EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA

Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) TXI-TJI& or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 31, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ROBERT HELLSTROM APPOINTED AT EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
Dr. Robert W. Hellstrom, a native of Lantana, Rorida, has been appointed as an assistant
professor of English at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He will also teach linguistics,
English as a second language, and will be involved in teacher training and advising
international students.
Hellstrom received his doctorate in English linguistics from the University of Oregon in
1979. Prior to coming to Edinboro he taught at Barry University in Miami.
-30CCM:bja

A member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 30, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

VAN SERTIMA TO SPEAK AT SOUL FOOD DINNER
Dr. Ivan Van Sertima will be the keynote speaker at Edinboro University of
Pennsylvania’s annual Soul Food Dinner on Friday, February 23. He is the founding editor of
the Journal of African Civilizations and has published major anthologies which influenced the
development of the multi-cultural curriculum in America.
A professor of African studies at Rutgers University, Van Sertima is a literary authority
on Caribbean novelists and has contributed to the fields of linguistics and anthropology.
As a literary critic, he wrote Caribbean Writers, a collection of critical essays on the
Caribbean novel. His work resulted in an invitation from the Nobel Committee to nominate
candidates for the Nobel Prize in literamre.
Van Sertima’s linguistics contributions include the Swahili Dictionary of Legal Terms,
compiled from his 1967 field work in Tanzania. He has also studied the African-American
dialect of Georgia’s Sea Islanders.
They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America remains his

most controversial work. First published in 1977, it promotes his thesis of an African presence
in pre-Columbian Ameriea. It received the 1981 Clarence L. Holte Prize “for a work of
excellence in literature and the humanities relating to the cultural heritage of Africa and the
African diaspora.”
Bom in Guyana, Van Sertima was educated at London University’s School of Oriental
and African Studies. He completed post-graduate work at Rutgers, and holds degrees in African
studies and anthropology. From 1957-1959, he served as a Press and Broadcasting Officer in
the Guyana Information Service.
-moreA member of the State System of Higher Education

SOUL FOOD DINNER, Continued

Page 2

Van Sertima has lectured widely in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, South
America and Europe. He defended his controversial thesis before a committee of the .
Smithsonian Institution, which published his speech in 1994.
The Soul Food Dinner, one of the highlights of Black History Month, is sponsored by
the University’s Office of Intercultural Relations.
-30CCM:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 30, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO PRESENTS EVENING OF AFRICAN DANCE
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago visits Edinboro University Tuesday, February 6, for a
night of high-energy entertainment. The company will present “Afrikan Visions,” a
performance of both traditional African dances and pieces reflecting the African-American
experience.
The Bantu word muntu means “essence of humanity,” and Muntu’s founder, Alyo
Tolbert, rightly chose it when starting the company in 1972. As other black artists were doing in
that era, Tolbert looked to lost or suppressed African traditions as a way of restoring continuity
for modem African-American identity. Since its inception, Muntu has used its intense love of
performing to educate and entertain.
An openness to the experience is what artistic director Amaniyea Payne wants from the
audience. “Expectations are very hard to talk about for other people,” she has said. “But I
would just say that when I go to a dance concert, whether I’m a dancer or not, I go open - open
visually, open spiritually, open mindedly.”
Most of the company’s work draws on West African music and dance, with superb
dmmming and dancing choreographed for the troupe. The group researches the history of the
art forms and the societies that created them. After learning, the company begins educating by
putting these forms on stage.
“We are dealing with dance that may be depicting a different cultural emphasis than
maybe one’s own, and I think dance is a language that can be interpreted unto itself,” Payne
said. “If people come open, they’ll be able to have their spirit or self engulfed into the music,
the emotions and the spirit of what we do.”
-moreA member of the State System of Higher Education

MUNTU DANCE THEATRE VISITS EDINBORO, Continued

Page 2

The evening’s performance, subject to change, should include West African dances and
pieces from African-American experiences. “Juba Jig,” choreographed by Mickey Davidson,
depicts dance traditions that emerged on southern plantations. Payne choreographed “African
Swing,” a piece that weaves traditional West African dance and rhythms with the Lindy Hop
and Charleston.
The national dances of the Mandingo are incorporated into Senegalese folklorist
Abdoulaye Camara’s “Koutero Collage.” Camara also choreographed “Econne, Econne,” which
features the traditional dance of the Djolla people from the Cassamance region of Senegal.
“Evening Time” depicting the dances and songs done during slavery in the West Indies
is the work of choreographer Harry DEtry. “Doudoumba/Soli,” choreographed by
internationally acclaimed artist Youssof Koumbassa, displays the dazzling footwork and energy
that are hallmarks of Guinea’s traditional dances.
As in jazz, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago shows that in overturning repression,
Africans and African-Americans have forged new styles of culture that ultimately enrich us all.
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago will perform in Memorial Auditorium at 8 p.m. The
event is part of Edinboro’s observance of Black History Month. Tickets for the programs are
available free of charge to students, faculty and staff possessing a valid Edinboro ID. Other
adults are charged a $5 fee; senior citizens and students must pay $4. For more information or
ticket resrvations, call the Office of Cultural Affairs at 732-2518.
-30CCM:bja

