Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

Prem N. Bajaj, associate professor emeritus, mathematics and statistics, has been elected president of the Kansas Authors Club. He was also awarded the organization’s 2010 Service Award.

Shirley Beggs, WSU first lady, is featured in the Second Annual Kansas Women of Distinction Tribute Book presented by Dress for Success Wichita. The WSU Foundation honored Beggs for her leadership on and off campus and her extraordinary personal accomplishments.

Ed Flentje presented “Assessing Political Change in Kansas” at the state Interhab Conference in Wichita on Oct. 14; “Elections 2010: Looking Backward and Forward,” as part of the Emporia State University Social Science Colloquium Series at Emporia State on Oct. 22; and “The 2010 Elections: What Happened and What's Next,” a post-election roundtable at Washburn University in Topeka, Dec. 1.

Douglas Parham, assistant professor, communication sciences and disorders, with Eugene H. Buder, D. Kimbrough Oller and Carol A. Boliek, had “Syllable-related breathing in infants in the second year of life” published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, both in print and online.

George Platt, professor emeritus, presented “Applying Your Knowledge at City Hall”; Melissa Walker, associate professor, “Human Resources Practices: Performance Management Cycle”; and Sam Yeager, professor, “Ethics and Values in Local Government” at the City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officers Institute and Academy in Wichita. Platt, Walker and Yeager are faculty in the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs.

Shalini Prasad, associate professor, electrical engineering, and his team won first place in the faculty division of the Celebrate Aging Research poster competition. The competition was sponsored by Lakepoint Nursing Centers, Wichita Medical Research and Education Foundation and the Regional Institute on Aging. The submitted posters can be found at http://www.wichita.edu/aging.

Katharine Mason, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, has a chapter titled “Evolving Depictions of ‘coming out’ in Young Adult Literature: a Range of Possibilities in 12 Lambda Literary Award Winners (1992-2006)” in volume 2 of “Queers in American Popular Culture: Literature, Pop Art, and Performance,” published October 2010. Her article “From Preservice Teacher to Trusted Adult: Sexual Orientation and Gender Variance in an Online YAL Book Club” was published in the Fall 2010 issue of The ALAN Review.

Katharine Mason made two national presentations in Orlando, Fla., in November: “Toward a More Democratic English Curriculum: Locating and Teaching Queer Consciousness/Community in Young Adult Literature (2005-2010)” at the National Council of Teacher of English (NCTE) convention; and “Where Do I Fit into the Big Picture? Searching for Queer Consciousness/Community in YAL (2005-2010)” at the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, an NCTE workshop.

Linda Mitchell, professor, curriculum and instruction, as the invited keynote speaker, presented “The right to belong: Community, Schools and Family” at the Finding Solutions, Families Together Inc., statewide annual conference held in Wichita in November.

Gayla Lohfink, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction, made a presentation at the Kansas Reading Conference in Junction City in October and was elected secretary of the Kansas Reading Professionals in Higher Education.

Glyn Rimmington, Distinguished Professor of Global Learning, presented the keynote address in September at the ICCC7 (7th International Conference on Intercultural Communication Competence) conference in Khabarovsk, Russia, on the topic of autoethnographic analysis as a basis for understanding the nature of disorientation during intercultural interactions. He also presented the keynote address at the Innovative Teacher-Innovative Economy conference, also held in Khabarovsk in October. The topic was the role of Third Place Learning in preparing learners for the global innovational economy.

Riki Wells, administrative specialist, accounts payable, has had her children’s book, “Sarah’s Special Christmas Day,” published by Tate Publishing in Oklahoma, and had a Dec. 18 book signing at Mead’s Corner. The book is available through amazon.com and tatepublishing.com.

IN MEMORIAM
Glen Dey, 80, professor emeritus, counseling, education and guidance, died Nov. 8 after a longtime residence at Sedgwick Plaza. No local services. He was preceded in death by son Eric Dey. Survivors include daughter, Ann Marie Dey of Dayton, NJ; brothers, Roger Dey of Gresham, Neb., and Ralph Dey of Delaware, Ohio. He was attended in death by Janice Roberts. A memorial has been established with the Wichita Parks and Recreation Department, donation for Grove Park, 455 N. Main, Wichita, KS 67202.

Wallace M. Dunn, 85, former University of Wichita organ instructor, professor emeritus of Friends University and retired organist for First Presbyterian Church, died Nov. 3. Services have been held. A memorial has been established with the First Presbyterian Church Organ Fund, 525 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67214.

Gary G. Thompson, 78, former WSU head basketball coach and Pizza Hut franchisee, died Nov. 13. Private family service. He is survived by his wife, Betty, of 57 years; children, Paul Thompson and Laurel Thompson, both of Tucson, Ariz., and Cory Thompson (Karen) of Wichita; grandchildren, Lenny, Gary, Kelly, Nicki, Jamie, Dante and Sara; great-grandchildren, Tridon, Caleb and Andrew; brother, Keith Thompson (Claire Childress) of Westminster, Colo.; and many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by brother Merrill. A memorial fund has been established with the American Diabetes Association, 837 S. Hillside, Wichita, KS 67211.

John Bart Sevart, 78, retired professor, mechanical engineering, and president, Advance Technology Inc. died Nov. 12. Services have been held. He was preceded in death by his parents, Vernon and Alma (Carland) Sevart, brothers Alan and Dan; sister, Kathleen Metzer; and grandson, Matt Hyder. Survivors are wife, Gwen (Adams), of 58 years; children, Elizabeth Hyder of Wichita, Carol (David) Grisamore of Wichita, Mark (Chris) Sevart of Wichita, E. Michelle Reed of Wichita, Linda (Martin) Smoll of Wichita, Marilyn (Tim) Berry of Mulvane, Kevin Sevart of Wichita and Jennifer (Jeff) Long of Wichita; 32 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; brother, Frank (Joleen) Sevart of Wichita; sister, Lily (Joe) Corso of Riverton, NJ; brother-in-law, Jim Metzer of Squim, Wash., and sisters-in-law Nina Rutherford of Coffeyville and Shoko Sevart of Wichita. Memorials can be made to: St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, 1215 N. Stratford, Wichita, KS 67206 or Catholic Charities, 532 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67214.