March 3, 2008

The DigestWhat’s Happening at KVCC

What’s below in this edition Turner’s combo (Pages 1/2) ‘Animal Dreams’ (Pages 9/10)

Vets club (Page 2) Lennon film (Pages 10-12) Do you have . . .? (Pages 2/3) ‘Empty Bowls’ (Pages 12/13) Job expo (Pages 3/4) Adam Mellema (Pages 13/14) Speech contest (Page 4) Kazoo’s builders (Pages 14/15) Donating organs (Pages 4/5) 40th stickers (Page 15) Festival of Health (Page 5) Adobe deals (Pages 15/16) Marion Boyer (Pages 5/6) Lead safety (Pages 16/17) Fun fitness (Page 6) 2 for Honors (Page 17) Effective resumes (Page 6) Recycling (Pages 17/18) Science careers (Page 7) Spread the word (Pages 18/19) The baths of Rome (Pages 7-9) And Finally (Page 19)

☻☻☻☻☻☻Faculty member’s combo in museum gig

Wishek, a rock band with North Dakota roots now based in Kalamazoo, is next in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s early-2008 schedule of Thursday-night concerts for adult audiences.

The March 13 concert in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5.

One of the three guitarists in the combo is Isaac Turner, a member of the English faculty at the Arcadia Commons Campus. Other members are vocalist Steve Welch, drummer Bob Cummiskey, bassist Aaron Smith, guitarist/singer Emily Hauser. Turner also adds some vocal vibes.

The current fivesome has been together for three years. They crossed paths at Western Michigan University where Turner was teaching English courses and the other four were students majoring in English. Wishek’s repertoire can date back to rock’s arising in the 1950s and takes in contemporary sounds – sometimes very loud sounds – as well, but the stuff of the early 1980s seems to be the quintet’s forte.

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Commented one reviewer: “Remember a time when rock ‘n’ roll was a simple, yet effective and cathartic voice for the masses? Well, clearly Wishek does. In the vein of The Band, The Who and Neil Young, Wishek paints brilliant pictures with strokes of fuzzy, overdriven guitars and a lock-step rhythm section.

“The driving force behind Wishek, Isaac Turner, has a ‘Murderers Row’ of musicians behind him,” the reviewer continued, as the three guitarists “trade barbs of catchy Americana rock. The punk influence is here as well.”

“We’ve made two albums with a third on the way this summer,” Turner said. “We’re pretty loud, but I’m bringing ear plugs for everyone.”

So what is the origin of the group’s name?“Wishek is my hometown in North Dakota,” Turner said. “I spent 18 years there,

and my folks still live there. When I left, I pretty much left for good except for short visits.”

He described Wishek as “an economically depressed town of around 1,000 people. Most are connected to the agriculture industry in some fashion. But it's home, you know. I miss it a lot, actually.”

Turner said he moved to Kalamazoo in 2003, after living overseas. “I taught myself how to play guitar here and the band sort of formed around that,” he said. “I was nostalgic for my hometown at the time, and the rest is what it is.”

Turner, Hauser and Smith, as members of a group called The Asunders, were booked to perform in the last show at Kraftbrau in downtown Kalamazoo.

The Thursday-evening concert series will continue at the museum with these groups:

♫ April 10 – Gardyloo! Rogue Bassoons, also based in Kalamazoo♫ May 15 – the Kalamazoo Celtic-music combo of Whiskey Before Breakfast.More information about events, attractions and tickets is available by checking

the museum’s web site at www.kalamazoomuseum.org or by calling 373-7990. Seating is limited in the Stryker theater.

Organizing a structured group for veteransTwo faculty members are leading the way in the formation of a club for students

who are veterans of the U.S. armed forces.Sociology instructor Katherine Ferraro and biology instructor Jack Bley, who

served in three branches of the military, have scheduled an organizational meeting. It is set for Wednesday, March 12, at “1700 hours” in Room 4370 on the Texas

Township Campus. “1700 Hours” is military talk for 5 p.m.The agenda for the first meeting is to outline the club’s purpose and begin the

process for adopting bylaws and electing officers. Participants, looking for camaraderie, community involvement, and the sharing of

experiences, are urged to bring ideas for what the organization should seek to accomplish.

More information is available by contacting Bley at jbley@kvcc.edu or ferraro at kferraro@kvcc.edu.

In search of . . .artifacts

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The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is in the market for “contemporary” artifacts to use in exhibits that demonstrate what life in Southwest Michigan was like in the 1960s and into the 1990s.

Here is what it is looking for in particular: A used cell phone that does not have to be in workable condition but should

“look” in good condition. A 1960s-vintage “Princess” telephone that is white or ivory. Again, it doesn’t

have to be able to function; only to look in good condition. A G.I. Joe doll in full costume.“We need the cell phone and the Princess for our ‘Time Pieces’ cases,” said Paula

Metzner, assistant director of collections at the museum, “and we thought the college community might be able to help us. We are looking for these items as a permanent donation rather than a temporary loan.”

The G. I. Joe is intended for another exhibit, she said.Metzner can be contacted at extension 7958 or at pmetzner@kvcc.edu.

Employment Expo booked for March 26The 2008 KVCC Employment Expo on the Texas Township Campus is scheduled

for Wednesday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 62 potential employers have signed up so far.

It is a no-cost opportunity for students, KVCC alumni and residents of Southwest Michigan to visit with representatives from area businesses and industries, from health-care organizations, human-service agencies, from manufacturers, the military services and the trades to discuss current and future employment opportunities.

