Not So Gently
Remember that old tune Row, Row, Row Your Boat and its line “gently down the stream”? Well, that has nada to do with Shocker rower Malcolm Johnson’s attitude about the 2009 season. “I’m looking forward to beating a lot of people,” he says. Johnson, who is returning for his second year of crew, spent the summer rowing and coaching others in sculling. He also finished first at the Capital Sprints in Washington, D.C. Wichita State rowers are back on the water training for upcoming races. Home events are the Frostbite Regatta on Nov. 1 and the new Class and Alumni Races, slated for Oct. 17. The 2009 Shocker team has nine returning women, 11 returning men and six new rowers.
History (and Opera) Hound
Got a question about Kansas opera houses, past and present? Ask Jane Rhoads fs ’89. Rhoads, WSU director of undergraduate success programs, has merged her interests in history and theater into Kansas Opera Houses: Actors & Community Events 1855-1925, a 2009 Kansas Notable Book. She poured 17 years of research into the work, which examines the history of 903 opera houses. Times, however, have changed. A mere 16 of the entertainment venues remain active.
Robota, Roboto and Beyond
Wichita State’s Ulrich Museum of Art has gone artfully nuts over robots. Robots: A Cultural Icon in Contemporary Art, an exhibition organized by the San Jose Museum of Art, runs through Dec. 18 and features robot imagery in fine art created in the past 15 years. The artworks illustrate the artists’ varied responses to the evolving concept and technologies behind the robot — a term coined in 1920 from the Czech word robota, which then meant tedious labor. Included in the exhibition is Oregon artist Michael Salter’s 13-foot-tall Styrobot, which he assembled Aug. 19 in the Ulrich Museum galleries.
Top of the Leader Board
The lead held for just a day, but it was the lead at the U.S. Open, where the world’s best golfers (yes, Tiger was there) were battling it out at Long Island’s infamous Bethpage Black Golf Course. Former Shocker standout Ryan Spears ’09, along with three other pros, were at the top of the leader board after the first day of play. There’s a caveat: Because of rain, the first round was called off without half the field even teeing off, and Spears only got in three holes. Nonetheless, it’s a claim to fame that the WSU sport management graduate is sure to work on holding, for a longer span of time.
Times They Are A-Changin’
Today’s top 10 in-demand jobs didn’t exist a decade ago. More and more people are taking fresh looks at the skills needed to thrive in this changing work environment — including Anita Cochran ’85, a 20-year veteran, award-winning broadcast news journalist. Cochran is writing and speaking about her challenges in building a new life. As host and producer of “My New Life,” a weekly online talk show, she’s showcasing some of the most promising job options. “I was clueless as to the many career options that are actually out there,” she says. “No matter what you're looking for — more free time, money, creativity, flexibility — you can find it! The best part, for a native Wichitan, is you can find it here at home, too. I just hope I can help lead people there with a fun, entertaining, yet informative show — all about all of us.” Produced by Integrated Media Group, MNL is also being planned as a TV broadcast.
Joltin’ Joe
Former Wichita State baseball All-American Joe Carter was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame this August. Carter, an outfielder who played at WSU from 1979 to 1981, slammed his way into Big League immortality in the 1993 World Series when he powered a game-winning, three-run homer to make the Toronto Blue Jays back-to-back national champs. He retired from pro ball in 1998.
Zombie Work
“Being a zombie is very tiring,” reports Wade Hampton fs ’91. Hampton, an artist and graphic designer in real life, is referring to his acting work as the lead zombie in the Dead Can’t Dance, a film written and directed by Rod Pocowatchit. The comedy with dramatic and horror overtones will be out soon.
A Century of Mentholatum
One hundred years ago on Aug. 19, the Mentholatum Co. opened a new state-of-the-art factory at the corner of Douglas and Cleveland in Wichita. WSU's Special Collections has materials compiled by and about A.A. Hyde, the founder of Mentholatum (a combination of menthol and petrolatum), including photographs, documents and artifacts. The Mentholatum building, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, is the current home of the Spice Merchant. A centennial party with a talk and book signing with Alex Taylor, great-grandson of A.A. Hyde, was held as part of a Mentholatum centennial celebration.
