Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, March 1, 1989
3
One-woman act touches hundreds
Eunice Stallworth cries out, mourning the death of her son as Ronnie Bailey's mother in "Soul Gone Home," a play by Langston Hughes. The Lawrence resident's performance last night at the Lawrence Arts Center marked the 100th presentation of her one-woman show, "images."
by Christine Winner
Kansan staff writer
Phyllis Wheatley felt the sting of her master's slap.
It's a convincing scene, even the 100th time around.
Her head jerked back and she lowered her eyes before continuing her plea. She wanted to travel to England, where she believed she was recognized for her poetry and not be exploited as an educated slave.
Eunice Stallworth, Lawrence resident, portrayed Wheateley and four other characters as she celebrated the 100th performance and anniversary of the first production of her one-woman show. At night at the Lawrence Arts Center, Ninth and Vermont streets.
Stallworth created "Images" for a master's thesis in speech communications at the University of She received her degree in 1985.
It took almost two years to complete the research for the show and another six months to polish the performance. Five directors, all men, came and went during that time.
"I would have liked to have had a woman director, but I couldn't find one who wasn't already committed to her own projects," she said.
At first, Stallworth did not anticipate performing her play more than the one performance required for her degree.
"I had no idea it would go on this long " she said.
Her degree had an emphasis in children's theater. She has performed her show for children many times, including a stint in New Orleans where she did 21 shows in 10 days.
She took her act from school to school, and her voice almost gave out near the end of the four.
"The last day, I was performing in a gymnasium and the coach decided to let out his phys-ed class. I was batting that noise with an assembly of about 600 kids," she said.
Besides her work in theater,
Stallworth is the program assistant
in the division of student
affairs at KU. She also is an artist
in the arts department of Packer
Plastics. 2330 Packer Rd.
But Lawrence is not her only stage.
She has performed her show throughout Kansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Louisiana, California, New York.
Texas, Missouri and recently in West Germany.
Stallworth said the focus of her show was to present females in non-traditional roles without emphasizing race.
"Almost all the time, people assume the show is about race, but it's not," she said. "I present characters that range from the 17th century woman to the current-day career woman."
In the 48-minute show. Stallworth performs five scenes arranged from the writings of
Aurand Harris, Joanna Halpert Krause, Martha Hill Newell and Langston Hughes.
One image portrayed in her play is that of Harriet Tubman, who helped slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Another character is Momma, a slave who makes the journey alone from New York to travel alone on the railroad to reach their father and freedom.
Another scene presents a prostitute who grieves over the death of
her 16-year-old son, who died of malnourishment.
In the final scene. Mrs. Bruella Bates Washington Jones dishes out advice to a young purse-snatcher, who she snatches by the ear.
She hopes the messages in her performances reach the children.
"I use this as a tool to keep kids in school," she said. "I encourage kids who are interested in the arts to develop other skills as well. You never know where a profession in the arts will lead."
Commission passes tax abatement
by Merceda Ares
Kansan staff writer
A retail liquor corporation's request for a 50 percent property tax abatement was approved by the Lawrence City Commission last night.
Standard Liquor Corp. of Wichita cited Lawrence as one of two places it was considering for placement of a warehouse and distribution center
Standard Liquor's Lenexa and Topeka branches would be consolidated into the new warehouse being considered by the company.
If the corporation decides to locate in Lawrence, it will pay only 50 percent of its property taxes for the first 10 years. Commissioner Sandra Dodge, of the current property tax would be approximately $2,500 per year.
Liquor distributor receives incentive to build warehouse
Alan Seitwert, corporation planner for Standard Liquor, said Lawrence was the firm's first choice for relocation.
"But purely dollar for dollar comparison, Topika has the edge if Lawrence doesn't offer the abatee." Sewert said during the meeting.
Commissioner Dennis Constance, who cast the only dissenting vote, said he had reservations about establishment agreements to incoming businesses.
ment doesn't create anything new; it just sort of shifts the numbers around. I don't think we need to go to bed atament to lure new business.
"This will be the first in a long line of requests," Constance said. "It's not entirely clear where you cross the line to giving away too much. Abate
Mayor Bob Schumm said abatement was not the only incentive which lured businesses to Lawrence.
Schumm said that for Lawrence to remain competitive with other cities, the abatement policy would have to be maintained.
"We give away far, far less than most communities, because of the quality of life," Schumm said. "Our quality of life really does play an important part in people coming here."
Seiwert said 45 employees, including managerial, technical and general workers, would run the warehouse. However, he said, some employees from the Topeka and Lenexa branches might transfer
"We may realistically have filled one-half of those positions with people we have today." Seiwert said.