Machining, retail merchandising, sales, law enforcement, manufacturing, welding, engineering, health care, inventory control, recreation and summer camps, delivery services, the construction trades, the military, marketing, finances and banking, computer technology, public safety, hotel management and hospitality, electrical technology, human services, broadcasting, communications, and hospital work will be among the career opportunities in the spotlight.

The representatives will gather in the Student Commons to talk to participants about their organizations, the employment prospects, career opportunities, and the chances for internships and volunteer service, both of which look good on a resume. Past expos have attracted more than 1,000 job seekers. Participants are urged to bring along resumes, a preparedness to be interviewed, and be appropriately attired.

Among the prospective employers who have indicated they will be available in the Commons during the four-hour event are:

Stryker Instruments, Sears Roebuck and Co., Kalamazoo Township Police Department, K & M Machine Fabricating Inc., Wil-Care Nursing Referral Agency Inc, Kazoo Inc., Dana Corp.;

YMCA Sherman Lake Outdoor Center, FedEx Ground, Kalamazoo Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, AFLAC, Borgess Health Alliance, Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial Services, Camp Tall Turf, WSI;

Michigan Air National Guard, Advance Employment Service, Educational Community Credit Union, Greenleaf Hospitality Group and Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites, Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division;

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Apprenticeships in plumbing, pipe fitting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, Trillium Staffing Solutions, Kadant Johnson Inc., the U. S. Air Force, the U. S. Army, Western Michigan University Center for Disability Services, WQXC and WZUU, the Allegan Department of Human Resources;

WWMT Channel 3, T-Mobile, the Marine Corps, Cumulus Media, Consumers Credit Union, Elite Marketing Solutions, EmploymentGroup, Friendship Village, Helping Hands Across America, the J. O. Galloup Co., The Kellogg Co., Manpower Professional;

Medical Resource Management, Morton Buildings Inc., New York Life Insurance, Reliv International, Right At Home, State Farm Insurance, Stay Home Companions, The Fountains at Bronson Place, Yerasoft;

Battle Creek Health System, Charter One Bank, Genx Corp., Michigan Indian Employment and Training Services, the Michigan State Police, Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., Residential Opportunities Inc., SIR Home Improvements, the U.S. Navy, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

More information is available by calling (269) 488-4272 or going to the college’s web page and clicking on “Employment Expo” at the bottom of the screen.

Making a presidential pitchFifteen former and current communications students will give the role of

presidential politics a try as part of a speech competition.Organized by the KVCC communications faculty, the “Who Wants to Be Our

Next President?” competition will culminate with public presentations on Tuesday, April 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Student Commons Theater. The top three finishers will share $600 in prize money.

The competition is open to the first dozen students – presently or formerly enrolled in a Communications 101 class -- who submit applications by the March 25 deadline.

Under the theme of “Political Communication,” the participants will identify the candidate of their choice, prepare a three-minute platform statement to introduce their presentation, respond to questions from judges, and provide a one-minute closing statement.

The April 8 “nominating speeches” will be open to students, staff and the public. “Student speakers can play the role of any one they think would make a great

president, including themselves, the major-party or obscure-party candidates,” Conroy said.

The judges will be full- and part-time communications instructors. The prize money, including a $300 top award, comes from the student organization of communications major supervised by instructor Bruce Punches.

Applications are available by contacting instructors Patrick Conroy and Steve Ott.

Organ-donation challenge enrolls 2,275 statewideKVCC seemed destined to finish in the middle of the pack among the 16

Michigan universities and colleges that took part in “friendly competition” organized by Gift of Life Michigan and the Michigan Department of State to increase the number of registered organ donors.

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KVCC’s Alpha Rho Nu Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society took the lead on campus for the 2008 University Challenge.

As the March 3 deadline neared, KVCC had enlisted 75 donors, which placed it ninth in the competition. Leading the way for two-year institutions was Muskegon Community College (MCC) with 379 enlistees. Michigan State University was in first place with 830, followed by Northern Michigan University with 379.

Another level of competition focused on percentage of enrollment. No. 1 was Kettering University with 9.22 percent while MCC was second with 6.7 percent. According to the standings posted on the website, KVCC’s percentage was 0.69, which placed it ninth in that category.

Western Michigan University was fourth with 238 donors, but the percentage of donors based on enrollment was 0.57 – a 10th-place ranking.

KVCC’s total topped the likes of Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, University of Michigan, Oakland University and Michigan Tech. In the percentage category, it was ahead of EMU, Ferris State, Oakland, Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Saginaw Valley State University as well as WMU.

Fun, games and habits in the name of healthThe seventh annual Festival of Health is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, at the

Kalamazoo Valley Museum.From noon to 4 p.m., the free event will feature professionals and representatives

from local health organizations presenting information, conducting demonstrations, and providing hands-on activities and health-related games for children that promote healthy habits.

For more information about the Festival of Health, contact Annette Hoppenworth at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, at extension 7990.

Boyer is world, You Tube travelerWhen she’s not traveling to the four “corners” of the globe, former KVCC

instructor Marion Boyer is still involved in her discipline.She was commissioned to write the glossary for Bedford/St. Martin’s 2007 text,

“Reflect and Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication,” by Steven McCormick. Of the 300 key terms Boyer defined in the glossary, she also wrote and directed the filming of short video scenes that illustrate 60 of them. These are available to students and instructors online.

Boyer also contributed to a 2008 publication, “Teaching Interpersonal Communication” by Elizabeth Natalle.