Robert Penn

For Information
or Bookings
Call: Blues Factory
Records & Artist Mgt.
Stephen Sanchez
(313) 280-0363

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 29, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ROBERT PENN BLUES BAND MAKES FOURTH EDINBORO APPEARANCE
The Robert Penn Blues Band will have the house “rockin” when it appears at Edinboro
University of Pennsylvania’s University Center, Saturday, February 3, at 8 p.m. Guitarist Robert
Penn will be making his fourth appearance at Edinboro due to demand from those who have
seen his high energy group perform.
Penn solos five nights a week in the Detroit area, playing with a style that has been
heavily influenced by fellow blues guitarist B.B. King. In addition to his performances, Penn is
working on an album.
The show, which is sponsored by the Student Government Association’s special
programs committee, is free to the public. For more information, contact Julie Fedders at the
University Center (814) 732-2842.
-30BKPrbja

A member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-27A5 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 29, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY SHOWCASES ARTISTS
Edinboro University’s Bruce Gallery will present “Earth and Landscape,” an exhibition
featuring the works of ceramicist Kaname Takada and photographer Peter Taylor. The
exhibition, which will run from January 31 to February 23, displays work that is a journey in
perception.
Takada creates sensual objects as sincere responses to forms in namre. His admiration
and appreciation for namre is evident in his approach to firing and glazing. The glazes crawl,
crack and blister with colors of subtle ash and earth tones with moments of vibrant blues,
violets and yellows.
“Because the firing results of these glazes are much less predictable than regular glazes,
each time I open the kiln I experience surprise, excitement or disappointment,” Takada said.
“The appeal of unpredictable and sometimes chaotic patterns is, I think, direct. It does not need
to be intellectually or conceptually comprehended.”
Taylor’s photographs seem at first glance panoramic collages that bend or fracture
space. Deeper inspection shows his intent isn’t to fracmre space, but capture the experience of
seeing. His feet, seen in many of his photographs, become the viewers’ feet.
“Our eyes are constantly moving, taking in glimpses, glances and pieces of the subject,
rarely seeing it all at once,” Taylor said. “Our final impression is built from an accumulation of
all these elements fused together in our own mind. The feet establish a personal presence in the
scene. They are also used to make my own mark in these places, like a rock cairn in a prayer
garden or a hand print in the ancient, sacred caves.”
-moreA member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY BRUCE GALLERY, Continued

Page 2

Edinboro University Bruce Gallery is on the ground floor of Doucette Hall. An opening
reception for the exhibition will take place Wednesday, January 31,7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Gallery
hours are 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday night.
The gallery and reception are free and open to students and the public.
-30CCM:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 29, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO PROFESSOR EDITS BOOK ON FEMINIST ETHICS
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania philosophy professor Dr. Dana Bushnell is the
editor of a newly published book, “Nagging” Questions, Feminist Ethics in Everyday Life, a
collection of 14 essays on issues in feminism.
Bushnell created the book when she was unable to find a good textbook for the class she
teaches on philosophy of women. The essays offer differing perspectives on four topics:
autonomy and responsibility, women at work, reproductive technology and liberty, and
women’s bodies and sexual images.
Bushnell said the issues addressed in her book apply to women around the world.
Writing as a feminist, she states feminists are necessarily champions of equality because they
believe the oppression of women is morally wrong. “Feminism can be understood as an
application of the principles of basic human decency to the problems of women,” she wrote.
The book is published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
-30BKP:bja

A member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro^ PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 24, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO GRADUATE IS LEAD ANIMATOR FOR M&M COMMERCIAL
You’ve seen them in commercials, you’ve probably eaten one or two, now meet the man
who brought them to life. They are M&Ms - the blue ones, the red ones, the yellow ones. And
the man who was instrumental in creating the latest M&Ms for television is Steve Carpenter, a
two-time graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Carpenter is a senior animator at Will Vinton Studios in Portland, Oregon, best known
for creating the California Raisins series of commercials. Those famous characters were
animated by a process known as Claymation, whereas the M&Ms are entirely computer
generated. That’s where Carpenter comes in. He’s one of the studio’s experts on computer
modeling and animation.
Carpenter first graduated from Edinboro in 1989 with a degree in computer science.
When he realized his real dream was to pursue a career in computer animation, he returned to
Edinboro and earned a second degree in applied media arts in 1993.
His expertise lies in creating computer animation on the NewTek company’s cuttingedge Lightwave animation program. Creating animated three-dimensional characters that move,
talk and have more than 100 facial expressions is no easy task. Each M&M character has a
hidden skeleton - arms, hands, legs and fingers - that must look natural and smooth when
animated. Each skeleton has more than 200 bones - including 21 in each arm and three or four
in each finger. One of Carpenter’s more challenging tasks was perfecting each character’s
expressions while lip syncing it with its voice, as well as developing techniques so the character
can use its hands to hold objects.
-moreA member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO GRAD ANIMATOR FOR M & Ms, Continued

