Donald T. Rodbell, associate professor of geology,
gave a talk recently at Williams College
titled “Insolation forcing of tropical climate on
centennial-millennial time scales: The evidence from the tropical Andes.”
Prof. Butterstein publishes two papers
George Butterstein, Florence B.
Sherwood Professor of Life Sciences, is author of an article (with Jenn
Morrison '98 and Dr. Mizejewski of the New York State Department of Health), “Effect
of Alpha-Fetoprotein and Derived Peptides on Insulin and Estrogen Induced
Fetotoxicity,” to be published in Fetal
Diagnosis and Therapy. He has also written, with four colleagues from the
Wadsworth Center at the NYS Health Labs, a paper, “Biophysical Studies
and Anti-Growth Activities of a Peptide, a Certain Analog and Fragment, Derived
from Alph-Fetoprotein,” to be published in the Journal of Peptide Research.
At Yulman Theater, Laramie finishes, African Company to open
Yulman Theater this weekend
concludes The Laramie Project and
prepares for the opening on Tuesday, March 4, of The
African Company Presents Richard III.
The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project, the moving story of bigotry
and tolerance as told by the people of Laramie,
Wyo., after the 1998 murder of Matthew
Shephard, a gay college student, runs through Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m.
The play, by Moises Kaufman and members of the
Tectonic Theater Project, is directed by Lloyd Waiwaiole, who has long list of
credits as costume designer.
“Our actors really got into this
show,” Waiwaiole recalls of the rehearsals, many of which were emotionally
wrenching for the students. “Usually you have to spoon-feed [as a director],
but this is academic theater and they have learned a lot [about their own sense
of tolerance].
“It's exciting to see the light
bulbs go on,” he said. “I call my rehearsals 'Realization 101.'”
Of the universal appeal of the
play, one of the most widely produced in current American theater, Waiwaiole
says, “If you have loved and lost someone, you can relate to Laramie.“
Shephard's death became a national
symbol of intolerance, but for the people of Laramie
the event became deeply personal, and it is their voices we hear in this
stunningly effective theater piece.
Kaufman and members of the
Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie
over the course of a year and a half to conduct more than 200 interviews with
the townspeople.
The play chronicles the life of
the town of Laramie in the year
after the murder, using eight actors to embody more than 60 different people in
their own words – from rural ranchers to university professors. The result is a
complex portrayal that dispels the simplistic media stereotypes and explores
the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion to which it can soar.
The three-act play and the story
is told through the interviews. The first act introduces the actors, the
townspeople and the crime itself; the second act concerns the trial of the
first perpetrator, the shifting opinions and the media attention; and the third
focuses on the bitterly unforgiving leniency of Shephard's parents, who
condemned the killer to a life of remembering that their son died by his hand.
Laramie runs
nightly through March 1 at 8 p.m.,
and March 2 at 2 p.m.
For tickets and information, call
the Yulman Theater box office at (518) 388-6545.
The African Company Presents Richard III
Opening Tuesday, March 4 at Yulman
Theater, The African Company Presents
Richard III is based on the true story in 1821 of the first black theatrical group in America
as it battles racial prejudice with violent interpretations of white theater.
The troupe's motto: “Say ya Shakespeare like ya want.”
Written by Carlyle Brown, the play
is directed by Joanne Yarrow.
The seven-member cast includes
Phil Chorba, Jamera Simmons, Ijeoma Mbamalu, Charles Holiday, Jhulian
Newell-Little, Andre Lake and Vanya Konn.
“The play is not about the black
experience,” said Yarrow. “It's about the perseverance of the human spirit.”
In 1821, the first black
theatrical troupe in the country, the African Company of New
York, was putting on plays in a downtown Manhattan
theater to which both black and white audiences flocked, according to the
playwright's notes. Shakespeare is the chosen cultural battleground in this
retelling of a little known, yet pivotal event in American history. Knowing
they are always under prejudicial pressures from white society, and facing
their own internal shakeups, the African Company battles for time, space, and
and audiences. Their competition, Stephen Price, an uptown,
Broadway-type impresario, is producing Richard
III at the same time the African Company's production is in full swing.