Five of Boyer’s scenes – each less than 60 seconds long – are currently on You Tube:

● Algebraic Impressions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0kSIJZiRQ● Low Self-Monitors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBbpQRkacs● Self-Serving Bias: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjfSuOq6ReA● Emblem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp7Cl8_MO3c● Self-Disclosure:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8p2dYpeO6UThe most recent stamps on Boyer’s passport read Russia, Sweden, China and

Japan. She described her climb of Mount Fuji as “a killer.”

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The custom publishing house of Bedford/St. Martin’s is the nation’s largest in the production of English textbooks. Also specializing in the humanities, it is a leading publisher of texts for film studies, mass communication, speech communication, media and journalism.

Take your pick for staying fitFree activities to promote wellness and fitness among faculty, staff and students

are under way during winter semester.All of the drop-in activities are held in Room 6040 that is part of the wellness-

and-fitness complex in the Student Commons. “Core Conditioning” sessions are held on Monday and Wednesday at 1 p.m., while the Friday session runs from 11 to noon.

The Tuesday schedule, according to program manager Blake Glass, is yoga at 11 a.m. and Pilates at noon. Yoga is again in the spotlight on Thursday at 11 a.m.

He also reports that open swimming is available Monday through Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Glass, who can be contacted at extension 4177, said that personal training consultations and instruction are also available to all employees. To arrange an

appointment, contact Shelia Rupert at extension 4538. Effective resumes, cover letters, vision creating

There is more to success at the college level than what happens in the classroom and how well a student does.

Other factors can play a role in whether college ends up as a satisfactory experience.

With that in mind, the Student Success Center is presenting a series of workshops during the winter semester to focus on the barriers to success and what resources are available to help students make their way.

The free sessions are being held in the Student Commons. All students are welcome

Refreshments are part of the attraction to learn about life resources and how to avoid the every-day barriers that can negatively impact on academic success.

Here’s the schedule: “Resumes and Cover Letters That Get Attention” on Tuesday, March 11, at

11:30 a.m. and again on Monday, March 19, at 4 p.m. Representatives of the employment services section of the KVCC Student Success Center will make the presentations.

“Create a Vision for the Future” on Thursday, March 13, at 1 p.m. with Western Michigan University’s Sean Pepin.

“Job Fair 911” on Tuesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. This session is designed to prepare students in how to make solid first impressions when they take part in the 2008 Employment Expo on March 26, set for the Student Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The workshops will continue through the latter part of April.For more information, call Pamela Siegfried at extension 4825 or Diane

Vandenberg at extension 4755.

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Crossing ‘Bridges’ to science careers Instructors should be alerting their minority students about taking advantage of an

opportunity to sample careers in science this summer. Seven KVCC students earned $11 an hour for a 30-hour work week as

undergraduate research assistants last summer. They were part of a 13-student contingent taking part in the 2006-07 National Institutes of Health’s “Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program” through the Western Michigan University Department of Biological Sciences.

The program liaisons at KVCC are chemistry instructors Robert Sutton and Charissa Oliphant.

In addition to the 30 hours of experience that will pay $10 per hour this coming spring and summer, students can also be assigned up to 15 hours per week during the academic year. Applications can be submitted now for the next installment of the program. The deadline is April 30.

More application information and directions are available by contacting Sutton at extension 4175 or rsutton@kvcc.edu or Oliphant at extension 4402 or coliphant@kvcc.edu.

The mission of “Bridges” is to offer minorities enrolled in community colleges the opportunity to relevantly explore scientific fields, enhance their academic accomplishments in science courses, and smooth the path toward a degree in a science field at a four-year university.

Taking part in this kind of endeavor teaches higher-order thinking skills, which is an important component of anyone’s education.

“Bridges,” which promotes institutional collaborations between community colleges and four-year universities, is a function of the National Institute of General Medical Studies, one of the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to KVCC, taking part in the NIH Michigan Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program at WMU are Grand Rapids Community College, Henry Ford Community College, Kellogg Community College, and Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor. The WMU experience focuses on careers as biomedical and behavioral scientists who would spend their working years seeking the causes of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, and other biologically impacted maladies.

“Bridges” seeks to nurture minority students to consider careers in these fields because of the growing need for trained scientists in one of the fastest-growing industries in the U. S. economy. Similar programs in Michigan are based at Wayne State University and the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids.

While KVCC has been involved several years, last summer’s contingent included: Jealyn Foston of Cassopolis; Ruben Galvan, an international student living in Kalamazoo; Martin and Carmen Kuchta, who were both home-schooled; Jerbor Nelson, a graduate of Portage Central High School; Delicia Powell, an alumna of Kalamazoo Central High School; and Matthew Watson, a Comstock High School graduate.

The other six students hailed from Grand Rapids, Henry Ford (four), and Lake Michigan. All participants wrapped up their assistantships by creating posters on the research they pursued.

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Rome’s amazing public baths in spotlightComplementing the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s current nationally touring

exhibition about the wonders and miracles of constructing complicated edifices is a Sunday documentary series profiling some of the planet’s most amazing engineering and architectural projects.

The March 2 attraction is “Secrets of Lost Empires: The Roman Baths.” It will be shown at 1:30 p.m. in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater.

It is free, as is admittance to the museum to see “Raise the Roof” that is on display through June 1 in the Havirmill Special Exhibition Gallery on the museum’s third floor.

