomaatwar.

CollegeNews

Perfect Teammates Gaylord College and OU Athletics team to broadcast Sooner sports BY ADRIENNE DEWITT

n most Saturday evenings in the fall, you can listen to an OU football game from the gardens of Gaylord Hall and catch every play. Since the opening of the building in 2004, the Gaylord College has been a good neighbor to the OU Athletics Department on the university’s campus. In recent years, the two have also

partnered in providing education and experience for a growing number of Gaylord College students and alumni. Gaylord College and OU Athletics have combined resources to create fresh and exciting programs that teach students innovative ways to broaden their skills. The recent departmental kinship provides students with application-based learning techniques through SoonerVision and SportsPad. Both SoonerVision and SportsPad give Gaylord College students a hands-on, educational experience in sports and broadcast journalism. SoonerVision is the OU athletics department’s in-house production studio, featuring state-of-theart equipment and exceptionally skilled full-time and student staffs. Established in 1997, SoonerVision came from humble beginnings, but thanks to multi-million-dollar equipment and the upcoming launch of the Sooner sports TV network deal, Gaylord College students now have even more opportunities. The TV network deal between Fox Sports Southwest and OU is still in the works, but hope remains that the agreement will be finalized in time for the 2012 football season. The network deal is not to be mistaken with the Longhorn Network, and it by no means gives OU its own 24-hour channel. Instead, the agreement between Fox Sports and OU would require that channels like Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox Sports Southwest air a certain number of hours of Sooner sports. SoonerVision deserves a lot of credit for the increased airtime that Fox Sports has allotted the Sooners. SoonerVision’s capabilities have made OU an attractive partner for TV networks. In the past five years, Sooner Athletics has developed its broadcasting infrastructure with a multi-milliondollar addition, which included a second control room and a Daktronics HD-capable video replay board. Dealing with OU and airing its content will be much easier for interested TV networks since equipment, personnel and studio space are already in place. With this deal under way, a whole new avenue of opportunities exists for students who participate in SoonerVision and SportsPad. Over the past few years, both Gaylord College students and OU staff members have observed the rapid growth of these programs and have noticed remarkable results.

Kenny Mossman, senior associate athletics director for external operations, became part of the OU staff in August 2001, when he started in athletics media relations. Today he serves as an administrative supervisor for multiple functions in the athletics department, including SoonerVision. Mossman also teaches a sports public relations course through the Gaylord College. Throughout his years at OU, he has watched student involvement in SoonerVision and SportsPad develop and flourish. “When SoonerVision first came into play, there were maybe one or two students on staff,” Mossman said. “Now, just in the past four or five years, we have 60-something students working with us. SoonerVision is great because it allows students to enhance their potential and gain valuable experience in sports broadcasting.” Students working the cameras shoot live footage alongside ESPN broadcast reporters at OU football and basketball games using a variety of equipment, including the large jib camera, which sweeps across the crowd and provides sideline coverage. SoonerVision also offers students and alumni a variety of professional opportunities. Alumni may be hired as full-time staff members, students may enroll in a one-hour practicum to receive college credit, or either may work in a part-time paid position. Broadcast electronic media major Zack McMakin started with SoonerVision last year and is worked part time as a technical director during his senior year. McMakin started working floor cameras at basketball games and recently was promoted to a technical director position for multiple sporting events. In the process, he has experienced the rapid growth of student staff in the production studio, as well as the advantages that alumni gain from working with SoonerVision. “When I got hired, there were maybe 20 students working, some of them taking a practicum and some of them part time,” he said. “Now I work there part time, and we hired 60 people last semester. So just in the past year, it’s really taken off. And a lot of the students end up using SoonerVision as kind of a

>>CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

Multi-million-dollar high-definition control rooms located on the west side of Memorial Stadium are connected with a fiber optic cable network linking OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s athletic facilities to the control rooms and across the street to Gaylord Hall. Photo by Scott Hogdson. 13

CollegeNews

Brian Lamb receives Gaylord Prize

Cable television pioneer brought government to the people BY SARAH THOMAS

rian Lamb was interested in broadcast from the very beginning, building a crystal radio set as a child. As he grew up, Lamb searched for any radio stations and television jobs he could get in his hometown of Lafayette, Ind. As the founder and CEO of C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, Lamb has

had a long and successful career as a self-described social entrepreneur. Since the creation of C-SPAN in 1979, the network has expanded to include three television stations, a radio station and multiple live-streaming websites. As the first person to open up Congress and broadcast coverage to the American people, Lamb is described as a true patriot by Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote. “If you sit down and listen to him, he will be one of the most inspiring people in your life. It’s a rarity today to find people who love their country so much,” Foote says. Lamb understands that for a government system to work, it needs highly informed citizens. “What he’s done is kind of made it easier to be an informed citizen,” former Norman City Council Member and Honors College Dean David Ray says. “He’s trying to help the system work better.” In a politically saturated culture, C-SPAN delivers information about politics and government that is unfiltered. “It’s refreshing to have someone who has set a standard at C-SPAN for being bipartisan, nonpartisan and promoting a civil political dialogue,” Foote says. It is for his transformative effect on journalism that Lamb received the Gaylord Prize. Previous recipients of the prize are Jim Lehrer of PBS and New York Times writer Thomas L. Friedman. Lamb is the third recipient. Lamb has served as C-SPAN’s chief executive officer since founding it, when the idea of cable network didn’t exist. Up until C-SPAN, there wasn’t cable television, only broadcast networks. Thirty-five years later, C-SPAN faces off competitively against other news networks like CNN and FOX while still remaining politically neutral. Lamb says he had a vision of broadcasting gavel-to-gavel the U.S. Congress to the American public. This idea had been presented to the House before, first in 1949, but it was passed down each time. “There was little sentiment for letting television cameras in the Congress,” Foote says. “Most members saw that as only negative. That changed with Brian Lamb. Many had failed before him.

He had the double challenge of having to convince Congress that it should open its doors to cameras and creating a television network before content-based television networks had a form.” With cable industry knowledge and experience working for the Congress as a Senate press secretary, Lamb was able to gain the support of both institutions, but without a manual for how to do so. C-SPAN was formed as a nonprofit channel that broadcasted Congress. C-SPAN does not sell advertising on any of its stations or networks. It is an independent network that neither the Congress nor the cable industry has any content control over, a quality that is hard to come by today. After graduating from Purdue University in 1963, Lamb joined the Navy at the age of 22. Lamb believes that joining the Navy was the best thing he ever did because the Navy offered him more responsibility than anything else would at that age. During his four years of service, Lamb worked in the White House in the Johnson administration and in the Pentagon public affairs office during the Vietnam War. Lamb encourages college graduates to experiment in the professional world while they are young. Upon his graduation from college, Lamb says that there were very limited choices as to where to go in the media world. New media have broken down the barriers of entry to media for current students and graduates. “If you’re a student today, all you need is a cause or an idea and you don’t have to ask anybody’s permission,” Lamb says. “You don’t have to wait until somebody thinks your idea makes sense. You can try it out on the Web and you can use television, print and all the different forms of communication and give it a shot.” In the beginning, Lamb hosted a daily program and was responsible as the chief executive officer of the new network. C-SPAN has grown to employ 270 people. Like most founding CEOs, Lamb has instilled within C-SPAN employees his ideals. “He has set a tone at the top of that organization that very much reflects his personality: no ego,” Foote says. “You can tell the founder really makes a difference. They have a certain ethic;

Brian Lamb, CEO and founder of C-SPAN, was awarded the Gaylord Prize for his innovation and contributions to the cable news industry, pioneering the use of live broadcasts of the U.S. legislature meetings.

a certain image that they want to project and they are able to infuse that in the organization. Still, C-SPAN today is exactly the same as it started in many ways.” With a passion for history, Lamb started the program Booknotes in 1989. He interviewed non-fiction authors weekly, and the 800 interviews Lamb did on this program have been collected and published in a series of four books on Booknotes. When Lamb began C-SPAN, he had no business experience. He found the business side of media very attractive. “Running a business is much different than being a creative media type, and in some ways it’s more exciting,” Lamb says. “The competitive juices are flowing and you’re competing against other ideas. The harder you work, the faster you go and the more excited you are about your project, the better chance you have of survival. If you don’t like to take risks, you never get into this kind of business.” Dean Foote describes Lamb as a grown-up Boy Scout who we should be honored to have receive the Gaylord Prize. “We’ll look back and this will be one of our finest hours by honoring Brian Lamb,” Foote says.

2012 Gaylord Prize Recipient The Gaylord College is proud to announce that Judy Woodruff of the PBS NewsHour will be honored with the 2012 Gaylord Prize for Excellence in Journalism and Mass Communication. Woodruff will be co-anchoring PBS NewsHour’s coverage of the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions with fellow NewsHour anchor Gwen Ifill. The Gaylord Prize luncheon and ceremony will be held Monday, Nov. 12, in Oklahoma City.

Sarah Thomas graduated from the Gaylord College in May 2012. She majored in professional writing and served as an intern with Family Circle Magazine and OU’s Housing and Food Services.

WEB CONTENT Watch the entire Gaylord Prize event with Brian Lamb on our iTunes U page. Search for Gaylord Prize in iTunes.

CollegeNews

Faculty activities

Research, teaching and service recognized Boettcher receives Emmy nominations for Afghan work Mike Boettcher, Gaylord College professor and veteran foreign correspondent, has received two Emmy nominations in the current round of News and Documentary awards. The nomination is for the half-hour ABC Nightline Program “American Valor: The Land of the Brave” on the Strong Eagle battle in Afghanistan that aired over the 2011 Memorial Day weekend. The news package was nominated in two categories: outstanding feature and best story in a regularly scheduled newscast. This will be Boettcher’s fifth Emmy. A companion piece was produced by Mara Nelson, a student working on the joint ABC/Gaylord College “Afghan 101” project. Read the student story at the Afghan 101 website.

Davis leads international writers’ workshop J. Madison Davis traveled to Toronto, Canada, June 1-3 to preside over the annual meeting of the International Association of Crime Writers and to participate in the Canadian crime writers’ convention, Bloody Words. He chaired a panel on international crime writing and at the banquet gave a reading from James Lee Burke’s novel, Feast of Fools. Davis also was invited to teach a workshop and participate in the Romanian Writer’s Club Mystery and Thriller Festival June 18-24 in the fortress of Rasnov, Transylvania, near the castle of Vlad Dracul. For more information on this workshop, go to www.crimefest.ro.

Fischer receives award from OAB At the 2012 OAB Conference, Professor Ken Fischer was recognized as the 2012 Lisa John Faculty Fellowship recipient. The $3,000 Fellowship is a four-week work program at an 16

Oklahoma radio or television station providing an opportunity for faculty members at Oklahoma’s broadcast schools to update their skills and develop closer relationships with radio and television broadcasters.

Ng invited to entertainment marketing conference Daniel Ng, advertising associate professor, recently was invited to participate in the third annual Creative Educators Forum, operated by PromaxBDA. The conference brings industry executives and educators together in a collaborative setting where they exchange ideas, brainstorm and identify improved strategies for working together to build a stronger pipeline of talent into the media and entertainment marketing industry. The conference provided opportunities for educators to build strong relations with film and entertainment industry and establish internship possibilities for students.

Carstarphen receives Regents’ award for service Meta G. Carstarphen, APR, received the Regents’ Award for Superior Professional and University Service and Public Outreach. She was recognized for her dedication to service, to students and to the community. Carstarphen and her husband served as faculty-in-residence in Couch Hall for four years as well as work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bridges, and the Center for Children and Families. She also routinely includes work with these and other nonprofit organizations in her PR Campaigns capstone courses. Carstarphen is an associate professor of public relations and the director of the Gaylord College graduate program. She is a Gaylord Family Endowed professor.

Dr. Carstarphen receives the award from OU Regent Dr. Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes.

Jones named chair of NPPA Workshop

Professors provide insights on ethical military communication

Assistant Professor Julie Jones has been named the new chair for the National Press Photographers Association’s NewsVideo Workshop, held annually on the University of Oklahoma campus for more than 50 years. Programming for the workshop will be reviewed and retooled to better meet the needs of the professional photojournalists who attend, so the workshop will go on hiatus for 2012. The next workshop will be held in spring 2013. Jones has been a faculty member with the NewsVideo Workshop since first attending in 1982. The workshop was founded by long-time OU film professor Ned Hockman in 1960.

Professors Robert “Pritch” Pritchard and John Schmeltzer have shared their expertise in working with the military in several presentations at international conferences. They were the featured plenary presention in January 2012 at the International Society for Military Ethics Conference with the title, “Ethical Conflicts in Military-Media Relations.” The theme of the conference was Civil-Military Relations and Social Issues in the Military. In addition, a paper they co-wrote for the Institute for Public Relations received a Top Three Paper Award for demonstrating John Schmeltzer seated and Pritchard on far right. immediate transference and real-world implications for public relations practitioners and the industry. The paper is titled “Military PAOs and the Media: Conflicting Systems of Ethics.” Pritchard is a retired Navy officer formerly in charge of communication for the U.S. European Command and a member of the PRSA College of Fellows, and brings three decades of public affairs and crisis communication to the table. Schmeltzer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with three decades as a writer and editor for the Chicago Tribune, has led the college in two reporting endeavors with the U.S. Army – Afghan 101 and Oklahoma at War. In addition, both professors routinely lend their expertise to training current Army majors in the interview and media conference process.

Avery conducts advertising lecture series in China Jim Avery, advertising professor and area head, delivered a series of guest lectures at China’s Harbin Institute of Technology in northern China. The college invited Avery to speak on advertising and branding, including lectures titled “Befriend the Brand” and “Consumer Journey.” Avery has a long career working with advertising agencies around the world, consulting on account planning and brand management. He has conducted previous courses in advertising in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur. Harbin Institute of Technology is located in Harbin, a multicultural capital city of Heilongjiang province, which serves as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications hub in North Eastern China. HIT is one of the leading universities in China and has a reputation for excellence in teaching and research internationally.

Professor Jim Avery delivers a lecture on branding to Chinese students.

Tsetsura presented at corporate communication conference Katerina Tsetsura, associate professor of public relations, presented at Marquette University’s inaugural Corporate Communication Commons: Building the Corporate Conscience Conference, which focused on how businesses can communicate their values to build trust. The two-day conference, co-sponsored by the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication and the Arthur W. Page Society, was held April 19-20. In addition, Tsetsura has also published several journal articles this year resulting from her ongoing research on media transparency and public relations practices in Russia.

AlumniProfile

CharitySub crew makes giving social and painless

Advertising alumnus applies entrepreneurial spirit to giving BY SARAH THOMAS When Jim Crews first moved to New York City after his 2004 graduation from Gaylord College with a degree in advertising, his life was anything but glamorous. With his total belongings crammed into two battered suitcases, Crews moved into a YMCA. Despite this humble beginning, Crews kept an upbeat attitude and an eye on the prize: a career on the cutting edge of advertising. “The city is so full of opportunity,” Crews says. “It is hard to not be energized by that, and for that I’m thankful.” That energy propelled Crews into his first job as an assistant media planner at Draft FCB, one of the world’s largest communications agency networks. After a few months there, he rode the energy wave to a position as a media buyer at Razorfish, where he remained for two years. Exhibiting the entrepreneurial energy that has led him to be owner of his own digital metrics company, Crews began consulting in digitial marketing to build what would become Media Refined, Inc. The website defines the successful company as a “Purveyor of WWW goods,” and explains that “Media Refined is a tight-knit Brooklyn-based company developing and managing a suite of owned and operated web properties as well as occasional work on behalf of our clients to make them look great. We have a laid-back office environment operating out of the lovely Brooklyn Creative League. We love Mexican food, beers in the afternoon sun and lazy seamless web sushi orders.” Crews isn’t all about the Benjamins, although MediaRefined has done very well. His latest venture is CharitySub.org, which launched in January 2012. Its tagline is “Simple collective giving,” and it asks many people to donate small amounts to go to nonprofits working in a specified area. The nonprofit focus changes monthly and has included sex trafficking, hunger in America, literacy and clean water. “We believe in journalism and we believe in telling stories,” Crews says. “CharitySub is a place where we are going to tell the stories of nonprofits doing good work. The sub stands for subscription, so every month our subscribers give up five bucks and they select which of the three nonprofits each month they want to receive their five dollars.” Crews is spreading the wealth in a more metaphorical way, as well. Two of his employees, Brian Cantrell and Brandi Koskie (both 2005, advertising), also are Gaylord College graduates.

