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Friday, April 13, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Chamber of Commerce creates task forces
By Chris Siron
Kansas staff writer
The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce reorganized its committees into task forces in an effort to address specific concerns, chamber officials have announced.
John Lungstum, chamber chairman, said the chamber was skriving to make itself more active.
"in the past the chamber stoor for worthwhile ideas but often was not active in working for her."
At a general membership meeting Wednesday, Lungstrum spoke to about 108 chamber members about efforts to create an organized, influential voice for the Lawrence business community.
He said the new task-force structure was organized with defined goals in mind.
Twenty task forces have been organized, but Lungstrum said task forces would be formed and dissolved to meet changing needs.
"We want to do things with results and not just lip service." Lumgstrum said.
The procedures for changing task forces has not been made final, but Lungstrum said the chamber's board of directors would examine and approve new task forces. Members will be notified of new task forces through the chamber's monthly newsletters.
Existing task forces include ones for addressing property tax concerns, agricultural development, highway expansion and improvement, Margin of safety and communication with state and city government.
Lungstrum said that task forces might be
created to focus on Haskell Indian Junior College affairs and cultural programs if the chamber determined sufficient need.
Philip Bradley, chairman of the newly formed Member Recognition Task Force, said he was optimistic about the changes. The task forces should allow more direct access to the chamber.
"The goal is very admirable." Bradley said. "There may be growing pains, but the new step away from standing committees with a broad focus on general concerns to the more flexible arrangement has a very positive intent."
Gary Toebben, chamber director, said one important aspect of the task-force structure was that members would not be expected to keep the jobs on a long-term basis.
Retirement dinner to honor service to University
By a Kansan reporter
KU faculty and staff members who retire during the 1990 fiscal year will be honored May 7 at a dinner in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Chancellor and Mrs. Gene A. Budig will be hosts of the annual dinner sponsored by the University of Kansas Medical Center. A KU alumnus Walter Bobstenegel
Reservations for the 6 p.m. retirement dinner should be made with Marian McCorkill, the association's assistant to the president. Tickets are $12, and the deadline for reservations is 5 p.m. May 4. The 23 honored retirees will be guests of the Endowment Association.
The faculty and staff who retired in 1989 are:
Earl Shurtz, professor emeritus of law, served 33 years before retiring in May.
Marilyn Richtarki, physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, served 28 years before retiring in September.
Lorraine Hammer, electron microscopist in physiology and cell biology, served 31 years before retiring in November.
Faculty and staff who retired in December 1989 are Paul Goldhammer, professor of physics and astronomy, 26 years; Ogden Lindsay, professor of educational policy and administration, 25 years; Ruth Noyce, professor of curriculum and instruction, 18 years; Sesto Prete, professor of classics, 21 years; Harry
Talley, professor of electrical and computer engineering, 25 years; Lee Young, William Allen White distinguished professor of journalism, 24 years.
The faculty and staff who retired in January are: Emerson Hazlett, director of the Center for Economic Education, 11 years; Josephine Lutz, to be Independent Study and Division of Continuing Education, 20 years.
Faculty and staff training in May are John Brushwood, Roy A. Roberts distinguished professor of Spanish and Portuguese, 22 years; Jean Gagen, professor of English, 23 years; Paul Gilles, University distinguished professor of chemistry, 42 years; Paul Gump, professor of psychology, 29 years; Roy Laird, professor of political science, 32 years; Chu-tsing Li, Judith H. Murphy distinguished professor of history of art, 23 years; Robert Ridgway, professor of curriculum and instruction, 36 years; Harry Shaffer, professor of economics and Soviet and East European studies, 33 years; Ellen Tefft, professor of art, 39 years.
Those retiring in June are Clark Coan, associate dean of student life and director of foreign student services, 33 years; L. Don Scheid, associate dean of fine arts and professor of clarinet, 35 years.
Lenoir Ekdahl of student housing in tenure in July after 34 years of service
Southwestern Bell widens its service
By Chris Siron
Kansan staff writer
Southwestern Bell is expanding its directory assistance program, but the improved service will not be free.
Patrick Geachwind, Southwestern Bell operator services manager, said the company installed an updated directory assistance program two weeks ago in Kansas City, Mo., that allowed operators to dial numbers at the customer's request.
He said that plans to install the service in Kansas were tentative but that the company had begun a five-year, $160 million program to upgrade all of its service in Kansas. The directory assistance improvements may be included in some phase of the upgrades.
Geschwind said customers with the new service would be charged 30 cents for a direct local connection. The customer is notified of the change by the computer message that relays the telephone number to the customer.