Page 2

The job of the animators was made even more difficult because the commercials were a
combination of animated characters and live actors. They had to recreate the room the live
action was shot in and then make sure the characters appeared to be lighted the same way the
actors were.
Will Vinton Studios was awarded the M&M contract by the New York advertising firm
of BBDO when the Mars, Inc., people said they wanted to add spark to their old characters.
Carpenter said a lot of companies bid on the contract, but his studio was chosen because BBDO
liked their character-based animation.
The Will Vinton team showed its proposal to the BBDO people on Memorial Day
weekend 1994 and won the contract. Immediately the Will Vinton Studios became, in
Carpenter’s words, “a madhouse.” The contract called for a total of six commercials, the first of
which was due in a matter of months. Twelve new people were hired to work exclusively on the
commercials. The studio bought two new PCs and a half-dozen DEC Alpha computers for
animation. NewTek supported the project by sending one of its experts, Jason Linhart, to work
with Carpenter to teach the staff how to use LightWave. Because Carpenter has become so
adept at using LightWave, NewTek has asked Will Vinton Studios to work with its creator to
help add new features that prompt character animation for the next version of the software.
The production schedule was hectic. The first two commercials featured Wings star
Steve Weber chatting with a blue M&M, and legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. Their liveaction work was completed by June 19. The animation department put in several 16-hour days
to complete the project by September. Carpenter then worked on the fourth and fifth
commercials, which featured the yellow and red M&Ms. They aired briefly just before the end
of the year, but are targeted to get maximum national exposure when they air again during
Super Bowl XXX on January 28. He is already working on four more commercials for M&Ms
which are due in April.
Other big projects are in the offing for Will Vinton Studios. It is bidding on the next
Raid commercial and hopes to do a feature-length animated movie, following in the footsteps of
the wildly successful Toy Story. Carpenter said one of his greatest rewards is what he calls the
real joy and learning experience of working there. “The master animators here are
phenomenal,” he said.
The creations Carpenter is proudest of, however, are his children: Addison, four, and
Tyler, who was bom last November 28. His wife, Sharon, whose family lives in New
Wilmington, Pa., also attended Edinboro.
-30BKP:bja

January 22, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SCHOOL CLOSING PROCEDURES, ANNOUNCEMENTS DETAILED
Winter in Edinboro ... that most scenic of seasons when inclement weather conditions
have a greater possibility of affecting schedules at Edinboro University.
To accommodate students, faculty, staff and others who travel to the campus for classes
or work, local and regional media outlets will be contacted by the Public Relations Office when
the decision is made by the University President to delay or cancel classes, work or special
events.
If weather conditions appear as though they may affect schedules, watch or listen to any
of the stations listed for information about the Edinboro University main campus and the
Porreco Extension Center in Erie. If Edinboro University is not mentioned in the media
announcements, it’s business as usual; report to class or work.
Media announcements are generally made during morning newsbreaks, but depending
on the situation, may be made at any time stations broadcast weather-related conditions.
Employees identified as “essential personnel” by their offices should report to their
normal place of work in all instances.
Radio and television stations contacted by the University when there is a weather-related
cancellation or delay include:
Erie:

WJET-TV24; WSEE-TV35; WICU-TV12; JET-FM102 (WJET); STAR
104 FM (WRTS); FROGGY 94 FM (WFGO); ROCKET 101 FM
(WRKT); CLASSYIOO (WXKC-FM); COUNTRY 98 (WXTA-FM);
WRIE-AM 1260; WFLP-AM 1330; WLKK-AM 1400.
-more-

SCHOOL CLOSING PROCEDURES, Continued
Edinboro:

WFSE-FM 88.9

Meadville:

WMGW-AM 1490; WZPR 100.3 EM; WMDE 94.3 EM

Franklin:

MIX 99.3 EM (WFRA)

Ashtabula:

STAR 97 EM (WREO); WFUN-AM 970

Page 2

Youngstown: Y103 EM (WYFM); WPIC-AM 970
Pittsburgh:

KDKA-TV 2; KDKA-AM 1020; WTAE-TV 4; WTAE News/Talk Radio
AM 1250; WVTY-96 EM; WPXI-TV 11.
-30-

WAR:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 19, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY DEGREES AWARDED TO AREA GRADS
Approximately 700 undergraduate and graduate students received degrees at Edinboro
University’s recent winter commencement exercises. The students represented 14 states which
included Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New
Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
Among area students to receive diplomas were:
-30Note: Names have been arranged alphabetically according to city.