Crews tapped into the next wave of talent as well by bringing four of Gaylord College’s best advertising and public relations students to New York. Uyen Truong, Luke Potter, Rachel Acuna and Audrey Harris stayed with Crews over the winter 2011 break and worked on the launch of CharitySub. They continued to serve as a street-team, raising awareness about the new project into the spring semester. With an understanding of the opportunities and experience students need to have successful careers, Crews has stayed connected with Gaylord College to help students develop insights into innovation and entrepreneurial efforts in the new media world. In spring 2011, Crews taught a senior-level digital marketing course to Gaylord College students remotely from New York while flying down to Oklahoma a few times during the semester. “Digital marketing is a new way of presenting information for those in advertising,” advertising professor David Tarpenning says. “Students who are looking for positions in that exciting arena have to have someone they can periodically talk with to find out what they need to do, which direction they need to take. Jim provides that. He’s at the cutting edge of work in this incredibly important field.” Crews and Tarpenning agree that in the rapidly changing mediascape, knowing where to place your marketing messages and how successful those message are at reaching your intended digital market are key pieces of knowledge. “Not only is the industry changing each day, but it is growing as well,” Crews says. “And you have to know that whatever you’re interested in, there’s a thousand other people interested in it too. I think the competition is a benefit.” Well past his days of living out of suitcases in the YMCA, Crews today embraces Brooklyn as home for himself and his wife and child, as well as for his business. Sarah Thomas graduated from the Gaylord College in May 2012. She majored in professional writing and served as an intern with Family Circle Magazine and OU’s Housing and Food Services.

Jim Crews has developed a model for philanthropy that makes giving to nonprofits attractive for millenials. 19

PHOTO FROM ABLE STOCK

AlumniProfile

The Advocate

In Washington, D.C., Kim Bayliss helps people get what they deserve BY DWIGHT NORMILE

hile there is no guaranteed recipe for success, a good start might be equal parts ambition and ability, with just a touch of impatience. That is exactly how Kim Koontz Bayliss went from small-town reporter to major player in Washington, D.C. Extra ingredients were added along the way, of course,

but only after a few taste tests. A native of Tulsa, Okla., Bayliss earned Such a journalistic boot camp proved a general broadcasting degree from the invaluable for Bayliss, but she did not University of Oklahoma’s H.H. Herbert choose the conventional route to further School of Journalism in 1981. Her her career. working-world education began right “After a year of this non-stop activity, away when she became a news reporter for I was ready to move to a bigger town and KTEN-TV in Ada, Okla. Despite the rural a bigger television news market,” she says. setting, Bayliss developed a broad range of “At that time the way to move up … was skills in her one year on the job. to spend two years in progressively larger “It was a great experience,” Bayliss says. markets. I was impatient. I decided to “On the job, I was a reporter, camera man, see if I could get some kind of entry-level editor and producer, all in one. I used to reporting job in Washington, D.C. …” shoot my stand-ups with a tripod. I would Bayliss figured that would lead to write the stories on the way back from her goal of becoming a White House assignments.” correspondent for a major television One of her co-workers was fellow network. But first, she realized there was a recent grad, Jeff Lazalier, who had earned a more pressing need in her life. She wanted bachelor of science degree in meteorology to travel, so she and a girlfriend went from OU in 1981. abroad. Even without speaking a foreign “[We] both were beginning to transition language, Bayliss says the experience helped from college students to the wonderful prepare her for the next phase of her life. world of working adults,” says Lazalier, “Until I graduated from college, my who would later work for Channel 2 in world was so small,” she says. “When Kim Koontz Bayliss Tulsa. (He’s also the brother of current I returned from that trip I had the Managing Principal, Dutko Grayling Gaylord College Director of Development confidence and the motivation to leave Kristen Lazalier.) “What struck me was Oklahoma. I reasoned that if I could make her instant professionalism and her interest in doing the very my way through Europe, I could manage in Washington, D.C.” best she could do every day. …Working as a rookie in a smallBayliss got her wish initially in Washington. She worked as market newsroom, you’re willing to do anything and expected an off-camera reporter for a PBS-hosted business and economics to do everything. Kim did that with a smile on her face that the show. She loved the “daily challenge of finding stories,” and she viewers noticed.” also covered White House press conferences and Congressional Says Bayliss: “We took turns being on call, meaning we took hearings. There was something, however, that she did not like at home a radio and listened for disasters to cover as spot news. all. Bayliss saw a completely different side to news reporting that In rural Oklahoma, that meant fires, highway fatalities and didn’t exist in Ada, and she wanted no part of it. tornadoes. I was also the morning anchor for the Good Morning “I was really put off by the focus on the reporter’s appearance America local news break-ins. I had to be at work by 5:30 a.m., on camera,” she says. “All of the network reporters had agents, Monday through Friday.” much like actors in Hollywood. Suddenly, covering the news seemed less like journalism and more like entertainment, and I was turned off.” >>CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

AlumniProfile

At the head of the creative class

Two recent grads stand out in strategic communication KATE BEARD BY LESLIE HERRING Researching digital media was not a career path Kate Beard dreamed of taking in her undergraduate years as a public relations major at Gaylord College. Searching new platforms for digital advertising now defines her days with her job for the “emerging technologies team” of Centro, a digital media services firm that buys and plans online digital media for agencies who do not have a digital media team. The Chicago-based firm that started out targeting local media in the Chicago area now works with about 300 national agencies like Starcom and Weber who want to buy local media. Instead of offering clients the traditional website banner, Facebook, or pop-up ad, Beard focuses on buying ads for mobile devices, apps and ads on websites like YouTube or Hulu. “My job deals with digital out-of-home,” she says. “Any kind of digital screen seen at a bar, mall, grocery store, gym or in the back of a taxi cab is what I’m looking for.” Because emerging technologies is a newer addition to the company, Kate and her team offer digital out-of-home as an

Kate Beard took the lead in bringing food blogger Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman, to visit OU as a guest of the Gaylord Ambassadors in 2010. Drummond is front row center and Beard is on her left in this group picture taken after the seminar. 22

option for clients who would benefit from new media advertisements. “Ad agencies that don’t have a digital department can come to us and say, ‘We have this much money we want to spend on a digital buy,’” she says, “And then we can plan the buy for them.” On Aug. 1, 2011, Beard began as an intern executing Centro’s vision of offering digital Kate Beard, PR, 2011 out-of-home to its clients. She was given the freedom to develop it independently, a task she says is unusual for an intern. “We started looking at some major players within the space and finding out who runs conferences, seeing who their contacts were and members of their sites,” she says. “Basically, we were finding who was owning and selling this ad space. We ended up finding 100 to 200 companies that we could buy digital out-ofhome advertising from, and after I aggregated the companies we were looking at, we started contacting them, inquiring about how many screens they had, what markets they were in and how we could buy that ad space.” Three months later, Beard was offered a full-time position with Centro. Beard says her research class at Gaylord College was what really prepared her to be a diligent researcher. Though her academic life didn’t focus on advertising, she said that taking a job that didn’t match her exact skillset has been a great opportunity for her to grow and learn a new digital media space. “Now I take each project that I’m given and make it my own,” she says. “I have to trust my instincts and what I think is a smart move and tactic when it comes to good journalism.” Beard says that side projects like maintaining her personal blog, The Celebrationist (thecelebrationist.wordpress.com), and graphic design are what keep her balanced.

“I knew this company was going to be a great fit for me,” she said. “But I also love writing and designing, and I knew those weren’t things that I could fit into this job, so I keep working on my daily blog.” Leslie Herring graduated in December 2011 with a degree in professional writing. While at OU she was president of the Magazine Interest Group.

JARROD HIGGINS BY NICOLE ROGERS A last-minute decision changed the course of Jarrod Higgins’ life, professionally at least. Sitting in the waiting room of Gaylord College’s Student Services office in spring 2006, then-sophomore Higgins wasn’t quite sure what major to choose. He didn’t know a lot about any of the offered courses. When he came to OU, his plan was to pursue a career in music, but a stint with Apple Computers as a campus ambassador talking about the computer company’s high-tech offerings hooked him on promoting products. Adding to that newly awakened interest was the seduction of the just-opened, state-of-the-digital-art Gaylord Hall. Promotion plus Gaylord Hall led to the choice. When his adviser called “Higgins,” he answered, “Advertising.” Now, with the title of “copywriter/non-traditional creative” at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Ore., Higgins says he made the right choice. In his position at one of the most innovative advertising agencies in the country, Higgins creates commercials, online response videos and coherent narratives via social media. After his 2008 graduation, Higgins spent two years earning a master’s degree in creative technology at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, world-renowned as a school at which creative types can produce the kinds of portfolios that get them great jobs. While a Gaylord College student, Higgins stood out as creative and self-critical, says advertising instructor David Tarpenning, who owned an Oklahoma City advertising agency before becoming a teacher in the college and one of the faculty advisers for the public relations and advertising agency, Lindsey + Asp. Higgins considers him a mentor. “The ideas don’t come to some students quickly, but they do to Jarrod,” Tarpenning says. “And if he did something he wasn’t completely satisfied with, he’d say, ‘Don’t print that. I really don’t like it. It isn’t my best work.’ Well, when a student says that to you, you know they’re focused. Jarrod is a very focused individual.” Tarpenning remembers the first time he realized Higgins was a particularly creative individual. “One assignment was to make an advertisement for a cruise,” he says. “And one of the ads he did had dolphins jumping out of the water and the title was “These are our dancing girls.” It was just different. It wasn’t what you’d expect. That’s what kind of turned me on to the fact that he needed to go someplace else to get further training.” The focus on creative technology, which was offered for the first time during Higgins’ first year at VCU Brandcenter, led him to what is now the cutting edge of advertising: creative effective promotional messages for digital platforms. “It’s natural for me to come up with ideas that aren’t commercials in TV and print,” Higgins says. “Non-traditional advertising is a lot more two-way communication between brands and people. With things that are more interactive, you

Jarrod Higgins, AD, 2008

have less control over it. It gives you the opportunity to be bigger in some ways, but it also leads to more opportunities for failure.” The biggest challenge of this exciting new way to present advertising, Higgins says, is finding a way to bring fun, interactive content to consumers without intruding upon their favorite social media websites. “The brand is an intruder in places like Facebook and should act like a house guest instead of the landlord,” Higgins says. While clearly creative and skilled in the technology necessary to create ads for these new platforms, Higgins, like the actor who says learning the lines and showing up on time are the most important talents, says the most valuable ability of any creative working in the advertising field is just as simple. “Really the toughest part is just coming up with the ideas and constantly facing rejection,” he says. “Ninety-nine point ninenine-nine percent of the ideas you come up with will get killed, and you just have to keep coming back to work every day and giving more.” Tarpenning agrees, but he says Higgins is among the small number who really learn that lesson. “They’re just a different breed of people,” he says. “They hit one obstacle after another, and they just start over.” Nicole Rogers graduated in May 2012 with a degree in public relations. While at Gaylord College, she was active in Lindsey + Asp and used her expertise with event planning and public relations to promote events for the Union Programming Board. 23

FacultyProfile

Funneling Creativity

A new professor’s unique outlook fuels creative surge BY LESLIE HERRING

ithin a year after arriving at Gaylord College, Kyle Bergersen is already leading the way for future content producers on a variety of distribution platforms: film, online and television.

One of several courses he has created offers opportunities for building television writing skills, something that Bergersen says every young professional writer should learn. “Television is the one domain where the writer is in control,” he says. “All the writers are producers on the show. I want to bring television writing to [the professional writing program] because it’s easier to write for television than for the screen. Hollywood is always looking for young writers.” Bergersen says his goal is for students to walk away with a script that could help them get in the doors of various industry executives. Bergersen says his hope for the practicum, a professional writing course open to all students, is for it to be as successful as the Dramatic Series and Short Production class he taught in spring 2011, which produced three 14-minute webisodes of a series that Bergersen and his students wrote, directed and produced. “Freaking Puppet University” is based on the premise that the Supreme Court is forcing all universities to accept puppets as students, and the series starts out with the first year of forced integration with the puppets enrolling in a university. Gaylord College provided locations for the fictitious campus. For drama graduate student P.J. Daughtery, writing and directing the second episode of FPU gave her the opportunity to fuse her drama background with elements of producing a web series. Although the pilot was Bergersen’s brainchild, Daughtery added her own personality to her episode. “He laid out this imaginary world for us, and we just kind of crawled into it,” she says. “You think of it as this big, imaginative exercise, but he taught me that it’s about structuring my screenplay and production in terms of breaking it down into responsibilities.” Bergersen says he wants students to get the feel of how a real TV team works by allowing them to choose which part of the production process they want to study. “From the writing staff all the way through marketing, I let them pick which parts interest them,” he says. Daughtery says writing her screenplay was the start to building a new skill set of directing and working with actors.

Bergersen’s classes have given Gaylord College the opportunity to generate a relationship with the theatre department. He used the acting expertise of the theatre department in the production of FPU, giving underclassmen acting majors an opportunity to perform. Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote says classes like Bergersen’s provide students with the opportunity to create innovative content and produce their own show. These experiences are what give Bergersen’s students a competitive advantage in their careers. “This is a real world experience that can lead to commercialization of the project,” Foote says. “The sky is the limit. It also teaches the value of teamwork. All of the efforts are truly collaborative. Students who take projects from start to finish in terms of writing, production and marketing have a special competitive advantage as they enter this highly competitive industry. Bergersen’s entrepreneurial teaching style encourages students to take the lead and facilitate their own brand.” Foote says that Gaylord College needs more classes like Bergersen’s, which bring all of the elements together into viable projects that students can get excited about. “This class connects the concept, production, post-production and marketing of a project into a seamless process,” Foote says. “All of our graduates need to think of themselves as entrepreneurs who can create an idea and move it through the system. Students’ passion for their work is the engine that drives this class, just like in the industry.” Bergersen has developed several screenwriting courses in addition to the Dramatic Series and Short Production and the TV Writing Practicum. Visual Writing and Aesthetics teaches screen writing, and Post Production and Graphics teaches students how to create motion graphics by manipulating video in a multitude of ways. One of the six students in Bergersen’s practicum in the fall 2011 semester wrote his own web series while others wrote one-hour and half-hour pilots. “I try to have there be something practical in all my classes,” Bergersen says. “These students need to walk out with something real to show people in order to find work, and it doesn’t have to be long.”

Professor Kyle Bergersen (second from left) works with his students to set up a scene for the FPU web series.