“Raise the Roof” probes the secrets, surprises, science and extraordinary engineering feats that have produced amazing buildings around the world. Visitors can travel to great heights and distant ages to investigate the foundations of architecture and engineering.

They can step over the threshold of an authentic Mongolian house,  climb to the top of a skyscraper under construction, learn building secrets from a 9,000-year-old city, watch mighty buildings crumble, and raise the roof of a dome.            They can enter a full-scale “ger” (pronounced “care”), a circular tent of lattice, poles, fabric and rawhide invented by nomadic Mongolians. The ger is known in this country by the name of its Turkish relative, the yurt. 

Elegant and energy-efficient, one can be erected in one day, but cooperation is needed. These days, the ancient structures are gaining popularity as homes, cabins, and offices.

Near the ger in the exhibition, visitors can explore the secrets of the mud-brick ruins of Çatalhöyük (pronounced Chat-tahl-hu-yook), believed to be the world's oldest city.

Excavations at the 9,000-year-old site located near Ankara, Turkey, began in the 1960s but were stopped because of the technical inability at that time to adequately preserve the findings. The dig was restarted in 1993 with a plan to continue for 25 years.

Archaeologists believe the ancient city covered an area the size of 50 soccer fields.  They are studying the site to learn more about the Neolithic Period, or new Stone Age, when people began abandoning hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settle in communities, grow crops, and raise animals.

For thousands of years, people have pretty much agreed that a building with a dome, such as the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome or the U. S. Capitol, marks an important structure. A dome creates a soaring space on the inside, and an impressive sight on the outside.

In the “Collapsible Dome” section of “Raise the Roof,” visitors can turn a flat roof into a dome right over their heads, and find out how domes have been engineered through time.

Lots of engineering know-how goes into making a building reach for the sky.  The 3-D "View From the Top” lets people look down the side of a skyscraper from 40 stories up.

In the skyscraper section of the exhibition, visitors can build block towers, make trusses to withstand the forces of tension and compression, and test the response of

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different buildings to various earthquake frequencies.  Another demonstration shows how tall buildings are kept from swaying too much in strong winds.

“Raise the Roof’s” Demolition Theater showcases the explosive work of the famous Loizeaux family that own and operate Controlled Demolition Inc., the world's largest organization of demolition experts.

Dangerous conditions that can lead to carbon-monoxide poisoning in homes are explored in the "Downdraft House," a doll-house-sized model outfitted with airflow indicators, a working furnace, and operating doors and vents.

"Meet the Mites" shows how infinitesimal numbers of creatures live in all homes and buildings all of the time.

Several “story corners” tell the tales of some very unusual buildings. One is the Winchester House in San Jose, Calif., that was built by the heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune. In response to a psychic’s warning that the ghosts of those killed by the famous rifles would haunt her unless she built day and night, Sarah Winchester constructed a six-acre house filled with twisting stairways and blocked passages to confuse angry spirits.

The coolest hotel in the world is the Ice Hotel built every year in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. Rooms, chandeliers, and even glasses in the bar are made entirely of ice. The building’s temperature is a chilly 35 degrees from November until April, when the whole thing melts.

Other highlights include "Timber!" where visitors can  assemble ingenious wooden joints held together without nails, and "Listening to the Walls," an activity drawn from interviews with blind and visually impaired people who navigate through buildings using their sense of sound.            Because dogs need homes, too, an interactive computer game, "Dogtastrophe," allows visitors to design canine castles that can survive snow-blower blizzards or lawn-sprinkler floods.            “Raise the Roof” is a look at structures humanity depends upon but rarely thinks much about.  Hands-on activities, vivid images and strange-but-true tales brings these scientific wonders into the world of relevancy.

Here is the schedule of the remaining documentaries:● March 16 – “Secrets of Lost Empires: The Roman Coliseum”● April 13 – “Frank Lloyd Wright,” part one of the film produced by Ken Burns

and Lynn Novick● April 27 – “Frank Lloyd Wright (part two)● May 11 – “Echoes from the White House: Celebrating the Bicentennial of

America’s Mansion.”

Concerts wrap up ‘Animal Dreams’ eventsTwo musical performances linked to topics addressed in “Animal Dreams” will

bring the 2008 “Reading Together” initiative to an end. Each year, “Reading Together” invites people of all ages from all walks of life to

read the same book and then engage in discussions about the issues that are addressed.Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal Dreams” put the spotlight on the Hispanic and

Native-American cultures of the American Southwest, environmental degradation, eldercare, and the individual’s responsibility for the public good.

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After scores of communitywide events linked to the 2008 book selection, here are the final two:

“Finding Grace in Kalamazoo” – Thursday (March 6) at 7 p.m. in the First Baptist Church, 315 W. Michigan Ave. This concert will feature the music of Ken Medema whose compositions celebrate the dreams of former and current Kalamazoo-area residents.

“’Animal Dreams and the ArtHop” – Friday (March 7) from 5 to 8 p.m. in the First Baptist Church, 315 W. Michigan Ave. Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter Roy Douglas will perform original works about human relationships, social justice, and searching for meaning in life, and vintage Bruce Cockburn selections relating to timely issues of “Animal Dreams.”

An increasing number of adult Americans are not reading even one book a year, according to a National Endowment for the Arts study. Students in high school and college are more than likely forced to read a book or two as part of their classes, as opposed to engaging in the activity for pleasure, enlightenment, and horizon-expanding.

The age-old correlation has not changed – those who read a lot have equally adept writing skills; those who write well do more than their share of reading.