A member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 22, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY CELEBRATES BLACK fflSTORY MONTH
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Black History Month with a variety
of programs ranging from African dance and art to Black economic development and
spirituality. The Alliance for Racial Identity and Cultural Acceptance (AFRICA) will sponsor its
annual Open Minds Series and its popular Soul Food Dinner this month.
Opening ceremonies will take place Febmary 1 in the University Center's multi-purpose
room at 5:00 p.m. The Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago will perform African-American dances
on Tuesday, Febmary 6, at 8:00 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. A choir concert by the United
Voices of Edinboro will be held in Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, Febmary 18, at 4:00 p.m.,
and the play “You People ...!” will be staged Sunday, Febmary 25, at 6:00 p.m. in the
University Center.
Two popular events patterned after television game shows. Jeopardy! and The Dating
Game, are planned for students. A student art exhibit featuring works by the University’s Black
artists will mn in the University Center lounge Febmary 15-29.
Dr. Ivan Van Sertima will be this year’s keynote speaker at the annual Soul Food Dinner
on Friday, Febmary 23, at 6:00 p.m. in Van Houten Dining Hall. Professor of African studies at
Rutgers University, Van Sertima is also editor of the Journal ofAmerican Civilizations, which he
founded in 1979. He has published several major anthologies which have influenced the
development of multi-cultural curricula in the United States.
Bom in Guyana, Van Sertima has made a name in the fields of literary criticism,
linguistics and anthropology. He wrote Caribbean Writers, a collection of critical essays on the
- more A member of the State System of Higher Education

BLACK HISTORY MONTH, continued

page 2

Caribbean novel, compiled the Swahili Dictionary of Legal Terms and They Came Before
Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America.

Other events scheduled for Black History Month include movies, a dance, fashion show,
African art vendors, panel discussions, lectures on Black spirituality and Black economic
development, and the University’s Open Mind Series.
Events celebrating Black History Month at Edinboro are sponsored and supported by the
Academic Festival Steering Committee, AFRICA, Edinboro University Cultural Affairs, the
History Club, Student Government Association, Student Activities and University Programming,
United Voices of Edinboro Choir, Residence Life and Housing, Young Socialist Organization,
and the faculty and staff of Edinboro University.
For additional information on any event or to schedule reservations for the Soul Food
Dinner, call Edinboro University’s Office of Intercultural Relations at 732-2912.

-30CCM:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 18, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP TO
TOP HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania has awarded an Alumni Association Admissions
Grant scholarship to Jennifer L. Toner of Pittsburgh. Based on high school curriculum, grades,
overall grade point average, class rank, college board scores, extra-curricular activities, and
leadership qualities, the annual scholarship is renewable for up to four years.
Toner, a graduate of Woodland Hills High School, is the daughter of James P. Toner and
Jean A. Toner. An elementary/special education major at Edinboro, she participated in marching
band, chamber choir, jazz band, musical, orchestra and opera workshop in high school.
The scholarship program was created by Edinboro University’s Alumni Association
Board of Directors as part of a three-year plan to augment the student scholarship program.
Funded with alumni gifts, the program is designed to attract the brightest high school students.
Recipients must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average while enrolled at Edinboro to be
eligible to have their scholarship renewed each year.
-30PSL:bja

A member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

Febraary 14, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

RETIRING EDINBORO PRESIDENT TO SPEAK AT ACADEMIC FESTIVAL
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania President Foster F. Diebold, who is retiring in
June, will reminisce about his 17 years of service to the University at the school’s 13th annual
Academic Festival, Wednesday, February 21. Diebold will be joined by a panel of friends and
former employees to discuss personal and professional anecdotes and occurrences from his
career, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Reeder Lecture Hall.
Joining Diebold will be the president of the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Robert
Carothers; Diebold’s retired executive assistant Clifford Cox; Janet Dean, assistant vice
president for faculty relations; David O’Dessa, retired vice president for administration and
institutional advancement; and Dr. Roy Strausbaugh, former dean of academic administration
who retired in 1993 and is now president of University Services, Inc. Carothers was Edinboro’s
vice president for student personnel services and administration.
The 1996 Academic Festival is dedicated to President Diebold who conceived the idea
of sharing the University’s academic wealth with the larger community and initiated the first
Festival in 1984.
His term in office as the University’s 14th president is the longest presidency at
Edinboro in the 20th century. During his years in office. President Diebold has orchestrated
major advances in governance, enrollment, academic programming, fiscal management,
strategic planning, teacher education, community service, and facilities revitalization.
International linkages have been established with 13 institutions in four countries, and his
leadership in developing specialized support and service programs for students with disabilities
has brought acclaim to Edinboro from across the nation.
-moreA member of the State System of Higher Education