Bergersen has developed what he calls the “Creative Television Incubator”– a virtual pool of creative ideas that hosts students’ original products. Its purpose is to create a brand of developed content by college students for other college students to watch. Bergersen’s idea of developing a Gaylord College television production brand is a collaborative effort, turning students’ creative ideas into producible scripts. “We can start coming up with pitches and pilots of Web series that we could post on a website for agencies and networks to navigate through and see what interests them,” he says. “That’s the kind of brand I want to build. It’s a place that they can come for potential series ideas.” Writing is where it begins. It’s the “ground floor of branding,” he says, and putting original ideas into words interests Bergersen as he pursues his own brand development. Always looking for a challenge, Bergersen currently is writing his first novel, “Walking After Midnight,” which he says will be another addition to the Bergersen Brand. “It’s all about established brands,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons I’m writing a novel, to get to the bottom of that. I want to develop one of these products as a brand that can grow into something else.” As he reflects on his earlier years, Bergersen says his development as a visual storyteller began with the release of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” in 1973. Bergersen and his friends would recreate scenes from the movie. “My friend had these little 8 millimeter rewinds, and we would use scotch tape to cut them all together and then play them on the projector,” he says. “It changed out worlds. We weren’t really interested in the filmmaking part at all. It was just about pointing the camera, doing our skit and cutting them all together.”

Bergersen sought every opportunity to grow as a filmmaker, he says, working part time at a news station and part time for a small company producing corporate videos in Omaha. At the University of Iowa, where he studied film production, he and his friends broke through the boundaries of filmmaking and created “The Secret Society of Continuity Editors,” a group of aspiring filmmakers that created cutting-edge, uninterrupted scenes. When he moved to Los Angeles, he began directing and shooting commercials, and when he wasn’t directing commercials for Capitol Records or Drug-Free America, he worked on his not-so-commercial writing. At some point during that time, he says, he found his voice as a writer. “Making commercials is the [best] part-time job in the world, and it left me plenty of time to write,” he says. “I’ve always been a writer, though I didn’t find my voice until 32 or 33. Until then, I wrote all the time, but it was a chore. I would dedicate >>CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

WEB CONTENT

Take a look at a mashup of video samples from the students in the broadcasting and electronic media major on the Gaylord College YouTube channel. 25

StudentProfile

A Life of Leadership

Allison Harris embraces opportunities to lead BY NICOLE ROGERS

fter listening to OU head football coach Bob Stoops talk about integrity, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen discuss the power of accurate journalism, and OU women’s basketball coach Sherri Coale speak about pursuing one’s dreams during her 2008-2009 President’s Leadership Class, Allison Harris

realized something she hadn’t thought about before: She was privileged to hear such motivating individuals. That realization led to an inspiration: She could organize similar inspirational experiences for the high school students in the McKinney Independent School District. Harris graduated from McKinney Boyd High School in 2008, and she turned to former high school classmates Jason Valdivia and Carson Radke to turn her inspiration into a reality. “The one thing we got from college our freshman year was all the different speakers we got to listen to and how you can get such a different perspective from them,” Harris says. “We were just thinking, ‘What a great thing it would be if high school students had the access to the awesome things that we got to learn in college and the speakers we got to hear.’” With a powerful entrepreneurial spirit and an equally strong commitment to community guiding her, Harris joined Valdivia and Radke in an ambitious project that resulted in a nonprofit organization focused on inspiring Texas high school students by exposing them to the wisdom of nationally known speakers. Past.Present.Action. coordinates a distinguished lecture series that brings motivational speakers to the three high schools within the McKinney Independent School District. The nonprofit organization aims to provide high school students with practical inspiration they can apply to their own lives by hiring well-known lecturers, such as Josh Sundquist, a former Olympic skier who lost his leg to cancer and speaks to students about overcoming struggles through determination. Harris, Radke and Valdivia met anywhere and anytime they could during the summer of 2009, and within a matter of weeks PPA became more than a far-flung idea. “We really wanted to bring in speakers that we knew would be captivating,” Harris says. “We knew we weren’t going to change every student’s life, but we know students don’t want to listen to someone who’s mediocre.” After PPA brought in Rick Rigsby, a motivational speaker who lectures about how to improve one’s attitude and make an impact on the world today, Harris says she felt as though she and her cofounders’ hard work was paying off. “It was always so rewarding to see those groups of kids that would go up to the speaker at the end of the lecture and ask more questions or share their personal story and you could tell that it was making an impact,” Valdivia says.

In charge of the organization’s public relations department, Harris put together sponsorship packets and created a Facebook page outlining PPA’s mission statement, which says that Past. Present.Action. is a way to give back to McKinney’s public education system. To start the nonprofit organization, the three cofounders began networking within McKinney to raise awareness of PPA among the community, using previous networking experiences from their high school years to reach out to local businesses. “We had a plan of who we wanted,” Valdivia says. “We couldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for the fact that we were involved in high school. It was just amazing to feel out that network from our high school years.” Despite their existing connections, the cofounders faced challenges in gaining support for the organization in which they were investing a great deal of time and spirit. Harris says she and

Past.Present.Action. really was about being an entrepreneur and starting something out of nowhere. – Allison Harris her teammates struggled to convince administrators within the school district that their idea to bring PPA to McKinney was sound. “It’s such a different idea,” she says. “It was very entrepreneurial. No one had done something like this before, so I think they were just wondering at first why exactly we were doing this.” After much hard work and some meetings focused on persuading potential sponsors, PPA received a donation of approximately $15,000 from the McKinney Alliance, a business group within the community that donates to a different nonprofit each year. With the initial donation in hand, other McKinney businesses began contributing to PPA, enabling the organization to bring in six motivational lecturers since.

Allison Harris (second from left) with her fellow anchors (from left) during the last newscast of the year, Tim O’Donnell, sports; Aaryn Cahill, news; and, Schinook Jeansonne, weather. OU Nightly received best overall student newscast in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence awards.

Without her PLC experiences, Harris says, thousands of high school students would not have been able to gain educational insight from these inspirational speakers. Harris says being part of an organization as significant as PPA surpasses most of her previous and subsequent leadership experiences. “Looking back on it now and thinking of other leadership opportunities I’ve had, it’s just so different,” she says. “I can’t even compare it. Past.Present.Action. really was about being an entrepreneur and starting something out of nowhere. It’s crazy to me that we had this idea and it sprouted roots and started to build and became something successful.” Along with co-founding a successful nonprofit business, Harris juggled her studies as a journalism major, president of her sorority, and as one of two chairwomen for the Gaylord Ambassadors. She also worked as a producer, reporter and anchor for OU Nightly, the college’s student-run daily broadcast news program, receiving numerous awards for her work, including being named as the No. 2 student news anchor in the nation in 2010. Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote says he has been impressed with Harris’ tenacity since traveling with her on the college’s British Media Study Abroad program, in which he and Ralph Beliveau, an assistant professor of broadcasting and electronic media, take students to various media outlets in London, Paris, Bristol and Cardiff. “My main experience with Allison on the British course really caught her at the early part of her career, and I was very impressed with her as a bright, highly capable student,” Foote says. “But I had no idea what she was going to go on and do here at Gaylord College, and how she was going to grow.” With the completion of her journalism degree in May 2012, Harris wants to continue to motivate people to make informed

decisions. She says she will pursue a career as a broadcast journalist to inspire people through storytelling. She has already secured her first reporting position for KXII in Sherman, Texas. “I have learned so much about taking the initiative and thinking outside the box,” Harris says. “This is exactly what I want from my life: to motivate people to fulfill their self-potential. That’s what Past.Present.Action. encourages people to do.” Nicole Rogers graduated in May 2012 with a degree in public relations. While at Gaylord College she was active in Lindsey + Asp and used her expertise with event planning and public relations to promote events for the Union Programming Board.

WEB CONTENT Watch recorded shows of the award-winning newscast on OU Nightly’s YouTube channel.

AlumniProfile

Behind the Scenes

Emmy Award-winner Stephanie Frederic is helping stars to shine BY ALISHA EAST

“God can dream bigger dreams for you than you can ever dream for yourself.” – Oprah Winfrey aylord College broadcast journalism alumna Stephanie Frederic lives by that quote. Frederic, who graduated from OU in 1983, now owns FGW Productions & Transmedia, a full-service television, film and Internet production company in Los Angeles. FGW, which Frederic says stands for nothing (she just liked

the initials), produces movie trailers, webisodes, TV shows, documentaries, commercials, electronic press kits, podcasting and more for its specific genre of clients. “FGW Productions & Transmedia markets movies to UT couldn’t offer Frederic the career-based opportunities she audiences of color,” Frederic said. “We create, produce and desired, so she moved up the chain and enrolled at the University distribute content that helps the Hollywood studios reach the of Oklahoma. Just in case you were wondering, Frederic tossed black and brown marketplace. The world is becoming more and all the UT apparel and donned the magnificent crimson and more diverse, and it’s imperative that the studios speak to these cream. different audiences if the studios want to make big money. What “Boomer Sooner!” Frederic said. we at FGW have shown the studios is, if you remove the black or Upon enrollment, Frederic already had two years of radio brown audience from a release, the film drops from No. 1 to news reporting and disc jockey experience in her hometown of No. 3, and at times, No. 4. No Hollywood executive wants to Alexandria, La. She immediately got involved at OU. hear that. We work hard in finding every nuance in a film that “I worked 40 hours a week the entire time at OU,” Frederic will speak to our audiences, and deliver those audiences every said. “First as a DJ at KAEZ and reading headline news, then Friday our film opens.” as a street reporter and weather chaser for WKY-Radio in Frederic, who has worked on OKC, while interning at Channel 4. movies such as Toy Story, American I really didn’t have a lot of time for Focus, be curious, and take extracurricular activities. I learned to Gangster, The Jonas Brothers, The Princess and The Frog, Wanted, Big incorporate work with fun.” fear out of the equation. Momma’s House, Ray, Couples Retreat Amidst Frederic’s busy schedule and Miami Vice, says that every person at OU, she always searched for – Stephanie Frederic views a film differently. opportunities to advance her professional “A lot of research and test development and future career. marketing goes into determining how “I was very focused at OU,” she audiences will react to certain characters, movie endings and our said. “I knew what I wanted, sought advice from key people trailers,” Frederic said. “The studios were smart in having several and went for it. When the J-school bulletin board had a flier trailers produced to attract different audiences. That’s why you about a seminar or conference, I went to it. When the speakers’ may see four to five variations of a trailer for a film. One of those bureau brought someone to the campus, I was there listening trailers is usually an FGW production.” and taking notes. You can learn something from every encounter Through her hard work, Frederic won two Emmys for her and experience – what to do, what not to do. If I wanted to 1992 and ’93 show and reports on “City Under Siege,” and know something, I boldly walked up to the speakers, panelists also has had the opportunity to work with such celebrities as or attendees and asked – walking and talking to many of them – Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise, Spike even walking them outside to their cars.” Lee, Tyler Perry, Denzel Washington and Will Smith. All of In 1981, when Frederic attended a Society of Professional this might not have been possible without her strong broadcast Journalists’ event in Washington, D.C., a major story broke on journalism background at the Gaylord College. And to think she President Ronald Reagan. Frederic somehow managed to get once considered attending the University of Texas. into the White House pressroom to report live for WKY-Radio. “My father attended UT, and in our household everything “Everyone was in awe of the college kid who talked her way was about the Longhorns,” Frederic said. into the White House,” she said.

Communication is key, and it seems Frederic grasped that concept early on. Frederic said that also knowing how to truly listen – something she learned in her classes at OU – helped her gain some of her best TV interviews. “When you hear someone out, letting them explain their story, and your follow-up questions reflect that you heard them, people open up and some will give you the world,” Frederic said. Before every interview, Frederic reflects on a quote by Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” One of Frederic’s first jobs after graduating from OU was at Channel 4 in Oklahoma City, but it did not end well. While at Channel 4, NBC News executives flew her to New York for an interview to discuss hiring her. It was one of her dream jobs, and she was excited about the opportunity. Frederic admitted, however, that she had become extremely confident and cocky. Channel 4 had planned for her to work at its San Francisco station KRON-TV, but fired her before she got there. “Channel 4 had every right

to let me go,” Frederic said. “I had turned into a diva. It was the best thing for me. NBC didn’t stop calling. In fact, I had to explain what went wrong in OKC. I learned it’s always best to tell the truth. It was a very humbling experience, but I learned several things. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, you will get fired.” After weathering that storm, Frederic eventually found her way to the TV news business in Los Angeles via KCBS-TV. “In 1994, I was reporting and producing for a national TV news magazine show and oftentimes was assigned to interview celebrities,” Frederic said. “When you’re based in Los Angeles and working for a national TV outlet, most of your assignments involve A- and B-list stars or up-and-coming actors or musicians. A studio executive liked my interviewing style and noticed how comfortable the talent was with me, and suddenly I was offered an opportunity to start handling all the generic studio interviews.” It wasn’t long before Frederic decided to start her own company. “Interviewing celebrities turned into a business when we turned all of those interviews, set visits and all of the behind-the-scenes b-roll into halfhour TV specials and DVD bonus features to help promote the films,” Frederic said. “I consider what I do as reporting on the movies and helping film fans understand how the movies are made.” Frederic’s advice to those pursuing a career in the film industry is to understand the value of teamwork, dedication and creativity. “It really takes a village,” Frederic said. “No one can succeed alone. The lighting person is just as important as the teleprompter person, the director, the editor and the photographer. In Hollywood, everyone’s fighting to stay on top or to have the No. 1 movie. To remain at the top, you have to have a great supporting cast. If your team is strong and all parties are on point, you win. One weak link hurts the entire team. Everyone is looking for good people who consistently deliver – no excuses. It’s stressful and very competitive, but I push myself and my team every day to be creative, kind and to remain on the cutting edge.” Joe Foote, dean of the Gaylord College, recognizes Frederic’s commitment to excellence and dedication to her work. “She has a strong sense of teamwork,” Foote said. “She knows that in order to get a project done, it has to involve other people. She just has a natural personality for this kind of work. She has the entrepreneurial instincts, people-person qualities that make her an endearing individual, with savvy business sense and a strong creative sense, as well.” Frederic said she has embodied the anonymous quote “Aim for success; not perfection” in both her academic and professional careers, and she thinks others should do the same. “Focus, be curious, and take fear out of the equation,” Frederic said. “A lot of young people applying for jobs today want a good-paying entry-level position in >>CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

FacultyProfile

Lifetime learner, educator Kathryn Jenson White retires BY DWIGHT NORMILE

pend a few minutes with Kathryn Jenson White, and if you’re lucky, you might catch a little of what she has. Few people exude her intense levels of passion and inspiration, a potent combination that has taken her to places far beyond what she envisioned coming out of college.

Born in Henrietta, Okla., and raised in Southern California, Jenson White received a Bachelor of Art in English from Cal StateFullerton and her master’s, also in English, from Boston University. Then she really got busy. After working as an adjunct professor at BU, she became an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma School of Business Administration (1980-85). She followed that with stints at Oklahoma Baptist University (journalism, 1987-91) and Oklahoma City University (mass communication, 1991-96), and then returned to OU. Jenson White became adviser for the Sooner Yearbook in 1996, and also lectured in the Gaylord College. In 2004 she moved to Gaylord Hall full time as an assistant professor of journalism, and her contributions to that program will be felt indefinitely. In addition to her teaching, she is a published author and award-winning freelance writer. She also developed various magazine-related courses for the Gaylord curriculum. Though Jenson White retired after the spring 2012 semester, she is hardly finished with her life’s work. And you wonder if the 24-hour day will be enough for someone like her. Animated and articulate, Jenson White also is as ambitious as ever. And her condition seems terminal. Read what Kathryn Jenson White has to say about life at Gaylord College, her teaching philosophy and what she’s up to next. And with any luck, you might feel a little different afterward.

What will you miss most about your years at Gaylord College?

