Cynthia RockwellDr. Kenneth Schweller ’68, professor of computer science and psychology at Buena Vista University in Iowa has been appointed chair of the board of the Great Ape Trust. The trust is a scientific research facility in Des Moines, dedicated to understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence, and to the preservation of endangered great apes in their natural habitats. Great Ape Trust, announced in 2002 and receiving its first ape residents in 2004, is home to a colony of seven bonobos, including Kanzi, “the world’s undisputed ape-language superstar, was the first of his species to acquire…
Jan Eliasberg ’74, of Aquinnah Films, was chosen as one of 10 fellows for the Fox Writers Initiative, a highly selective four-month program designed to groom writers to run television series and write and direct features across all the divisions of 20th Century Fox. The 10 were chosen from more than 350 nominations by representatives and arts organizations across the country. The initiative sought unique voices, as well as a diversity in backgrounds and life experiences. In a company press release, Nicole Bernard, senior vice president of audience strategy for The Fox Group, said, "These 10 incredibly gifted writers represent…
Ruby Blackerby Hernandez ’11 has produced a 40-minute documentary film, Canaries in the Field, to explore the struggles of migrant workers and their families, as well as reporting on current abuses in the U.S. agricultural system. She wants the American public to be aware of what she calls the “corruptions in the agricultural industry.” Hernandez says that most in the U.S. believe that human rights abuses of farm workers ended decades ago. This is simply not true, she wants us to know. “It's not just an immigration issue anymore,” Hernandez told About.com reporter Dan Moffet. “Human rights abuses, wage garnishing,…
The Indignant Generation: A Narrative History of African American Writers and Critics, 1934-1960, by Lawrence Jackson ’90, received two notable awards. In December the Modern Language Association awarded it the 2011 William Sanders Scarborough Prize, calling it a “magisterial narrative history of African American literature,” as well as “[b]eautifully written and rich in historical detail.” The citation noted that it “should quickly become a standard work in 20th-century African American studies and United States publishing history.” In January, Jackson received news that The Indignant Generation won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association literary award in the nonfiction category.…
Two Wesleyan alumni, separated by a decade, crossed paths recently in a most unusual way. Robert Gillette ’59 was riveted by the snippet of conversation his daughter-in-law overheard and recounted. It had been between a guest at the Hyde Farmlands Bed and Breakfast in Burkeville, Va., and a young waitress: “What are those log buildings all in a row in the back yard?” asked the guest. “Those are the Jew huts. There were these people called Jews who lived there,” the waitress replied. As Gillette writes in the introduction to The Virginia Plan: William B. Thalhimer and a Rescue From…
Ethnomusicologist and musician Stan Scott Ph.D. ’97, was honored by the Indian Musicological Society and the Mumbai Music Forum with their "Award for Contribution to the Cause of Indian Music by an Overseas-Resident Personality." He was presented the award in absentia at the Jan. 21 Sangeet Research Academy conference held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, and he will receive the presentation personally in March, when he’ll be performing in Delhi and Mumbai. Scott, a private lessons teacher in the Music Department, teaches banjo, mandolin and guitar. Also writer, Scott is the co-author of two ethnomusicology textbooks: …
Jane Goldenring '77 produced the upcoming Disney Channel original movie, Radio Rebel. It airs at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 (7 p.m. Central). The film stars Debbie Ryan (Jessie) and was directed by Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors). Radio Rebel, which is based on the book, Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph, tells the story of Tara, a shy 17-year-old, who has another identity: DJ Radio Rebel. As her popularity as a radio DJ skyrockets, Tara finds it harder to keep her alter ego a secret and learns to take her own advice and embrace who she is. “The movie is a lot…
Performer, educator, and writer Una Aya Osato ’04, premieres LOL: The End, a three-person production (with her father and sister), at FRIGID NY Theater Festival in February. In her Kickstarter blog, Osato describes the production as “a funny and physical look at natural and human-made disasters through the eyes of three clowns: a place where tragedy meets comedy meets stupid.” The creator of several award winning one-woman shows, JapJAP, Recess, and Keep It Movin’, Osato has performed in theaters, classrooms, community organizations, prisons, and universities. Additionally, she has taught performing arts in elementary, middle, and high schools over the past…
The Melanoma Foundation of New England, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support and build awareness surrounding melanoma, recently honored marathon legend Bill Rodgers ’70 for his contributions to the cause. Additionally, Rodgers will be captain of the Melanoma Foundation's "Running for Cover" team at the Boston Marathon on April,16, 2012, which is raising money to support the work of the foundation.
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) presented its sixth annual Emissary Award to Greg Zlotnick ’86, a longtime water leader whose involvement with the association spans more than a decade. ACWA President Paul Kelley, says, “Greg Zlotnick is in a class by himself when it comes to sustained involvement and dedication over the years. We owe a debt of gratitude to Greg for his years of leadership and his unwavering support for ACWA and its statewide interests.” Zlotnick recalls that his involvement in the issues surrounding water management in California was somewhat catalyzed by his CSS honors thesis, "Rivers…
Nell Schaffer '06 was selected to be a 2011-12 Capital Fellow in the Judicial Administration Fellowship. The Capital Fellows program is administered through the Center for California Studies at California State University Sacramento, and consists of four individual programs, one of which is the Judicial Administration Fellowship Program, with 10 Fellows, and which is co-sponsored by the Judicial Council of California. Schaffer, an African American studies major at Wesleyan, received her law degree from UC Berkeley Law, Boalt Hall, in May of 2011. As a law student, Schaffer worked in a legal clinic providing assistance to low-income self-represented litigants, served…
RBC Capital Markets, the investment-banking arm of Royal Bank of Canada, hired Judith Fishlow Minter ’82 to co-head U.S. loan capital markets. Fishlow Minter, who will lead the New York-based business with Miguel Roman, joined RBC from North Sea Partners LLC, where she was a managing partner. Previously, she ran Citigroup Inc.’s loan syndicate for North America. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, RBC has climbed to 11th most-active underwriter of leveraged loans in the U.S. this year, from 15th in 2010. Fishlow-Minter was an economics major at Wesleyan. She also holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.