Spring 2013
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Volume LXXIII
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issue 2
+ Nationally Recognized, Nationally Awarded Fusion at 10 Covering the 2012 Campaigns social media enter the classroom
DREAMS FULFILLED Alumna Brooke DiDonato draws national honors for her conceptual photo diary
Excellence in Action
The President’s visit taught us how to do a live broadcast in a situation with a lot of unknowns.”
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15 16
CONTENTS
03 Director’s Note
REAL
RESPECTED
16 ‘White Coats’
04 National Recognition JMC students earn prestigious national honors
Spring 2013
RELEVANT 05 Diversity Speaker Series 06 Diversity Coordinator Professor Gene Shelton leads JMC diversity initiatives
07 McGruder Awards 10th annual awards program honors WKYC anchor Russ Mitchell
08 2012 Election Students cover national, state and regional battlegrounds
10 New Media Multimedia, social media courses expand storytelling skills
12 Dreamscape Diary ON THE COVER: “Disappearing Act” 348/365: depicting an inexplicable desire to be invisible to the world. By Brooke DiDonato, ‘12
Alumna Brooke DiDonato earns national photography honors
15 FUSION at 10
Kent State University School of Journalism & Mass Communication 204 Franklin Hall, P.O. BOX 5190, Kent, OH 44242
Phone: 330-672-2572 | Fax: 330-672-4064 | E-mail: thor@kent.edu http://jmc.kent.edu
A decade of making a difference
18 Vietnam, Revisited Grad student accompanies area veterans on ‘healing journey’
19 Marketing Macy’s PR alum represents iconic retailer
20 Good Humor Atlanta alum finds true calling in comedy writing
Up & Coming 21 Student Success JMC inaugurates week-long celebration of students
21 New Scholarship Professional Advisory Board establishes internship fund
Faculty & Alumni News 22 Learning Legacy Professor Hipsman Springer to retire in June
23 Faculty and Alumni News 24 Coming Attraction New JMC website to debut in July
managing editor/
Stephanie danes Smith
art director/
Jennifer Kessen
photo editor/ production manager/
Melinda Yoho Katie Barnes
FUSION cover/ Katie Roupe physician photo/ Tim Harrison Obama photo/ Matt Hafley
New forum highlights distinguished minorities in the media
Professor’s first book focuses on American medical education
A Bright Future
director’s note
Many people have asked me recently about the future of what we teach. Will journalism survive? Will advertising and public relations continue to provide careers for college graduates? Will electronic media majors be prepared for the incredible technology changes that are happening so fast? My answer is always a resounding “yes,” and it should be easy to see why. We have faculty who understand the importance of teaching the critical thinking, solid reporting and creative storytelling skills that are needed to succeed in whatever industry our graduates choose to enter. Our faculty are respected by hiring managers in the industry and their peers throughout the country. We have a curriculum and facility that are relevant to the educational mission of our School. Our Public Relations sequence recently began offering a course in Social Media Strategies. It has quickly become one of the School’s most promising classes. Students are taught that social media are important tools to help influence and inform an audience, and they experience how to incorporate social media in all aspects of communication. Our Journalism sequence has created a course in Multimedia Storytelling, which is leading the way in introducing our younger students to the new reality of journalism where both knowing multiplatform skills and understanding how to engage an audience are so important to determining their success. Both courses are profiled in this issue on page 10. Our facility houses industry-standard equipment and technology that reflects, and keeps up with, the industries we serve. We encourage professional opportunities in the form of internships and positions on and off campus that offer a real experience. Dozens of our students worked tirelessly in the fall semester covering the 2012 election (page 8). Our new Coordinator of Career Services, John Butte, is focused on growing our support system for
students who want to pursue internships anywhere in the country. Respected. Relevant. Real. These three words have tremendous meaning for us as we prepare students for a lifetime of opportunity and success. Our School of Journalism and Mass Communication marks several milestone events during the year, and the 10th anniversary celebration of our LGBTQfocused magazine, Fusion, is one of many worth noting. We offer a retrospective on the first 10 years of this ground-breaking magazine on page 15. There is one final announcement to make. Barbara Hipsman Springer, who for almost 30 years has served as the conscience of JMC, will retire at the end of this semester (please see article on page 22). She focused her teaching on getting our students to understand how to cover public affairs and to help protect our democracy. That is not an overstatement. She has given much of herself to our students, and she will be missed. Professor Hipsman is the epitome of respected, relevant and real.
Thor Wasbotten Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
respected
Nationally Recognized, Nationally Awarded
Students Earn Prestigious Awards and Internships The 2012/2013 academic year has been a winning season for several JMC students.
Hearst Competition At press time, JMC was tied for fifth place in the overall multimedia rankings of the prestigious Hearst Multimedia News Competition. This is the highest ranking that JMC has achieved in the six years that Hearst has offered the Intercollegiate Multimedia Competition. Three students placed in the highly competitive award categories.
News of student and team awards, including regional honors, is regularly updated on www.jmc.kent.edu.
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Matthew Jarchow, a junior broadcast journalism major, earned fifth place in the Enterprise Reporting category for his reporting on “Youngstown’s Remarkable Concussion Statistic,” earning a $1,000 scholarship. His story was part of the Computer-Assisted Reporting class concussion project that explored concussion policies and practices in Ohio high school sports. Chelsie Corso, a senior photojournalism major, placed fifth in the Multimedia Narrative Storytelling-Features competition, receiving a $1,000 scholarship. Corso’s winning entry, “A Search
for Light,” chronicled the struggle for independence of a 38-year-old single mother suffering from a rare genetic disorder that has left her blind and deaf. Katelyn Brown, ’12, earned eighth place in the News competition for her multimedia package, “Outside the Hospital, an Asphalt Waiting Room,” which she wrote and produced in India as part of the International Storytelling course last spring.
News21 Fellowship
Daniel Moore, a junior majoring in newspaper journalism, is the first JMC student to be awarded the prestigious News21 Fellowship. Moore is one of only 24 student journalists in the country selected for the paid summer fellowship. News21 is funded by Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education. The fellowship gives next-generation journalism students the opportunity to cover a national issue and have their work published in national media. This year’s program will focus on the re-entry into civilian life of returning veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Broadcast Education Association Awards TV2 sports anchor Rich Pierce, a senior broadcast journalism major, earned first place in the TV Sports Talent category in the Festival of Media Arts competition held by the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). Pierce won for his Sports Reel. TV2 executive producer, Kathryn Coduto, a senior electronic media major, won third place in the Student Video Competition for her piece called “Campaign to Kent,” and JMC filmmaker Estee Chase-Hodge, a senior electronic media production major, earned an Honorable Mention in the feature category of the Student Scriptwriting Competition for her feature-length script, “Clandestine Truth.”