I’ll miss my best students the most. I’ve had students who have become good friends who have stayed connected with me. I meet with many of them every two or three months for dinner or lunch in various groups. Many of them are my students when I was adviser to Sooner Yearbook. And when you’re advising a publication, you become incredibly close with the students because you live in a kind of a 24-7 reality as opposed to the classroom, when you’re kind of in and out. But I’ve always connected with students who really want to succeed, and try to go outside the boundaries of the classroom to help them as much as I can. And I can look back over my 30 years and see a long string of very successful best and brightest students, and they I will miss.

What do you see as the strongest legacy you will leave?

Well, I have to say that outside the [Gaylord] college, when I first came to OU I restarted the Sooner Yearbook, which had been on hiatus. And I’m very proud of the fact that I brought that back and made it into, with some great student staffs, a national award-winning yearbook. Here [at Gaylord] I think the work that I’ve done building the magazine sequence, creating the Magazine Interest Group, taking students outside this small world into the larger world of magazine media professions – I think that’s something to be proud of. I’ve infused somewhere around $450,000 into the Oklahoma high school media programs through the Ethics and Excellence 30

grant that I’ve gotten for five years. [I’ve] started about 20 new newspapers and improved another 20. I’m thrilled with the work I’ve done on women in leadership, working with women in South Asia and in Bulgaria and Turkey to make them more aware of options and strategies they could adopt to move up in their professions.

You developed a reputation as a tough teacher. Where did your teaching philosophy come from?

I think my teaching philosophy came from my own experience in graduate school, when no one was allowed not to invest everything in a class. I think students have to be challenged. I think having a student, for example, write five short papers in a class is a reasonable expectation of a 3000-level class. I think too many times, because of the pressures we face as multi-tasking professionals, we tend to neglect some of the more time-consuming challenges of the classroom. So I think my reputation, which I think is deserved, has to do with my lack of interest in people who don’t care and who didn’t want to invest at the same level that I invested every time I walked in a classroom door.

How has the magazine industry changed since you came to OU, and how have those changes affected the structure and content of the journalism magazine track? The obvious change is from a print product that evolved, but didn’t dramatically change for decades, to kind of a revolution as opposed to the evolution. So the focus on digital, the focus on rethinking the relationship with the reader, rethinking how

the reader is going to respond to and connect with your product. All of those made it necessary for me to abandon the idea of set lectures that I’d had for decades, or a textbook, because everything changed every day. So it made my class a class that relied much more on my investment in every lecture rather than every week or every semester.

Is there still a future for magazines?

Oh, I think magazines are one of the most exciting and evolving print products now. I think the future for magazines is superb.

For print?

I don’t think delivery systems really matter. I love apps. I don’t even like print magazines anymore…and I used to love the newspaper and the magazine. Now I read them all on my iPad, and I’m irritated if I see a magazine that doesn’t give me that opportunity. So I think the delivery system will continue to evolve, but I think that magazines – as this cultural marker and as a showcase for relevant and exciting non-fiction writing – have a very bright future.

What advice would you give current OU journalism students in terms of forging a career in these uncertain times?

Don’t count on Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication to give you an education. You have to do it yourself. We do the best we can in terms of keeping up and exposing you to what we know is going on, but to be successful today you have to be an active participant in your own education. You have to build your knowledge base, you have to build your skill base, and you have to do that on your own. Use us, but don’t depend upon us to give it to you, because that is no longer a relevant way to look at what an education is.

Will you continue your work in women’s leadership?

The one thing I know for sure is that I will continue to teach in some capacity, and I will continue to work with women in leadership. I’m going in August to Bulgaria to teach a week-long course, called Gender in Leadership, to a group of people from Pakistan, Bulgaria, the United States and India, at a Fulbright international summer institute. I will continue to do research into leadership in women and to participate in any way I can in training programs.

What professional goals did you have coming out of college, and did your career follow that path?

[Laughs] When I graduated with my B.A., my goal was to become a high school English teacher. When I went to graduate school in English, and went through the master’s and Ph.D. program – although I’m ABD (all but dissertation) – my goal was to teach literature. So my career is nothing like what I thought it would be, but it’s been much more exciting. I never thought of myself as a professional writer, and once I wrote a book and that was published, and then began to write for magazines and newspapers, I realized that having this dual career of being a writer and an editor for mass media, not for academic outlets, and teaching others how to do that, was really where my bliss was to be found. And so, I’ve had a fantastic career. I didn’t do anything the right way…so I had to make my way around obstacles in kind of a circuitous fashion as opposed to a straight line. But the experiences I’ve had as a film critic, as a grant writer, an international traveler, as a person who has connected with the arts and society and culture and won awards for writing and my teaching…I couldn’t write a better career for myself.

Kathryn Jenson White, professor emerita

What emotions have come along with retirement?

[Pauses to think] I feel excitement about the possibilities in front of me. I’m young, I’m 60, I have good health. I have more energy than most people half my age, I think. And I see all kinds of international horizons where I can focus on the things I love most: film; women in leadership; and my new passion, which is working with adult learners. I’ve been very involved for the last five years with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute here [at OU], and working with people my age or older, who walk into a classroom eager. It’s unbelievable. And I want to end with what I think my greatest revelation is that I was late to come to, but I understand it now. And I understand it mostly because of my Osher Lifelong Learning experience, and that is that there is a huge difference between learning and education. Education is a political system. Learning is self-actualization. The students I have loved most have been learners, and my experience working outside the political system of education with my Osher Lifelong Learning students has given me this kind of platonic ideal of learning. Eager people who care what you have to say, who take the investments you’ve made and invest themselves equally – it’s an amazing experience. Dwight Normile was managing editor of this issue of Pulse.

AlumniProfile

Regents choose MVP Bill Hancock, Executive Director of BCS BY M.J. CASIANO

ill Hancock was already married and raising a child with his high school sweetheart when he earned a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1972. Perhaps the extra responsibility was an asset when he took over the family business.

A native of Hobart, Okla., Hancock began his career as an assistant sports information director at OU. But after his newspaper-publisher father died in 1974, he became editor of his family’s daily newspaper, the Hobart Democrat-Chief. In 1978 Hancock became media relations director and later assistant commissioner for the Big Eight Conference, and in 1989 he was hired as the first full-time director of the NCAA March Madness tournament, a position he held for 13 years. Tragedy hit the Hancock family on Jan. 27, 2001, when Bill and Nicki Hancock lost their oldest of two sons, Will. As a sports information director for Oklahoma State, Will died in the plane crash that was carrying members of the men’s basketball team back from Boulder, Colo. Bill retired shortly after in 2002, but not for good. After taking three years off to focus on running marathons and writing his book “Riding with the Blue Moth,” Hancock rejoined the working world. He became an administrator for the Bowl Championship Series in 2005, and since 2009 has been its executive director. He currently works and resides in Prairie Village, Kan. Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote, who graduated in 1971 and is still friends with Hancock, says he respected Hancock’s ability to balance family, school and work at such a young age. “Just to see someone in college my age carrying around a little boy and doing all the things that a father does was just fascinating to me,” Foote says. “[Bill] was the same as he is now … everyone trusted him. This is a guy who is just universally liked.” Hancock was one of 11 exceptional OU alumni and friends who received the Regents’ Alumni Award for dedication and service in May, 2012. He is the 13th journalism alumni to receive this award. Hancock received a joint nomination from Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote and Joe Castiglione, vice president for intercollegiate athletics programs and director of athletics. In the following interview, Hancock candidly discusses his best memories at OU, Sooner football and whether a playoff system could ever work for collegiate football.

Back in 1972, did you see yourself working solely in the newspaper industry? Yes, I wanted to be a columnist. Frank Boggs with The Oklahoman and Oklahoma Times was my inspiration.

How did you transition from journalism to intercollegiate sports administration? Johnny Keith, OU’s sports information director, offered me a full-time job in the summer of my junior year. He said the university would pay tuition for my last six hours. The cost was something like $168 – an overwhelming amount at the time. Plus, my salary was $7,200. I jumped at the opportunity; I worked full time and finished my degree in night school. The road takes unexpected forks.

What was your best memory as a student at OU?

My best memories are from when I worked in the back shop of The Oklahoma Daily at Copeland Hall, setting headlines on the Ludlow machine, proofreading and making up pages in hot type. I loved it. I was an impoverished nerd wearing bib overalls and eating sugar cubes for dinner, with a beautiful wife and 32

cute little son waiting in our apartment next door to the Baptist Student Union. Louise Moore, The Daily adviser, suggested I try to become a writer, so I moved to the front shop and got a column. Another student, a Shawnee kid who shall remain nameless, said, “He writes a decent college column, but he’ll never make it in the real world.”

How has your education at OU helped you in your career? OU helped me in more ways than you can ever imagine. I learned the journalism trade. I learned to listen, and to think for myself, rather than having others do it for me. And I took up distance running, at the urging of John MacLeod and Harold Keith. All those have served me well in the 40 years since I graduated.

Given the history of the OU football team, do you think OU fans are spoiled? Success breeds high expectations. Folks at OU wouldn’t have it any other way. One high-profile basketball coach said he never wanted his team to qualify for the Final Four, because fans

Bill Hancock (second from right) was recognized with the Regents’ Alumni Award in May 2012. He was nominated jointly by Dean Joe Foote and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. He is shown here receiving the award with Dr. Floyd Simon, president of the OU Alumni Association, OU Regent Dr. Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes and OU President David L. Boren.

would expect it every year thereafter. His teams never went, so he got his wish.

What was your motivation to ride your bike across the country and write your book Riding with the Blue Moth?

After our son, Will, was killed in the OSU basketball team’s airplane crash, I wanted to do something normal. Well, running and biking were “normal” for me, so off I went. Will loved OU as much as I do, by the way, even though he went to Kansas and worked at OSU.

Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated wrote in 2010 that you have taken on the worst job in America. Your thoughts?

I’m the luckiest guy I know. Golly, I got to direct the best event in college basketball, and now I get to direct the best event in college football. I love my job. Oh, my goodness, I’m just extremely lucky. Sure, many people want a post-season tournament in college football, and they don’t hesitate to tell us. But these athletes are students, not grown men. For them, the week-long bowl experience is much better than a one-night trip to Lincoln or Eugene or Tuscaloosa for a tournament game. Our mission is to do what’s best for the student-athletes; frankly, nothing else is important.

How does television and the money that is created from it influence college football and rankings?

Well, money does not influence the rankings at all. The sports writers, coaches and administrators who vote in the AP Poll, the USA Today Poll and the Harris Poll aren’t concerned about money. We have the best regular season in sports. The vast majority of revenue for college athletics comes from home football games. And so we’d be crazy to monkey with the regular season.

What do smaller schools like Boise State have to look forward to when they know they don’t have a shot at the “big show”?

Whoa. Every school has a shot. If Boise State had defeated TCU, the Broncos would have been in the championship game. It’s pretty simple: play a decent schedule, win, and then watch the scores and maybe get a little lucky like Alabama did when Boise State and Oklahoma State lost. Because of the BCS, schools like Boise State have had unprecedented new access into the top-tier bowl games. Just look at the numbers. In the 54 years before the BCS and its predecessors were formed, teams that are currently members of the five “non-AQ” conferences participated in the top bowl games five times in 54 years. Those teams have been in BCS games seven times in the past eight years. Think about that: five times in 54 years vs. >>CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 33

Bayliss

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21)

Bayliss had been attracted to Washington because of her love for politics and government. In fact, her “heroes growing up” were Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who broke the Watergate story in the 1970s. “Because I had majored in radio-television journalism, I didn’t feel qualified to pursue a career in print journalism,” she says. “I decided that what I really wanted to do was work for a congressman or in a presidential administration.” Through a little networking, Bayliss found a position that would last almost 10 years. A college friend helped her get a job for Oklahoma Congressman Mike Synar. She worked as an assistant to the press secretary, and eventually decided to focus on policy instead of communications. So while working for Synar by day, she took night classes at Georgetown, where she earned a law degree in 1992. After running the legislative operations of Congressman Synar (who passed away in 1996), Bayliss was prepared for the next step in her career. She joined Dutko Grayling (http://us.grayling. com), a government relations firm in Washington whose tag line is “Different thinking for a different world.” Bayliss co-directs the federal lobbying division and has represented numerous corporate and nonprofit clients before the U.S. Congress. Among her recent clients are Internet giants Google and RapidShare. “For Google, I am a part of a team of lobbyists that represents the company before Congress and the administration on a host of issues, including copyright, privacy and competition issues,” Bayliss says. “I interact with members of Congress and their staff to educate them on how Google search works, for example, or how YouTube has developed technology to take down unlawfully uploaded videos without relying on humans. My work for them also includes prepping Google executives at Congressional hearings as well as developing government affairs strategies.” Bayliss, who became Dutko Grayling’s first female partner in 2001, says the favorite part of her job is helping clients effectively communicate their needs to the right people. “I enjoy strategizing and advising clients on how to solve their problems,” she says. “Sometimes [they] believe they need to do X, but after we brainstorm and get to the bottom of their concerns, we realize we need to do Y instead. I am a believer in our system of government and in representative democracy, particularly.”

StormCrowd (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9)

It definitely stood the test on April 13, 2012. While an EF-2 tornado was ripping through Norman, StormCrowd was on high alert. Following are a few reports the StormCrowd site included. “It looks like a rotation is forming near Dale Hall Tower in Norman.” “Running for cover on April 13.” “Students and faculty in Gaylord look at the storm as tornado sirens go off in Norman.” “Waiting out the Friday the 13th tornado.” “With storms temporarily ending, Gaylord students leave their bathroom refuge.” “Norman sirens have stopped.” “Trees and power lines down in Norman, Okla.” 34

Bayliss also is a believer in the well-rounded education she received at the University of Oklahoma. “I give OU a lot of credit for my success,” she says. “I went to college not really knowing what profession I wanted to pursue. I was able to expand my horizons by taking [a variety of] courses. My degree in journalism prepared me to be an effective communicator, first as a radio-television correspondent, later as an assistant press secretary, and even today as an advocate.” When Bayliss first decided to go to Washington, she gave herself a couple of years to find her niche. Now she’s there to stay. “Within two years I had a fantastic job, had met the man I was going to marry and had a big circle of friends,” she says. “Going back to Oklahoma didn’t even cross my mind.” Bayliss and her husband also have three children, and she definitely makes time for family. She also is passionate about public education. “All of my children attend D.C. public schools,” she says. “I am a very involved parent not only in their education, but at their schools and with District of Columbia schools citywide. I love to talk to student groups and help them think about career possibilities.” Though she is comfortably settled in D.C., Bayliss has not completely forgotten her alma mater. In the fall of 2012, she will join the Gaylord College Board of Visitors. “She’s always had a giving spirit,” Kristen Lazalier says. “She made a very nice contribution to the Bob Barry memorial fund in memory of her dad, who was a huge Bob Barry fan. And, she’s also joined our H.H. Herbert Society, which is a giving initiative in support of our upcoming centennial. She’s a good donor, and she wants to be more involved. Being on the Board of Visitors is one of the best ways to do that.” In the meantime, Bayliss will continue her life and work in one of the most influential cities in the world. In every respect, it’s a long way from her first job in Ada, but Bayliss remains in tune with her humble roots. “D.C. hasn’t changed her,” Lazalier says. Norman resident Dwight Normile, a magazine writer and editor for 30 years, was the instructor for Magazine Practicum, which provided much of the content for this issue of Pulse.