In other action, the commission:
■ heard a report from Mieux View,
an architect with Vieux Associates,
that brochures had been sent out to
Loreaux residents explaining the
causes of Business Improvement District.
■ unanimously approved a site plan for a parking lot addition to Pine's Howard Garden Center and Greenhouses, 1320 N. Third St.
unanimously approved the final plot of Monterey West, a residential subdivision down the Lawrence Bible Chapel, 505 Monterey Way.
by Max Evans Kansan staff writer
The Kansas Legislature probably will table a bill that would require the owners of golf course to post daily notices of pesticides being used on the grounds, the bill's sponsor said yesterday.
"I think probably we'll let it rest until next year," said State Rep Jessie Branson, D-Lawrence. She introduced the bill earlier this month.
Branson said that a constituent had urged her to introduce the bill after her friend had a reaction to a fungi sprayed on a Lawrence golf course.
Daconi, the fungicide, is a chemical commonly sprayed on golf courses, according to groundskeepers at local golf courses.
Opponents of the bill questioned whether one negative reaction to the chemical warranted introduction of a bill.
Duane Patton, superintendent at Lawrence Country Club, 400 Country Club Terrace, said that it didn't make sense to base a bill on one incident. Patton said that 100,000 dollars were paid on the course where the incident took place. Only one adverse reaction was reported.
Branson said that the complaint was the main reason she introduced the bill. But she said that her action was justified.
"If you have ever seen someone with a reaction, it's pretty convincing." she said.
Branson said that she did not see
the reaction in question. Instead, she relied on her constituent, who had told her that it was severe.
"That's how it was described to me," Branson said.
Branson said that she made judgments based on her own experiences.
meths based on our own experiences. "I was aware of the risk we have living in a chemical society," she said.
Dick Stuntz, vice president of golf course facilities at Alvamar Golf & Country Club, 1800 Crossgate Drive, disagreed about the risk of poisoning.
"There has never been a confirmed pesticide poisoning from contact after application," Stuntz said.
Stuntz said that the chemicals sprayed on the grounds were heavily diluted and when dry had almost no chance of rubbing off on golfers.
Stuntz is a certified applicator licensed by the Department of Agriculture. He said that all chemicals in human beings were in labeled containers.
Les Allen, office assistant for the Department of Agriculture in Topeka, said that certification involved studying hazardous materials and procedures for their safe application. Applicants then take an examination and, upon passing, are certified for a period of up to three years.
Branson said that she had not decided whether she would re-introduce the bill next year.
"Well, I'm going to see how it goes, and those who are opposed to it, I’m going to talk to." Branson said. "I've never been a victim of a war of It. There’s a lot of support."
Professor ties together black, white literature
by Kathy Walsh Kansan staff writer
In a soft-spoken Southern manner, he describes himself as a Southern
product. But William Andrews,
Hall professor of American literature,
is more than that.
He is the product of a course in autobiography, rarely taugh
when he was a graduate student at the University of North Carolina.
"When I started out in graduate school, no one taught courses in literature other than the literature by whom I graduated, all of whom were white," he said.
The more narratives Andrews read, the more he found that black literature from the 18th and 19th centuries was not limited to figures like Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. He said there were hundreds of narratives published during that period by people who tried to get their story out to the rest of the world.
Andrews said he wanted to find out about the stories because many of the writers were not in a position to make money or become famous. In many cases, the writers paid publishing out of their own pockets, he said.
Andrews' primary areas of interest are both the black and white perspectives on literature, he said.
He said it was important to read American literature as one of multiple perspectives, because the United States always had been a pluralist society.
"That's why I think I am a Hall professor of American literature and not Afro-American literature," he said. "For me, American literature means an inclusive treatment of the ethnic contributions to America."
Doug Atkins, professor of English and chairman of the search committee that appointed Andrews, said that the Hall professor was a distinguished position, a step up from professor.
"The appointment of Professor Andrews is a bonus to the University in that his work is centering on Afro-American literature at a time when the University is seeking minority faculty and faculty members." Atkins said.
In 1986, Andrews published "To Tell a Fare Story: The First Century of Afro-American Autobiography, 1760-1865." He called it the most important autobiographical work he had written.
Andrews is working on a book that addresses the interrelationship between black and white autobiography in the South from 1880 to the present. In his research, Andrews sees a convergence of black and white autobiography writing after the Civil War.
"After the war, I found that while there is a great deal of difference between black perception of life in the South and white perception of life in the South, they frequently address parallel concerns," he said.
Every chapter in the book deals with a different period of Southern history, he said.
before joining the KU faculty in January 1989, Andrew was a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
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