Volume 8 • Number 4 • SPRING 2008 Hollywood sitcoms. Hollywood hit behind talent the is ’73, M.S. Barylski, Deborah Illinois St Illinois alumni magazine alumni ate Illinois State alumni magazine Volume 8, Number 4, Spring 2008
Editorial advisory GROUP Deb Gentry, Ed.D. ’90; Pete Guither; Amy Humphreys; Joy Hutchcraft; Lynn Kennell; Katy Killian ’92; Todd Kober ’97, M.S. ’99; Claire Lieberman; Marilee (Zielinski) Rapp ’63; Jim Thompson ’80, M.S. ’89; Mark Troester ’74, M.S. ’79; Toni Tucker
Publisher, Stephanie Epp, Ed.D. ’07 Editor-in-chief, Susan Marquardt Blystone ’84, M.S. ’03 alumni Editor, Annette States Levitt ’96, M.S. ’02
Class notes Editor, Leisa Barbour, M.S. ’06 Copy Editors, Susan Marquardt Blystone ’84, M.S. ’03, Elaine Graybill lead Designer, Dave Jorgensen, M.S. ’03 Designers, Laura DiMascio, Michael Mahle PHOTOGRAPHER, Lyndsie Schlink ’04 The First PRODUCTION coordinator, Mary (Mulhall) Cowdery ’80 writers, Kate Arthur, Steven Barcus ’06, Elaine Graybill, Tom Nugent Word Illinois State (USPS 019606) is published quarterly for members of the Illinois State University Alumni Association at Bone Student Center 146, 100 North University Street, Normal, Illinois 61790-3100. Periodicals postage paid at Normal, Illinois, and at additional mailing offices. Ais ending,nother which means academic our alumni base will grow again.year When our May Magazine editorial offices are located at Bone Student Center 146, graduates are included, we will have more than 170,000 individuals who 100 North University Street, Normal, Illinois 61790-3100; telephone call Illinois State their alma mater. (309) 438-2586; facsimile (309) 438-8057; e-mail alumni@IllinoisState. edu; Web site www.IllinoisState.edu/alumni. Postmaster: Send address While it is impossible to characterize such a diverse group, there are changes to Illinois State, Illinois State University, Campus Box 8000, facts and figures that provide insights about our alumni. One statistic of Normal, IL 61790-8000. interest is that most of our graduates completed degrees in the College of Voluntary subscriptions of $25 per year to help defray the mounting expenses associated with publishing Illinois State are greatly appreciated. Arts and Sciences, followed by the College of Education. Checks payable to the Illinois State Foundation can be sent to Alumni The majority of graduates are found within Illinois, and yet we have Relations, Campus Box 3100, Normal, IL 61790-3100. Call Alumni Relations at (309) 438-2586 with any questions. alumni across the country. California ranks as the state with the most Material may be reprinted with prior approval, provided no commercial after Illinois, followed by Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Chicago endorsement is implied and credit is given to the author, to Illinois State boasts the most alumni in a given city. The communities outside of Illinois University, and to Illinois State. with the highest number of alums are, respectively, St. Louis, Phoenix, Web site: www.IllinoisState.edu Indianapolis, Houston, and Tucson. An equal opportunity/affirmative action university encouraging diversity 08-0008 The largest number of living alumni crossed the commencement stage Alumni association board of directors in the 1990s, however, we are blessed to still have graduates from the past Dan Kelley ’70, President 80 years. There are 211 Illinois State alumni from the 1920s living, with Greg Ayers ’90 Richard Clemmons ’72 1,421 from the 1930s. Bob Freitag ’84 When I reflect on this data, I realize how much the numbers can never Jerry Kerber ’74 Emily Miller Kimmey ’99, M.S. ’01 reveal. Statistics cannot convey the stories our graduates treasure from Tom Lamont ’69 their collegiate years. Friendships were forged, career paths solidified, and Lynda Lane ’66 Larry Little ’69 a foundation for the future put into place when our current alumni were Mary Ann Louderback ’74, M.S. ’80, Ph.D. ’84 students at Illinois State. Lois (Rademacher) Mills ’62, M.S. ’69 Kathy Coyle Murdoch ’86 My conversations with graduates from coast to coast reveal the signifi- Bob Navarro ’91, M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’02 cant role Illinois State played in preparing students of yesteryear for the Holly Pantle ’07 Marilee (Zielinski) Rapp ’63 challenges, opportunities, and successes they now embrace. One constant Joe Rives, M.S. ’90, Ph.D. ’94 fond memory of our alumni is the fact that they received personal attention Kaci Rollings ’94 Gary Schnurrpusch ’69 while a student, despite the University’s large enrollment and expansive Don Shafer ’76 programs. Terrence Sykes ’93 Gary Tiffany ’74 While I unfortunately cannot converse with every graduate, it is my Janessa Williams ’89 desire to have each one of our alumni maintain close ties to campus. Mike Willis ’82 Jerry Wright ’62 Whether you are a member of a recent graduating class or an alum from Linda Yap ’74 decades ago, there is no better time to reconnect with the University. Do Betty Kinser ’73, M.S. ’75, Board of Trustees Alumni Liaison so by returning the update form in this issue, or go online to www.alumni. alumni Relations Stephanie Epp, Ed.D. ’07, Executive Director ilstu.edu/myinfo and let us hear from you. Do it today as the first step in Gina Bianchi, M.S. ’99, Assistant Director the process of rediscovering your Redbird relationships. Kim Chickering, Special Events Coordinator Kelly Howell, Associate Director You were so much more than a number while a student at Illinois Shanay Huerta ’03, M.S. ’05, Assistant Director State. Don’t maintain statistical status as an alumnus. Annette States Levitt ’96, M.S. ’02, Assistant Director Jamie (Kelly) Sennett ’99, Assistant Director
Al Bowman President, Illinois State University An eye for talent Pulling strings behind the scenes in the creation of TV’s hottest shows is Deborah Barylski, M.S. ’73. Arrested Development and Home Improvement are just two of the sitcoms made magical with Barylski’s help. Find out how she carved a place for herself casting, writing, and directing in the seemingly impenetrable world of showbiz. Cover: Barylski’s work resulted in an Emmy in 2004.
(Cover and adjacent photo were taken by Ron Butler.) 10 Contents
18 2 University news
15 Data detective Nick Percoco ’97 showed an aptitude for computers at age six. Now 32, he uses his skills to safeguard against cyber thieves. As vice president of SpiderLabs in Chicago, Percoco fights computer fraud across continents. More than 30,000 organizations around the world rely on Percoco’s team to safeguard the personal information of millions of customers.
18 rAising Redbird pride The days are long, the season grueling, and the demands in the classroom don’t disappear even on game day. And yet Kristi Cirone has no complaints while living the life of a student-athlete. A captain of the women’s basketball team since a freshman, Cirone revels in her job as a representative of the University.
21 21 Challenging the tenets of talking Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Chair Daniel Everett traveled to an Amazon village decades ago with the intention of teaching the Piraha tribe the Gospel. He ended up with a revelation of his own that has rocked the world of linguistics. Everett’s findings have upended language acquisition theories, creating an international controversy.
26 sesquicentennial finale
27 Alumni Awards
28 Alumni services 15 32 Class notes University News
University prepares a place for alumni to call home.
Illinois State alumni are just weeks away from having a special place to gather and become reacquainted with their campus home, as the University’s Alumni Center is set to open in July. Located north of campus on Main Street, the 45,000-square-foot facility will be the official entry point for those visiting the University. Alumni will find the center especially inviting, as its design” incorporates space for everything from group meetings to casual conversation around the fireplace. Go online to www.IllinoisState.edu/alumnicenter ‘‘ for updates on the construction process, event information, and naming opportunities available to donors. Plan now to attend a grand opening that will be held in conjunction with Homecoming the weekend of October 17.