College Photographer of the Year Two JMC senior visual journalism students earned top honors during the 67th College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) competition. Brooke DiDonato, ’12, took home a gold medal for Photo Illustration for her photo “Exorcism,” (see cover story on page 12) and Kristin Bauer, a senior visual journalism
major, won a silver medal in the Domestic Picture Story category for “Goodbye Home, Goodbye John, Goodbye Life,” a photo story documenting the life transition of an elderly Kent couple.
Dow Jones Internships
Carrie Blazina, a junior newspaper journalism major, and Emily Inverso, a senior magazine journalism major, will be Dow Jones News Fund interns this summer, working as copyeditors for the Denver Post and Indianapolis Star, respectively. The Dow Jones News Fund promotes careers in journalism through paid internships and related training.
National Teahan Award/prssa JMC’s nationally acclaimed Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter won the Teahan Award, the most prestigious PRSSA award, for www.prssakent.com. The award was presented at the PRSSA National Conference in San Francisco last fall.
relevant
ESPN’s Dwayne Bray shared his passion for sports reporting with JMC students and faculty. right/
Jim Crow Museum founder David Pilgrim challenged students to think about racist images in media.
Bray photo/ Coty Giannelli Pilgrim photo/ Melinda Yoho
New Diversity Speaker Series Highlights Minorities in Media we want to expose students to successful minorities who can serve as role models in the professions they are studying.”
From a discussion about the impact of sports on society to a candid conversation about the prevalence of racist images in our culture, the new JMC Diversity Speaker Series began with important topics and accomplished speakers. Director Thor Wasbotten inaugurated the series to “expose students to successful minorities who can serve as role models in the professions they are studying.” Dwayne Bray, a senior coordinating producer for ESPN, opened the diversity series with a candid exploration of the growing role of sports in American lives and how the network seeks to produce hardhitting journalism about the very teams and sports franchises with which the network does business. “How do we report aggressively on teams when we have billion-dollar business relationships with sports leagues? We chase the best stories out there. My theory is ‘truth to power’ journalism,” he said. Bray told students it all comes back to basic reporting principles. “Good stories are based on notebooks filled with good facts and figures,” he said. “To build good stories, you have to work harder than everyone else. Be competitive in getting the story first.” Bray talked about how sports had shaped his life, first as a child living in East Cleveland, and then as a sports reporter and baseball player at Shaw High School. His passion for sports and sports reporting led to a career in journalism that includes city reporting, police reporting and sports reporting and editorial assignments in Dayton, Dallas, and Los Angeles before his work at ESPN.
by trevor ivan
David Pilgrim, Ph.D., the founder and curator of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Michigan, engaged newswriting students in a provocative discussion about the effects of racist images embedded in popular culture throughout history. The museum, which houses the largest public collection of Segregation-era artifacts, uses objects of racism to teach tolerance and promote social justice. Pilgrim also delivered a public presentation in the Kiva, co-sponsored by JMC. Pilgrim showed students images that pandered to stereotypes of minorities or women and asked students to consider the ramifications of their prevalence in society. Images ranged from early 20th century postcards depicting a woman’s mouth being sewn shut as an anti-suffrage message to Time Magazine’s intentional darkening of O. J. Simpson’s mug shot on its front cover. Pilgrim urged students to speak up when they perceive a message is unfair, inaccurate or stereotypical because such messages can exercise immense power on how society views entire groups of people. “You don’t have to have the answers,” Pilgrim said. “You need to be the one to raise your hand and speak up when you think something is wrong. I want people to be passionate about the pursuit of answers of how we portray others.” The 2012-2013 Diversity Speaker Series closed with a presentation from Jim Colton, recently retired and nationally renowned photo editor of Sports Illustrated. Colton will be profiled in the next issue of JARGON.
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
Gene Shelton focuses on reaching, recruiting and retaining students of color.
JMC Names First
Diversity Coordinator by celeste gossmann
ssociate professor Gene Shelton has been named JMC’s first coordinator for Diversity Initiatives and chair of the Diversity and Globalization Committee. Shelton previously served as the JMC’s academic diversity adviser.
To answer that challenge, JMC’s Diversity and Globalization Committee, which also includes faculty members Mark Goodman, Gary Hanson, Barb Hipsman Springer, Dave LaBelle and Traci Williams, is examining past initiatives to recruit and retain students of color to determine which programs have been successful and which need to be improved.
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photos/ Melinda Yoho
JMC has experienced impressive gains in diversity: 15 percent of our undergraduates are students of diversity, an increase of better than 4 percent in four years. Shelton recognizes that this trend must continue, even as the School increases its focus on retaining students who represent diverse populations. “It’s relatively easy to get students to come here, but getting them to walk across that stage to receive their diplomas – that’s the real challenge,” Shelton said.
Mitchell portrait/ Anthony Gray Lin-Fisher portrait/ Ed Suba Jr., Akron Beacon Journal
relevant
Shelton has long been recognized as the School’s diversity leader. His work in outreach and recruiting in urban schools led to JMC winning the University’s Diversity Leadership Award for an Academic or Service Unit in 2008.
a course that would establish a collaboration between JMC and the Pan-African Studies Department. “The course teaches students that there are more people than Oprah Winfrey who contribute to the field of communications,” Shelton said.
For the past 10 years, Shelton has managed the prestigious McGruder Lecture and Awards Program. Named in honor of Robert G. McGruder, a 1963 Kent State graduate, the awards program recognizes media professionals who encourage diversity in the field of journalism [see sidebar]. McGruder was a pioneer in diversity and journalism. He was the first black editor of The Daily Kent Stater, the first black reporter for The Plain Dealer, the first black to become president of the Associated Press Managing Editors Group, and the first black editor at the Detroit Free Press.
Shelton also developed the highly popular Record Promotion I and II courses. Shelton was able to draw upon his extensive experience in the recording industry, where he worked as a writer, publicist and later manager of Artist Relations at Motown Records, general publicist of the Black Music Division of CBS Records and director of Media Relations and later Vice President of Media Relations at Warner Brothers Records. “I’m very proud of the fact that the Record Promotion classes have always attracted a very diverse student roster, including those who love the singer-songwriter, alternative music, rock music and country music. We look at all the genres in the class,” he said.
