February 14, 1997
Receiving awards at the 1997 January Celebration were, from left to
right, Fran Fiala, Gwendolyn Newkirk, Melinda Holcombe, Senel (Tuzen)
Aksu and Marie Knickrehm.
Awards Highlight January Celebration
Five people were honored at the annual College of Human Resources
and Family Sciences January Celebration. Dean Karen Craig presented the
awards to Fran Fiala, Gwendolyn Newkirk, Marie Knickrehm and Melinda
Holcombe,
all of Lincoln, and Senel Aksu of Izmir, Turkey, for their outstanding
professional
excellence influencing the lives of many individuals, families and
communities.
The Elinor Kerrey Entrepreneurial Award was presented to Fran Fiala of
Lincoln.
This award is presented to a person who has demonstrated leadership in
development
of new products or services enhancing the quality of life of individuals
and families. Fiala has been a central figure in Lincoln retailing since
early 1970s.
Melinda Holcombe received the Jeanne Vierk Yeutter and Community Service
Award in honor of her leadership in support of individual families and
communities
as a volunteer in Lincoln.
Marie Knickrehm and Gwendolyn Newkirk were recipients of the Friend of
the
College Award. During Knickrehm's tenure at NU in the Department of Food
and Nutrition she made significant contributions through her innovative
approach to teaching Food Service Management to both undergraduate and
graduate
students. Newkirk has been recognized internationally for her leadership
in home economics. During her distinguished career she held a number of
positions, including department chair and professor of home economics at
NU.
Senel (Tuzun) Aksu from Izmir of Turkey received the Natalie Hahn
International
Award. This award was established to recognize individuals who have
demonstrated
outstanding leadership in changing the quality of life of individuals
throughout
the world. Aksu has developed many organizations for Turkish migrant
women
in Belgium. She received her B.S. degree in Home Economics from NU in
1967.
Currently her efforts focus on the International Council on Women where
she is vice president.
Arboretum Pioneer Young Dies
Joseph O. Young, 82, of Lincoln, a horticulturist who helped found the
Nebraska
Statewide Arboretum and was its first director, died Feb. 9 in
Lincoln.
A longtime NU professor of horticulture, Young was "a visionary and
one of the key early people in formulating the concept of a statewide
arboretum,"
said Jim Locklear, the arboretum's current director.
Under Young's leadership, Nebraska was the first state to create a
statewide
network of arboretum sites linked through a common organization.
In 1978, Young and other supporters incorporated the Nebraska Statewide
Arboretum as a nonprofit membership organization. This concept
encouraged tree planting and to allow Nebraskans to see
firsthand what types of trees, shrubs and plants performed well in a
particular
area.
Young served as arboretum director until retiring from UNL in 1980 as an
emeritus professor of horticulture, and continued to promote and advise
the arboretum.
"He was one of our strongest ambassadors and advocates,"
Locklear
said.
Young came to UNL in 1958 as chair of the Department of Horticulture and
Forestry, a position he held until 1974, when he continued his work as a
horticulture professor. During his years at UNL, he was a visiting
professor
at universities in Kabul, Afghanistan, from 1975-77 and in Bogota,
Columbia,
from 1970-71.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Carnahan Young, of Lincoln, five
children,
three step-children, a brother, eight grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth Cowgill Young.
Students, Faculty in Acting Competition
Robert Hurst, a graduate student in theatre
arts from Columbia, La., recently won the regional prize in the Irene
Ryan
Acting Award Competition, qualifying him for the national competition in
April in Washington, D.C.
Seven students from the university were among 196 students from eight
states
who competed at the regional festival in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Four
UNL students were among 36 who competed in the regional semifinals.
The Ryan Competition is sponsored by the Kennedy Center and the American
College Theatre Festival. Students compete regionally for scholarships
and
other prizes.
Faculty award winners at the competition were Janice Stauffer, associate
professor, theatre arts and dance, who received a meritorious achievement
award in costume design for the UNL production of A Comedy of
Errors;
and Paul Steger, assistant professor, theatre arts and dance, who
received
a meritorious achievement award in directing for A Comedy of
Errors.
Stephen Ragsdale Joins Editorial Board
Stephen Ragsdale, professor of Biochemistry, has accepted an invitation
to join the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry,
a
publication of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology.
It is one of the top-ranked journals in the field. Ragsdale's term
extends
from July 1997 through June 2002. He also serves on the editorial boards
of the Journal of Bacteriology and of Biofactors.
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