Arcadia Commons Campus librarian Jim Ratliff is on the program’s steering committee.

Joining the Kalamazoo Public Library in the “Reading Together” partnership are other community libraries, colleges and universities, health and social-service agencies, cultural, civic and religious organizations, local government, and the news media.

The selection committee draws its members from high schools and colleges, libraries, bookstores, book clubs, civic and social-service organizations, the news media, and various religious denominations.

More information is available at the Kalamazoo Public Library’s web site or at

www.readingtogether.us . Film follows FBI’s targeting of Lennon

A movie that probes the FBI’s investigation into the politics of an icon of rock ‘n’ roll is one of the next complements to an exhibit at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

On Thursday (March 6) in the museum’s Mary Jane Stryker Theater will be a 7:30 p.m. showing of “The U. S. vs. John Lennon.”

Beginning this Sunday (March 2) and running through mid-May will be episodes of “The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” with the doubleheader showings beginning at 3 p.m. on the designated Sunday. The March 2 billings are “Rock ‘n’ Roll Explodes” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight.”

There is no charge for the Lennon film, to view the March 2 double-header, or to take in the exhibition “Artist to Icon” that chronicles the early days of three rock ‘n’ roll legends – Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and The Beatles.

Back in the 1970s, President Richard Nixon put J. Edgar Hoover's FBI on the trail of Lennon -- who was singing about peace, preaching against the Vietnam War, and getting all kinds of people to listen -- and his wife, Yoko Ono.

He was followed, monitored and threatened with deportation, according to the documentary produced by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld.

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While the 2006 film doesn't pretend to be all-inclusive, it does focus on the persistent persecution of the couple and their insistence on fighting back. The film is loaded with testimony and talking heads. But it's Lennon, in remarkable footage released by Ono, who makes a case that tells volumes about the 1970s, but also has application to contemporary times.

“The U.S. vs. John Lennon” documents the musician’s transformation from a member of The Beatles to a rallying anti-war activist striving for world peace during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It details the attempts by the U. S. government to silence him.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. It includes a famously hard-hitting interview conducted by anti-war reporter Gloria Emerson.

“Artist to Icon: Early Photographs of Elvis, Dylan, and The Beatles” provides a glimpse into the lives of these aspiring artists before they became rock ‘n’ roll superstars – before Presley’s recording of “Hound Dog” in the 1950s, the British Invasion and the rise of Beatlemania in the 1960s, and before Dylan went electric.

On display in the museum’s first-floor gallery through May 26 are 48 rarely seen black-and-white photographs by five photographers, capturing some of the innocence, ambition and unbounded adventure of the early days of rock ‘n’ roll.

“It is remarkable to be able to assemble early images of such significant figures in rock history,” said Chris Bruce, director of curatorial services for Experience Music Project in Seattle that organized “Artist to Icon.” “It is extremely rare to have a photographer granted regular access to an artist’s life over an extended period of time.”

In March 1956, RCA Victor hired Alfred Wertheimer to take publicity shots of the then 21-year-old Presley, a newly signed artist from Memphis, Tenn.

The record company suggested he use black-and-white film because it was cheaper than color – most RCA executives didn’t think Elvis would last longer than six months.

Following the shoot, Wertheimer spent four months with Presley -- at home in Memphis, performing on the road and preparing for his inaugural television appearances -- first on a Saturday-night summer fill-in variety show hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and then on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Not only did Elvis endure, he was so successful that he became shrouded by his celebrity and personal access to him was thereafter denied. Wertheimer’s photographs are the first and last look at the day-to-day life of the rocker who became known as “The King.”

In August of 1960, a band based in Liverpool, England, called The Beatles landed a series of gigs in the rowdy clubs of Hamburg, Germany.

Inspired by American rock ‘n’ roll bands in their look and sound, The Beatles played seven to eight hours a night, covering such favorites as Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

They were befriended by a group of young German artists that included Astrid Kirchherr, Jürgen Vollmer, and Max Scheler. They persuaded the group to pose for them on and off the stage before The Beatles hit the big time back home and launched the British Invasion with the group’s own appearance on Sullivan’s Sunday-night show in 1963.

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Influenced by the style of their artistic German friends, The Beatles adopted their trendy haircuts and fashionable clothing, and the rest is hirsute history.

In the summer of 1963, photographer Daniel Kramer watched Dylan perform on television. He was taken with the enormous presence of the 22-year-old folksinger.

A year later, Dylan invited Kramer to accompany him between the summers of 1964 and 1965. Dylan was about to do the unimaginable – abandon folk music for rock.

Kramer’s camera followed Dylan from the height of his folk acclaim, through his initial ventures into electrified music. Kramer not only captured an epic transformation in the musician’s career, but also documented a revolutionary change in rock ‘n’ roll.

These photographers were clearly in the right places at the right times. Through their images, viewers can gain a sense of milling through backrooms and small clubs in the moments before the artists became rock icons, and the world of music changed forever. Accompanying the photographs are audio kiosks featuring oral histories with each photographer giving visitors colorful stories behind the images on display.

Here is the remaining schedule for the “Artist to Icon” film series on Thursdays, with each to be shown at 7:30 p.m.:

♦ March 20 and March 27 -- “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan” (parts one and two)

The “History of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ schedule is: ● March 16 – “Britain Invades, America Fights Back” and “The Sounds of Soul”● April 13 – “My Generation” and “Plugging In”● April 27 – “Guitar Heroes” and “The ‘70s: Have a Nice Decade”● May 11 – “Punk” and “Up From the Underground.”