McGruder inspires Shelton’s current work, even though Shelton had never heard his name when he attended Kent State. “When I was an undergrad, someone could have said, ‘You know, there was somebody else of your color who went through this program and was very successful.’ That could have done wondrous things for my outlook on life, my possibilities and my spirit,” Shelton said. Inspiring students by showing them successful media professionals of diversity is part of what led Shelton to create the course, African-American Media: The Power and the Purpose. Shelton was delighted to create
Shelton also teaches Introduction to Mass Communication and Media, Power and Culture, courses that annually draw hundreds of diverse students. Shelton graduated from Kent State in 1972 with a degree in telecommunications and returned to JMC nearly three decades later for his master’s degree. He began teaching as a grad student in the spring of 2003 and joined the faculty as an instructor in the fall of 2003. After earning his degree in 2004, he became an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in the spring of 2012.
Cleveland’s WKYC Anchor Named 2013 McGruder Award for Media Diversity Winner at 10th Anniversary Event Russ Mitchell, managing editor of evening news and lead anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts on WKYC Channel 3 News in Cleveland, was named the 2013 winner of the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University. The award recognizes the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in the field of journalism. Mitchell was honored at the annual awards luncheon and lecture on April 2. Betty Lin-Fisher, an 18-year veteran of the Akron Beacon Journal, was recognized at the McGruder luncheon as the 2013 Diversity in Media Distinguished Leadership Award winner. She is the first Asian-American to be acknowledged with this award. The annual luncheon and lecture was cosponsored by Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The 2013 awards program marked 10 years of honoring diversity excellence with the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity, and the lecture and luncheon has become one of Kent State’s most successful diversity events. McGruder was a foundational local figure for diversity in journalism. He was also a strong proponent for diversity in and out of the newsroom: “Please know that I stand for diversity,” he said once. “I represent the AfricanAmericans, Latinos, Arab-Americans, Asians, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, women and all others we must see represented in our business offices, newsrooms and newspapers.”
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
Student media collaboratively and extensively covered President Obama’s campaign rally at Kent State.
Real Time, Real Politics
Student journalists cover 2012 election battlegrounds
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photo/ Laura Fong
MC students fanned out in considerable force to cover national, state and local elections in 2012. At least 50 student reporters, editors and producers, as well as students in the Reporting Public Affairs (RPA) and Newswriting courses, followed candidates and issues, chronicled campaigns and covered President Obama’s September visit to Kent State. They reported, edited, blogged and aggregated news coverage. In the process, they demonstrated the importance of teamwork, technology and tenacity. by celeste gossmann
relevant
The Campaign Trail
photos left to right/ Laura Fong, Jacob Byk, Hannah Potes
Reporters for TV2 and The Daily Kent Stater (DKS) covered 2012 races from the summer of 2012 through election night, focusing prominently on candidate appearances in Ohio. Their efforts emphasized the importance of the School’s converged newsroom and the synergies between student media outlets. Significant campaign stories, like the Presidential debates, were initially covered by TV2 and DKS but received more expansive coverage on KentWired.com. “For bigger stories, like Obama’s visit to Kent and election night itself, we had a special presence on the homepage,” said lecturer and student media adviser Sue Zake. Election night provided significant reporting opportunities for student journalists. “We sent six people – three to Chicago and three to Boston to cover each campaign. In Chicago and Boston, we had a TV reporter, newspaper reporter and photographer. We also had five reporters in Columbus to cover the statewide elections and issues. Most schools don’t have the capacity to provide the depth of coverage that we did,” Zake said. “We worked hard to make sure we had in-depth coverage of issues as well as candidates.” The campaign coverage provided relevant experience for students. “Our students learned to think on their feet and solve problems in real time. When they left the confines of KSU to cover the campaigns, they had to act independently – just
as they would on the job. They were resourceful in dealing with complications of campaign logistics and deadline pressure,” Zake said.
The POTUS, Live President Barack Obama’s visit to Kent State in late September for a campaign rally provided student journalists with reporting and broadcasting challenges that required speed, skill, technology and significant collaboration. “There was good collaborative coverage between the Stater, KentWired and TV2 all the way around, so when content had to be posted quickly because the event was live, it happened,” Zake said. Graduate broadcasting student Jasen Sokol co-anchored live coverage of the event, broadcast on both TV2 and online at KentWired. “The President’s visit taught us how to do a live broadcast in a situation with a lot of unknowns. We didn’t know exactly when the President was going to arrive, and we didn’t really know what he was going to say. That’s not an experience you can get at a lot of schools, and it sets Kent State apart,” Sokol said. JMC alumni who followed the coverage of President Obama’s visit were impressed with the quality of work produced by the student media. “I’ve covered and managed coverage of more Presidential visits than I can remember, dating to my days at Kent State,” said Kristen DelGuzzi, ‘98, senior editor/government
and politics for the Arizona Republic. “I watched the coverage of Obama’s visit to campus and was so impressed with the depth, breadth and professionalism of the coverage at KentWired.com. Every time a colleague stopped by my desk on the day of Obama’s visit to Kent, I pointed to KentWired.com on my screen. They all assumed it was The Plain Dealer. I wish you could have seen their faces when I said, ‘Nope, that’s my college paper!’”
Swing state Blogging Zake chose senior advertising and PR major Justin Lagore to write for “The 12,” an election blog featuring college journalists documenting the election from 12 swing states. Lagore was the blog’s editorial board member for Ohio. He began blogging about the campaign in June 2012. When fall semester began, members of the RPA class got involved in the project as well. “I focused mostly on the presidential election. Because Ohio was such an important battleground state, we had a lot of presidential visits,” Lagore said. “The coolest part of the project was covering the election in a way that wasn’t traditional. We’re the younger generation, and we do things a lot differently. We’re using all the new things in social media.”