These reports, and more, helped many people affected by the storm, and also provided stories and information to the public. StormCrowd definitely proved its value as a promising media platform that enhances journalistic potential. “I love the excitement of discovering something new,” said Joe Foote, dean of Gaylord College. “That’s what the academic world should be about. It should be about people trying new things. A group of students and faculty members, learning together, understanding worlds they aren’t used to – technological world, meteorological world and social-media world – and trying to blend all that together in a unique way that has a promise of more tools to come that are even more powerful and useful.” Houston native Kelsey Dunckel is a sophomore professional writing major who wants to travel the world, write for National Geographic and be a voice for abused animals.

SoonerVision (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12)

Broadcast electronic media senior Zack McMakin (left) started with SoonerVision in his junior year and worked part time as a technical director.

launching platform. It’s a great starting point. People know that if you’re coming from SoonerVision, you know what you’re doing.” SoonerVision has received numerous awards on the national level for its outstanding content, including being a two-time winner of the Golden Matrix Award for Best Overall Video Display. “It’s an honor to be recognized by your peers in the industry,” said Brandon Meier, executive director of video production for OU athletics. “Our full-time and student staffs work very hard to create quality content for all of our venues, and it’s very rewarding to see our work recognized nationally.” Gaylord College students also have the opportunity to report on-camera through SportsPad, a weekly half-hour show that covers all OU Athletics. The show is entirely directed and produced by students, who work with two faculty advisers who oversee their work. Broadcast electronic media senior Kevin Kues has worked for both SoonerVision and SportsPad during his years at OU. He currently works as a crew chief and reporter for SportsPad and completed his fifth semester as a staff member in the spring 2012 semester. “The goal of SportsPad is to give viewers better inside access that they wouldn’t get elsewhere,” he said. “You can’t watch News 9 and get the OU softball highlights. The viewers want

to see what’s going on with OU athletics, so that’s what we give them.” Programs like SportsPad and SoonerVision are known for having professional-grade equipment at hand. Together, Gaylord College and the OU Athletics Department give students the privilege of practicing and developing their skills at a highquality, competitive level. “We have the best facilities of everyone in the region, if not the country,” Kues said. “CNN came in, and they were impressed with what we have to work with. We are really blessed. We have better equipment and facilities than most TV stations.” As always, OU continues to take great strides toward the advancement of its students. The collective efforts of Gaylord College and the OU Athletics Department make both students and alumni the primary beneficiaries of one of the most advanced areas in broadcast journalism. The birth and development of student-based programs such as SoonerVision and SportsPad are training students and alumni for promising futures. Also, the upcoming network deal with Fox Sports will give OU and its existing programs even more room for potential expansion. With the vision and vast resources of Gaylord College, OU is once again ahead of the game, both on and off the field. Adrienne DeWitt is a public relations senior from Fort Worth, Texas. She aspires to publish a New York Times bestseller and to spend her free time seeing the world.

Broadcast electronic media senior Keegan Kirkhart worked as a cameraman on the field at home football games.

WEB CONTENT Watch recorded shows on the OUr SportsPad YouTube channel.

Graduate student Joshua Shockley (left) and Professor Scott Hodgson (right) follow the action with the boom camera at a football game.

Learn more about SoonerVision at SoonerSports.com. 35

Bill Hancock (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33)

seven times in eight years! The BCS has been very good for college football.

But isn’t that why smaller schools have begun to join major conferences?

Schools have been changing conferences forever. They’ve done what they believed to be in their best interest. Why did OU and the other five leave the Missouri Valley to create the Big Six back in 1927? That created a great deal of angst, by the way. OU left Oklahoma A&M A young, fresh-faced behind. Thank goodness, they Bill Hancock circa 1971. continued to play each other and OSU finally rejoined its old mates in the Big Eight Conference 30 years later.

How do you feel about the recent “conference jumping” among major schools, some of which have made the conference name itself inaccurate?

I’m a traditionalist. I will miss the Aggies-Longhorns games. And Jayhawks-Tigers. The change is almost incomprehensible. But, again, schools do what’s in their best interests. The names of the conferences don’t bother me. That’s a matter of branding.

How realistic are the chances for a playoff system for the national championship? Every four years, when the television agreement is about to expire, the conferences collaborate and decide what format to pursue in the future. That exercise is happening now. I do not sense a groundswell among the commissioners or university presidents for an NFL-style playoff. Yes, there has been talk of a four-team event, but much more conversation remains. Several primary constituents have not been heard from. I will say that I am honored to be a part of the process and I’m excited about the possibilities.

Would a playoff system kill bowl games?

Yes, I think so. Evaluating consequences is one of the most important elements of business, and it’s a big task in front of our group. I am sure that a post-season football tournament would detract from the regular season. It certainly has happened in basketball.

What is the main point that the general public doesn’t understand about the BCS?

Many folks don’t understand all the good that the BCS has done. For the first time in the history of college football, fans are guaranteed a match-up of the top two teams in a bowl game – only because of the BCS. Interest in the regular season has skyrocketed since the BCS began. And the BCS allows us to preserve the bowl experience for students and fans.

What are some of the most obscure emails, letters or phone calls that you’ve gotten directly about the BCS?

Oh, my. How much space do you have? First, I throw out all the ones that have profanity. Most of the others are heartfelt; 36

people share my love for this game. Some are kinda goofy. For example, an attorney in California just knew he had the answer: a four-team round-robin with each team playing two quarters against the other teams – like a high school jamboree. And a woman in Texas said her son had been playing football since he was 6 years old, and that the bowl trip was a wonderful experience for him and for the rest of the family; she begged us not to take away the bowl games.

Doesn’t it really just come down to money?

No. It comes down to preserving the importance of the regular season, and providing memorable post-season opportunities for students within the context of higher education. One of the most fierce chewings-out I received was from a band director, who was very upset about the possibility of a football tournament, because his musicians didn’t want to be away from home three or four weekends. We have many stakeholders.

Would a playoff system create more problems than it solves?

Yes. I can promise you that, with a four-team tournament, the fans’ team five will be unhappy. It would be the same with team nine, or 13, or 17, and so on. I’m also concerned about interfering with exams on campus, and the logistics – and expense – of moving 20,000 fans across the country on a week’s notice. Editor’s Note: Shortly after the original interview was conducted, a playoff system was adopted. We contacted Hancock about the new development.

How will the new playoff system impact both the regular season and the BCS?

The regular season will remain strong – the most compelling and meaningful in sports. The BCS as we know it will not exist after two more years. I like to think of it this way: the BCS has given birth to a very beautiful child. The BCS did many great things for college football in its 14 years so far – primarily, changing it from a regional sport to a national one. The sport has never been more popular, and the BCS is a big reason for that. Having said that, it’s time for something else.

What pros and cons do you envision with the playoff system?

Fans will enjoy the four-team bracket. Students will still get to enjoy the bowl experience, because the semifinals will be played in bowls. Cons? What cons?

What role did you play in the adoption of this new system?

Oh, let’s downplay my role. The commissioners worked collaboratively and collegially to make it happen. We wound up with a system that’s in the best interest of the game. For this Oklahoma boy, just being a part of all this is a great honor. I’m a lucky, lucky guy. M.J. Casiano is a journalism senior from Oklahoma City who would like to follow in the footsteps of Hancock. He was accepted into the master’s program for sports administration at OU.

Bergersen

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25)

a whole day and accomplish two pages. Once I found my voice, it was just a question of structure, building character and storytelling.” Bergersen says it was during his junior year at the University of Iowa that he realized he wanted to explore all facets of filmmaking. “I wanted to do the writer/director thing, but I also wanted to be a cinematographer. I worked primarily as a cinematographer, doing local commercials and corporate films, but I also produced indie features that I self-financed.” Bergersen wrote and directed Love Comes To The Executioner, an independent film featuring Jonathan Tucker, Jeremy Renner and Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time). Like the Coen Brothers’ first hit film, “Blood Simple,” Bergersen calls this his calling card film – something he believes is necessary for every young writer. “Basically, you write that script that gets a lot of attention and maybe that script gets made and maybe it doesn’t get made,” he says. “Love Comes To The Executioner” got me a lot of meetings and a lot of other writing work; it was a springboard for a lot of opportunities. Basically, it gets you an agent and that agent uses it as the tool.” The TV Writing Practicum course has students developing their own calling card scripts, essentially walking away with their future in their hands. Scott Hodgson, media arts sequence head, says that Bergersen’s abilities to write, direct and design are a result of his years practicing his trade. Giving his students that opportunity even when they graduate is a key part of Bergersen’s teaching. Professor Kyle Bergersen brings creativity to his teaching “You need to learn how to do it and practice it,” Hodgson says. “His goal is to provide opportunities; that’s what the practicum is, to have the chance to produce and write scripts. We’re always looking for those opportunities. We want students to take the lead and say, ‘I have an idea,’ and our job is to help facilitate that and put some organizational structure behind them.” Leslie Herring graduated in December 2011 with a degree in professional writing. While at OU she was president of the Magazine Interest Group.

Frederic

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29)

production, TV or film. It won’t happen right off the bat, but be patient and prove yourself, and it will come. Be willing to make yourself invaluable. Learn everything you can about the company before applying. Find what’s really needed in that company and help fill the void. Know how to shoot, write, edit and tell a story, but most importantly, listen and follow instructions. First jobs in Hollywood are usually production assistant-type work. Do that job like your life depends on it.” As an extra piece of advice, Frederic encourages people not to let social stigmas affect their work ethic. “As for being a woman and an African American working in Hollywood, I have learned to simply do exceptional work,” Frederic said. “Someone, somewhere will notice and you’ll make it. It doesn’t mean I didn’t have lots of disappointments or rejections or didn’t get several gigs I really wanted, but eventually the right person looked beyond the color of my skin, and didn’t care about my gender. They simply saw good work.” “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle. Although Frederic was born for TV news, she’s happy she found her way into the film industry. “I never planned a career in film,” Frederic revealed. “Academy Award-winning director Woody Allen has been

credited with saying, ‘If you want to make God laugh, show Him your plans.’ If I had pressed the fast-forward button years ago, I probably would have laughed, too, to hear I would be working on movie sets. Some of my longtime news colleagues today say, ‘I always thought you would be a network correspondent’ – and that’s what I thought, too. Now I truly see what all my experiences were building up to, and I believe I’m doing what I was created to do.” Frederic inspires people to keep their options open because an opportunity could be a blessing in disguise. “I didn’t come to Hollywood — the land of dreams — to be in the film industry,” Frederic said. “I was always a hard-news person at heart. The film industry came to me, and I’m grateful for it every day.” Alisha East is a Gaylord Public Relations alumna from Greenwood, Ark. She currently is seeking a job in the Los Angeles film industry. Will work for food!

DevelopmentNews

Dear Alumni and Friends, Whether I’m traveling around the great state of Oklahoma or the major media hubs of the United States, visiting with our alumni and friends is one of the highlights of my position in Gaylord College. I am proud to be an alumna of the J-School and find great honor in representing the University of Oklahoma and the college as the director of development and alumni outreach. Encouraging our alumni and friends to share their time, talent and resources with the college helps to assist in our vision of inspiring creative difference-makers and advancing tomorrow’s leaders in the various fields of journalism and mass communication. By now you likely know that this is an exciting time for our program as we approach our centennial in 2013. The official celebration will be held during September of next year, and we hope you are able to participate in some way in the festivities. Watch for future mailings that will provide additional details as they are finalized. Please feel free to contact me at any time if I may provide assistance or if your travels will bring you to campus as I would enjoy showing you around Gaylord Hall. We cannot thank our alumni, donors and friends enough for your continued support of and involvement in the college. Your time and generosity truly make a difference – today and tomorrow! Live on University, Kristen Lazalier Director of Development

Kristen Lazalier (‘87) Director of Development (405) 325-7670 klazalier@ou.edu

Giving Opportunities As the cost of higher education continues to rise, private financial support has become even more critical. Alumni and friends have many options when contributing to Gaylord College, including: • • • • •

Funding faculty chairs and professorships Supporting endowed and annual scholarships Remembering Gaylord College in estate planning Annual giving funds – the JayMac alumni association and the President’s Associates program are two ways in which alumni can support the college on a yearly basis Special initiatives like the Centennial Circle (on the next page)

Two receive first Bob Barry, Sr. Scholarship The Bob Barry, Sr. Endowment for Student Sports Programs was created to provide a student enrichment fund to benefit Gaylord College programs for students interested in sports journalism. The endowment will make a meaningful difference for students interested in sports journalism. The fund allows students the opportunity to follow in Bob’s footsteps and report on sporting events away from campus like the NFL and NBA drafts, out-of-town contests, or bowl and championship games. The first two recipients of the scholarship, Brendan Williams and Josh Kopelman, received their award in early 2012. The funds enabled them to cover the Insight Bowl live from Tempe, Ariz.

Brendan Williams (middle left) and Josh Kopelman (middle right) with Assistant Dean John Hockett (left) and Ken Fischer (right). 38

WEB CONTENT

Their coverage included posting a story right after the game on ROUTES (http://routes.ou.edu/story. php?storyID=495) and an extended report for OUr Sports Pad which aired on Feb. 13 immediately following the Insight Bowl can be seen on the OUr Sports Pad YouTube Channel.

DevelopmentNews

Centennial Circle In the year 1913, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved the University of Oklahoma’s School of Journalism. First classes in the School were held in the fall semester of 1913 offering two courses to a total of 28 students. In 1961, the school was officially named the H.H. Herbert School of Journalism and Mass Communication, in honor of Professor Herbert, director of the program from 1917 to 1945. In recognition of the beloved J-School director, charter memberships are available for a special giving society – the Centennial Circle – which will ensure the bridge between our past connects us firmly to our future. The H.H. Herbert Society recognizes a gift of $5,000 and the Centennial Sustainers recognizes a gift of $2,500. Both contributions may be funded annually over five years. Tax-deductible contributions to the Centennial Circle will benefit faculty resources, technology advancements, student programmatic support and other critical operating needs of the College. Benefits of membership in the Herbert Society include a copy of the Centennial coffeetable book, recognition on a permanent display housed in Gaylord Hall and on the college’s website, and inclusion and recognition at all Centennial events during the celebratory year. Centennial Sustainers members will be recognized on the permanent display in Gaylord Hall, in publications, and on the college’s website.

H. H. Herbert Society Members Alex Adwan, 1950 Kim Koontz Bayliss, 1981 Bob Bernstein, 1960 Ben Blackstock, 1951 Rob Boswell, 1980 Gracelyn Brown, 1975 Bob Burke, 1970 John Campbell, 1958 Pam Carter, 1973 Linda Cavanaugh, 1973 James P. Dolan, 1971 Al Eschbach, 1968

Centennial Sustainers John Boydston, 1983 Mickey Edwards, 1958 Janet L. Evans, 1985

H. H. Herbert Director 1917-1945

Roger Frizzell, 1982 Bill Hancock, 1972 Jim Helberg, 1983 Robert Hess, 1986 James R. Jones, 1961 Ed Kelley, 1975 Michael Limon, 1976 Ed Livermore, Sr., 1940 Paul D. Massad, 1960 William Massad, 1955 John McClymonds, 1971 Pattye Moore, 1979

Steve Pickett, 1983 Howard F. Price, 1971 Karen Renfrow, 1981 Paul Renfrow, 1979 Harry Sherman, 1976 C. Renzi Stone, 1900 Suzie Symcox, 1985 Karina Van Veen, 1994 Kristin Van Veen, 1994 Weldon Watson, 1970 Doug Williams, 1965 Debbie Yount, 1974

Joi Gordon, 1989 Jim “Tripp” Hall, III, 1986 Linda Johnson, 1967 Evan Katz, 1986

Kristen Lazalier, 1987 Lee Reynolds, 1977 Linda Lake Young, 1972

We want to include your name on our list! For more information and to join the Centennial Circle, please contact Kristen Lazalier at klazalier@ou.edu or (405) 325-7760.