DIEBOLD TO SPEAK AT ACADEMIC FESTIVAL, Continued

Page 2

The Academic Festival is the University’s annual celebration of people, places and
ideas. This year’s festival runs from February 18 through February 21. For more information,
contact the Office of Public Information and Publications at (814) 732-2745.
-30BKP:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 16, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 18-21
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s 13th Academic Festival will take place on the
Edinboro campus February 18-21. The festival - a celebration of people, places and ideas features a variety of public lectures, presentations and discussions.
Many of this year’s events focus on travel and foreign cultures. The Galapagos Islands
and Macchu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas” will be the topic of a slide presentation,
Monday, February 19, at 11 a.m. in Baron-Fomess Library, 236. The centuries-old Chinese
writing system used in many Asian countries will be visually presented at 1 p.m. in 202
Butterfield Hall. At 2 p.m., faculty from the University’s foreign language and English and
theatre arts departments will discuss their experiences with multilingualism, in 120 Compton
Hall. That will be followed immediately at 3 p.m. in 119 Doucette Hall, with a discussion and
slide presentation of the University’s 1995 Summer Abroad program in Rome. That evening at
7 p.m. another slide presentation in 102 Cooper Hall will take participants on a journey through
three cities in China.
Edinboro’s Spanish language students will compete in the third annual “Concurso
Academico,” an academic competition between teams of students, verbally testing their
knowledge of the Hispanic World. The Jeopardy-style contest will be held Tuesday, February
20, at 11 a.m. in G13 Hendricks Hall. The Chinese language will be the topic of “America the
Beautiful (Big Sheep) and Other Chinese Translations,” at 3:30 p.m. in 215 Compton Hall.
“Take Me to Your Lieder,” a lecture-recital of German poetry and German art song will be
presented by faculty from the music and foreign languages departments at 8 p.m. in Memorial
Auditorium.
-moreA member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC FESTIVAL, Continued

Page 2

The Festival features several events coinciding with Black History Month. Lisa Brown,
director of Intercultural Relations, will lead three presentations in room 306 of the University
Center. “African, African-American, Colored, Black, Negro ... or White: the Complicated
Evolution of Man” will be held February 19 at 2 p.m. A videotape presentation and discussion
of the role of Jim Crow, segregation and the law is slated for February 20 at 2 p.m., and the
videotape “Black is . . . Black Ain’t” will be shown February 21 at 4 p.m. Other related topics
include an introduction to African American literary criticism, and a symposium on race,
writings and history.
Education topics will once again make up the largest group of Festival events.
Highlights of February 19 are “Privatization of Public Education: Profiteering at Our
Children’s Expense?” which will be held at 6 p.m. in 137 Butterfield Hall, and “Taking the
Classroom to the Streets,” a discussion of students and community events, at 6:30 p.m. in 200
Compton Hall. Some of the topics for February 20 are multicultural education at 1 p.m. in the
Miller Research Learning Center, inclusion practices in the schools at 2 p.m. in 137 Butterfield
Hall, and “Legislative Issues in Higher Education” at 2 p.m. in 216 Baron-Fomess Library. The
final day of the Festival will include a presentation on the Edinboro Center for Writing at 2 p.m.
in G13 Hendricks Hall, and “Distance Education Via Video Conferencing” at 4 p.m. in 144
Miller Research Learning Center.
Among the most popular attractions at the Festival are the musical performances. This
year’s highlight is a piano recital by Dr. Guzal Abdoullina, professor at Kazan State
Conservatory, Republic of Tartarstan. She will perform at 8 p.m. on February 19 in Memorial
Auditorium as part of her Fulbright year in the United States. Earlier that day, Edinboro music
professor Tim Cordell will present “Hypermedia Othello and Otello: A Study and Comparison
of Shakespeare’s Play with Operas of Verdi and Rossini.” The hypermedia demonstration will
take place at 11 a.m. in Heather Hall MH2. The Festival will conclude with “Facade: An
Entertainment With Poems by Edith Sitwell and Music by William Walton,” performed by the
music department chamber ensemble, February 21, at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.
Current events and political issues will be covered in several presentations including a
discussion of why capital punishment is ethically and socially unjustified, February 19, at
7 p.m. in the University Center, and ‘The Battle of the Budget: The Democratic Sacred Cows
of Medicine and Social Security Versus the Republican Priesthood Bent on Sacrifice,” February
20 at 2 p.m. in the Reeder Lecture Hall. Brian Sheridan from WICU-TV and Jim Thompson
-more-