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
new courses emphasize new media, new opportunities
Fueled by Web 2.0 technologies, the unparalleled proliferation of news outlets and content providers, and an insatiable demand for interaction and information, the craft of storytelling is changing profoundly. Stories are now meant to be posted, scanned, scrolled, saved, texted, tweeted, viewed and viral. JMC’s curriculum continues to evolve with these changes. Two new courses reflect the evolution. illustr ation by vanessa port
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relevant
// Multimedia Storytelling “There are no print journalists, no radio journalists, no TV journalists. In today’s media world, there are multimedia journalists,” said professor Karl Idsvoog, who taught the first running of the new Multimedia Storytelling (MMS) course this spring. MMS is now required for all news, magazine and PR majors. MMS helps beginning journalists build their confidence with specific elements of multimedia reporting. Students focus on specific media elements one at a time. They produce an audio story, a slideshow concentrating on both pictures and captions, a video story and a text story with embedded elements. Students must complete a final project on WordPress that integrates all the media elements studied during the semester. “You can’t tell a story if you don’t know the language, and the language of media has changed dramatically,” Idsvoog said. He underscores that the multimedia focus does not overshadow the basic purpose of the course. “This is a reporting course, so we spend significant time trying to get students to think like reporters.” Lecturer and student media adviser Sue Zake, who helped design the course, believes it will help students work in jobs that stress literacy in digital media and refine their ability to tell good stories. “While those who work in media-related jobs still need to be expert in some area, they also have to be comfortable in producing content in many forms.”
// Social Media Strategies
by nicole genner alli
Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Pinterest and Instagram. Students access these social media apps every day but rarely think about how social media can build their personal brands and benefit their careers. Social Media Strategies, an online course introduced in spring semester 2012, is designed to help students understand the impact social media can have on business, society and culture – and their own personal brands. “This class looks at how social media can be used strategically for business or professional use. We explore how to create and communicate a personal brand online,” said professor Stefanie Moore. By
the end of the course, students will have developed a strategic social media plan for personal and professional use. The course, which grew from the ideas of professor Bill Sledzik, is open to students of all majors who want to expand or refine their social media skills. Planning and content development for the course were the collaborative work of Moore and professor Jeff Child, Ph.D., of the School of Communication Studies. Student enrollment and evaluations demonstrate that the course has been well-received. Class occupancy began with fewer than 30 students last spring, but by this spring it had grown to 50 students, with a waiting list. Elizabeth Holton, a senior advertising major, is a self-described “social media addict” in her personal and professional life. “I say ‘addict’ in the most positive way possible. My passion for media, marketing and advertising made this course especially intriguing. After completing Social Media Strategies, I was able to take my prior knowledge of viral marketing and improve it by generating creative, personable and original online marketing approaches.” As the director of programming for Undergraduate Student Government, Holton does a lot of online marketing for upcoming concerts. “One of the most beneficial things I learned was how to advertise via promotions on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. These tools help me to promote my organization, a concert and myself,” Holton said. Holton sees personal benefits to the course, as well. “Personal branding is something that has been incorporated into a lot of my social media work. I continue to use the skills I’ve gained in this course in my personal life, school work and job.” Moore emphasizes the personal branding potential of social media throughout the course. “All students are looking for a job when they leave college. They need to know how to network and market themselves to potential employers online and offline.” The course is generating positive buzz in other ways. “Students have sent me notes saying how much they enjoyed and valued the course, and one of my smaller successes is when students participate in an online discussion that isn’t required because they just enjoy talking about the topic.” Social Media Strategies will be offered again this summer.
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
DREAMS
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photo/ credit
“Exorcism� 252/365: Alleviating oneself from internal demons that take form in the qualities of insecurity and selfdeprecation.
relevant
FULFILLED
Alum’s Photo Diary Draws National Honors by madalyn etzel
It’s a normal enough scene: a beautiful, sunny field with a woman leaping gracefully against a blueskied backdrop, except that a flock of crows appears to be bursting out of her. It’s no wonder the piece is titled “Exorcism,” representing, as photographer Brooke DiDonato, ’12 describes it, “an attempt to convey the release of one’s personal demons.”
photo/ credit
» continued on page 14
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
relevant
» continued from page 13 “Exorcism” is one
Through this process, I learned what I really want to do with my life.”
of several photos in “Dreamscape Diary,” an exhibit of the work of then-senior photojournalism student Brooke DiDonato. The exhibit featured select images from DiDonato’s astounding one-year conceptual photography diary. DiDonato’s work has achieved several significant firsts for JMC: “Exorcism” won a gold medal in the photo illustration category in the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition and won fourth place in the 2013 Best of College Photography contest sponsored by Photographer’s Forum magazine, where the photo will be featured in the May issue. Additionally, “Dreamscape Diary” was the first solo-student photography exhibit put on display in Franklin Hall. “To photograph a conceptual idea every day, for 365 days, while you are taking classes and interning is mindboggling. I don’t know anyone else who has done this, anywhere,” said Dave LaBelle, JMC photography lecturer and visual journalism program coordinator.
“I had a lot of freedom to decide what went into the exhibit, which was great,” DiDonato said. “The process has been a remarkable learning and growing experience.” JMC photography instructor Gary Harwood helped DiDonato prepare for the exhibit, which was on display from November until February. DiDonato challenged herself to illustrate her thoughts, ideas and emotions through photography. The artistic process of creating “Dreamscape Diary” helped change her career path, as well. “Through this process, I learned what I really want to do with my life,” she said. “‘Dreamscape Diary’ brought back the excitement of photography for me. Prior to this project, I expected to work for a newspaper. Now I know I want to freelance.” DiDonato graduated in December 2012 and is now working as a photographer’s assistant in lower Manhattan.
above /
“Illuminator” 163/365: Learning to maintain personal identity in a seemingly overpowering environment.
left/ “Philophobia” 303/365: Confronting emotional turmoil through the act of isolation. Philophobia is defined as the fear of falling in love. below /
Brooke DiDonato photos/ Brooke DiDonato
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Fusion relevant
by gr ace murr ay
Marking a Milestone, Making a Difference A decade since its debut, Fusion, Kent State’s first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) magazine, has made impressive strides, and founding editor Mandy Jenkins, ’02, said she is thrilled with its progress.
“The education mission of Fusion allowed the reporter covering the topic of homophobia in sports to ask questions they might have been afraid to ask and permitted them to think of questions never asked before,” Cornuelle said.
“It was such a crazy time when we had started Fusion because none of us had ever actually started a publication,” Jenkins recalled. “I’m really proud of us for doing it, but really proud of Kent State for being on board with us. It was only 10 years ago, but at the time, this wasn’t being done or being talked about.”
Now, as Jenkins and Cornuelle have moved forward with their careers, Fusion’s current editor-and-chief Jackie Bergeron, senior news major, said the magazine’s storytelling capabilities are flourishing and regional communities are taking note.