KVCC ceramicists fill cupboard with 100 ‘Empty Bowls’Instructor Francis Granzotto and his ceramics students have created more than

100 vessels as their part in the 2008 Empty Bowls Project, a fund-raising initiative through Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes to feed the hungry in this part of the state.

The fund-raiser will be staged on Saturday (March 8) from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in The Woodward School for Technology and Research at 606 Stuart Ave. A silent auction of bowls made by professional potters and ceramic artists will also be on the agenda.

The KVCC students and ceramicists in Southwest Michigan crafted ceramic bowls for the event. For a donation of $10 for students and $15 for adults, participants can choose a bowl to keep, enjoy a light dinner of donated soup and bread in it, and learn about efforts to curb hunger in the community.

This will be the third year that Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes has arranged for an Empty Bowls observance locally. Granzotto and his students were part of the inaugural fund-raiser. The 2007 event attracted 450 bowl-buyers and raised more than $5,000.

One of the organizers is Jennifer Johnson, who is the communications coordinator for the human-service agency and also serves as an English instructor at KVCC. She can be contacted at 488-2617, extension 213, or jjohnson4@kvcc.edu.

“Hunger affects a person’s ability to fully function in daily activities,” she said. “When the next meal is in question, the person’s ability to function in any setting – school, work, family or community – suffers. This affects us all.

The origins can be traced to 1990 when an art teacher at a high school in Michigan brainstormed on a way for his students to support a local food drive. What

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evolved was a class project to make ceramic bowls for a fund-raising meal. Guests were served a simple meal of soup and bread, and were invited to keep the bowl as a reminder of hunger in the world.

By the following year, the originators had developed this concept into Empty Bowls, a project to provide support for food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that fight hunger. A 501(c)3 organization, was created to promote the concept. Since then Empty Bowls events have been held throughout the world, and millions of dollars have been raised to combat hunger.

Among the sponsors will be Millennium Restaurant Group and Panera Bread, with others in the pipeline.

“Kalamazoo College was an active lead and partner for the first two years through its service-learning and ceramics departments,” said Bobbe Luce of WildWood Designs, one of the organizations involved in the project. “Because of sabbaticals and changes in students, the event has been transitioned solely to Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, but K

students and faculty will still be involved in the bowl-making.” Children’s TV producer to tell stories

Storyteller Adam Mellema, who has a connection with “High School Musical,” produces television shows on the West Coast for children, but he can craft tales that are fetching, enduring and appealing to audiences of both adults and youngsters.

Mellema, who splits his residency between the Grand Rapids area and Burbank, Calif., will perform for families and pre-schoolers on Saturday (March 1) as the Kalamazoo Valley Museum continues its series of Saturday special musical events for these targeted audiences in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater on the museum’s first floor.

The 10 a.m. attraction is designed for pre-schoolers while the for-family show begins at 1 p.m. Both have $3 admission fees.

Mellema, 28, combines choreography, song, humor and drama to bring to life ethnic folktales, familiar children’s stories, and “off-the-wall” original yarns.

Commented one reviewer: “He’s very animated and brings stories to life. He makes up stories on the spot. He’s very creative and very funny. He is a true practitioner of the art of storytelling.

Trained in the tradition of the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association, he has ranked among the state’s top three storytellers, a reputation that has led to performances aired on CNN, at the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Perkins School for the Deaf and Blind, and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

After two years of study at the Goodman Theatre School in Chicago, the graduate of Grand Rapids Christina High School earned a bachelor’s in theater at Calvin College.

As an apprentice at the Round House Theater in Washington, Mellema became fascinated with people – both noteworthy and “average” – who had interesting backgrounds and stories to tell about the nation’s capital.

Demonstrating the breadth of his repertoire, he began to collect these true tales and adapt them for the stage.

His “Washington Talks” is a collection of scenarios about: ● an elderly man whose White House duties spanned the presidencies of Harry

Truman and Richard Nixon;● a resident who witnessed the riots of 1968 in Washington;

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● a woman who as a nutritionist became one of the Army’s first black female colonels;

● the daughter of a Secret Service agent who played with and grew up with the children of presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson;

● a high school teacher who went to the Soviet Embassy in Washington, picked up a copy of the U.S.S.R.’s constitution in order to compare it to the U. S. Constitution in a classroom setting, and was visited by FBI agents;

● people who experienced what life was like when Washington was a segregated city;

● and scores of senior citizens who had recollections of the good, the bad and the ugly of the federal bureaucracy and whose lives somehow intersected with important incidents in 20th-century U. S. history.

Stemming from all of this is one of Mellema’s latest creations for adult audiences. His “Remembering World War II” shares the stories of those who experienced that global trauma in their own words.

When he’s not on stage, Mellema works as a children’s television write and producer for Plastic Cow Productions in Los Angeles.

Notable projects include working on the “pop up” editions for the Disney hit, “High School Musical” and its sequel. In these versions, tidbits of facts and other information pop up on the screen to give viewers more information about the cast and movies.

In addition to the making the storytelling rounds, activities in his home state include co-producing a show called “Come on Over!” which is about children exploring their environment through play.

The museum's programs of entertainment for pre-schoolers and families will end its winter-semester series on April 5 with percussionist Carolyn Koebel.

“These performances are great events to bring a group,” said Annette Hoppenworth, the museum’s coordinator for these kinds of programs. “An unlimited number of tickets can be purchased in advance.”

