Winter 2002
CONTENTS
AROUND THE OVAL
CLASS NOTES
ALUMNI NOTES
Contact Us
PAST ISSUES
Alumni Chat
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Winter 2002 CONTENTS
AROUND THE OVAL Contact Us PAST ISSUES Alumni Chat |
Around the OvalHomecoming 2002
UM and Missoula enjoyed a picture-perfect Homecoming September 21, with blue skies and temperatures in the 60s. Griz football players led the Singing on the Steps on Friday evening (above), with Jim Palmer’s UM logo truck providing a backdrop for a pep rally. A boisterous and beautiful parade, with the theme, “Call of the Wild,” was followed by a 13-6 win over Idaho State in front of a sell-out crowd in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Greetings from the President
To facilitate the effort, I traveled in October to the Republics of Georgia and Kyrgyzstan to sign collaborative agreements with two institutions, the Tbilisi Institute of Asia and Africa in Georgia and Naryn State University in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, I recently signed an agreement for the School of Business Administration to provide support to the Higher School of Business located in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for the collaborative development of an M.B.A. program in that country. We also have set in motion a plan to send a group of students and faculty to Kyrgyzstan within the next year. We have much to do and an ambitious agenda that we believe will help to fill a void in knowledge about the languages, cultures, concerns, and needs of the peoples in this critical area of the world. What a challenging and exciting prospect!
I believe this new initiative offers striking commentary on the commitment of the faculty to respond to national and international needs and challenges. Because of that commitment and the demonstrated diligence to do as we say, UM will sustain its record of responsiveness and excellence.
Star Light, Star Bright
Jazz crooner Dee Daniels ’70 and award-winning artist Dana Boussard ’66, MFA ’68, will be the center of attention when UM’s School of Fine Arts hosts its showcase event this spring, the 2003 Odyssey of the Stars—A Celebration of Artistic Journeys. The annual Odyssey of the Stars event debuted in 2001, less than two years after Fine Arts Dean Shirley Howell arrived on campus. One of her top priorities was to increase scholarship support for talented fine arts students. The event proved a hit at not only raising money for scholarships, but also at providing outstanding entertainment for the greater Missoula area. The first Odyssey featured opera singer Pamela South, H.D. ’02, and country western singer Rob Quist ’70; the second featured film and television actor J.K. (Kim) Simmons ’78 and Emmy Award-winning set designer John Shaffner ’74. Scheduled for April 5 at the University Theatre, the event also highlights current UM students who dream of careers such as those achieved by the honored alumnae. Daniels has achieved world renown as a jazz singer. Her four-octave range and unique style enable her to feel as much at home with soul, scat, blues, and be-bop as she does with her distinctive jazz stylings. Daniels has given command performances for royalty, appeared at international festivals, and performed in concert with jazz legends Lionel Hampton, Johnny Griffin, and Herb Ellis. Dana Boussard, a native Montanan nationally known for her fiber murals, paintings, drawings, and prints, is the 1987 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Visual Arts. Her works can be found in private collections and on display in more than fifty public art projects. (Photo Caption: Dana Boussard) Democracy in Action
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Stephen Breyer brought judicial insight and humor to UM this fall when he delivered the address for the law school’s annual Judge William B. Jones and Judge Edward A. Tamm Judicial Lecture Series. Breyer regaled the audience with humorous anecdotes before moving to more serious matters. Delivering the lecture on September 11, Breyer remembered where he had been a year before: in India on a court-related trip. He talked of an “incredible outpouring of goodwill” from the Indian lawyers he was meeting with. He described the admiration he felt in India “for the way we have built a society that really works ... out of these legal documents that were written 200 years ago.” He went on to describe how the U.S. Constitution is realized in our society as first, the rule of law, and second, through a broad democratic process that involves legislative bodies, courts, public interest groups, and individuals. The third part of the process is when a case reaches the Supreme Court. By that time, Breyer said, there has been much discussion, with many parties and jurisdictions having had their say on the issue. Breyer stressed the amount of consideration cases get before reaching the court. “The democratic process is alive and well and a lot healthier than many people think. The process is what the constitution is about,” he said, adding that the framers never could have imagined the cases the court considers today. “I’ll never argue that our decisions are perfect,” he said. “I would hope they’d be reasonable.” Hydrogen futures 
The potential of hydrogen and related products for energy production has captured the attention of several Montana educational and political leaders. They have formed the Montana Futures Coalition and UM’s College of Technology Dean R. Paul Williamson is spearheading the group’s efforts. The coalition’s goal is to establish the H2 Futures park—a hydrogen-powered campus centered on education, research, and development of hydrogen technologies. The campus would be part of the COT campus in Missoula. Hydrogen energy is an environmentally-friendly renewable energy source and Montana is the only state with all the natural resources required for hydrogen, Williamson says. Hydrogen technologies use a chemical reaction from combining hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. “Positive movement in this direction would attract hundreds of businesses to Montana, creating thousands of jobs and producing billions of dollars in state income,” Williamson says. He notes those interested in the coalition can call (406) 243-7852 or go online at www.cte.umt.edu.