Fusion’s first edition in 2003 was a collaboration between Jenkins and Marie Cornuelle, ’05. Jenkins and Cornuelle hoped to foster a much-needed discussion in the Kent State community with the help of the student media program. “We were telling stories that hadn’t really been told,” said Cornuelle, Fusion’s first visual editor. “There were serious social problems that we wanted to discuss, and we were getting people to talk about them.” Cornuelle said “Fighting Homophobia in the Field,” Fusion’s Fall 2003 cover story, illustrated the mission to raise awareness.
“We just received a $3,000 grant from the Gay Community Endowment Fund [of the Akron Community Foundation],” Bergeron said. “This money will go to marketing efforts in Akron and Canton and Cleveland, so we can expand our reach.” The grant will make a tremendous difference to a publication that has struggled to find resources and advertising support. “Those first couple of years, we had to fight for every advertiser we had, and every little scrap of material we had,” Jenkins recalled. The first edition of Fusion was published in black and white with a budget of less than $3,000.
Today, Fusion is a full-color, 48-page magazine, covering stories that range from a report on LGBTQ-friendly businesses to misconceptions about asexuality. “In the time that I was on the managing staff, I think we’ve put a lot of life into Fusion,” Bergeron said. “Our design has grown tremendously by allowing the photo spreads and the graphics to tell a story, as well as the articles themselves.” Although this is her last semester as editor, Bergeron expects Fusion to thrive as it educates the public through powerful storytelling. And as it evolves, Fusion will continue to honor its founding mission: giving voice to members of Kent’s LGBTQ community who were often voiceless. “Just because years of persecution resulted in the invisible and often silent nature of sexual minorities, does not mean their voices and talents have not benefitted our society,” Cornuelle said. “Fusion was created not only to tell the story of these invisible sexual minorities, but to explore why and how we must act in order to prevent a future that includes unfair treatment, violence, harassment and inequality.”
Fall 2011
U.S. Military Opens the Closet Doors
Fall 2006 The Patriot
Spring 2008 Issue 1
Speaking Silence
Fall 2012
LGBT Superheroes
Fall 2003
Silent Shadows
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
Professor Jacqueline Marino’s book, “White Coats,” captures the intellectual, physical and emotional pressures of three medical students, including Marleny Franco.
‘White Coats’
Professor’s First Book Chronicles the Lives of Three Medical Students Marleny Franco arrived in Cleveland with the hope of becoming a doctor, with very few resources and without a driver’s license.
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Franco is one of three medical students profiled in “White Coats: Three Journeys through an American Medical School,” the first book written by professor and Kent State alumna Jacqueline Marino, with photographs by adjunct professor Tim Harrison, ’01. The book, published by Kent State University Press in 2012, has been selected for this year’s Ohioana Book Festival. It was featured on WSKU in February and has been covered or reviewed by the The Plain Dealer,
The Roanoke Times and Literary Journalism Studies, among other outlets. Marino conceived of the idea to write about how medical students become doctors while watching an episode of the TV medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” “I grew up in a medical culture. My mother is a nurse and we have doctors in our family, so I found myself bothered by ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ The real lives of doctors are amazing, difficult and dramatic enough without the overdramatization of shows like that.” Marino, then working at Cleveland Magazine, convinced her editor to allow her to document the transformation of college graduates into first-year medical students. “I wanted to witness first hand that process, and I wanted to focus on the first year.
photo/ Tim Harrison
A native of the Dominican Republic who learned English at age 9 when she immigrated to the projects in Boston, Franco entered the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine as part of the 2005/2006 class of first-year medical students, each sharing the dream of practicing medicine. She quickly became immersed in the relentless intellectual, physical, emotional and ethical pressures of medical school while trying to navigate a profession steeped in
prestige, privilege and tradition. An important and symbolic first step in her journey from medical student to physician was the donning of the physician’s white coat, which is given to new medical students at the beginning of their first year of medical school to signify their entry into the world of medicine.
real
This is a story about human beings who are learning to care for other human beings while being steeped in and bombarded by science.” I wanted to immerse myself in their world, to look at them as human beings,” Marino recalled. “Americans have a fixation with doctors. We’re always talking about them. We either elevate them to incredible, God-like heights or demonize them. But they’re human beings like us.”
Marino portrait/ Bob Christy
Before she could begin this project, Marino had to pitch the idea to the deans of Case Western Reserve University’s Medical School. “I convinced them to give me access to the school, the labs, the hospital,” she said. Marino then sent letters describing her work to the 2005/2006 class. She attended their orientation to watch those who would emerge as interesting and articulate leaders. After talking to many first-year students, she settled on three from very different backgrounds, with very different challenges. She observed them, as a “fly on the wall,” through the challenges and changes of their first year. Her work became a two-part series called “White Coats” that was featured in the magazine in 2006. But Marino wanted to go deeper. After the last part of her first-year magazine story was published, Marino decided to follow the students through all four years of medical school for Cleveland Magazine. In 2009, she developed a book proposal and sent it to The Kent State University Press. It took the acquiring editor less than an hour to call Marino. For the magazine series and book, Marino watched her
subjects interact with professors, doctors, medical staff and other medical students. She observed them diagnose their first patients, cut open their first cadavers and deal with life and death. She supplemented direct observation with many interviews and extensive research, poring over the university’s archives and student publications. The result, Marino emphasized, is not a medical book. “This is a story about human beings who are learning to care for other human beings while being steeped in and bombarded by science.” Marino wrote about their struggles with pressure, uncertainty, exhaustion and commitment. In the process, she learned a great deal about the American system of medical education, Americans as healthcare consumers, and herself. “There is a critical shortage of doctors and a strain on all medical schools to meet the churn and produce more doctors. For 196 medical slots at Case in 2012, there were 5,293 applicants,” she said. “I also learned how important it is to be responsible for your own care,” Marino said. “The doctor is not all-knowing or all-powerful. Each of us has to take charge and be a partner in our healthcare.” For Marino, her young subjects became a source of inspiration, and the white coats became a symbol of their commitment to public health. “The first orientation lecture to medical
school is about ethics, not science. The dean wanted the students to understand the challenges of the medical profession and recognize that it is under assault from many directions,” Marino recalled. “He also told them that the health of the whole world is their concern. They are healers to society.” The lessons of medical school have also shaped Marino as a professor of journalism. “Many of my students want to create long works of narrative journalism. It can be lonely, difficult work. I tell them what it was like for me to report and write ‘White Coats’: careful planning, long hours of fly-on-the-wall reporting, many interviews, obsessive factchecking, even more obsessive drafting and redrafting,” Marino said. “I try to show them the dedication it takes to do the work, and I tell them it’s worth it.” “Of course, I learned specific things that I relay to them, too, such as how to pick the best events to witness and how to know when that gorgeous passage you’ve written needs to be killed,” she said. “I find I have lessons and stories to share from ‘White Coats’ during almost every Feature Writing class.” Marino’s book is also having an impact on a new generation of medical students. A copy of “White Coats” has been given to every incoming medical student at Case Western Reserve University. A version of this article first appeared on the JMC website.
