Airan	Hotovy	Humphress	Jensen	Witt

5 earn Kudos

Five UNL employees received University Kudos Awards at the Oct. 17 meeting of the NU Board of Regents. They are Sylvana Airan, Linda Hotovy, Tonda Humphress, Kenneth Jensen and Leonard Witt.

Airan is the assistant director of business contracts and student accounts at University Housing. "Sylvana has consistently demonstrated extraordinary care to make sure that each and every student's Housing experience is positive," her nominator said.

Hotovy is an accounting clerk III with the School of Biological Sciences. "I continue to be impressed by the high quality of her work and her keen ability to keep our substantial and complex budgets managed so well," her nominator said.

Humphress is assistant to the director of Student Judicial Affairs. "Tonda has demonstrated the ability to bring calm, sensitivity, compassion and valuable information to a situation," her nominator said.

Jensen is manager of the Instructional Design Center in the College of Education and Human Sciences. "Ken is always looking for ways to improve the operation of the center, keep it up to date and provide the services that faculty, staff and students are looking for," his nominator said.

Witt manages all aspects and operations of the John Seaton Anderson Turfgrass and Ornamental Research Facility. "Lannie epitomizes all qualities that make the ideal employee," his nominator said.

NPRN, ETV reporters earn awards of excellence

Nebraska Public Radio Network reporter Carolyn Johnsen and the Nebraska ETV sports team were honored with awards at the 2003 Nebraska Broadcasters Association Awards of Excellence dinner on Aug. 15.

Johnsen received a gold for Best In-Depth or Investigative Story or Series for her "Initiative 300: 20 Years Later" documentary, which analyzed the impact of Nebraska's constitutional ban on corporate farming on its 20th anniversary. In addition to this award, the I-300 project also won the Best of Category, which is a separate award recognizing Johnsen's work as the best in all three of the radio awards categories including reporting, in-depth and newscasts.

The Nebraska ETV sports team received a gold for Best Play-By-Play/On the Scene Reporting for its work on the Nebraska High School Football Championships during the Broadcast Sports Awards of Excellence portion of the awards dinner.

Professor recognized for research

Caren M. Barnes, professor at the UNMC College of Dentistry Department of Surgical Specialties, recently received the International Association of Dental Research Oral Health Research Award sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. The award, presented at the IADR general session in Goteberg, Sweden, recognizes meritorious research contributions in the prevention of oral disease and promotion of wellness that has also resulted in publications in scientific, peer-reviewed journals.

Barnes was recognized for her contributions to oral health research and sustained research funding for more than 25 years. She is the seventh recipient of the award, which is given annually to recipients from all over the world.

She received a plaque and cash award for travel and other support related to attending the annual meeting and research activities.

The IADR works to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health by promoting oral research.

Reading Rainbow wins CINDY awards

The public television children's series Reading Rainbow, co-produced by GPN/Nebraska ETV Network, recently won three awards from the International Cinema in Industry Competition for episodes that aired in 2002.

A Gold CINDY was awarded for "Badger's Parting Gifts," an episode about loss and remembrance. Two Silver CINDYs were awarded for "My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States," about geographical variety, and for "The Secret Shortcut," an episode that showcased maps and their various uses.

Reading Rainbow has received 17 CINDY awards since 1986. The CINDY awards were founded in 1959 as an industrial film competition.

Obituaries

Jim Eakman

John Dunn was a junior in college when he met Jim Eakman.

"Jim was energetic and enthusiastic about teaching and the profession of chemical engineering," said Dunn, manager of human resources, research & engineering at ExxonMobil. "He didn't feel his job was over when students graduated; he tried to help launch them into careers."

Eakman, former chair of chemical engineering and an emeritus professor, died Oct. 9 after a lengthy illness.

Eakman began teaching at UNL in 1968. In the mid-'70s, he pursued a career in industry but returned in 1997 as chair with strong vision for the department, Dunn said.

"His main goals were to build a new building, to make sure that facility had the capability to attract significant nationwide funding and national attention for research and to increase the number of students by fivefold," Dunn said. "Jim didn't think small."

When the grant came through to build Othmer Hall, "Jim pored himself into seeing to every detail of the new building," Dunn said. "He had a real passion and pored himself into it at a time when most of us would have quit. He was ill and had so many setbacks."

Eakman saw the building completed, but he never taught in it.

"He really wanted to do that," Dunn said.

Services were Oct. 13 in Lincoln. Survivors include his wife, Nancy; two sons and daughters-in-law; one daughter and son-in-law; one stepson and his wife; five brothers and one sister-in-law; seven grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to the Horizons Community Church building fund or the donor's choice.

- Connie Walter

Harold Stevens

Harold Stevens, longtime University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension agent in Dawson County, died Oct. 9 in Kearney.

Stevens, 85, was Nebraska's first inductee into the National 4-H Hall of Fame, a tribute to his long-standing dedication to the youth program. The Dawson County 4-H program under his leadership was a leader in livestock judging and exhibits in Nebraska for many years.

Stevens, who received a degree in vocational education and animal science from NU in 1943, was known for many other programs during his career in Dawson County, which ran from 1945 to 1987. He was active in irrigation development and water issues. He initiated a campaign of awareness and action among Dawson County irrigators that eventually led to the passage of LB 198, the Groundwater Recharge Bill, by the 1983 Nebraska Legislature. Passage of this legislation made Nebraska the first state to recognize the benefits of surface water projects for ground water recharge as a statewide policy. He also worked toward passage of the Nebraska Soil Testing bill and worked closely with beef, pork and sheep producers and in control of Goss' wilt in corn.

He conducted more than 100 educational water tours for the Nebraska Public Power District and Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District. He organized a successful effort to establish trees as a "living snowfence" along stretches of road where severe snow drifting occurred.

In addition to his induction into the 4-H hall, Stevens was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement and the Nebraska Animal Science Hall of Fame. He received the U.S. Department of Agriculture Superior Service Award and the Nebraskaland Foundation Pioneer Award.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia, of Kearney; one daughter, Georgia L. Stevens; one son and daughter-in-law, James M. and Linda Stevens; one sister and brother-in-law; two sisters-in-law; three grandchildren and spouses; and several nieces and nephews.

Services were in Lexington. Memorials were established to the University of Nebraska Foundation for the Harold and Virginia Stevens scholarship; Lexington Community Foundation; or the United Methodist Church of Lexington. For information about the NU Foundation scholarship, call 472-2151.