A Full House
Our President, the Hipster 
UM President George Dennison may not be the first person many of us think about when it comes to popular culture or America’s avant garde art movement of the 1970s. But he may be the only person we know who was given a signed print by Andy Warhol. Warhol gave two autographed prints of the artwork shown here (from the famed Cow Wallpaper series) to Dennison in the late 1970s when Dennison was an associate dean at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and Warhol was a visiting lecturer. UM’s president kept one of the prints and donated the other to the University’s permanent art collection, where it recently was shown in an exhibition titled Contemporary Prints from the Permanent Collection: The 1970s.
Bicentennial Bug?
The site was developed by former UM music Professor Joe Mussulman and features many articles by UM history Professor Harry Fritz. (See his story in this issue on page 22.) Initiated in 1997, the site now includes more than 1,200 pages and gets 27,000 hits a day. Mussulman reports that the site has been described by historians as the best source of Lewis and Clark information on the Internet.
The Latest Buzz
Bromenshenk’s team researched the potential for bees “sniffing out” biological and chemical warfare agents with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The team found that honeybees can detect the agents, and their use does not require a person to walk through or be close to mine fields. The United Nations estimates that there are 110 million unexploded land mines worldwide that maim or kill about 26,000 people each year. In war-torn countries, croplands have been mined and fields left barren, leading to agricultural shortfalls, malnutrition, and famine. The research done at UM has the potential to play a role in alleviating both problems. Bromenshenk’s team has caused quite a buzz over the last few years. Research findings have been covered by major media outlets such as The New York Times, MSNBC, Rolling Stone, and even The Tonight Show. The latest findings are to be published this fall in the journal Science.
Who Can Stop This Train? Football has taken Lance Spencer for quite a ride. It has whisked the redshirt freshman from his family’s remote ranch forty-two miles south of Malta to a starting defensive end position for UM’s Grizzlies, the defending I-AA national champions.
In many ways Spencer epitomizes the 2002 Grizzlies halfway through the season. At the start of year he was backing up All-American candidate Ciche Pitcher, a tough tackler from Anaconda. But season-ending injuries to Pitcher thrust Malta’s finest into a starting role—ready or not. And it’s been younger guys like Spencer who’ve stepped up and kept the Grizzly win machine roaring along. When we went to press, the Grizzlies were a perfect 9-0, but it hasn’t been an easy road. Starting the year, the Griz were rich in offensive and defensive linemen—beefy dudes who were featured on a promotional poster under the caption “Rock Solid.” But one by one many star athletes on that poster—guys like Pitcher, Jonny Varona, Curt Colter, and Brian Pelc—have succumbed to injury. The Griz defense didn’t allow a touchdown the first two games of the season. However, while the defense has started giving some ground—allowing 45 points and 331 rushing yards to Southern Utah on October 19—the offense is finding its identity with tough new offensive weapons such as freshman receiver Jon Talmage, sophomore receiver and kick returner Levander Segars, and freshman running back J.R. Waller. After nine games, Talmage had 580 yards receiving and five touchdowns, Segars had amassed a total of 1,167 yards, and Waller had more than 712 rushing and receiving yards and eight TDs.