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC FESTIVAL, Continued

Page 3

from the Times Publishing Company will join a panel of Edinboro faculty to discuss “The
Media’s Role in the 1996 Campaign Process,” February 21, at 3 p.m. in the University Center
Seminar Room.
“An Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation,” will be presented by staff from the
Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Febraary 20 at 6:30 p.m. in 102 Cooper Hall. Lee
Ann Reiners, president of the Presque Isle Audubon Society, will present a brief biography of
John James Audubon, and a discussion of the Audubon Society, February 21 at 3 p.m. in 201
Baron-Fomess Library. At 7 p.m.. Festival coordinator Dr. Louella M. “Bunny” Bucho will
offer a lecture-video-slide presentation of the 1995 reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone
National Park, in 137 Butterfield Hall.
The Academic Festival traditionally covers a wide range of topics including travel,
science, music, art, poetry, current events and history, as well as education and student issues. It
begins Sunday, February 18, from noon to 4 p.m., with an open house at the Fort LeBoeuf
Museum in Waterford. It features the beaver trade/French and Indian War exhibit, and
“Washington’s trip to Fort LeBoeuf’ in the theater.
For more information on the Academic Festival, call the Office of Public Information
and Publications at (814) 732-2745.
-30BKP:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 9, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO GRAD DAN PLATT IS IBM SENIOR PROGRAMMER
Most of us take it for granted when scientists come up with one new miracle drug after
another. Few of us have any idea of the process involved in discovering or creating new
pharmaceuticals. In fact, today’s research results are becoming more likely to come from a
computer wiz than a research chemist.
One such computer expert is Daniel Platt, a 1978 graduate of Edinboro University of
Pennsylvania and a senior programmer at IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Center. In the rarified
air of high-level scientific research, the T. J. Watson Research Center is considered among the
best research facilities in the world. Few corporations can match the size of its staff and access
to IBM’s computational products and techniques.
Platt is part of a group that develops drug design software tools. Its work includes doing
computer searches of databases of molecular structures, developing software that will identify
physical characterizations of drug molecules that are likely to make them bioactive, and finding
compact ways to codify molecular characterization to help speed up database searches for
molecules that would make good drug candidates.
Platt’s interest in science and math began in 9th grade at Erie’s Strong Vincent High
School. “Several of the teachers noticed I was interested in math,’’ said Platt. “Some of them
loaned me books on trigonometry and calculus.”
Following his junior year, Platt took a National Science Foundation-sponsored summer
program at Edinboro University on energy and energy conservation. The Edinboro professors
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A member of the State System of Higher Education

DAN PLATT IS IBM SENIOR PROGRAMMER, Continued

Page 2

recognized his ability and encouraged him to take advantage of the school’s senior by-pass
program, which allows qualified high school students to skip their senior year and go right into
college.
“I decided to go for it,” said Platt. “I signed the form in August and the guidance
counselor approved it.” A new principal at Strong Vincent didn’t like the arrangement and
called Platt a dropout.
He was soon vindicated, however, when the Erie Engineering Societies Council made
Platt the first recipient of its $500 scholarship for outstanding achievement as an undergraduate.
In making the award the Council said of the high school-aged Platt: “In general his work is at
the level of a college junior or senior, and, in some cases, the graduate level. Perhaps his most
outstanding abilities are those of being able to grasp abstract mathematical concepts very
quickly and of being able to bring to bear enormous powers of concentration on any given
problem.”
The award was more than just money to Platt. It was the encouragement he needed to
prove to himself that he had made the right decision. He needed someone to say “He’s doing
well.”
At Edinboro he was able to devote himself to physics. “It became my passion,” said
Platt. “I thought it was the greatest thing in the world.”
He took freshman chemistry, physics and engineering and tested out of the first calculus
course. He received his high school diploma at Edinboro, graduated from the college in 1978 at
the age of 20, and enrolled in graduate school at Case Western Reserve. “It was the first time I
had studied at a research institution,” said Platt. “Physics as a career was a reality there.”
He received his master’s degree in physics in 1980 and accepted a position as a lecturer
in electrical engineering at Penn State Behrend. In 1983 he moved to Atlanta where he studied
for his doctorate in condensed matter physics at Emory University. In 1987 he joined the staff
of IBM’s Academic Computing and Information Systems in Atlanta as a sales assistant. That
division was responsible for marketing computers to colleges.
A year later he made it to the big leagues by becoming a post-doctoral researcher at the
T. J. Watson Research Center. In 1989 he was promoted to research staff member, and in 1993
was named senior programmer.
His work at IBM has included parallel processing, computer visualization and
animation, and user support. He expects to continue working with applications in computational
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DAN PLATT IS IBM SENIOR PROGRAMMER, Continued

Page 3

physics concerning pharmaceuticals. “There’s a lot to do,” he said. “We’re writing code, testing
it, writing papers, working with patent applications - all a part of developing products for other
companies and other researchers.”

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 9, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OBSERVES MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
The Office of Intercultural Relations at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will
sponsor the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 1996, January 19, at 4 p.m. in the University
Center Multipurpose Room.
The observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will feature the PBS documentary
“Martin’s Lament - Race and Religion in America,” and a performance of the United Voices of
Edinboro Mime Ensemble. Opening remarks will be made by Chris Adams, president of the
Student Government Association, and Sean Ferguson, president of Alliance For Racial Identity
and Cultural Acceptance (AFRICA).
The event will conclude with a round table discussion among members of several
groups in the University community. The audience will be invited to respond to the discussion.
The event is free and open to the public.
-30BKPibja