AlumniNews

Alumna Joins Study Abroad Adventures in British Media Studies BY LINDA JOHNSON, BA, ’67

hat possesses a 1960s graduate to register for Gaylord College’s British Media Study Abroad? British media captured my interest on my first visit to England in the early ’80s. Reading about Dean Foote’s study abroad sparked my curiosity. Since nothing akin to it was offered

when I was at OU, why shouldn’t alumni participate? At first I think Dean Joe Foote thought it was a “joke” until the inquiry was repeated. With delight I registered for the 2012 study abroad. Attending the pre-departure sessions in Norman would’ve been beneficial, but impractical living in Arizona. Reviewing the text, The Media Student’s Book, and podcasts initiated my “back to school” experience. A fast paced, packed, diverse schedule awaited us May 16. Not being in class previously, it took a day or two to get names/ faces correct. Learning more about today’s college students, their perceptions and goals was a strong point. Dean Foote says, “This course examines the structure, role, history and future of the news media in the United Kingdom and Europe.” During site visits, key management leaders and practitioners shared perspectives on current news, challenges facing media within the UK and Europe, professional paths and the need to exercise an inquiring mind. With the Leveson Inquiry on the “hacking” scandal in progress, it was a particularly exciting time to focus on UK media. John Owen, City University lecturer, said, “We may be witnessing the fundamental reordering of the British press.” Bloomberg News, Sky News, Wall Street Journal, BBC radio/TV, Ogilvy, CNN’s Jim Bittermann (Paris) as well as CNN London, and The Guardian are a few of the media outlets visited in London and Paris. Sir David Nicholas, former head of Independent Television News (at right), was a special treat as he shared experiences on ITN’s development, his involvement and documents on events like the moon landing and interviews/correspondence with Princess Diana. Text co-author Gill Branston shared research, observations and Q&A media cultures during our stop in Cardiff, Wales. Since I was a journalism/PR major, the emphasis on broadcast journalism and web-based news media was valuable exposure. However, I was heartened by the prominent role that print journalism maintains in the UK. Within our group, the majority of the students are pursuing broadcast and web-based majors. The course design provides firsthand exposure to other cultures and landmarks, such as Stonehenge, Versailles, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Bath’s Roman history, the London Eye, Cambridge University and the Cambridge American Cemetery on our Memorial Day. Being party to students experiencing the array of media outlets and history was a bonus. From the alumna perspective, shared experiences transcend age differences. Try it!

Linda Johnson (1967, public relations) joined the British Media Studies study abroad course taught by Dean Joe Foote and Ralph Beliveau. She is pictured here with Sir David Nicholas in London.

OPPOSITE PAGE: 1) The group takes time from their touring to catch up on the daily news outside The Guardian, London (Linda is second from the right); 2) Linda blends right in with the group when they stand on the Greenwich Mean (you can spot her toward the back on the left); 3) Linda visits with Sir Nicholas and students Dorian Billups (center) and Lincoln Fergesen (left); 4) Linda talks with the construction manager when the group visited the Olympic Stadium construction site.

DonorNews

Multimedia lab dedicated Louise B. Moore’s tradition of excellence continues BY DEBORAH RUDY Beloved for her inspiring teaching and mentorship, the late legendary Oklahoma Daily faculty adviser Louise B. Moore was honored April 21 by her former students during a special ceremony to dedicate the Louise B. Moore Multimedia Lab in Gaylord Hall. The lab’s naming is the result of a fundraising effort spearheaded by five former Daily editors: Carol J. Robinson Burr, Linda Johnson, Barbara Winn Sessions, Larry Chilnick and Karen Vinyard Waddell. Burr, Johnson and Sessions each spoke at the ceremony. “Some of her most devoted students got together and have generously given of their resources to make this room a living tribute to her and her work for generations of students to come,” said Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote during the dedication. Carol Burr, a 1959 OU journalism graduate, said the Friends, family, former students and colleagues gathered for the dedication. campaign’s committee members not only received gifts in Linda Johnson, a 1967 OU journalism graduate, added, honor of Mrs. Moore, but also heartfelt letters from former “Without Mrs. Moore, this school would not be what it is students detailing how she affected their lives. today.” “I can tell you how grateful I am, all of us are, for an editor Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in English from OU, where with the skills and integrity of Louise Moore – grateful for her she decided she wanted to be a journalist and worked on The example as a working journalist who came back to the college Oklahoma Daily. After completing her degree at OU, she earned to teach and for her big influence on our careers as students and a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. Moore as professionals,” said Sessions, who earned her bachelor’s and worked as a reporter and taught school in Oklahoma City and master’s degrees from OU in 1968 and 1971, respectively. later worked her way up to the position of city editor of the newspaper in Brownsville, Texas. She returned to Norman in 1952 as faculty supervisor of The Oklahoma Daily, serving in that position for 19 years. Moore’s daughter, Lou Moore Hale, sculpted a bust of her mother, which stands sentinel at the entrance to the lab, keeping a watchful eye on future journalism professionals and encouraging them to uphold the standards of the profession. “She was a friend, but also that figure who was so important to ensuring we kept our balance and our feet on the ground,” said Teresa Black, a 1971 and 1974 OU graduate and former Daily editor who currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney in Oklahoma City. “She had such a tremendous impact. Just look at all the people she affected,” Black continued, pointing at the dedication’s attendees. “She played a big part in their careers.” Deborah Rudy is an 1998 OU English graduate and writer for the University Development office. where she writes for Sooner Magazine and the Priority Newsletter published by the University of Oklahoma Foundation. Lou Hale, Moore’s daughter, unveils the bust she sculpted of her mother. 42

This article reprinted with permission of the University of Oklahoma Foundation.

DonorNews

Alumna leaves legacy for women journalists $1 million endowment to create scholarships BY DEBORAH RUDY Sometimes a simple act can have a far“She also recognized that journalism, reaching impact. Mildred Nichols Hamilton for a woman, was almost a forbidden field knew this well. The 1943 University of when she was in school, and she knew Oklahoma journalism alumna challenged the that women in the field could have a real convention of her time when she reported impact,” York said. “She wanted to make from the traditionally all-male press box in it possible for many women to attend a Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during the good university and to find a role that fall of 1943, while serving as The Oklahoma would help them to impact others. She Daily’s editor. A simple act, perhaps, but its was intensely loyal to OU.” impact would ripple across generations of Hamilton’s lengthy professional career women studying journalism at OU. included reporting for the Baton Rouge, Times may be different, but Hamilton, La., Morning Advocate and News; the who passed away in 2010, continues to Oklahoma City bureau of the Associated have an impact on women in journalism, Press; the Vallejo Times-Herald; and the directing almost $1 million of her estate to San Francisco Examiner, where she spent OU to establish a scholarship endowment 30 years as a top feature writer. She for women students in the Gaylord College also covered national and international of Journalism and Mass Communication. conferences on women’s rights. The scholarship endowment is one of the In 1955, she received the Reid largest in the Gaylord College. Foundation Fellowship, established by the “We honor Mildred Nichols Hamilton Ogden Reid family of the New York Herald Mildred Nichols Hamilton for her vision and her generosity in her Tribune, and spent a year in Europe. York bequest to provide help for women students said Hamilton’s stint abroad “was an eyein journalism,” said OU President David L. Boren. “Her gift opening experience” and, after that, “Mildred never stopped will continue to help students for years to come. It is especially traveling or writing about what she saw and observed.” needed now as decreasing state support has driven up costs for After retiring from journalism, Hamilton earned her master’s students, many of whom work at extra jobs to afford a college degree in history from San Francisco State University in 1996 education.” and also conducted research for the Hearst Foundation. She later The first five Hamilton Scholars will be announced during the contributed a chapter on Phoebe Apperson Hearst to the book Gaylord College Scholarship and Awards Ceremony on California Women and Politics: From the Gold Rush to the Great April 21. Each student will receive $2,000 per year for four years, Depression. providing they continue to meet academic criteria. “Mildred covered difficult subjects for women at various “At a time when the journalism world is under stress, it is conferences and was always fair, balanced and presented points reassuring when a lifelong veteran in the field makes such a just the way they were,” York said. “As one of her editors at the substantial investment in the next generation and their pathway Examiner in San Francisco said, ‘You could send Mildred out to success,” said Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote. “It is especially on any kind of story and know it would be put on your desk in fitting that a pioneer in breaking gender barriers in journalism an interesting, balanced manner with no need of editing. She is will be making such a significant difference in the lives of female a winner.’ If Mildred had a mantra it was ‘fairness.’ In that way, journalists for years to come. The Hamilton Scholars will stand she was a true role model for women.” beside the McMahon Scholars and the Gaylord Scholars as our preeminent four-year scholarships for freshmen.” Deborah Rudy is an 1998 OU English graduate and writer for Mary Nell York, a fellow journalist and Hamilton’s closest the University Development office. where she writes for Sooner friend, said Hamilton was concerned about women having Magazine and the Priority Newsletter published by the University of opportunities to go to college, knowing that finances could be a Oklahoma Foundation. barrier to earning a degree. This article reprinted with permission of the University of Oklahoma Foundation.

AlumniNews

Not always what you plan Unexpected career changes bring rewards

he JayMac Alumni Association honored three as Distinguished Alumni in October 2011: Mick Cornett, mayor of Oklahoma City; Howard Price, owner and president of Multi-Net Marketing in Colorado Springs; and Kari Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

In addition, Jake Basden, director of publicity for Big Machine Label Group in Nashville, was honored as the

Young Professional of the Year. This award is bestowed upon alumni under the age of 40 who have made great achievements in their young careers. The careers of each of these alumni have taken a path they wouldn’t have predicted when they were students at the University of Oklahoma, but which have proven rewarding. Mick Cornett Mick Cornett is a 1981 general broadcasting graduate and the mayor of Oklahoma City, an office he has held since 2004. Before entering politics, Cornett had a successful 20-year career in broadcast journalism working as a television news reporter, anchor and manager at Oklahoma City’s ABC affiliate KOCO-TV, while also working as a newspaper columnist and sports play-by-play announcer. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing changed the way he looked at things and how he looked at his city. In 1999, he left local television and started his own production and advertising company and also taught as an adjunct journalism professor at OU. But it was in 2001 that he became interested in city government when he was elected to city council. In 2004, he was seeking change and was facing a decision between becoming mayor of Oklahoma City or pursuing a career as an NFL play-by-play announcer. Luck would have it he was elected mayor before he had to make the decision. As mayor of Oklahoma City he has been a tireless proponent for the MAPS 3 initiative and played a critical role in bringing the NBA to Oklahoma City with the OKC Thunder. These projects and others have ushered in the current renaissance in Oklahoma City.

Howard Price Howard Price is a 1971 Radio/TV/Speech graduate and owner and president of Multi-Net Marketing, a national radio advertising firm for small to medium-sized networks and program syndicators. 44

Price had a successful career behind the microphone beginning in high school as a disc jockey and later working as a reporter and traveling with ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Despite this success, he found his way to the advertising sales side of the radio world, where he soon became a top radioadvertising salesman for the Clear Channel Communications network and eventually became their first million-dollar salesman. Price makes his home in Green Mountain Falls near Colorado Springs and was elected a town trustee in April, 2012. In June, he and his wife were evacuated from their home, “Sooner Magic,” in the face of wildfires that swept through the Waldo Canyon area. In July, he coordinated a fundraiser to say thank you to the firefighters and emergency response teams.

Kari Watkins Kari Watkins is a third-generation journalist and a 1986 journalism graduate. Watkins grew up in a small-town newspaper family thinking she would work for the family newspaper or at least as a local broadcast news reporter. When the bomb went off at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Watkins was working for a local television news station, and like Cornett, the event changed her career. In 1996, with the support of long time friend Linda

WEB CONTENT Watch video profiles of each 2011 honorees by going to the Gaylord College YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/GaylordCollegeOU. Mick Cornett

2011 JayMac Distinguished Alumni winners Kari F. Watkins, Jake Basden (Young Professional), Mick Cornett and Howard Price with Gaylord College Dean Joe Foote.

Cavanaugh, Watkins applied for a communication job with the Memorial Task Force. She became the first full-time staff member hired by the Oklahoma City National Memorial and became the executive director in 1999. Watkins was instrumental in the design and development process for the memorial and museum and now oversees all operations. Watkins has been recognized for her contributions and leadership by numerous civic organizations. She continues to use her journalism skills to produce and direct video productions for the museum and has received numerous national awards for her efforts.

Jake Basden

Mayor of Oklahoma City Journalism, 1981

Howard Price

Owner and CEO, Multi-Net Marketing, Inc. Radio/TV/Speech, 1971 Kari Watkins

Jake Basden is the recipient of the 2011 JayMac Young Professional Award. Coming from small-town Stigler, Okla., Basden had no idea his career would take off so quickly, but he burst onto the New York PR stage even before graduating in 2006 with a public relations degree. In 2006, he was named one of the top five PR students in the country by PR Week magazine. Basden interned for two summers with Ogilvy PR Worldwide in New York and was offered a full-time position following graduation. In 2008, he received the Young PR Professional of the Year award also from PR Week. After just two years with Ogilvy, Basden moved on to Edelman PR and a year later he took his current position. Basden is now the director of publicity for the Big Machine Label Group in Nashville and works with and often travels with country music stars like Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts and Jewel.

JayMac is pleased to announce the 2012 Distinguished Alumni honorees Bart Conner, CEO, Bart Conner Gymnastics, 1984, PR Joi Gordon, CEO, Dress for Success International, 1989, R/TV/F Barbara Winn Sessions, speaker and professional communicator, 1968, PR

Executive Director, Oklahoma National Memorial & Museum Journalism, 1986 Jake Basden

Director of Publicity, Big Machine Label Group Public Relations, 2006

Alumni Association

The Friends and Alumni Association of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, nicknamed JayMac, was organized in 1983 with a mission to promote pride for the college and its faculty, students and alumni and to encourage the pursuit of excellence within the college and among the practitioners in the profession.

Specific objectives:

Cost

• Develop a continuing interest in the college from its graduates and former students • Encourage students through incentive programs such as awards and scholarships • Promote an interest in the college among high school students • Create an awareness of financial needs of the college

JayMac Board Members The JayMac Alumni Association is led by a group of volunteer directors. The directors and officers for 2012 are: James Tyree, President Ja’Rena Lunsford, Vice President/President Elect Nancy Coggins, Immediate Past President Members at Large David Joplin Debra Levy Martinelli

Annual dues for JayMac membership are $50 per person. A lifetime membership is available for a one-time gift of $1,000.

Distinguished Alumni

For nearly 30 years, JayMac has hosted an annual event on campus featuring the Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. In 2006, the club also began honoring a Young Professional at the event as well as recognizing excellence in teaching and research by presenting the JayMac Teaching and Research award to a deserving faculty member. Beginning with 2012 the Young Professional will be recognized every other year. JayMac also sponsors new graduate receptions in both the fall and spring as a part of the college’s convocation ceremonies.

Pulse Magazine and Alumni Newsletter Steve Patrick Daryle Voss

The organization underwrites the printing of Pulse, the college’s annual four-color alumni publication. The email newsletter supplements the information provided on the website and in Pulse, giving alumni and friends up-to-date news about Gaylord College throughout the year.

For more information about JayMac and supporting the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, please contact Kristen Lazalier, director of development, at (405) 325-7670 or klazalier@ou.edu.