2 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 University ranked among The technology also offers students data warehousing, e-commerce, and best in nation for value opportunities to work in teams on vir- business intelligence technologies work together. New enterprise computing For the fourth consecutive year, Illinois tual projects and lab assignments. courseware linked to the server technol- State has been ranked by Kiplinger’s “Through this exciting collabora- ogy will be added by the college. Personal Finance magazine as one of tion with IBM our students learn not IBM will supplement classroom les- 100 best values in public colleges in the only how to use the technology in real sons in operating environments, data country. The February 2008 edition of applications, but also how to continue communication, and security with spon- the magazine listed schools that “deliver learning once they graduate so that they sored guest lectures and educational trips a first-rate education without breaking stay current in a rapidly changing envi- to local customer datacenters. At the end the bank.” ronment,” President Al Bowman said. of each semester IBM will administer a “Despite a state economy that has The new mainframe resources will mastery exam. cost Illinois State tens of millions of dol- help students better understand how lars and forced tuition rates higher, the University continues to be ranked with some of the finest institutions in the Alumnus concludes long tenure nation,” President Al Bowman said. The University of Illinois was the with governing board only other state university included. The ” Carl Kasten ’66—the only remaining inaugural member of the University’s University of North Carolina at Chapel Board of Trustees and its chairperson since 2003—resigned from the board in Hill, University of Missouri-Columbia, February after years of service to Illinois State. and George Mason University were named as well. “I leave the board with full confidence in the leadership and commitment “To make the list four straight times of each board member, and in the leadership of really says something special about this President Bowman,” said Kasten, who is a senior University’s faculty and staff members, partner in the law firm of Phelps, Kasten, Ruyle, and the way they work with students Burns and Sims P.C. in his hometown of Carlinville. to provide an outstanding educational “It has been an honor and a privilege to work experience at a reasonable cost,” Bow- with our outstanding faculty, staff, student body, man said. legislators, and friends of the University. I intend Rankings are based on academic to remain an active and engaged alumnus, and to program data provided by more than be an advocate for this remarkable institution,” 500 public four-year colleges, and supplemented by the magazine’s inde- Kasten said. pendent research. Each school is also He served as a member of the Board of Regents ranked on a combination of quality and from 1990 until December of 1995. That board cost components, including the aver- governed Illinois State, Northern Illinois University, age debt a student accumulates prior to and Sangamon State University—which is now the graduation. Kiplinger’s placed greater University of Illinois-Springfield. overall weight on quality. Kasten was appointed to the Board of Trustees in January of 1996 when the state’s public universities changed to governance by independent boards. Students gain expert computer He was elected chair in 2003. Kasten has also served as board liaison to the knowledge with IBM’s help Alumni Board, and is a founding member of the University’s Attorneys Advisory IBM has partnered with the College Council. of Applied Science and Technology by “Carl Kasten is among the most cherished members of the Illinois State providing long-term use of the latest family, and the entire University community will miss his leadership as a mem- IBM System z 890 server. The technol- ber of the Board of Trustees,” President Al Bowman said. “During his service, ogy will prepare students for jobs of Illinois State has enjoyed a dramatic rise in quality and prominence, and Trustee the 21st century by building their skills on virtualization, and Linux and Power Kasten has played a major role in that success.” Architecture™ technologies. Trustee Stan Ommen ’63 will serve as chair until the board elects officers Access to the IBM platform gives in July. Kasten’s seat will remain vacant until the governor appoints a new students a sense of real-world demands member. in business environments through the study of enterprise computing systems.
