Shockers everywhere, at events long ago or happenings just the other day, always have something interesting to say. Take this sampling as a Shock Talk example:
“In an annual ceremony of remembrance, a wreath is placed at Wichita State’s Memorial ’70 at 9 a.m. each Oct. 2. The brief ceremony honors WSU football players, administrators and supporters who died in a plane crash October 2, 1970.”
— Opening sentences on the Memorial ’70 webpage at www.wichita.edu. Also at the site is a posting of special 40th observance activities.
“It has been a real treat for Rita, Mom and Dad and others who have seen the changes in Carl this past month. Each is an incremental step, and thus far Carl continues to make good progress.”
— Recent posting at www.carepages.com, chronicling the progress of former Shocker baseball star Carl Hall ’95, who was critically injured in a June 26 auto accident in which he sustained a traumatic neck injury and paralysis due to compression of his spinal cord. He continues to recover at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo. Friends have rallied to help him and his family with expenses, most recently holding a benefit concert at Larry Bud’s Sports Bar & Grill in Wichita. For details: www.carlhallbenefitfund.com.
“No special skills are needed, just enjoyment of reading out loud.”
— Explanation of requirements for volunteers for the Wichita Radio Reading Service, which provides daily readings of newspapers, magazines and novels for area citizens who can no longer read 14-point type due to visual, physical or cognitive handicaps. Shocker volunteers include Gladys Alley ’75 and Dick Welsbacher, WSU professor and director emeritus of theater. For details, visit www.kmuw.org.
Shocker illustrators and authors have been staying busy plying their crafts this year. Of the many books with WSU connections published so far in 2010, the two works below demonstrate the varied world of subjects Wichita State-educated professionals are tackling — from a fearless racing legend to a Marine who served in World War II.
From illustrator Scott Dawson ’86 and writer Barb Rosenstock comes Fearless: The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith. The children’s picture book about the first woman stock car driver to be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Hall will be on sale Oct. 14. Dawson is a NASCAR fan and freelance illustrator whose work has been commissioned by many companies, advertising agencies and design firms around the world for more than 20 years now. He also has a standing gig with The Shocker – check out Fall 2010 Gleanings in this archived issue.
Lois Hyndman fs ’50 has compiled the letters of her late husband, John ’47, a second lieutenant who served in World War II from 1943 to 1946, into A Marine in World War II: From Notre Dame to Iwo Jima and Beyond.
“It has been a long, but so very rewarding journey in compiling this book,” she writes. “Every time I located another buddy or family member, I heard a heartrending story about WWII and how it changed lives forever. I hope this eyewitness to history by one man will be a testament to the courage and commitment of ‘We Few Marines.’”