More information about events, attractions and tickets is available by checking the museum’s web site at www.kalamazoomuseum.org or by calling 373-7990. Seating is limited in the Stryker theater.

Sunday Series looks at Kalamazoo’s buildersThree builders who helped shaped the architectural appearance of central

Kalamazoo in the late 18th and early 20 centuries are the next installment of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s “Sunday Series” presentations about the history of Southwest Michigan.

“Builders of Kalamazoo: Frederick Bush, Thomas Paterson and Henry Vander Horst” will be the topic of Tom Dietz, the museum’s curator, at 1:30 p.m. on March 9 in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. All Sunday Series presentations are free.

“A walk through downtown Kalamazoo reveals many architectural treasures dating from the last half of the 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century,” Dietz said. “From the quiet splendor of the Ladies Library Association to the towering presence of the American National Bank Building, these buildings provide an

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identity for the city. Frequently forgotten today are the men responsible for building them.”

Frederick Bush came to Kalamazoo from Detroit in 1844 at the age of 12. In his early teens, he moved to New York, became a carpenter and, together with Thomas Paterson with whom he had gone into business, returned to Kalamazoo in 1856.

Over the next half century, Bush & Paterson would build homes, plat an addition to the city’s North Side, operate a lumber yard, and build many of Kalamazoo’s public buildings. These included the Ladies Library Association, the Lawrence & Chapin Iron Works (now National City Bank), the Michigan Central Railroad Depot, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Depot, and the Desenberg Building.

Other Bush & Paterson buildings that have since been demolished included the Academy of Music, the third Kalamazoo County Jail, and the Burdick Street post office.

Bush would hold several jobs in public service during his career. At the time of his death in 1892, he was mayor of Kalamazoo and president of the Kalamazoo Electric Co., which he helped organize to bring electrical service to the city.

Henry Vander Horst was born in Amsterdam in The Netherlands in 1873 and came to the United States in 1891. He, too, worked in the construction industry and organized his own firm in the early 1900s. The American National Bank Building (now Fifth-Third Bank), the Kalamazoo Building, the Marlborough Condominiums, the State Theatre, and the Masonic Temple (now the Rose Street Market) are among his contributions to Kalamazoo’s skyline.

Vander Horst was involved in other aspects of Kalamazoo’s business life. He was vice president of the National Storage, an original investor in the Kalamazoo Stove Co., and a director of the Monarch Paper Mills.

Dietz’s “Sunday Series” continues for early 2008 with these presentations: ● “The Sins of Kalamazoo” – April 6: Poet Carl Sandburg wrote metaphorically

about “The Sins of Kalamazoo,” but this program examines the reality, the community’s pool halls, bars, gambling houses, and other entertainment outlets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and what local “reformers” did to clean up these “sinful haunts.”

● “The Academy of Music” – April 20: The community’s first “grand” performing-arts center was dedicated on May 6, 1882, and was eventually destroyed in a fire.

For more information about the presentations, contact Dietz at 373-7900.

Seal it with a 40th-anniversary stickerTo begin spreading the word about the 40th anniversary of the college welcoming

its first students in the fall of 1968, faculty and staff are invited to place specially produced foil-embossed seals on their external correspondence to mark the milestone.

These seals can be affixed to the back flap of all outgoing KVCC mail. Batches are available by e-mailing Tarona Guy at tguy@kvcc.edu and they can be

used with the arrival of the new year. All should feel free to request additional batches throughout 2008.

Good price on Adobe productsKVCC students, staff, and faculty are able to buy Adobe products at greatly

reduced prices, according to Mark Sloan, director of computing at the Arcadia Commons Campus.

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“As part of our volume-buying agreement with Adobe and Academic Superstore,” he said, “KVCC students and employees can buy Adobe products for installation on their personal computers at prices below standard educational discounts. The student discounts should be ongoing. However the faculty and staff discounts are part of a special promotion ending in March 2008.”

Interested persons should visit http://kvcc.academicsuperstore.com to make purchases. There are instructions on the site regarding proof of registration and/or employment.

“Please note that there are many other items for sale by Academic Superstore on this site.” Sloan said. “However, only the Adobe products featured on the main page are subject to the discounts.”

Questions can be directed to Sloan at 373-7835) or the Center for New Media Computer Lab at 373-7925.

Microsoft has made Office 2007 available to students at a price of $59.95. This can be purchased by visiting http://ultimatesteal.com.

According to the website, this latter deal ends on April 30.

M-TEC hosts lead-safety seminar ThursdayChinese-made toys have been garnering headlines recently because of their lead

content, but the U. S. construction industry and health officials have been coping with how to safely handle lead-based paint for almost 30 years.

Funded by a grant from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo County Department of Health and Community Services are sponsoring a seminar on “Lead-Safe Work Practices” at the M-TEC of KVCC in 2008.

The five-module seminar will be held on three dates: April 8, Sept. 25, and Nov. 18. Each complete session will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a fee of $30 that includes materials and food. Another series is slated for 2009.

The “Lead-Safe Work Practices” seminar is targeted for: ● Building-code and housing inspectors.● Large and small contractors involved in the renovation, repainting or

remodeling of buildings, and who might encounter lead-based paint.● Maintenance and custodial workers.● Building supervisors and landlords.● Staff members of state and local units of government.● Staff members of community and social-service organizations.● Do-it-yourself homeowners.● Students in the construction trades.Each seminar will cover these five topics: “Why Should I Be Concerned About

Lead Dust?”; “Set Up Your Work Space to Contain Lead Dust”; “Safe Work Practices”; “Clean Up and Checking Your Work”; and “Planning the Job.”