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
real
left/ Laura Fong’s visual account of Warriors’ Journey Home ignited her passion for storytelling, deepened her connection to local veterans and earned her professional recognition. below /
Laura Fong
Before traveling to Vietnam, Fong met regularly with members of Warriors’ Journey Home. She photographed them. She listened to them. She cried with them. She took on their pain as if it were her own and knew, as a journalist, that she needed to share their story.
Returning to Vietnam, Reclaiming Souls by gr ace murr ay
Laura Fong, a journalism graduate student, has been on a seven-year journey of healing with a group of area Vietnam veterans. Their stories and her experiences as a storyteller have changed her academic focus and her life. As previously reported in JARGON (Spring 2011), Fong first met members of Warriors’ Journey Home, a Tallmadge, Ohio, veterans group, in 2006 and traveled with them to Vietnam in October 2010. Her goal was to tell the story of their healed wounds and reclaimed souls. “A lot of these veterans wanted to get well so they could help a new generation of veterans coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq,” Fong said.
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Despite her passion for the subject, Fong had trouble convincing others it was a story worth telling. “I didn’t have support from anybody,” Fong said. “That’s the frustrating thing about this project. Everybody wants to focus on war and the effects of war, but not the effects of war in America. I don’t understand that.” Fong originally pitched her story to the veterans’ reporter and higher education reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal, as well as to PBS. All turned down the story. “I don’t understand. Is this story not worth telling?” Fong asked herself repeatedly during fall 2010. Nevertheless, Fong persevered, convinced that the story had to be told. Her idea eventually made its way to Bruce Winges, editor of the Akron Beacon Journal [and member of JMC’s Professional Advisory Board]. Winges recognized the impact of the story and published it in February 2011 as “Vietnam: A journey to find peace,” a series of seven front-page stories featuring Fong’s full-color photos. » continued on page 19
top photos/ Laura Fong center photo/ Rev. John Schluep Fong portrait/ Stephanie Krell
Grad Student’s ‘Healing Journey’ Wins Cleveland Press Club Award
“The storytelling aspect of it was more powerful than even I could understand,” Fong said. “It helped me understand why I like journalism because it created a sense of healing for soldiers who were on opposite sides of a really horrific war. They shared the same stories of love, despair, hardship and pain.”
real
The storytelling aspect of it was more powerful than even I could understand. It helped me to understand why I like journalism.”. » continued from page 18 “There was an engaging story
there about these veterans, but the concept needed to be developed a bit,” Winges said. “We were able to help Laura on her journey to tell this story as we got some of our staff involved in the project. It ended up working well for Laura and the Beacon Journal.” The series earned Fong, Akron Beacon Journal executive news editor Mark Turner, director of photography Kimberly Barth and photographer Ed Suba, Jr. a first-place award for spread or multiple page design from the Press Club of Cleveland.
photo courtesy/ Holly Thomas
Fong’s belief in this story is rooted in personal conviction. “We have a role to play in support of our military. We live in a country that sends men and women to war, so it’s our job to embrace them when they come home.” Fong said her project is about the recovery process for those who fought at night and counted their dead in the morning. It is the story of those whose lives have been forever shaped by the brutality of war. The healing journey is not over for Fong or for the veterans whose stories she tells. She is now working on her master’s thesis, “Framing the New Soldier,” which examines how the media frames those who have served in wars after 9/11. In addition to her thesis, Fong is writing a book about the Warriors’ Journey Home veterans and is hoping it will generate enough funding to create a documentary about their story. And in fall 2015, Fong will return to Vietnam with a new group of veterans.
Public Relations Alum Markets Macy’s
by caitrin cardosi
Holly Thomas, ’98, grew up watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, like millions of Americans. She still watches the parade every year, but now she has a much closer view. Thomas, who graduated from KSU with a degree in public relations, is the vice president of public relations and cause marketing for Macy’s. One of her many responsibilities is handling media relations for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which requires her to coordinate national and international press coverage of a holiday tradition featuring more than 8,000 participants, character balloons, marching bands and celebrity performers. Media planning begins months before the event, and the parade day pace is frenetic. Thomas would have it no other way. “The media starts covering the parade at 4:30 in the morning Thanksgiving Day,” said Thomas. “It’s dark and we’re all busy. Then the sun rises and the whole Upper West Side [of New York City] just comes to life. I’ve been doing this for six years, and every year I have to stop and pinch myself.” The journey that eventually led to her current position at Macy’s began with a decision to change her major to PR. Her first PR course, Intro to PR, taught by professor Bill Sledzik, cemented her decision to enter the field. “The Intro to PR class was a small, close-knit group,” she said. “We all were completely inspired. Sledzik really challenged us, and I’m grateful for that.” The realistic challenges of JMC’s PR curriculum helped prepare her for the rigors of representing an iconic American retailer. In addition to handling media relations, Thomas also leads Macy’s cause marketing. Macy’s philanthropic campaigns raise millions of dollars for multiple charities. Thomas orchestrates public education, events and fundraising for causes like “Go Red for Women” in support of the American Heart Association. Thomas sees a clear symmetry between her dual roles. “They involve different disciplines, but both are incredibly gratifying and fulfilling.” “I have been very fortunate to land where I’ve landed. I feel incredibly grateful to be a part of the Macy’s brand; it has a place in the hearts of Americans.”
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
real
Comedian and alumna Robin Henry performing at the Atlanta Improv.
From Editing to Improv Grad Finds Success in Comedy Writing by caitrin cardosi
when they took us into the writers room, i burst into tears.”
