CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, March 7. 1995
3A
Local works finally recognized
Yumi Chikamori / KANSAN
Robert Green, professor emeritus of art, displays a few of his paintings in his studio.Eight of his paintings will be added to the Smithsonian's permanent collection.
Retired professor's paintings selected by Smithsonian
By Novelda Sommers
Kansan staff writer
No one who knows Robert Green was surprised when the Smithsonian Institution bought eight of the retired KU professor's paintings.
Nick Vacarro, professor of art,
has known Green for more than 30
years.
"This should have happened a long time ago," Vacarro said. "Those of us who know him have always said he is the one of the artists we know who has lived without the recognition they deserve."
It all began when Charles Eldredge, Lawrence resident and former director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art, learned that Elizabeth Broun, the museum's director, was going to visit the University on Feb. 16. He wrote Broun and suggested that she see Green's work.
Brom, a KU graduate and former director of the Spencer Museum of Art, already was familiar with Green's work. She took Eldredge's
advice and selected several of Green's paintings that she thought belonged in the museum's permanent collection.
Thursday, the decision became final. Broun notified Green she had selected eight paintings for the museum. The paintings will be shipped this week.
The package will include a watercolor landscape Green painted near Clinton Lake and an egg tempera painting called "The Clown Juggler."
At 85, Green paints everyday in
his studio on the second floor of his home. Hundreds of paintings are stacked in cabinets reaching from the floor to the ceiling. In one corner sits a bald, beat-up, plaster and canvas mannequin that has been the subject of many of Green's paintings for more than 40 years. He calls it "Neuterina."
"Neuterina, because it's neither male nor female," Green said. "I have used it to paint both."
The mannequin bears little resemblance to some of the paintings it has posed for. In his paintings, Green has transformed the mannequin into a red-haired girl and an angel. He also has painted it 'au naturale', with a white plastic bag over its head. Green said he started covering the head while he was teaching at KU so students would not be startled by its human form. The bag was used to alert his students that it was an object.
To achieve the precise colors of his paintings, Green uses a mortar and pestil to grind pigments from rare stones to powder. They are stored in carefully labeled glass jars in his studio. One color he uses is extracted from ox urine and shipped from India.
"When I visit his studio, I feel I am in the presence of an alchemist," Vacarro said. "One thing an alchemist does is change base metals to gold. Bob's colors come out magical."
Part of that magic, Vacarro said, is Green's originality.
"His work is very personal in concept," he said. "Any important artist always brings originality, not just technical ability, to their paintings."
Green taught painting at KU for 33 years. He retired in 1979 but has remained a devoted teacher, Vacara said.
"He devoted so much of his time to teaching, at times his painting took a back seat to his work," Vacarro said.
Longtime Kansas Union employee dies
By Teresa Veazey
Kansan staff writer
Twenty years ago Gary Salva's car broke down in Lawrence as he was traveling west. The New Jersey native liked the city so much he decided stay.
On Thursday, the day he was supposed to fly back to New Jersey to visit relatives, the 43-year-old Kansas Union employee died in his home.
The Douglas County coroner's office said Salva died of natural causes.
Salva had been the custodial supervisor at the Union for 12 years.
Susan Denneny, Salva's sister-in-law, said Salva had been at home recuperating after being released from the hospital five days earlier.
"We really miss him," Denneny said. "His death came as a shock."
Gary Salva had been a diabetic for 21 years and
"He was an anchor. He knew this place like the back of his hand."
Wayne Pearse
Wayne Pearse
Kansas Union building engineer
had a heart condition, said Salva's sister Barbara.
She said Gary Salva got the flu about two weeks ago and could not recover from his sickness. Salva and his wife, Genelle Denneny, were planning to fly to New Jersey for a visit that same day.
"His body just wouldn't make it," she said. "It's probably for the best the way to do it."
Wayne Pearse, Kansas Union building engineer and Salva's supervisor, said Salva had been a Union employee for 17 years.
"He was an anchor," Pearse said. "He knew this place like the back of his hand."
Pearse said Salva cared about his work at the Union. Although Salva was extremely ill, he attempted to come to work on several occasions.
Barbara Salva said her brother continued to work in snite of his illness.
Pearse said Salva cared about people and would be missed.
"He never complained about being sick," she said. "He was always trying to help someone."
"It's unbelievable how saddened everybody was to hear of his passing," Pearse said. "It was a very sad place here."
Barbara Salva said no services had been arranged but that there were plans to hold a memorial service in a few weeks in Lawrence.
Undergraduates learn math from their peers
By Matthew Friedrichs Kansan staff writer
When Mike Kimbrel, Junction City sophomore, enters 302 Strong Hall for class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, he goes straight to the chalkboard.
Kimbrel is not an overeager student trying to impress the teacher. He teaches Math 002.
Kimbrel is one of about 50 undergraduate students and 10 graduate students who serve as "group leaders" for 18 sections of Math 002 and 46 sections of Math 101, said Carol Lucas, assistant director of the Kansas Algebra Program.
"From a student's perspective, it's just like any other class, except the teacher is young and may be wearing a ball cap," Lucas said.
