THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006
NEWS
3A
ELECTION
Al Spradlin, chairman of the electoral board for the City of Chesapeake, looks over precinct tapes Wednesday afternoon, in Chesapeake, Va. In a race that was too close to call for most of the day, Democrat Jim Webb defended incumbent Sen. George Allen by a small call.
Vicki Cronis/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Democrats obtain 51st seat in Senate
BY LIZ SIDOTI ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans Wednesday with an upset victory in Virginia, giving the party complete domination of Capitol Hill for the first time since 1994.
Jim Webb's squeaker win over incumbent Sen. George Allen gave Democrats their 51st seat in the Senate, an astonishing turnabout at the hands of voters unhappy with Republican scandal and unabated violence in Iraq. Allen was the sixth Republican incumbent senator defeated in Tuesday's elections.
The Senate had teetered at 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans for most of Wednesday, with Virginia hanging in the balance. Webb's victory ended Republican hopes of eking out a 50-50 split, with Vice President Dick Cheney wielding
The Associated Press contacted election officials in all 134 localities where voting occurred, obtaining updated numbers Wednesday. About half the localities said they had completed their postselection canvassing and nearly all had counted outstanding absentees. Most were expected to be finished by Friday.
The new AP count showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236. Virginia has had two statewide vote recounts in modern history, but both resulted in vote changes of no more than a few hundred votes.
An adviser to Allen, speaking on condition of anonymity because his boss had not formally decided to end the campaign, said the senator wanted to wait until most of canvassing was completed before announcing his decision, possibly as early as Thursday evening.
》 OBITUARY
Former mathematics professor dies after decades of dedication
BY DARLA SLIPKE
G. Baley Price, a former professor of mathematics and former chairman of the department, died Tuesday at the age of 101.
Price taught at the University from 1937 to 1975, except from 1943 to 1945 when he worked for the U.S. Army Air Corps, the precursor to the Air Force, to test the use of radar to help World War II bomber pilots improve their accuracy.
He was the chairman of the department of mathematics from 1951 to 1970, during the Sputnik Era, when there was a large push for the study of mathematics.
Charles Himmelberg, chairman of the department of mathematics
Jack Porter, chairman of the department of mathematics, said Price was forward-thinking.
from 1978 to 1999, said Price was instrumental in bringing great educators to campus during that period.
"When he thought he had a good idea, he would move on with it." Porter said. "He was a real innovator. He was willing to start up programs that still exist today."
Price played a significant role in the development of New Math, a revolutionary approach to teaching mathematics that taught concepts, rather than memorization, so that students would understand skills and be able to apply them.
"His service to the math program is famous," Porter said. "He was a
real legend and an amazing person."
real legend and an amazing person.
Price's colleagues said he was devoted to the program.
Porter said even after Price retired, he would discuss the department with Porter at University events.
Himmelberg said Price would have stayed on as chairman longer if not for a strict policy that required people in administrative posts to retire from the post at the age of 65.
Former colleagues said Price was kind and helpful to them in their careers.
Fred Van Vleck, professor emeritus of mathematics, wrote two books with Price during a three-year span. During one of his first years teaching in the 1960s, Vleck said he and Price taught sections of the same
math class. When the classes carried over into the second semester, some students wanted to switch to Price's section. Van Vleck said he has never forgotten the support he got from the experienced professor when he talked the students into staying in his section.
Himmelberg said Price was "like a fatherly figure" to him. He said he learned a lot from Price's example.
Price was "straight-laced" and "very correct in everything he did," Himmelberg said.
Kansan staff writer Darla Slipke can be contacted at dslipke@kansan.com.
Edited by Elyse Weidner
SPEAKER
Publisher to analyze dictionary's evolution
BY BEN SMITH
John Morse is always asked about having a favorite word in the dictionary.
"I can never answer that question," said Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster Inc. "I'm like a grandmother with so many grandchildren. I have a deep love for all language and words. I can't have any favorites."
As part of the dictionary's bicentennial celebration, Morse will speak at 7:30 tonight at the Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
The lecture, "Dictionaries and Democracy: 200 years of Dictionary Making in America, 1806-2006," will discuss the life of Noah Webster
the first American lexicographer
— and his first dictionary, which incorporated the words "skunk" and "porcupine" into the English language and eliminated the letter "u" from the words "labor" and "color"
The lecture will cover the evolution of the American dictionary from the 1806 version to the 1847 edition, revised by George and Charles Merriam after Webster's death in 1843, and finally to the contemporary versions, which are working to incorporate words like "mouse potato," (noun, slang: a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer).
Lisa Etiner, Oread Books supervisor, said she received e-mails and phone calls that expressed interest
in the lecture. Oread Books will sponsor the lecture, along with 11 other lectures this semester.
Morse said the dictionary was a "quintessential American document" from its first publication through today.
He said Webster's dictionary was revolutionary because it was the first to incorporate terms from science and technology, rather than just literary terminology.
"One of my main messages is that it is a very powerful glossary of life," Morse said. "Many people don't seem to realize that."
Arthur Bicknell, Merriam- Webster senior publicist, said the lecture was designed to show people how important the Webster Dictionary had been to American
culture. The lecture will focus on early versions of the dictionary.
"Prior to 1806 we had used only English dictionaries." Bicknell said. "This didn't seem right. We were our own entity and Webster saw that."
Bicknell said some American words didn't exist in a dictionary before Noah Webster wrote them down. Words like "hickory," "chowder," and "applesauce" that were commonly used in the United States had been basically ignored by English lexicographers.
Kansan staff writer Ben Smith can be contacted at bsmith@ kansan.com.
Edited by Derek Korte
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