A member of the Slate System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 4, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY PRESENTS AWARD-WINNING
JAZZ EXPERT/PERFORMER
David Baker, an internationally renowned performing artist and authority on jazz, will
appear at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Friday, February 16, for morning and
afternoon lectures and a jazz concert at 8:(X) p.m. in the University’s Memorial Auditorium.
Baker will be backed by saxophonist Nathan Davis and a rhythm section from Pittsburgh.
Baker is chairman of the jazz department at the Indiana University School of Music in
Bloomington, Indiana. He has performed as a trombonist with some of the great jazz
organizations of all time and has been a Grammy Award nominee for his recordings. He has
also written dozens of books and articles on jazz for which he has received numerous awards,
including a Pulitzer Prize nomination. He has been recognized and acclaimed by the
Smithsonian Institution and by Downbeat magazine.
Baker’s morning lecture is entitled “Jazz as a Unique American Art Form.’’ His
afternoon address will focus on “The Bebop Tradition in Modem Jazz” and will include
opportunity for discussion following the presentation.
This event is a part of the University’s observance of Black history month and has been
made possible through a State System of Higher Education Social Equity Grant.
For additional information, call the Edinboro University music department at
814-732-2555.
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A member of the State System of Higher Education

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA

Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 4, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO GRAD DAVID MIKOLAJCZYK IS CEO OF COUNTRY PURE FOODS
David Mikolajczyk’s name may not be as well known as Rockefeller, laccoca or Gates,
but within his own industry, he is one of the nation’s most important players. The 1964 graduate
of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is CEO of Country Pure Foods, the largest independent
juice company serving the food service industry in the nation. It serves corporations and
supermarket chains in 32 states, reaching two-thirds of the nation’s population.
Country Pure Foods was formed earlier this year by the merger of Natural Country
Farms of Ellington, Ct., and Mikolajczyk’s Akron-based company Ohio Pure Foods.
An Erie native and graduate of Cathedral Prep, Mikolajczyk came to Edinboro to major
in physics and math. Although he had no intention of pursuing a business career, he credits his
Edinboro training for part of his success in the corporate world.
“I was able to apply the principles of more objective quantitative thinking to business,”
said Mikolajczyk. “This experience in analytical disciplines from Edinboro, coupled with my
business education from Northwestern University, where I received my MBA in 1978, provided
me with a clear point of difference from most of my contemporaries. After doing complex math
and physics problems, most of the business opportunities I had seemed relatively easy by
comparison.”
Mikolajczyk’s career is a textbook case of how to combine analytical skills with a great
degree of perseverance and sacrifice to reach the highest levels of corporate America. It began
quietly following graduation in 1964 when he married classmate and Youngsville, Pa., native
Janet Anderson and took a teaching job in the Wattsburg area schools.
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EDINBORO GRAD IS CEO OF COUNTRY PURE FOODS, Continued

Page 2

In December of 1967 he joined Westinghouse Electric as an industrial engineer. Within
six months he became a buyer for the company, negotiating and expediting numerousgovernment contracts. In January of 1970 he went to work for the Technicon Corporation in
Tarrytown, New York, as a supervisory buyer. By the time he left two years later he had been
promoted three times, becoming project manager of Technicon’s main product.
Next stop for Mikolajczyk was Abbott Labs in Chicago, once again moving quickly
through the corporation, from manager of drug and chemical purchases to director of
distribution operations to his final post in 1977 as director of technical and consultant services.
He returned to the tri-state region in 1978 as corporate vice president of Welch Foods in
Westfield, N. Y, where he was responsible for integrating the functions of purchasing,
production planning, inventory management, transportation, distribution and customer service.
Following that brief, but successful assignment, Mikolajczyk went to work for Nestle
Enterprises, Inc., in Solon, Ohio. From 1980 until he left Nestle in 1992 to acquire Ohio Pure
Foods, he held top executive positions in three Nestle subsidiaries. He served as corporate
purchasing VP for the Stouffer Corporation for three years, then was a VP for Stouffer Hotels
and Resorts. In 1987 he was appointed president of Harper Resources, Inc., a group of five
divisions serving hotels, restaurants, office buildings, hospitality centers and corporate travelers.
He was also chairman of Nestle’s North American Purchasing Council, which made $4 billion
in annual purchases for 14 Nestle companies.
Mikolajczyk said his four years as president allowed him to become an entrepreneur
within Nestle’s large corporate environment. “It provided me with the knowledge, experience
and courage to acquire my own company,” he said. “If I hadn’t had the experience as an
entrepreneur I wouldn’t have been able to do it. You really have to believe in yourself.”
Mikolajczyk’s success did not happen by accident. He has been guided by four
important principles that served him well throughout his career. First, he realized early on that
he was the only person who could plan his career. Second, and perhaps most importantly, he
made it a point to accept any kind of responsibility. “I was not concerned with titles or money.
If my performance was good, I believed the titles and money would take care of themselves.”
Third, he was willing to be inconvenienced. In reading the biographies of successful people, he
discovered many had what Mikolajczyk calls a high level of inconvenience. They were willing
to go out of their way to get the job done. Mikolajczyk demonstrated his own level of
inconvenience when he went on a month-and-a-half trouble-shooting assignment to South
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EDINBORO GRAD IS CEO OF COUNTRY PURE FOODS, Continued