Geschwind said callers had the option of allowing the computer to dial the number or hanging up. On a call involving other operator numbers, Gischwend would credit card numbers, the charge increases to as much as $2.40.
The program now is available to
about 2,200 Kansas City, Mo., customers, Geschwind said. Plans have been made to expand the service throughout Missouri in 1990.
He said that since the service was installed, about 15 percent of directory assistance callers were using it.
"It is perfect for people using cellular phones," he said. "They don't want to take their eyes off the road to punch a bunch of unfamiliar numbers."
Alice Anastos, Southwestern Bell district manager of media relations, said the service would be regulated by the Kansas Corporation Commission before it could be installed in Kansas.
"To my knowledge we haven't applied for permission, but that service and services like it are in the works to suit customer requests in different areas," she said.
Southwestern Bell allows three free directory assistance telephone calls monthly. Each additional request costs 45 cents. Operators will provide only two different numbers during each call.
CAT FIGHT: A KU student tried to kill his roommate's 4-month-old cat early Wednesday after the cat used his bed as a litter box and woke him up, the student's roommate told police.
Local briefs
The student bounced the cat against the wall and threw it down the stairs. He then chased the cat out of the apartment in the 2500 block of West Sixth Street, according to the report.
Police did not release his blood alcohol level.
DRUNK MAN SHOT: A 40-year-old Lecompton man received a gunshot wound to his left calf while walking Tuesday on a levee near Riverfront Park, Lawrence police reported.
An acquaintance found the man on the floor of the man's home in Lecompton and took him to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, according to the report. The man was uncooperative because of his intoxication level and disorientation.
The man did not remember much about being shot and did not remember how he had returned to Lecompton, the report stated. The man's shin bone was broken by the bullet, and the wound was deep in his palpal, he was transferred to the University of Kansas Medical Center for surgery.
Police have no suspects in the shooting.
GRADUATES WIN AWARD: A small-business case study done by four KU graduates won the National Small Business Institute Case of the Year award.
Judges in the competition, sponsored by the Small Business Administration in Washington, chose the team from about 500 programs nationwide.
The four KU students, who graduated in Fall 1989, wrote the winning case report for Colorport Inc., 1411 W. 23rd St., a Lawrence paint and wall-covering company that employs five people.
Kathleen Bryant, director of the KU Small Business Institute that sponsored the project, said the KU project was chosen for its overall thoroughness and practicality. She said the case study also addressed problems and could be understood by the business owner.
The winning students were Duane L. Stohs, Leroy; Steven Gafrick, Overland Park; Jeff Smith, Independent John McGraw, St. Charles, Mar.
Gafrick said the team presented 20 to 30 ideas which included new store layouts, a computer system and a website to win government contracts.
The project was completed May 1 1989.
Cecil Bairy, co-owner of Colorport, said that the students' work was beneficial and that he planned to present some of the students' ideas.
"They聚从 an awful lot of time on it," he said. "It helped from the standpoint of having someone come in and make and make long-term suggestions."
EMPLOYEE AWARD GIVEN:
Francesce Mudge-Lisk, Overland Park school, was presented the Outstanding Contribution Award on March 28 by the Federal Women's Program of Kansas City, Mo.
The annual award recognizes female federal employees' job commitment and performance, as well as service to the community.
Mudge-Lisk commutes daily from Lawrence to work in Overland Park at the Marine Corps Reserve Support
Center. She operates a camera in the micrographics section, which converts personnel records from paper to microfibre.
She was nominated for the award because of her record of achieving 10 percent more than assigned production levels, said Staff Sgt. Christine Erb of the support center.
BOARD PICKS COORDINATOR:
The Student Senate Transportation
Board last week chose its new coordi-
nator for 1991.
MaryEllen Henderson, Lawrence junior, will replace Charles Bryan, Lawrence senior. She will work with a new teacher and graduate in April 30, when his term expires.
Henderson, 26, is returning to school after working in Kansas City, Mo., at two business firms as an account executive and marketer. Henderson was chosen from a group of eight candidates for the position.
She said she thought the board chose her because she had acquired professional experience in recent years.
Her term lasts until April 30, 1991. The board is composed of seven members appointed to two-year term in the student body president, Bryan said.
WALK NAMED FOR WATSON:
Lawrence Riverfront Plaza representatives announced yesterday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that the plaza's promenade, on the north side of the building, be named in honor of Buford Watson.
Watson, who died about six months ago, was Lawrence city manager from January 1970 to October 1989.
The $21 million, 150,000-square-foot plaza eventually will hold about 55 factory outlet stores.
Ten of the stores opened April 6. Fifteen stores are open now.