JayMac Life Members Jari Askins Ben Blackstock James T. Bratton Bob G. Burke Carol Burr Philip R. Caudill Fred L. Cook* Jean Duke Charles Engleman* Joe S. Foote Judith A. Garson Mike Hammer* David K. Haspel

Carol J. Hebert C. Joe Holland* James K. Howard John C. Johnson Eric M. Joiner Jill Kelsey Roy Kelsey, Jr. E. K. Livermore, Sr. Gary McCalla* Tom McCurdy, II Charles McWilliams, II* William A. Moakley Max J. Nichols Howard F. Price

Elizabeth N. Ray* John A. Rector, Jr.* Vicki J. Redick Jan D. Rogers Greg Rubenstein Ralph Sewell* Arlen Southern* Kathryn L. Taylor Preston A. Trimble Steven C. Trolinger Larry Wade* Marilyn S. Weber Linda Lake Young

* Deceased.

Thank You JayMac Members July 1, 2011 - July 24, 2012 Ann Adams John Admire Alex Adwan Charles Allers A.L. Allgood Lindsay Anderson Terri Angier Peggy Aycock Mark Bagby Paula Baker Terry Baransy Jeff Barrington Bob Barry, Jr. Monica Bartling Jake Basden Fred Beard Mike Bebb Bob Bernstein Jean Bollman Doug Bonebrake Tommy Booras Amber Bowie Sigrid Bowman John Boydston Juli Branson William Braun Gracelyn Brown Amanda Byte Susy Calonkey John Campbell Jane Carlson Linda Carter Sue Carter Allan Cecil C.R. “Cap” Chesser Julia Chew Lawrence Clark Joe Claxton Nancy Coggins Jerry Cornelius Richard Couch Julia Courcier Joseph Coyne Don C. Davis Jon Denton Connie Dickey James P. Dolan A.L. Douthitt Mary Ellen Doyle Dow Dozier Rick Drisko William Dutcher

Jackie Eckstein Bill Edwards Johnny Elbow Bob Enterline Sharon Thetford Ervin Larry Ferguson Lew Ferguson Nina Ferguson Brenda Finney Jack Foster Bill Frame John Francis Sue Francis John Frank Jeremy Fried Joshua Fried Steve Garman Randy Gibson Robin Gladstein Phyllis Glickman Jane Goodell Michael Gregory John Greiner Lisa Haines Pauline Hale Jay Hammond Bill Hancock Joe Hancock David Harris Carolyn Hart Lou Hawks Kelli Hayward Frank Heaston Edward Heintz James Helberg Frank Hermes Judy Hewitt Scott Hilgeman Doris Hinson Mick Hinton Maggie Holben Suzanne Holloway Elizabeth Huckabay Linn Ann Huntington Keith Isbell Marsha Jack Paul Jackson Larry Jenkins Terry Jenks Linda Johnson James R. Jones Ronald Jones

David Joplin Frederick Jungman Evan Katz Ronald Keener Debra Kerr Billie Kincade Amy King Steven Kizziar Chris Krug Kirstin Krug Jeneanne Lawson Kristen Lazalier Debra Levy Martinelli Diane Lewis Ed Livermore, Jr. David Lobaugh Cheryl Lockhart Kuyk Logan Sandra Longcrier Richard Luttrell Karen Madden Mary Maguire Doug Martin Paul Massad William Massad Doug Mayberry Jim Mayo Joyce Mays John McBreen John McClymonds Lu McCraw Lindsay McIntyre Kathryn McNutt John Martin Meek Kristen Mees Lisa Melton Larry Merchant Dale Mitchell Bill Moore Emma Moore Guy Moore Pattye Moore Charles Murphy Mary Nalefski Bill Neighbors R. Stephen Neumann Ben Newcomer Michael Niles Annie Norman Trude Steele Norman Joanne Orr Mack Palmer

Doris Pappas Lauren Patrick Karen Paul Linda Pavlik Jocelyn Pedersen Elaine Pereboom Beverly Perkins Celia Perkins Nicola Pintozzi Dorea Potter Howard Price Louis Priebe Jolly Brown Pugh Shirley Ramsey Carter Reid Lee Reynolds Mozelle Richardson Andy Rieger Hannah Rieger Karen Rieger Karie Ross Peggy Rowley Connie Ruggles Robert Ruggles Eve Sandstrom Susan Sasso Courtney Scarpitti Philip Schoch Wendi Schuur Barbara Sessions James Shorney John Simmons James Sims Stan Skinner Blaine Smith Carla Smith David Smith Ronald Smith Angela Snow Chris Stewart G. Clayton Stoldt H. Dean Stone JC Strow Kelly Sturges Robert Sullivan Steve Summers Derieth Sutton Franklin Talley David Tarpenning Kendal Tate Ed Taylor James Tincher

Katherine Tippin Valerie Tolman Ron Turner James Tyree Daryle Voss Karen Waddell Paul Waddle Helen Ford Wallace Kari Watkins Weldon Watson Rich Wells Dorothy Welsh Jon White Keith White Dennis Whittlesey Buddy Wiedemann Robert Willis Helen Wolk Larry Woodard Kenneth Woodcock Ron Word Patricia Zagrzecki Michael Zeaman Joseph Zovak

Board of Visitors 2012 members

Rob Boswell BOV Chair Moroch Partners

Kim Bayliss Dutko Grayling

Pam Carter Synergy Marketing Associates

Bill Hancock Bowl Championship Series

Robert Hess Triad Retail Media

Ed Kelley The Washington Times

John McClymonds Macy’s (Retired)

Pattye Moore Communications Consultant

Renzi Stone Saxum

Suzie Symcox First Fidelity Bank

Emeritus members: Ann Adams Alex Adwan Gracelyn Brown Forrest Cameron Phil Caudill Don Cogman 48

Jim Dolan The Dolan Co.

Roger Frizzell Pacific Gas & Electric

Kathy Leonard Freeman+Leonard Advertising

Michael Limón Salt Lake Tribune

Ken Luce Hill & Knowlton Strategies

Steve Pickett KTVT Dallas

Howard Price Multi-Net Marketing Inc.

Paul Renfrow OGE Energy Corp.

Harry Sherman Sherman Media

Weldon Watson Oklahoma House Rep. and ONEOK (Retired)

Kari Watkins Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

Doug Williams Omni Communication

Debbie Yount The Clover Group

Genevieve Haldeman Joanne Orr Roy Page David Stringer Steve Trolinger

Linda Cavanaugh KFOR-TV Oklahoma City

1 24 1 1 2 4

CHINA (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC)

CHINA (REPUBLIC OF TAIWAN)

DENMARK

FRANCE

GERMAN FEDERAL REP (WEST)

HONG KONG

NUMBER

CANADA

COUNTRY

415

177

NETHERLANDS

MALAYSIA

MEXICO

108

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH KOREA

KUWAIT

JAPAN

ISRAEL

COUNTRY

1957

4311

106

NUMBER

114

108

Gaylord College – Total Alumni 8, 841

ALUMNI CENSUS

TRUST TERRITORIES

VENEZUELA

NUMBER

4 3

AE - EUROPE AP - PACIFIC/ASIA

AA - SOUTH AMERICA

MILITARY

2 VIRGIN ISLANDS

NUMBER PUERTO RICO

GUAM

UNITED KINGDOM

THAILAND

SINGAPORE

PERU

PANAMA

NORWAY

30 3 25 33

FEDERATED STATES

COUNTRY

140

136

126

ClassNotes

Four inducted into Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame Four with University of Oklahoma journalism roots were inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame on April 26: Christy Gaylord Everest, former chief executive officer of OPUBCO; Stan Stamper, publisher of the Hugo Daily News; James Watts Jr. of the Tulsa World; and Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Middle East correspondent Anthony Shadid, who was inducted posthumously. In addition, a new scholarship was awarded in the name of Brian J. Walke, a 1978 R/TV/Film OU graduate who died in 2010. Learn more about the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame at http://okjournalism.uco.edu.

Lew Ferguson inducted into Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame Lew Ferguson (journalism, ‘56 and ‘64) was inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame on April 20 at the 120th annual Kansas Press Association convention. Ferguson directed coverage of the Kansas political scene for the Associated Press for nearly three decades. He covered six governors’ administrations and nine national political conventions. Ferguson began his journalism career in 1958. After two years at his hometown newspaper, the Ponca City News, he joined the AP and served in Oklahoma City, Sioux Falls, S.D., Minneapolis and Kansas City before becoming the wire service’s Topeka correspondent in 1970. Following his retirement, he served a four-year term (2001-2005) on the Kansas Board of Regents. Ferguson was named a JayMac Distinguished Alumni in 1996 and was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2009.

Louis Priebe (PR, 1964) recognized as hometown and D.C. notable It has been a banner year for Lou Priebe in regards to receiving recognition for a lifetime of hard work and dedication. In December 2011, Priebe received the Berny Krug Award for volunteerism from the National Press Club. The award is given each year to the National Press Club’s top volunteer. Priebe has been a member of the NPC for more than 40 years during which time he has received nine Vivian Awards for hard work and inspiration leading up to the Krug award. In 1982, he co-chaired the inauguration of Club President Vivian Vahlberg, a journalist for the Daily Oklahoman, after whom the Vivian Awards are named. Priebe is a two-time member of the Board of Governors and has chaired or co-chaired several committees, including the House and Bar Committee. He also has been president of the Washington chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and was named to the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2002. In June, Priebe’s hometown high school in Enid, Okla., also recognized his lifetime of excellence in work and service with their “Pride of the Plainsmen” award. Nominees for the award must have attended, honored, served or supported Enid High School in an extraordinary way. EHS students vote on candidates based on accomplishments they have made. Priebe graduated high school in 1959. Priebe has worked as a public relations professional and lobbyist since graduating from OU in 1964, after which he was a public information officer in the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Ga. Following the Army, he worked for organizations including the Salt Insitute, Edelman PR, National Automobile Dealers Association and Marriott Corp. He continues to work as a communications consultant. Priebe was awarded a Governor’s Commendation in 2001 by Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating for his “loyalty, dedication and effectiveness” in representing Oklahoma. The Gaylord College named him a distiguished alumnus in 1990. 50

Advertising and News Advertising Ashlie Cornelius, AD, 2005, has joined Standley Systems as director of marketing. Cornelius was assistant director of marketing at Career Services for the University of Oklahoma and marketing coordinator and webmaster at Cleary Petroleum Corp. Megan Gleim, AD, 2011, has joined Brothers & Co. as an assistant media planner and buyer. Gleim was an intern with The Richards Group, Ackerman McQueen and Brothers & Co. Corinne Poole, AD, 2010, is an account executive at Jordan Advertising. Kathryne Taylor, AD, 2008, runs a food blog called Cookie and Kate (cookieandkate.com) which was one of six finalists for Saveur Magazine’s 2012 Best Cooking Blog award. Brian Wall, AD, 1996, has been named to a one-year term as governor of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) July 1. In his elected role, Wall represents more than 4,000 advertising professionals and 29 AAF chapters across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The AAF is the only national grassroots trade association to encompass all segments of the advertising industry. Wall has been a member of AAF since 1996 and is a past president of AAF-Oklahoma City Ad Club.

Broadcasting and Electronic Media and Radio/TV/Film Phil Caudill, R/TV/F, 1969; MA, 1971, is now a writer and professor of history at Lone Star State College near Houston. His book, Moss Bluff Rebel, received the 2011 Summerfield G. Roberts Award from the Sons of the Republic of Texas. It was named the best book on the Civil War in Texas. Rob Collins, R/TV/F, 1993, is now the executive editor of the Enid News and Eagle. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of the Oklahoma Gazette. Prior to that, he had been managing editor of the Edmond Sun and was education reporter, entertainment editor and assistant city editor of The Norman Transcript. Brittany (Creedon) Smith, BEM, 2011, is now a video editor and producer with Brothers & Co. in Tulsa.

Clayton Neville, BEM, 2007, is news/ sports director for KMOO Radio in the Tyler/Longview, Texas, market. He is responsible for writing, voicing, and producing all news content on-the-air and online. He also provides the play-by-play voice for The Best of East Texas High School Sports. Howard Price, R/TV/Speech, 1971, was elected a town trustee for Green Mountain Falls, Colo. Karen Wicker, R/TV/F, 1988, opened a full-service public relations firm, Candor Public Relations, in Tulsa, Okla. Wicker has 25 years of experience in the communications industry. A former television news anchor and reporter, she has covered breaking stories such as the Oklahoma City bombing and weather disasters, as well as education, business and health news. Most recently, Wicker served as Oklahoma City region president for Schnake Turnbo Frank PR.

Journalism and News Communication Kelly Collins, Journalism, 2003, after spending nine years as a local TV news producer, is now the senior communications officer for the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Carolyn Hart, journalism, 1958, received the Amelia Award at Malice Domestic XXV in Bethesda, Md. May 2013. The award is named in honor of Amelia Peabody, heroine of the best-selling Elizabeth Peters’ novels, in recognition of contributions to the traditional mystery. Hart’s 50th mystery - Dance with Death – was published by Berkley Prime Crime in May 2013 and is the 23rd in her Death on Demand series.

ClassNotes Jennifer Hicks, Journalism, 2002, is the editor of the European website of the Wall Street Journal and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the site. Hicks was given the position for her strong news judgment; she was previously news editor of Europe.WSJ.com since August 2009. Before moving to London, she helped manage the WSJ.com evening desk in New York, having first joined the journal as an online news assistant in 2004. She is a Knight New Media fellow and has worked as an adjunct professor at Columbia and CUNY journalism schools. Andrea Leitch, journalism, 2008, is a Web producer for National Geographic Association Travel (online, digital media) in Washington, D.C. Krysten Marshall, journalism, 2007, is marketing coordinator at Frankfurt Short Bruza architects in Oklahoma City. Marshall is responsible for creating business proposals, planning interviews and attending trade shows. N. Bird Runningwater, journalism, 1994, was named to the board of the George Foster Peabody Awards at the University of Georgia. Runningwater is director of the Native American Program at the Sundance Institute. Previously, he oversaw the Institute’s Native American and Indigenous Program; served as executive director of the Fund of the Four Directions, the private philanthropy organization, and as a program associate in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture Program.

Alumna Named to Collegiate Sports Communication Hall of Fame Debbie Copp (1978, Broadcasting) was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame at the CoSIDA Hall of Fame dinner on June 25 in St. Louis, MO during the annual CoSIDA convention. This honor is presented to members of CoSIDA who have made outstanding contributions to the field of college athletic communications. Copp has been an assistant in the OU Athletics’ Communications Office since 1977 and during that time she has distinguished herself for her attention to detail, professionalism and compassion for the studentathletes and coaches she has served.

ClassNotes Victoria Stahl, journalism, 2010, has joined the staff of Oklahoma Arts: Scene & Hurd. Stahl has had an exceptional career as an actress in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Most recently, she has been seen in Lives of the Saints at Ghostlight Theatre Club, where she has been a board member. In addition to her passion for the theatre, Stahl’s degree in journalism shows her equal passion for writing.

Charles Ward, journalism, 1999; law, 2010, is the deputy managing editor at the Juneau Alaska Empire newspaper. He has spent the majority of his career working as a sports reporter with a variety of newspapers across Oklahoma. Ward served as assistant managing editor and writer for The Oklahoma Daily in 20092010 while pursuing his juris doctorate. Brenda Wheelock, News Comm., 1988, received the Frances Hesselbein Award from the Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma. The award is named for a woman who changed Girl Scouts of the United States of America when she served as

John Martin Meek recognized for role in the U.S. Space program

the national CEO of the organization from 1976-90. It is presented to an individual who has upheld the Girl Scouts promise and law through service that has diversified the organization Melanie Wilderman, journalism, 2001; 2003, MA, was named the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists 2012 Teacher of the Year. Wilderman teaches journalism at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla. She was nominated by some of her past and current students and presented the award by her mentor Gaylord College Professor Peter Gade. Adam Wilmoth, journalism, 2001, is now energy editor for The Oklahoman. He was a former energy writer on the Oklahoman’s Business desk and is returning to The Oklahoman after working in public relations for the past four years.

