September 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Edgar Lehr, assistant professor of biology at Illinois Wesleyan University, is part of a duo that recently discovered three new species of frogs living in the forests of southern Peru.

Lehr and his partner, Swiss-Peruvian ecologist Alessandro Catenazzi from the University of California at Berkeley, have worked together to uncover more than 10 new species of amphibians. “We should know what else is living on our planet,” said Lehr, who noted scientists estimate there are between 5 million to 100 million organisms on Earth, with only about 2 million classified. “So we are far from a true understanding of the complete planet.”

The three recently discovered species are excellent examples of the diversity of amphibians, according to Lehr. All three new species – Bryophryne hanssaueri, Bryophryne gymnotis, and Bryophryne zonalis – actually do not have a tadpole phase. “Every school child learns that frog eggs turn into tadpoles, but across the globe, there are frogs who carry eggs on their back, or in pouches on their back. There was even a frog in Australia that swallowed eggs to let them develop inside her stomach,” he pauses and smiles. “Can you tell I love frogs?” With their discovery, there are now six known Bryophryne species.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A portion of a Bloomington city street will now reflect the Illinois Wesleyan spirit. Kelsey Street, from the Illinois Wesleyan Stadium at Wilder Field, to Fell Avenue, is being renamed “Titan Drive.” The renaming of the street became official this month.

“The name not only honors the students and alumni who contribute so much to the Bloomington community, it also infers the great drive and initiative the University inspires,” said Carl Teichman, the University’s director of government and community relations who submitted the request to the Bloomington City Council this summer.

The request for the name change came from the University’s Homecoming Planning Committee. “Titan Drive is just one example of how a working committee representing so many facets of the University can help channel the excitement and creativity of an event,” said Director of Alumni Relations Ann Harding, whose office oversees Homecoming on campus.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Rear Admiral (RADM) Denise Canton, a 1974 alumna of Illinois Wesleyan University, has been selected as the 2009 Distinguished Alumna for Nursing Excellence. This honor is awarded annually to one alumnus or alumna who has demonstrated outstanding excellence in the fields of nursing practice, education and research. Rear Admiral Canton will be honored at the annual School of Nursing Homecoming Brunch and Award Program on Oct. 10. Both events will take place in the Center for Natural Science Learning and Research (201 Beecher St., Bloomington).

The brunch will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Commons Area, with the award program following at 10:00 a.m. in room C102. At the award program, RADM Canton will give a presentation entitled, “Bridging the Gap: The Role of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service.”

The event is free and open to the public. People wishing to attend should register by calling the School of Nursing office at (309) 556-3051, or by logging onto titanpride.org.

After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan with a bachelor of science in nursing degree, RADM Canton earned a master’s of nursing and a doctorate in nursing science degree from The Catholic University of America. Additionally, she earned a juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center where she was selected as a Public Interest Law Scholar.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University annually honors three alumni as part of its Homecoming festivities. This year Lawrence Herbolsheimer, class of 1972 will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award; Chet and Helen Sheldon, class of 1943 and 1940 respectively, will receive the Loyalty Award; and Arman Dabiri, class of 1994, will receive the Robert M. Montgomery Outstanding Alumnus Award. The awards will be presented Saturday Oct. 10, at 11:30 a.m. at the Alumni Awards Lunch in the Shirk Center (302 Emerson St., Bloomington).

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Illinois Wesleyan graduates who have achieved professional distinction, demonstrated civic leadership or contributed to society in a remarkable way. Lawrence Herbolsheimer graduated with an economics degree from Illinois Wesleyan, where he was Vice President of Student Senate, Treasurer of IFC and a member of Phi Gamma Delta (a social fraternity) and Alpha Kappa Psi (a professional business fraternity). Herbolsheimer went on to earn his MBA from Harvard in 1980. From 1983 through 1985, Herbolsheimer served on the staff of President Ronald Reagan. From 1985 through 1991, he worked as the Deputy Assistant Administrator of NASA’s Office of Commercial Programs.

In 1991, Herbolsheimer made a move back into the business world, working as CEO of United Pacific Holdings, Ltd., a holding company for investments in manufacturing companies of China and other East Asian nations. Since then, he has aided in the creation of other businesses in which he continues to play a significant ownership role or participates on the Board of Directors. He was also a director of a management company of third-party direct investment funds with assets in excess of $350 million.

Currently, Herbolsheimer is the Co-Chairman of Comway Capital Group, a Shanghai holding company of 14 Chinese companies. He is also a Managing Director of The McLean Group of Virginia, a middle market investment-banking firm. Herbolsheimer lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife, Pia, and their two children.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts will present “What the Butler Saw” by Joe Orton. The production will take place in McPherson Theatre (2 Ames Plaza East, Bloomington) at 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct. 1, 2 and 3. A matinee performance will be held Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m..

Compared to Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the story line follows a psychiatrist, Dr. Prentice, as he opens his own clinic. His sexual escapades become evident through his interviewing of a new assistant. Meanwhile, a bellhop seduces (or rather gets seduced by) Dr. Prentice’s wife, Mrs. Prentice. The couple must try to keep these secrets from one another while handling an unexpected visit to the hospital from the state inspector. The result, of course, is pandemonium.

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