Stars come out
Star gazing is always more fun when the stars are UC alumni. And it was never easier than during 2001 because they were everywhere: on your TV, on Broadway, on tour and on stage at the College-Conservatory of Music this summer.
The easiest star to catch is Rodney Van Johnson, Ed '85 ó right on your own TV, appearing as a hot-tempered high school athletic coach in the NBC soap opera "Passions." His prior television credits include "The Young and the Restless," "Grace Under Fire" and "Babylon 5."
Although much is happening on stage, the biggest news for CCM alumni was the opening of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical "Seussical" (pictured above) late in 2000. Responsible for bringing the world of Dr. Seuss alive on stage were Stephen Flaherty, CCM '82, composer, co-writer and co-conceiver; actress Michele Pawk, CCM '85, in a leading role; and actress Sara Gettelfinger, CCM '99.
Across the river in New Jersey, Leslie Kritzer, CCM '99, starred in the Paper Mill Playhouseís production of "Funny Girl," followed by Matt Bogart, CCM '94, who is starring in the Playhouse's production of "Carousel." And for something closer to home for some, Aaron Lazar, CCM '00, toured the nation with "The Scarlet Pimpernel."
But nothing could be more convenient for those who live in Cincinnati than to catch two impressive CCM alumni on campus during the 20th anniversary season of CCM's Hot Summer Nights. CCM's first musical theater graduate Pamela Myers, CCM '69, will showcase her Tony-nominated talents in the title role of "Hello, Dolly!" while Patricia Linhart, MA (CCM) '76, a veteran of the inaugural Hot Summer Nights season and current faculty member, stars in "Once Upon a Mattress."
Both plays will show all summer long in repertory with "Youíre a Good Man, Charlie Brown." For subscription information, call 513-556-4183.
photos/Joan Marcus
Wyler a trustee
Entrepreneur and long-time university supporter Jeffrey Wyler, BusAd '65, is the newest member of the UC Board of Trustees, following his appointment by Ohio Gov. Bob Taft.
Wyler, president and CEO of Jeff Wyler Automotive Family since 1973, has a long record of service to the University of Cincinnati. He is a frequent guest speaker in the College of Evening and Continuing Education and has served on executive levels of the UC Foundation Board of Trustees since 1987. Other board service includes UCATS, the CBA Goering Center, UC Alumni Association and Engineering Alumni Association.
Honors earned by the new trustee include the Carl Lindner Medal for Outstanding Business Achievement, 1992; the Order of the Black Blazer from UCATS, 1998; and the CBA Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, 2000.
Building respect
Continuing to build upon its reputation as an architectural hot spot, the University of Cincinnati and one of its prominent alumni are reaping more awards.
In June 2001, the American Institute of Architects will bestow an Honor Award, its highest achievement for outstanding architecture, on the new College-Conservatory of Music Campus Village, designed by nationally renowned architect Henry Cobb.
In honoring individuals, the AIA chose alumnus Michael Graves, DAAP '58, to receive its Gold Medal. The medal gets added to Graves' collection of more than 120 other awards and brings him into the ranks of past AIA recipients such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry.
On the local level, the Cincinnati AIA chapter gave a Merit Award for design to Raymond Walters College's Science and Allied Health Building and handed two Honor Awards to a team consisting of associate planning professor Brenda Scheer and adjunct assistant professor David Scheer for two design projects, the Corryville Recreation Center and the Center City Project in downtown Terre Haute, Ind.