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 3 UniversityNews the feasibility of the Illinois Center for Information Literacy. The proposed center would coor- dinate statewide efforts to enhance the Trustee named to Illinois’ ability of Illinois citizens to access and higher education board utilize information more effectively. The center would also serve as a teaching and For the first time in the University’s his- research resource on the subject of infor- tory, a member of the Board of Trustees mation literacy for librarians, educators, has been chosen to serve on the Illinois and citizens. Board of Higher Education (IBHE). Jay “Information literacy is an impor- D. Bergman ’70 was named by Illinois tant issue for all citizens, especially in Governor Rod Blagojevich to the IBHE the age of the internet,” said Milner late last year. Library Associate Dean Dane Ward. “Stu- Bergman is president and CEO Alumnus Randy Salerno ’85 dents and citizens are increasingly chal- of Petco Petroleum Corporation in lenged by the rapidly expanding uni- Hinsdale. A Joliet resident, he was first Chicago anchorman, verse of information available at their appointed to the Board of Trustees in TV-10 alum mourned fingertips. People often have trouble dis- 2003, and reappointed in 2006 for a five- Chicago’s WBBM-Channel 2 news anchor tinguishing relevant and authoritative year term. He also serves as a member Randy Salerno ’85 lost his life in a snow- sources from those with less credibility.” of the University’s Foundation Board, mobiling accident in January. He was The center would help libraries which he joined in 1986. killed while snowmobiling with friends across the state enhance their capac- “I want to congratulate Trustee Berg- near Eagle River, Wisconsin. Salerno was ity to assist patrons in working with man on this important achievement,” a passenger on a snowmobile that struck an increasing amount of diverse infor- President Al Bowman said. “This is also a tree. mation. Milner Library staff currently an honor for the entire Illinois State A native of Chicago suburb Crystal work with academic and public libraries family.” Lake, Salerno got his start in broadcast throughout Illinois to develop informa- news as a student in TV-10. He worked tion literacy programs. university welcomes new at Rockford and Peoria stations as well provost to campus as in New York before joining Chicago’s Graduate program will WGN. He was a reporter and anchor Sheri Noren Everts will become the prepare geriatric nurses University’s vice president of Academic there from 1993 to 2004, when he joined Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) is Affairs and provost in July. The position WBBM. enhancing its commitment to the care of became available in January when John Friends and coworkers praised older adults with the addition of a new Presley opted to join the faculty ranks. Salerno for his talent and wit, while gerontological nurse practitioner gradu- Associate Provost Jan Murphy is serving the campus community appreciated his ate sequence offered completely online. as interim provost. strong ties to Illinois State. “Randy was Classes in the sequence give nurses spe- Noren Everts will leave her position a very loyal and active Redbird,” said cialized education in the diagnosis, treat- as the interim senior vice chancellor Alumni Relations Executive Director ment, and management of acute and for Academic and Student Affairs at the Stephanie Epp, Ed.D. ’07. She noted that chronic conditions found among older University of Nebraska-Omaha to join he was involved in the University’s first adults. Illinois State. comprehensive campaign. The development of the geronto- She began her tenure at Nebraska “He was always willing to help out logical nurse practitioner sequence and in 1994 as a faculty member in the uni- and be a supporter for Illinois State,” Epp curriculum was made possible through versity’s Department of Teacher Educa- said. “Randy will be very missed.” grant funding from the Illinois Depart- tion. She was named assistant to the vice Salerno is survived by his wife, ment of Public Health. The sequence chancellor for Academic Affairs in 2000, Irene, and their three children. targets practicing nurses who hold a and rose within the office. bachelor’s degree in nursing, and who She received her bachelor’s degree Information literacy center wish to expand their level of expertise in in English and secondary education, advances with state grant the care of aging patients. master’s degree in literacy education Milner Library is a step closer to estab- The first students will begin classes and English, and completed a Ph.D. in lishing an information literacy center on this summer. Classes will be offered administration, curriculum and instruc- campus as a result of a $58,000 grant online. Students will complete their tion from the University of Nebraska- from the Illinois Secretary of State’s clinical practice experiences in various Lincoln. office. The money will be used to study healthcare settings, including hospitals,
