WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3A
SPEAKER
Lecture to review Wilt's impact
Wilt Chamberlain, standing at 7-feet-1-inch, will be the subject of Aram Goudzaujour's speech tonight at 7 p.m. in Ellsworth Hall. Chamberlain was a member of the KU men's basketball team from 1958 to 1968 and still holds KU career records for rebounds and points on average.
Kathy Lafferty/Spencer Research Library
BY DEJUAN ATWAY
datway@kansan.com
KANSAN STAMP WRITER
Even after his death in 1999, Wilt Chamberlain's massive 7-foot-1 frame casts a large shadow on the history of Lawrence. The legendary basketball figure will be the subject of a speech at 7 p.m. tonight in Ellsworth Hall.
Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis history professor, will give a lecture about Chamberlain's role in the desegregation of Lawrence as well as the political impact African-Americans have had in motion pictures and sports.
"He was the most preeminent black person in Kansas during his KU tenure," Goudsouzian said. "He was something of a transitional figure, a black celebrity, who in this context transcended race."
Chamberlain was a member of the KU basketball team from 1955 to 1958 and still holds KU career records for most rebounds and points per game averages. As a sophomore, he led the University to the national championship game in 1957 before losing in triple overtime to North Carolina, 54-53. Chamberlain left after his junior year to sign a lucrative contract from the Harlem Globetrotters.
Chamberlain opened the eyes of Lawrence citizens toward the ugly realities that Jim Crow laws represented, said Bill Tuttle, professor of American studies. But he never publicly challenged the de facto segregation that existed in the city.
Goudsouzian also will discuss the colossal expectations heaped on Chamberlain, and how many KU fans felt his time in Lawrence was a disappointment.
Goudsouzian said he had initially intended to write a novel about the legendary rivalry between Chamberlain and Boston Celtics great Bill Russell.
"He did have a lot to do with desegregating restaurants and barbershops in Lawrence," he said. "But he chose his
"He forced the broader public to consider him as an individual, as a man with pride, faults and idiosyncrasies and enormous charm," Goudsouzian said. "Chamberlain was something of a campus celebrity from the moment he arrived in Kansas in the fall of 1955."
battles wisely because he never confronted the fraternity and sorority systems, which to this day are essentially still segregated."
Andrew Mohr, Overland Park junior and history major, said he planned to attend the lecture because of the important social change that was ushered in shortly after Chamberlain departed from Lawrence.
but he discovered a treasure trove of material about Chamberlain during his research.
"He is still considered the most dominant player ever to play at KU and lived a fascinating life," Mohr said. "I would love to know more about his personal life."
- Edited by Matt Wilson
NATIONAL
BY LYNN BREZOSKY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The hunting accident that produced a raft of Dick Cheney jokes and was briefly a source of merriment at the White House took a more serious turn Tuesday.
Harry Whittington, the 78-year-old lawyer shot by Cheney, suffered a mild heart attack after a shotgun pellet in his chest traveled to his heart, hospital officials said.
Whittington was immediately moved back to the intensive care unit and will be watched for a week to make sure more of the metal pellets do not move to other vital organs. He was reported in stable condition.
Just hours earlier, the chief White House spokesman joked that the burnt orange school colors of the visiting University of Texas championship football team should not be confused
for hunters' safety gear.
"The orange that they're wearing is not because they're concerned that the vice president may be there," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. "That's why I'm wearing it."
Whittington suffered a "silent heart attack" — obstructed blood flow, but without the classic heart-attack symptoms of pain and pressure, according to doctors at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial.
The doctors said they decided to treat the situation conservatively and leave the pellet alone rather than operate to remove it. They said they are extremely optimistic Whittington will recover and live a healthy life with the pellet left in place.
Asked whether the pellet could move farther into his heart and become fatal, hospital officials said that was a hypothetical question they could not answer.
concerned about the six to 200 other pieces of birdshot that might still be lodged in Whittington's body. Cheney was using 7 1/2 shot from a 28-gauge shotgun. Shotgun pellets are typically made of steel or lead; the pellets in a 7 1/2 shot are just under a tenth of an inch in diameter.
Hospital officials said they were not
Cheney watched the news conference where doctors described Whittington's complications. Then the vice president called him, wished him well and asked if there was anything that he needed.
"The vice president said that he stood ready to assist. Mr. Whittington's spirits were good, but obviously his situation deserves the careful monitoring that his doctors are providing," the vice president's office said in a statement.
Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not spoken publicly about the accident, which took place Saturday night while the vice president was aiming
for a quail. Critics of the Bush administration called for more answers from Cheney himself.
The furor over the accident and the White House delay in making it public are "part of the secretive nature of this administration," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "I think it's time the American people heard from the vice president."
Whittington has said through hospital officials that he did not want to comment on the shooting. A young man at Whittington's Austin home who identified himself as his grandson said Tuesday he did not have time to talk to a reporter and closed the door.
Before hospital officials announced details of Whittington's condition, the hunting accident had produced lots of Cheney jokes on late-night television.
"I think Cheney is starting to lose it," Jay Leno said. "After he shot the guy he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wiretapping illegal!'!"
ON CAMPUS
- Stan Roth, retired Lawrence High School science teacher, is giving a lecture, "Bats in Kansas", as part of the University Forum Series at noon in the Ecumenical Christian Ministries Center.
- The University Career Center is sponsoring a workshop entitled "Dynamic Interviewing Skills" at 3:30 p.m. today at the Burge Union, Room 149.
- There is a panel discussion entitled "Arts & Science: Two Cultures" at 3:30 p.m. today at the Hall Center.
- Tom Laming, College of Liberal Arts and Science advisory board member, is giving a lecture entitled "The Role of Science in the History and Future of Investing" at 4 p.m. today at the Alderson Auditorium of the Kansas Union.
♦ The Soweto Gospel Choir is performing at 7:30 p.m. today in the Lied Center. Tickets range from $11.50 to $28.
ON THE RECORD
A KU Public Safety Officer responded to a car concerning a suspicious package found at 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. at 12:11 p.m. Monday. At 1:54, the Overland Park Police Department's bomb squad opened the package, which contained a used pair of Timberland hiking boots.
HOUSING
Student housing to operate under interim dean Diana Robertson
The interim dean of the Department of Student Housing was named Tuesday at the University of Kansas. Diana Robertson, associate director of student housing, will take the position starting next month when Ken Stoner leaves for a position at the University of Tennessee.
Stoner is leaving the University after 20 years to take the position of interim assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and executive director of housing.
Robertson has worked with Stoner at the University since 1999. She has held positions in the Department of Student Housing at both North Carolina State University and Kansas State University.
The University will conduct a national search for a permanent replacement for the director.
— Rachel Parker
CRIME
12-year-old gives schoolmate meth
OTTAWA - A 12-year-old girl brought methamphetamine to Ottawa Middle School last week and gave it to another student, Ottawa police said.
Capt. Randy Allan said a girl became sick on Thursday and the subsequent investigation resulted in police obtaining a search warrant and arresting three adults at an Ottawa residence.
The Associated Press
Forget Wescoe, WALK TO THE WHEEL for home-cooked meals
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Need Help Preparing for the GRE?
Graduate Students in the Department of Psychology are conducting a research study this Spring Semester. As part of that study, free GRE tutorials and practice tests will be offered.
Contact: Matt Gallagher at gre@ku.edu for more information Program begins February 20th
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