Robin Henry, ’89, graduated from JMC believing she would be a journalist for the rest of her life. She started as a copy editor at The Plain Dealer before being recruited by The Philadelphia Inquirer. She later moved to the Atlanta JournalConstitution, where she rose to the level of managing editor/digital. During her time in Atlanta, she started taking sketch comedy writing classes at Sketchworks, an Atlanta comedy theater. “It was just for fun,” said Henry. “I never took it seriously.” That changed when the head writer from Tyler Perry Studios directed one of the group’s shows. The writer asked Henry if she had ever thought about writing for a sitcom. He suggested Henry should write a script and let him see it. Her response to his interest in her comedy-writing skills was a less-than-enthusiastic, “Eh, probably not.”
Four months later, the writer called her and asked if she would like to audition to be a writer on Perry’s new show, “Meet the Browns.”
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“I thought I was there to have some fun,” said Henry. “I didn’t realize what it meant to me until they took us on a tour. When they took us into the writers room of the studio, I burst into tears. To even step into the writers room of a TV studio was more than I ever thought would happen for me in my life.” To her surprise and delight, Henry was picked by the studio to be one of the writers. She quit her job at the Atlanta Journal Constitution to write for the show – a job that offered only a 13-week contract. “It was a big decision, but it worked out.” Henry continued her career in the comedy business, later writing for Sketchworks and the TV programs “House of Paine” and “The Rickey Smiley Show.” In addition to writing for “The Rickey Smiley Show,” Henry also writes her own comedy and regularly does stand-up comedy around the Southeast. In 2012, she was a finalist in the Atlanta Improv’s talent search for stand-up comics. In a comedy-writing career marked by several stand-out moments, Henry can point to one unforgettable highlight that occurred when she was writing for “House of Payne.” Henry co-wrote an episode in which Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs, sitcom icons from “The Jeffersons,” were guest stars. “People I had watched a million times on TV as a kid were actually talking to me and saying my words on screen. That was a dreamcome-true moment for sure. I will never forget that,” Henry said. “Journalism was never the thing that drove me. I was good at it, and I was happy to do it, but I never felt the call to the vocation of journalism like other [students],” Henry recalled. “I always loved comedy, but I never knew it was a way to make a living. When I found comedy, I finally understood the passion that journalists feel for their work.”
photo/ chuckyphoto.com
A year passed before Henry reconsidered the idea. After a bit of research on how to write a sitcom script, she sent him a sample of her work – and received no response. “I thought is must have sucked,” laughed Henry, remembering the situation. “I thought ‘All right, he probably thinks I’m some kind of idiot!’”
Henry decided to use some of her vacation time to audition for the show at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. She auditioned with writers who had worked on “The Cosby Show,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” and other comedy industry veterans.
up & coming
Professional Advisory Board Launches Intern Scholarships Members of the Professional Advisory Board (PAB) have established JMC’s first scholarship fund devoted to helping offset the high costs of student internships, particularly in major media markets. The impetus for the Intern Scholarship Fund came from a former student, who contacted professor Fran Collins when she was not able to access her federal financial aid at the start of the summer term. Collins learned that the student would not qualify for any federal financial aid because the aid requires students to be registered for at least six credit hours, and the student was registered for only one credit hour – an internship. “On top of that, she was an out-of-state student, so her one-credit fee was even higher than an in-state student’s fee,” Collins explained. The student’s dilemma was not an isolated case. “Many of our interns are not paid, so they have additional expenses, like commuting and parking costs, over and above their tuition,” Collins said. Collins asked her Creative Advertising Strategies class to take on the challenge of developing strategic proposals for funding scholarships for JMC student interns. Students worked in teams to name the scholarship fund, promote its purpose and seek contributions. Their work led the PAB to endorse and launch the Intern Scholarship Fund at its fall 2012 meeting. Director Thor Wasbotten hopes the fund will be endowed by the end of 2013. “It has been tremendous to see the involvement of both our faculty and alumni in supporting the JMC Intern Scholarship Fund. Professor Fran Collins has led the way with her contributions in time, energy and finances. Several members of our Professional Advisory Board have stepped to the plate to provide support to our students as well.” For more information on the JMC Intern Scholarship Fund and other scholarship opportunities, contact Christine Isenberg (cisenber@kent.edu) at 330-672-2767 or Sharon Marquis (smarquis@kent.edu) at 330-672-8281.
As the 2012-2013 academic year closed, JMC launched a new tradition to recognize the hard work and achievements of our students. Student Success Week, which ran from April 26 through May 3, was highlighted by these events:
Job Expo 2013, the first Kent State job fair exclusively focused on juniors and seniors with media, communication and visual design majors, was held April 26 at The Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland. CCI sponsored this event for JMC and the Schools of Communication Studies and Visual Communication Design. JobExpo2013 allowed some of our region’s top employers to meet students, review their portfolios and conduct interviews.
2012-2013 Student Award Ceremony, held April 30, recognized JMC students who won prestigious national awards, fellowships and internships.
Kappa Tau Alpha National induction ceremony, held May 1, honored the top 10 percent of our juniors and seniors with admittance into the national college honor society that promotes academic excellence and scholarship in journalism and mass communication.
Annual Scholarship and Awards Dinner, held May 2, celebrated students who were awarded 2013-2014 academic year scholarships and allowed the School to pay special tribute to scholarship donors. More than $60,000 in endowed scholarships and monetary awards were given to 51 students.
Professional Advisory Board meeting, held May 3, enabled Board members to meet with student media leaders and the individual students who won top awards and honors throughout the academic year. During Student Success Week, faculty and staff hosted a donut breakfast and pizza party for all JMC students. Several faculty and staff members also contributed to a funny, touching and heartfelt video tribute to graduating seniors.
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
faculty & alumni news
Legacy of Learning and Caring: Hipsman Springer retires after 26 years by trevor ivan
Barb Hipsman Springer, husband and JMC academic adviser Bob Springer and their dog Cocoa are beloved fixtures in Franklin Hall.
I hope that’s my legacy here —to teach students to be passionate about what they do.”
Throughout the years, Hipsman Springer has earned a reputation as someone who challenges students to do their best and to branch out of their comfort zones. “My question to students is always ‘why not?’” she said. “Why not take an internship in New York? I hope that’s my legacy here—to teach students to be passionate about what they do. If I’ve done that, I’ve succeeded.”
Her practical tips about securing interviews with tough sources and organizing mounds of information into a clear, readable story have influenced countless students.