But Regan Cowan, Scottsdale, Ariz., freshman, disagreed. She has had undergraduate teachers for both Math 002 and Math 101.
"I think it is tough because they haven't had any prior training to teach, and some of them know what to do, but they don't know how to teach it well." Cowan said. "It's pretty confusing for us."
Cowan liked the small size of her classes and said that her teachers knew the materials but still was frustrated by their teaching inexperience.
"I'd probably like math a lot more if I had a really good teacher," said Cowan.
But Bryan Goode, Lenexa sophomore, is confident that he is qualified to teach Math 101.
"I know the material," Goode said. "I don't see any reason why anyone could teach it better than me."
Lucas said the main advantage of using undergraduates to teach was class size. Sections of Math 002 and 101 are kept between 15 and 20 students to ensure personal attention and group interaction.
About 3,000 students enroll in Math 002 and 101 each fall, and about half that many enroll each spring.
"If we did not have undergrads, class sizes would be huge," Lucas said. "Most universities
have gone to huge lecture sizes."
The Kansas Algebra Program tries to ensure teacher quality and provide support for its teachers.
Either Lucas or Marilyn Carlson, director of the program, sits in and takes notes on each group leader's class, Lucas said. Lucas and Carlson then provide the group leader with an evaluation of his or her performance. New group leaders are evaluated twice a semester.
Lucas and Carlson hold weekly meetings that the group leaders are required to attend. In the meetings, they review the materials to be covered in class and discuss presentation strategies.
Lucas and Carlson also respond to student complaints.
"If one of the students comes to us with a question about a group leader, we take those questions and address them," said Lucas.
Carlson selects the students who serve as the group leaders, Lucas said. In addition to requiring a proficiency in math of at least Math 122 — Calculus II, Carlson also requires prospective group leaders to work problems on the board in front of her and looks for personality, understandability and language skills.
Besides the job it provides, Kimbrel said he enjoyed the teaching experience.
"Not too many undergraduate students get to stand up, present the material and run with it," he said.
Kimbrel said that his students had not dwelled on his relative youth or lack of teaching experience.
"They respect me because of the position I'm in, and I respect them back," Kimbrel said. "Once they get over the initial shock of age, they look past that and accept me for what I'm up there to do."
Katie Masterson, Parker, Colo., freshman, said that she expected an older instructor to teach her Math 002 class but that her sophomore instructor had been an effective teacher.
"As long as I'm being taught what I need to know to take the test, I don't care who's teaching me," Masterson said.
Kansan staff report
A KU student's license plate, bearing the words "No Fear," was stolen from a car while it was parked in a lot at the Ramada Inn, 2222 W. Sixth St., Lawrence police reported Sunday.
Fabio DeAndrade, Lawrence sophomore, told police that his Douglas County vanity tag had been stolen from his yellow 1995 BMW sometime Saturday evening or Sunday morning. DeAndrade told
Blood drive: a time for giving and competition
police that his front tag, which was identical, was stolen on March 2.
DeAndrade, who has purchased new plates for his car, said the incident was a major inconvenience for him.
In February, a person driving a yellow 1995 BMW with Douglas County license plates that read "No Fear" was reported for reckless driving.
"It cost me about $50 to replace both tags," he said. "It just bothers me that people would do things like this."
By Ian Ritter
Kansan staff writer
Today, tomorrow and Thursday the Douglas County Red Cross blood drive will be conducted in the Kansas and Burge Unions from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Friday, collection posts will be in Oliver and Templin residence halls from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Blood will be gushing out of people's arms on campus today.
The Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association have sponsored the blood drive for about 10 years, said Becky Carl, vice president of philanthropy and community service for Panhellenic and co-coordinator of the blood drive.
"The word's really out this time, and we've got a crew that's really motivated," said Gale Sigurdson, donor resources associate for the Red Cross.
David Siras, vice president of fraternity affairs for Interfraternity Council and co-coordinator of
They want your blood
The blood drive will be conducted today, tomorrow and Thursday in the Kansas and Burge Unions. The drive will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
On Friday, the drive will be conducted at Oliver and Templin residence halls from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
the drive, said that KU and Kansas State University competed against each other in the blood drive. A trophy is given to the university that donates the most blood. He said that he hoped KU would win the award for this year's drive and beat out K-State for the first time in recent memory. "We've never had that trophy because we've
"We've never had that trophy because we've never beaten them," he said.
In October 1993, KU donated 775 pints of blood compared to K-State's 871 pints.
Pizza Hut, which is one of the 10 sponsors of the drive, will be giving out an order of bread sticks to each person who donates blood. Cookies, coffee and juice also will be provided by the Red Cross, and a television with a VCR will be playing movies.
Sigurdson said that there were very few people who fainted from giving blood. She said that usually only a few people at each blood drive experienced any lightheadedness from donating blood.
"If you're all stressed out and you think you're going to faint, you're psyching yourself out," she said.
Sigurdson said that people should get a good night's sleep before donating and should not give blood on an empty stomach.
Sigurdson said walk-ins were welcome.
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"I don't know if it's the rural atmosphere or not, but they seem to have a better turn out," Sigurdson said.
After the blood is donated, it is ready to be used 24 hours after it is tested in Wichita.
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