Professional Writing M. Scott Carter, PW, 2008; MPW, 2012, published his first novel for teens, Stealing Kevin’s Heart. The novel was chosen as a finalist in the Young Adult category of the 2012 Oklahoma Book Awards. This year 121 books were entered, and 35 finalists were selected. Carter also is the capitol reporter for The Journal Record newspaper. You can learn more about his novel on his website: www.mscottcarter.com.

John Martin Meek (General Broadcasting, 1959), was honored recently by the Oklahoma Historic Society for his role in the U.S. space program. Just over 50 years ago President John F. Kennedy outlined a plan to create the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Meek was press secretary to Robert S. Kerr (D-Okla.) and wrote several speeches for both Senator Kerr and for President Kennedy in the establishment of NASA and passing of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962. Meek received the award alongside fellow Oklahoman, astronaut Tom Stafford.

Bill Moore, PW, 1979; MA, 1993, is a retired Oklahoma Historical Society archivist and published a book, “Oklahomans in Space” about Oklahoma’s connections to NASA and the Man in space program including the contributions of fellow OU journalism grads John Martin Meek (1959) and Donna Shirley (1963). He is also working with Bob Burke (1970) and Andy Rieger (1980) on the OU Journalism Centennial Book.

Fellow journalism graduate Donna Shirley (Journalism, 1963) was also recognized for her role in the Mars Exploration Program.

Public Relations

Photo courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

The Other Pearl Harbor Meek has also published “The Other Pearl Harbor,” the story of pilots Kenneth Taylor of Hominy, Okla. and George Welch of Wilmington, Del. They fought from their base on Oahu and each shot down four Japanese planes. The pair were the first decorated war heroes to come out of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They were awarded the Distinguish Service Cross for their heroism. The book was published by Tate Publishing and is available on Amazon.

Beth Brigham, PW, 1991, is strategic alliance director at OMS Technologies Inc. in Norman. She has more than 20 years of public relations, marketing and business-to-business marketing experience, Brigham is a published writer with more than 50 international, national, regional and local bylines to her credit. Brigham previously was the president of Prime Time PR, the public relations director at VI Branding and Marketing, and the public relations director at FELLERS Marketing and Advertising.

Ashley Fitzpatrick, PR, 2006, has joined The Journal Record in Oklahoma City as advertising and events manager. She previously worked at Dell as a communications specialist and BancFirst as a marketing assistant. Shannon (Forth) Davies, PR, 1986, is a successful employment attorney in Oklahoma City. She has added mystery writer to her resume after publishing her first book, Hunting License, available on Amazon.com. Roger Frizzell, PR, 1982, was named to the PR Week Hall of Fame. Frizzell is the vice president of corporate relations and chief communications officer for Pacific Gas & Electric. After eight years as vice president of corporate communications at American Airlines, in October 2011 Frizzell moved to California-based energy company PG&E, becoming its chief communications officer, where he concentrates on improving customer service while cementing PG&E’s reputation – both externally and internally. Sarah Hauptman, PR, 2012 is an account coordinator with Waller & Company Public Relations in Tulsa. Hauptman’s duties include writing, project coordination, media relations, editorial marketing and research. Hauptman’s previous work experience includes interning for the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, the Arts Council of Oklahoma City and two semesters wroking with OU’s Lindsey + Asp Agency as an account coordinator for

Fort Sill military base. She also worked as a research director for the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City. Mitchel Heckart, PR, 2010, joined the media relations staff of the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. He was previously with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBDL. Holly McGowen, PR, 2006, is the owner of Sweets and Spurs, specializing in mini pies, cupcakes, hand-dipped chocolates and cowboy boots. Previously, she was the director of public relations for the Oklahoma City Redhawks. Courtney Van Amburgh, PR, 2009, is the marketing and social media specialist for the Westin Galleria Dallas. Previously, Van Amburgh was collaborating marketing and business development for the hotel and Galleria Dallas. She has over seven years of strategic communications experience and has worked for Communities in Schools Dallas Region, Genesco Sports Enterprises, Moore Norman Technology Center and Norman’s Jazz in June. Melissa (Walters) Bird, PR, 2005, is the director of corporate partnerships for the Oklahoma City Redhawks. She was previously in event sales for the New York Mets. Bird serves on the Centennial Committee for Gaylord College. Megan Winkler, PR, 2003, is executive director for Down Syndrome Association of Oklahoma City. Winkler assists the organization with a number of tasks including event planning, fundraising,

ClassNotes publicity/awareness, advocacy and general office management..

Master’s Tiara Blue, MPW, 2011 received first place for her manuscript in the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference held at the University of North Texas. The manuscript, a memoir entitled White Trash Tiara, was prepared as Blue’s graduate project for completion of the Master of Professional Writing program. James Tidwell, MA, Journalism, 1972 was inducted into the College Media Association Hall of Fame. CMA Hall of Fame inductees must have contributed to college journalism education for 20 years or more while being active members of CMA. The award recognizes longtime members who have contributed to the betterment and value of student media programs of both the campus and nation. It also pays tribute to members who have devoted extensive service to CMA by serving in leadership roles and presenting programs and sessions at conventions. Tidwell is a professor and chair of the Department of Journalism at Eastern Illinois University.

Anthony Shadid, 43, dies in Syria: Family awarded degree in his honor Anthony Shadid, 43, died Feb. 16, 2012, in Syria. Shadid was an Oklahoma City native and briefly attended the University of Oklahoma in the 1980s before graduating from the University of WisconsinMadison. Shadid was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for the New York Times and published author. Shadid was slated to be awarded an honorable degree by the university at last May’s commencement ceremonies. He had been notified of the honor and was looking forward to attending the commencement ceremonies, said OU President David L. Boren. Shadid’s family were presented the award in his honor. In one of Shadid’s last interviews, he talked with Matt Carney, a 2011 OU Professional Writing graduate, about his career and forthcoming memoir, House of Stone. The interview was featured in the March 2012 issue of World Literature Today which can be viewed online at http://www.ou.edu/ worldlit. Carney also provides his impressions of the interview in an essay for WLT also on the website. The book was published shortly after his death. A public memorial service was held for Shadid at the Oklahoma City Civic Center on March 3. The service was streamed live by Gaylord College faculty and staff and archived. The full service can be viewed on YouTube at http://youtu.be/wVFMd5Soj2c. 53

CelebratingLives Col. Elizabeth “Betty” N. Ray, 98, of Southern Pines, N.C., died December 7, 2011, at St. Joseph of the Pines.

after completing officer candidate school at Fort Des Moines. This was the beginning of a long and distinguished military career.

Ray was born May 31, 1913, in Winnsboro, Texas to Shaw D. and Madie Helen Smart Ray, and was sister to Shaw D. Ray, Jr., and Mary Agnes (Ray) Clark, all of whom preceded her in death. Her family moved to Duncan, Oklahoma, when she was a teenager, and later to Oklahoma City.

During World War II, Ms. Ray served as commanding officer of a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) platoon attached to the 15th Air Force in Italy and North Africa. She received the Bronze Star for “meritorious service in connection with operations against the enemy not involving actual combat.” Commissioned a regular Air Force captain in 1949, she served as assistant public information officer for the Continental Air Command, and in 1953 she was appointed deputy director of the WAF (Women in the Air Force). In 1955 she was named executive secretary to the defense advisory committee on women in the armed services. Then a lieutenant colonel, Ms. Ray was assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska in 1958, where she served as chief of the SAC promotion and records branch.

A 1934 graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Journalism, Ms. Ray worked as a reporter and eventually as city editor of the Anadarko (Okla.) Daily News. She moved to Washington, D.C., in 1940 to take a civilian public relations position with the War Department. In 1942 she entered the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and received her commission as a second lieutenant

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Lt. Col. Ray director of Women in the Air Force, the highest rank to which a woman of her day could aspire, and promoted her to full colonel. She was the first woman to achieve this rank.

G. Wesley Brown, R/TV, 1976 died July 14. Brown was killed by a bullet intended for another man while shopping at an electronics retail store in Tulsa. Brown moved to Tulsa after graduation and started his career as an announcer at KVOO. He later made a career change to software programming. During his career, he was employed at Bethlehem Steel, American Airlines, Sabre/EDS and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Brown was the only brother of Gracelyn Brown and Jolly Brown Pugh both also graduates of the Gaylord College. Omer Gillham, professional writing, 1991, died July 9, 2012. Gillham joined the Tulsa World news staff in 1998 and covered a variety of beats, including higher education, before joining the Tulsa World’s enterprise team, which produces investigative and enterprise stories and projects. During his 14 years with the World, Gillham received many local state and national awards and honors for his work, including for stories or series on such topics as suicide, puppy mills, child abuse, Homeland Security spending and the Tar Creek Superfund site buyout. A series he led on the hidden suicide epidemic won first place in the 2010 Great Plains Journalism Awards and a 2009 award from the Mental Health Association in Tulsa. He also was the lead reporter on a series about Oklahoma puppy mills that won the 2008 Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States. Gillham broke the 54

When her commission expired in 1965, Ms. Ray retired from the WAF to return to her journalistic roots in her adopted home state of Oklahoma, becoming public relations director at Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts (now University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma) in Chickasha, Oklahoma. In 1966, she became grants coordinator with the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, and from 1968 until her retirement in 1975 she served as assistant dean for academic affairs at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

story of the federal investigation into police corruption in November 2009 and provided extensive coverage of that continuing story until March of this year, when he resigned from the Tulsa World to write a book about growing up with alcoholism in the household. He and his partner, Rachele Vaughan, recently opened a business, Another Way Recovery Books and Gifts, at 1620 S. Harvard Ave. In Gillham’s younger years, he was a journeyman electrician. He returned to school and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 1992. He worked at the Ada Evening News, the Daily Ardmorite and the Norman Transcript before being hired by the World. Madeleine (Coquet) Willis, journalism, 1933, died March 2012, Willis lived and worked in Norman, first as a fraternity house mother until she was well into her eighties, then as a docent in the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. She was 100 years old.

Obituaries are taken from online notices and may have been editted to fit this space.

Kenneth H. Hieronymus, R/TV/F, 1950, a prominent St. Louis advertising executive, died Jan. 20. He was 85. During his long career, Hieronymous served as a critical link between agri-science and the farm by helping introduce some of the most important advances in agriculture to the market place. Hieronymous started his career in 1951 working with the Future Farmers of America in Tulsa, Okla., where among other duties he delivered a daily farm report each morning that was televised throughout the state. In 1955, he accepted a position with Gardner Advertising in St. Louis to work on the Ralston-Purina account to service agriculture dealers throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. This began an 18-year career at Gardner, where he worked as account executive on numerous agricultural accounts. James R. Jones, AD, 1949 died January 28, 2011, at the age of 87. Jones was living in Charlotte, N.C., at the time of his death. Seth S. King, journalism, 1942, a retired New York Times correspondent, died June 21. He was 92. Known to all as “Jerry,” King wrote for The New York Times from the Des Moines, Iowa, bureau, where he covered politics, agriculture and labor for 11 states. He also was assigned to the Times bureaus in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. King’s career on the foreign staff of The Times began in 1956, when he was assigned to Jerusalem, followed by assignments to London and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From those posts, he covered stories in Cyprus, Scotland, Ireland, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia. His reporting career began at the Oklahoma City Times, followed by a stint at the New York World Telegram. He retired from The New York Times in 1985. While living in Cape Cod, Mass., King taught news writing classes at Boston University. He simultaneously worked part time as an editor and writing coach for the Cape Cod Times newspaper. King is the author of a condensation of Gunnar Myrdal’s classic, Asian Drama, and two children’s books about Malaysia.

Eugene I. Potes, broadcast journalism, 1944, died Oct. 18, 2010. He was 90. Potes had a career first in newspapers and then in public relations with Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. He often spoke of his days at OU and was a diehard Sooner fan. Buddy Reisen, advertising, 1954, died April 19. He was a member of Alpha Delta Sigma advertising organization and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Social Fraternity. In 1955, Reisen was called into the Air Force and became the briefing officer of the 44th Bomb Wing in the 2nd Air Force Strategic Air Command under General Curtis LeMay during the Cold War. In 1956, he married Marian Coffey and returned home after serving in the Air Force to work in the family business of newspaper, radio and TV, where he served as co-publisher of the Daily Ardmoreite with his brother until his incapacitation and death. Reisen then became editor and publisher of the newspaper. He also was the general manager of KVSO radio and KVSO-TV until KVSO-TV was sold in 1960. Reisen was an award-winning columnist, and under his leadership, The Ardmoreite won numerous awards. He served the Oklahoma Press Association as a board member of the foundation and was chairman of the Summer Convention. He also was chairman of the OU Journalism Committee and member of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Board of Directors. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. Bill Wallace, professional writing, 1970s, award-winning children’s author and educator died Jan. 30. Although Wallace only briefly studied professional writing under Foster Harris and Dwight Swain, he was very much influenced by their teachings. He eventually received a teaching degree from the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts (now USAO). His 35 children’s books received nearly two dozen awards since A Dog Called Kitty was first published in 1980.

CelebratingLives Below are the names and their graduation year for alumni who have died since July 1, 2011. Frances T. Andrews, 1936 Harold W. Baker, 1939 William W. Ball, 1981 Patricia A. Bandy, 1965 Eldon L. Battey, 1965 Leona J. Baxter, 1970 Michael A. Branch, 1976 G. Wesley Brown, 1976 John H. Brown, Jr., 1943 Cliff M. Cameron, 2010 Andrew E. Carr, 1949 Rex M. Chaney, 1935 Carolyn A. Coker, 1951 Carlton C. Cornels, 1935 Howard P. Cotner, 1948 Delores A. Crockett, 1976 Bettye J. Dick, 1949 Richard L. Disney, Jr., 1937 Eileen L. Donaldson, 1941 Jim R. Eddy, 1974 Charles M. Ervin, 1959 Marta Falter, 1956 James M. Flinchum, 1939 John R. Foster, 1956 Ann C. Gibson, 1952 Omer S. Gillham, Jr., 1991 Alma L. Halls, 1951 Donna D. Hawkins-Chiswell, 1975 Dorothy E. Herring, 1948 Ken H. Hieronymus, 1950 CeciL. E. Hill, 1951 Edwin G. Hudson, 1958 Jacqueline A. Jebo, 1990 Alan H. Jenkins, 1949 James R. Jones, 1949 Dr. Johnelle K. Jones, 1963 Jean K. Kilgus, 1960 John W. Lehwald, Jr., 1968 Dick Mayo, 1951 Phyllis F. McDonald, 1940 Charles A. Morris, 1986 Randall N. Noe, 1975 Michael F. O’Loughlin, 1972 James L. Pate, 1954 Dr. Grady Pennington, 1956 Christopher T. Phillips, 1992 Dr. Donald E. Phillips, 1954 Eugene I. Potes, 1944 Joan Power, 1947 Col. Elizabeth N. Ray, 1934 Albert Riesen, Jr., 1954 Nancy C. Roberson, 1951 Anthony B. Shadid Olin B. Sparks, 1947 Col. Willard Y. Thomas, 1958 Dr. Guy H. True, Jr., 1948 Madeleine M. Willis, 1933

Obituaries are taken from online notices and may have been editted to fit this space.

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