Page 3

Africa for his company just six weeks after his son was bom. Fourth, he was flexible in how he
achieved his goals. Although he knew where he wanted to go and what he wanted to achieve,
he allowed himself to follow any number of different paths he encountered en route. He said
those experiences from other areas gave him more strength and knowledge of the world around
him.
That well-rounded expertise paid dividends immediately when he acquired Ohio Pure
Foods. Revenues grew at a compounded rate of 20 percent annually. The five-year plan he
created was accomplished in three years. New products helped the company capture a bigger
share of the market.
Mikolajczyk wanted to create a corporate culture of total quality in every phase of the
company’s operations and in every one of its employees. He brought in an expert in total
quality management from the University of Akron who acted as a facilitator in implementing
TQM within the company. “I had to step aside and allow the process to work,” said
Mikolajczyk.
Despite his success, he eventually became aware that the business was too much of his
own and not enough of his employees’. He felt an obligation to allow them to have an interest
in its success. He created a profit-sharing program that paid out 26 percent of actual earnings
over the first two years.
As early as 1994, Ohio Pure Foods attracted the attention of First Atlantic Capital, Ltd.
A year later. First Atlantic merged Ohio Pure Foods with Natural Country Farms, and
Mikolajczyk became CEO of a $75 million company with 100 employees in Akron and 200
more in Connecticut. His ongoing challenge as CEO is to combine the cultures of both
companies, find the common systems and create synergies of operation, allowing them to work
together with greater efficiency. He is doing that by consolidating and streamlining such areas
as transportation, distribution, and sales and broker networks.
Although Mikolajczyk is clearly dedicated to his work - he said retirement is not in his
vocabulary - he does find time for his family and his community. “Tennis is my favorite
pastime,” he said. “Janet and I play socially twice a week.” She is an art history instructor at the
college level. Their daughter Allison is a medical social worker, and their son David is majoring
in art at Kent State. Mikolajczyk is also an avid reader, primarily of business books. Among his
recent titles are The Pursuit of Wow, Victory Secrets ofAttila the Hun and Reengineering the
Corporation.

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EDINBORO GRAD IS CEO OF COUNTRY PURE FOODS, Continued

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He is proud of his work as a board member for the Salvation Army, Akron Family
Hospital and Parmadale Family Services. “As good corporate citizens we have a responsibility
to the communities where we live and work,” said Mikolajczyk.
He takes his obligations as a board member just as seriously as his corporate duties. And
he uses the same analytic skills in solving the problems of the nonprofit organizations.
A case in point is Parmadale, a residential treatment center for children located in a
Cleveland suburb. Prior to his appointment, Parmadale had suffered through a variety of
leadership styles and policies that were inconsistent and ultimately directionless. Under
Mikolajczyk’s influence, Parmadale set objectives that were concrete, attainable and
measurable. It developed a three-year marketing plan, conducted much-needed market research,
installed more modem bookkeeping techniques and launched its first capital campaign in
35 years.
The results were dramatic. It expanded the number of residential programs from two to
eight. In ten years its budget increased from $1 million to $10 million. In that same period, the
number of clients served by its community-based programs grew from 100 to 1,600. The fund­
raising campaign resulted in the construction of a state-of-the-art intensive treatment facility for
children.
The most exciting part of Mikolajczyk’s life may be yet to come. He has set his sights
on further consolidating the industry and growing Country Pure Foods into a national juice
drink company. At the time of the merger he said the new company would be “a one-stop, fullservice premium quality juice/beverage company dedicated to meeting our customers’ needs.
Country Pure Foods will offer the broadest product line, greatest packaging alternatives and
widest geographic coverage in the industry.” Based on his track record, there is little doubt he
will accomplish his goal.
-30BKP:bja

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY
OF

PENNSYLVANIA
Office of Public Information and Publications
Edinboro, PA 16444
(814) 732-2745 or 2929
Fax (814) 732-2621

January 4, 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP
TO TOP HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania has awarded an Alumni Association Admissions
Grant scholarship to Amy Hardesty of Erie. Based on high school curriculum, grades, overall
grade point average, class rank, college board scores, extra-curricular activities, and leadership
qualities, the annual scholarship is renewable for up to four years.
Hardesty, a graduate of Iroquois High School, is the daughter of Margaret Hardesty and
Richard Hardesty. A mathematics education major at Edinboro, she participated in marching
band. National Honor Society and peer leadership in high school.
The scholarship program was created by Edinboro University’s Alumni Association
Board of Directors as part of a three-year plan to augment the student scholarship program.
Funded with alumni gifts, the program is designed to attract the brightest high school students.
Recipients must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average while enrolled at Edinboro to be
eligible to have their scholarship renewed each year.
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A member of the State System of Higher Education