Hipsman Springer, who is retiring in late June, said her teaching philosophy was simple: to enable students to better understand humanity and how to communicate with others. “I want to teach students to be life-long learners,” she said. “I want them to be involved citizens. That’s how you make democracy as good as you can make it. Some might go on to careers in journalism. Others may not. I want them to know how to communicate, no matter what they do to earn a living.”
Hipsman Springer’s legacy is profoundly felt by her JMC colleagues as well. “Barb has taught thousands of students and helped them launch their careers. She has shown them how to be reporters, how to handle relationships and how » continued on page 23
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photo/ Melinda Yoho
After nearly two decades as a professional reporter, associate professor Barb Hipsman Springer brought the lessons she learned on the job into the classroom with her every day while teaching in JMC for the last 26 years.
Hipsman Springer’s dedication earned her professional distinction and personal satisfaction. She was the first recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award in the former College of Fine and Professional Arts, something she considers a “career highlight.” Another highlight was her long tenure on Faculty Senate, which included “extensive lobbying” for the formation of CCI and the negotiations over more than a decade for JMC to have its own building. “For me, stepping into Franklin Hall the first time was a dream fulfilled,” she said.
Faculty News » continued from page 22
to persevere,” professor Ann Schierhorn said. “She has given some a hot meal and a couch to sleep on. She’s even officiated at alumni weddings. As one alum once said, ‘If Barb has your back, you don’t need anything else.’” “Barb is one of the most caring professors that I know,” professor Gary Hanson said. “She celebrates her students' successes and is there when they stumble. When a student is in trouble, Barb is usually the first one there to offer some chicken soup and her checkbook.” As the media industry continues to change, Hipsman Springer urges students to be confident. “Students need to be able to tell themselves ‘I can do that.’ They can do any job their employer asks them to do. It’s all communication. It’s what they are good at,” she said. Hipsman Springer knows the School is “only as good as each individual student we send out.” She takes pride when she sees the quality work students go on to produce following graduation. “I love hearing from former students,” Hipsman Springer said. “I enjoy hearing about their accomplishments as well as updates about their lives and families. I encourage students to keep in touch with me. Let me know how you’re doing. Let me know if you’re looking for a job. I love connecting people with opportunities.” Alumni who want to donate to a scholarship in Hipsman Springer’s honor should contact Christine Isenberg at cisenber@kent.edu or 330-672-2767.
Candace Perkins Bowen was named the 2013 Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award winner by the Journalism Education Association (JEA). The award recognizes a journalism teacher who “through excellent instruction inspired others to pursue scholastic journalism teaching and/ or advising.” Bowen was nominated by one of her former high school students at St. Charles High School in Illinois. In bestowing the award, JEA also recognized Bowen for creating an online master’s program in journalism education. Six journalism educators have completed this program since its founding in fall 2007.
Danielle Sarver Coombs and Bob Batchelor co-edited American History through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme Sports (ABC-Clio/Praeger, 2013). The anthology includes essays written by alumni Gina Anne Conley, ’12 and Alexandra Dellas, ’12 and graduate students Kaitlin Krister, Patrick Mayock and Chris Sweeney; CCI doctoral student Norma Jones and KSU political science doctoral candidate Glen M.E. Duerr, as well as students, faculty, researchers and writers from Michigan State, New York University, Penn State and the University of South Florida. Gary Harwood and Dave Foster partnered with student photographers and the Massillon Museum to produce “Tiger Legacy,” a visual storytelling exhibition that captured the history, culture and traditions of the Massillon Tigers high school football team. Visual journalism majors Matt Hafley, Coty Giannelli, Chelsie Corso, Jenna Watson and Adrianne Bastas, news major Jessica White, and
faculty & alumni news
VCD alum Caitlin Bourque also worked on this project for nearly a year.
book. An earlier book, “The Lynchings in Duluth,” has been optioned for film.
Fred Endres produced a 90-minute documentary, The Sojer Boys of Portage County, focusing on seven young Portage County soldiers who served in the Civil War. The documentary aired on Western Reserve PBS/WNEO in February. Narrated by professor Gary Hanson, the film included the contributions of JMC alumni Margaret Stahl, ’12, Nate Edwards, ’12, Sidney Keith, ’12, and Bobby Makar, ’09 and ’11; students Tom Song, Melinda Yoho, Nick Shook, Sean Barie and Cassie Neiden; and History Department students Felicia Wetzig and Philip Shackelford.
Kyle Michael Miller, ’09, a video producer/reporter for Today.com, provided straightforward advice to Today Show viewers in January during a segment he also wrote and produced on how to protect personal location information when tweeting from smart phones.
Alumni
William (Bill) Oliver, ’64 and ’67, will retire in June as senior vice president of Public Affairs, AT&T Services, Inc. Oliver, also a member of JMC’s Professional Advisory Board, was an officer of AT&T for 19 years, beginning his career there as vice presidentcorporate public relations.
David C. Lange, ’75, retired after 24 years as editor of the Chagrin Valley Times, the Solon Times and the Geauga Times Courier newspapers. During his tenure, the Times was honored 17 times by the Ohio Newspaper Association as the state’s best weekly newspaper. Michael Fedo, ’65, recently published “A Sawdust Heart, My Vaudeville Life in Medicine and Tent Shows” (University of Minnesota Press) based on the stories of his grandfather-inlaw, Henry Wood, who dictated the book in 1974 as a family legacy. This is Fedo’s eighth
Brittany Schenk, ’10, debuted her first international photo exhibit, “People of the River: Images of Life in the Peruvian Amazon,” featuring photos from her work on behalf of The Agora School for Global Leadership, at the Agape Gallery for Good in Cleveland in February and at The Garage in Charlottesville, Virginia, in March. Gary Webster, ’84, recently published “Tris Speaker” (McFarland and Company), the story of the 1920 World Series champion Cleveland Indians. The book opens with a summary of the first 20 years of the franchise and closes with what happened to key players from the 1920 team. [ In Me m o r y ] Robert W. (Bob) Morrison, ’55, died in December at age 83. He resided in Sarasota, Florida, with his wife, Jo. Bob served as manager of Employee Communications for General Electric. He later organized the Office of Public Information for the merged Western Reserve and Case Tech Universities in Cleveland. After retirement, he opened a fine arts and sea shell gallery in Sarasota and returned to journalism as a sportswriter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A United States Air Force veteran, Morrison also served as a USAF public affairs officer in Japan.
Jargon | spring 2013 | Issue 2
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