At the end of each training session that will be conducted by Atrium Environmental Health and Safety Services of Reston, Va., attendees may take a 25-question exam to gain a certificate for course completion.

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The federal EPA, in conjunction with the National Paint and Coatings Association, launched this initiative because many homes and buildings constructed prior to 1978 featured lead-based paints.

Thus, those involved in the renovation, remodeling and repair of such structures – both externally and internally – should be aware of methods that reduce and control dust and debris generated by their work because even a small amount of dust can pose a health risk.

For more information, visit the M-TEC of KVCC’s website at www.mteckvcc.com and click on “Training.” Registration can be done online or by calling the M-TEC at (269) 353-1253.Honors Program pays off for two

Two students enrolled in the 2007-08 Honors Program at KVCC have been accepted by their first-choice transfer university, according to the program’s director Steve Louisell.

Kathleen Meier will be heading for “The Left Coast” to enroll in Humboldt State University, located in the northern California community of Arcata. Humboldt State is noted for its hands-on, in-the-field modes of instruction.

Craig Tenbusschen is bound for Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan’s engineering program.

Spring-break cleanup time = recycling With the 2008 spring break upon us and thoughts turn to cleaning out the office,

don’t just dump. Keep those recyclable resources in the mainstream.Think about what you are doing and don’t be lazy in doing it.The college’s commitment to recycling the mountains of paper required for daily

operations is still strong. The losers for not maintaining that strength are the landfills of Southwest

Michigan, and the trees that help replenish the planet with the stuff we all breathe.Hammered through all of us in many a science class is that trees eat what we

exhale and what comes out of our vehicles’ exhausts. Each time a tree is saved through the use of recycled paper, so is an oxygen generator.

It’s not that tough to do. All that is required is a little patience and a sense that one is doing the right thing.

The same goes with metal and plastic products that touch our lives and, without any consideration, end up in trash containers. What good is it to down a plastic bottle of that good, clear, clean water, and then relegate the containers to the landfills?

Thanks to information provided by Tony Ide, custodial services manager, just about every ilk of paper product that comes our way can be recycled.

In one of his studies, Ide concluded that 80 percent of what the college incinerates doesn’t have to be destroyed that way.

Print out this list of “recyclables” and post it just above your blue bin: Newspapers Business cards Hard-cover books Copy paper Index cards

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Trade journals and magazines Cardboard Fax paper Junk mail Notebook paper Paper bags Envelopes without plastic windows (Think about cutting out the plastic

windows) Business forms Computer printouts File folders Maps Post-it notes StationeryIde says it is not necessary to remove staples or other forms of bindings from the

paper items to be recycled. Obviously, paper clips can be easily salvaged before launching the paper

materials into the blue bin. However, he advises, if the above materials are soiled by excessive dirt, food,

grease or other forms of gook, send them to the incinerator. Most of this applies to what we do in our homes, too. By taking the time to

recycle paper, plastic, metal and glass products, the amount of trash, debris and garbage bound for the landfill can be drastically reduced.

If possible, establish a compost pile in your yard. That can accomplish at least three goals – create your own fertilizer, build up a personal supply of worms if you are an angler, and greatly reduce the amount of trash you put out along the roadside for pickup, thus reducing your costs.

Need more convincing? It is estimated that it takes a plastic container 50,000 years to decompose. Think about that the next time you chuck away that empty water

bottle that cost you at least a buck. As the Nike folks say, “Just do it.”

Spreading the wordOK, your new program, project, activity, community service or happening has

been given the green light by the powers-that-be. Or, you have been selected to make a presentation at a statewide or national conference.

Your next telephone call or e-mail should be to Tom Thinnes (extension 4280, tthinnes@kvcc.edu) to begin spreading the word both around the college and around the community.

Don’t – REPEAT – don’t wait around until the week before to contact those whose duties include public relations, promotions, marketing, communication and dealing with the news media. Thus, Karen Visser and Tarona Guy should also be in the loop.

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What’s important to remember is that members of the news media and other vehicles of communications don’t sit on their hands waiting for calls giving them clues on what to do.

As with all of us at KVCC, they have schedules, full platters, agendas and days, and plenty to do. They appreciate as much advance notice as the rest of us so that they can properly apply their resources and their responses.

The same modus operandi applies to those who organize and present annual and repeating events. They, too, are often just as newsworthy and require as much advance notice in order to generate the public exposure many of them deserve.

Helpful Hint No. 2 – There is no such animal as contacting this trio too early.

And finally. . . A fellow, walking through a neighborhood in Raleigh, N. C., sees a young

girl being pounced upon by a mangy mutt.In his best life-saving mode, he jumps into the fray, grabs the dog by the

neck, frees the girl, and throws the canine into a ditch.A reporter for the local newspaper sees the incident, calls the fellow a

hero and, after an interview, gives him a preview of the story’s headline – Raleigh man saves life of girl, foils attack of rabid dog.

“That’s nice,” says the hero, “but I’m not from Raleigh.”“No problem,” says the reporter. “Here’s the headline – ‘North Carolina

man saves life of girl, foils attack by rabid dog.’”“Well, I’m not from North Carolina either,” came the reply.“Oh! Then we’ll go with this headline: ‘Vicious Yankee Dog kills local

girl’s friendly pet.’”

☻☻☻☻☻☻

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