IWU Class of 1960 News
From the Ol’ Alma Mater
Greetings, classmates. It’s time for the fall newsletter. Much of what used to be contained in the newsletter is now available online and needn’t be reproduced here. Consequently, I’ve limited the news to items of special interest, news that our classmates have submitted, and a couple of incidental items I thought you might find interesting. Or not.
The ol’ Alma Mater values your news and your continued support. It is a much finer university now than it was in our day—as a check of the website [iwu.edu] will substantiate.
Japanese Shrine Finds a Home
On IWU Campus; Homecoming Approaches
A Mikoshi, a Shinto shrine donated by Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, Bloomington-Normal’s sister city, now resides on the IWU campus, its permanent home. A Mikoshi is a temporary portable shrine used to hold the spirit of deity during festivals.
Speaking of festivals, Homecoming will be held Oct. 13-19. The ol’ alma mater hopes you’ll attend and participate in events listed for you on the university web site.
Late Breaking News about Us;
Or, What I’ve Received by E-Mail
Karen Kenyon, 864 Grand Ave., Astoria OR 97103, sent the following greeting: “I have lived in Astoria, Oregon, for about 36 years. It’s close to the mouth of the Columbia River. I’m married with several step-children (all grown, of course). My husband and I live in a house that overlooks the Columbia River. Can you imagine what that means to one who was raised a flat, flat Midwest?? I still can’t believe it! I’m a retired librarian, active with AAUW.”
Richard Leonard’s composition, “The Tri-State March” was performed by McNamara’s Band, Keokuk, IA, in March 2014 and by the Hamilton, IL, City Band in June 2014. A computer realization is available on YouTube. Richard was a liberal arts music major at IWU and plays flute and piccolo in these bands.
Ann McGurk Sokan joined Donna and me for our annual trip to Cooperstown, NY, where we saw two operas and a musical: Madame Butterfly, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Carousel. In the spring, we joined Pat (Lashbrook) and John Jordan at the Roger Ebert Film Festival in Champaign-Urbana.
Reading Habits
What are you reading these days? Donna and I recommend the detective novels of Donna Leon, which we read one right after another until we’d read all of them. Then we bought DVD’s of TV dramatizations done in Germany of several of the novels. These were recorded in German with English subtitles. We enjoyed them as well as the paper versions on which they’re based.
A few days ago I finished reading a Harry Potter novel in a German translation. Now I’m reading, in English, the third volume of Rick Atkinson’s The Liberation Trilogy, a history of the European theater of World War II.
What’s next? I’m open to suggestions
In Parting, a Suggestion for Reading
As you’re undoubtedly aware, 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. That war was one of the most literary ever fought. So I suggest that for your reading entertainment you try the poems of Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg, and Ivor Gurney. Selections of their poetry are available online.
In prose, I suggest All Quiet on the Western Front, The Case of Sergeant Grischa, The Good Soldier Schweik, and Other Ranks. The last of these novels has been long out of print, but is available through interlibrary loan, which is how I got a copy.
Of course there are many other novels set during this period that are well worth your attention. I’ve merely suggested my favorites here.
That’s it for the fall newsletter. Remember to send me your news for the spring newsletter.
Keep in touch and stay well.
Larry
Larry Uffelman