The offense is led by its bruising offensive line and John Edwards, UM’s senior quarterback from Billings, who has elevated his game since last year’s championship. “Johnny Montana” could as well be nicknamed “Cool Hand Luke.” He has calmly led the Griz to victory after victory. He recently threw a career-high 368 yards with two touchdowns, and for the season he has 2,278 yards passing and twenty-one TDs. But the Griz faced a serious gut check against Portland State October 29. Playing on the road, they found themselves down 21-10 in the third quarter. “I found myself a little more than nervous at that point,” Spencer admits, “but the older guys have this unbelievable type of composure—they were all smiles.” And sure enough, the defense held tough in the waning minutes of the game, giving the offense a chance to score the winning touchdown, a screen pass from Edwards to Waller, with 51 seconds left in regulation. Spencer made his contribution with two sacks; the next week, he had three of a total nine sacks when the champions manhandled Northern Arizona University 38-24 at home. But the injury bug struck again; Talmage left the game with a fractured arm.
Will the 2002 Griz reach a third-straight championship game in Chattanooga? Only time will tell, but this year’s squad already has accomplished a lot. The Northern Arizona win gave UM a school record twenty-three consecutive victories, allowing the Griz to set their sights on the all-time I-AA record of twenty-four consecutive wins. They seem to find a way to win despite injuries and other adversity, and UM head coach Joe Glenn has never lost to a Big Sky Conference team. “It’s just a dream come true being in a situation like this,” says Spencer, a guy who went from winning a Class B state championship in front of 800 fans in Malta to playing for 20,000 screaming lunatics in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. “Grizzly football,” he sighs. “Wow, this is big time.” - Cary Shimek
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As I write this, I have embarked on an exciting journey of discovery in pursuit of new opportunities for the faculty, staff, and students of The University of Montana. In the spirit of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, we now will find ways to engage the University in Central Asia, an area too long ignored by Americans. To that end, Professor Mehrdad Kia and his colleagues have secured federal funding to initiate a Central Asian Studies Program at the University. An expert on the history and culture of Islam and Islamic countries, Professor Kia recently was appointed UM’s Assistant Vice President for Research and Director of International Programs. I have great confidence in his ability and determination to elevate the University to national and international prominence in this important area of study.
Dee Daniels 
Dana Boussard
Stephen Breyer
The University’s enrollment hit an all-time high fall semester. A record 13,058 students registered for fall classes, an increase of 390 or 3.1 percent over last fall’s enrollment of 12,668. The University’s seven professional schools and the College of Technology all experienced a boost in enrollment. The COT posted the single largest increase—10 percent with 933 students this semester.
Have you been bitten by the Lewis and Clark bug yet? If not, are you ready to learn more about the intrepid explorers or to plan a trip along the Corps of Discovery’s trail? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, it may be time to check out the “Discovering Lewis and Clark” Web site, www.lewis-clark.org, one of the best places to learn about the historic travelers and their epic journey. The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebration begins in 2003 and extends through 2006.
UM research Professor Jerry Bromenshenk and fellow researchers have shown that honeybees are potentially more useful than ever imagined. Bromenshenk has demonstrated that bees can be conditioned or trained to find trace levels of chemical and biological warfare agents, including vapors from explosives in land mines. More than that, once the bees have cleared an area of land mines, they are ready to help revitalize agricultural areas with other well-known talents: pollination and production of beeswax. Now, that’s a day’s work.
Joe Glenn has charged to a 37-3 record in three Griz seasons.
Sticky fingers: Jon Talmage reels in a pass.
Power strides: J. R. Waller makes a run for it.