Price has promised a famous English actor overflowing audiences if he plays
Richard in Price's theater. Fearing his large white audiences will be lost to
the African Company, Price manipulates the law and closes down their theater.
African Company runs March 4 through March 8 at 8 p.m., and March 9 at 2
p.m.
For tickets and information, call
the Yulman Theater box office at (518) 388-6545.
Union robins are nobody’s bird-brains
No
doubt about it – it's been a long harsh winter and we're desperately seeking
signs of spring. But some might think they are hallucinating – did you hear
that distinctive trill of a robin? Is that a robin – the traditional harbinger
of spring – perched right there in the trees near Reamer Campus Center? Yes and
yes – you can believe your ears and eyes.
Apparently
there are some hardy robins who decided they've had it with that annual long
flight south. These resourceful snow birds have been wintering through here on
campus for years. The question is – how do they do it?
Carl
George, professor emeritus of biology, is an avian expert and veteran birder. He explained that robins are not always
migratory. Those on campus have figured out where the snow melts
early, he said, and live on dried wild fruits, such as berries. And what makes
the College's campus particularly inviting to the robins is the network of
underground steam pipe conduits. Prof. George said the birds have discovered
that these warm spots in the lawn allow the worms to become available earlier.
The
robins are also sustained by the unique fruit-bearing tree plantings throughout
the campus, especially those in Jackson's Garden. Among their favorites, he said, are the
crab apple, buckthorn, and hawthorn.
So
even if the Union robins aren't a sign of spring, they still can be admired for
their tenacious survival skills and their song that reminds us of warmer days
to come.
Lawrence Pedowitz ’69 named to Board of Trustees
Lawrence Pedowitz, an attorney and
partner in the New York City firm
of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, has been named to Union
College's Board of Trustees, it was
announced by Steven Ciesinski, chairman of Union's Board
of Trustees.
Pedowitz was a summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate
of Union College
in 1969, earning a bachelor's degree in economics and political science.
“I am thrilled to have Larry
Pedowitz on our Board,” Ciesinski said. “His leadership and experience have
served this College well for years, and I am delighted to have him back at his
alma mater. He was a stellar and active student while at Union,
and a loyal alumnus who has gone on to a distinguished career in law. I look
forward to working closely with him to advance the College.”
“I will always be grateful for the
superb education my professors at Union provided,”
Pedowitz said. “I look forward to helping insure that what is so special about
the College is preserved and that new initiatives continue to make the College
a great educational and socially vibrant institution.”
Pedowitz
has been a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz specializing in
corporate litigation, regulatory and white collar criminal matters for over 20
years. Prior to joining the firm, he had significant experience as law clerk to
Second Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Henry J. Friendly (1972-73) and to
United States Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan (1973-74). He also
served as an assistant U.S. attorney (1974-78) and as chief of the criminal division
(1982-84) in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
He has taught
trial practice and acted as a director of the Brennan Center at New York
University Law School. He has served on several committees of the Bar of the City
of New York, including the criminal law, the Federal legislation and
the Federal courts committees. In addition, he is a vice chairman and director
of the Legal Aid Society and a co-founder of New York Law Firms for the
Homeless, a financial support organization for the New York Coalition for the
Homeless.
Besides
his Union degree, he received a law degree, cum laude, from New York
University in 1972, where he graduated first in his class
academically. He served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review, was a Root-Tilden
Scholar for the Second Circuit, received the Frank H. Sommer Memorial Award for
outstanding scholarship, character and professional activities, and was awarded
the Order of the Coif.
As a student at Union, Pedowitz's
other academic distinctions included the Heck-Steingut Prize and nomination as
a Nott Scholar. He was class president in his sophomore year, and a member of
Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity, the Delphic Society and the track team. He was an
exchange student from Union at St.
Andrews University
in Scotland and
a member of the university golf team.