4 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 outpatient settings, and long-term care Study abroad program England, Italy, Sweden, and South Korea. facilities. hits enrollment high The Office of International Studies and Programs (OISP) has recently expanded “Gerontological nurse practitioners A record number of Illinois State stu- its programs in continental Europe, the are in demand to address the growing dents studied abroad this spring semes- United Kingdom, and Asia. need for care focused on the chronic ter. A total of 135 students enrolled “Illinois State students are taking conditions and symptoms associated overseas, which is up nearly 30 percent a proactive stance in globalizing their with aging,” MCN assistant professor compared to the spring semester of education by taking courses abroad that Elizabeth Carlson said. “This graduate 2007. satisfy academic requirements for their sequence will give nurses the expertise The most popular destinations cho- major, minor, or general education,” needed to provide advanced care to sen by Illinois State students are Spain, older patients and their families.” said OISP Study Abroad Coordinator Jimmy Brazelton ’04, M.A. ’06. “With the encouragement of forward-thinking fac- ulty, students are also going abroad to set Biology, psychology professors themselves apart for future employment gain top faculty rank searches. Some are even participating in Biological Sciences Professor Radheshyam Jayaswal and Psychology Professor international internships.” Brazelton noted that students are Glenn Reeder have been named Distinguished Professors by President Al Bow- taking advantage of study abroad pro- man. The title is the highest honor faculty can obtain. grams with overall costs that are less At Illinois State since 1988, Jayaswal is an internationally recognized than that of attending Illinois State for microbiologist. His research in Staphylococcus aureus impacts public health a semester. In addition to the low-cost issues, as bacterial resistance to antibiotics becomes an increasing concern. His programs, students receiving financial work has been supported for decades aid are able to apply that aid to overseas by external funding. More than $1.5 study programs. million has come from entities such as the National Institutes of Health and the Sesquicentennial Oral History American Heart Association. Project now online His work has been published in As a part of the sesquicentennial year, the top journals in his field, including the Illinois State University Oral His- the Journal of Bacteriology, Microbiology, tory Project team recorded and archived Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, the stories of 17 administrators, faculty, Molecular Microbiology, and Applied and staff, alumni, and friends who have been significant in the life of the University. Environmental Microbiology. He serves Their stories are now online at www.Illi- as a reviewer on numerous academic noisState.edu/home/oral_history. journals, and has worked on campus to Listen to the interviews, read the develop graduate level curriculum. He transcripts, or see photos and brief is praised as a mentor to the graduate descriptions of the interviewees online. students he teaches. The Web site also provides anecdotal Reeder joined Illinois State in 1977. Distinguished Professors Glenn Reeder, left, information and insights interviewees and Radheshyam Jayaswal He has earned an international reputa- offer about the changes and evolution tion for his scholarship in social psychology, which his work has helped shape. of Illinois State that they experienced. In one interview, for example, the grandson He has produced some of the most influential work in his field, with his findings of Illinois State President David Felmley published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Personality and Social and his wife describe little-known aspects Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psy- of the man who headed the University a chology Bulletin, and Psychological Review. century ago. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and The Oral History Project will also the National Centers for Disease Control. His work has resulted in invited posi- be printed, bound, and indexed. It will tions from New Zealand to Belgium. His teaching is praised on the Illinois State be placed in the University Archives and campus, as Reeder works with students from the undergraduate level through Milner Library later this year. graduate school.
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 5 UniversityNews The six principles are purpose, “The UN Global Compact and PRME values, method, research, partnership together are a recognition that business College of Business joins and dialog. They are part of the United is truly global; that business can and United Nations initiative Nations Global Compact, which is the must be a part of the solution to some world’s largest corporate citizenship of the world’s vexing problems; and that The College of Business (COB) is among initiative. It is committed to fostering American business schools must play the first business schools in the country social responsibility in business and a leading role in developing a sustain- to be signatories to the United Nations- world markets. More than 200 busi- able global business environment,” said sponsored Principles for Responsible ness schools worldwide have signed onto Interim COB Dean Charles McGuire. Management Education (PRME), which PRME, including nearly two dozen in the “By signing on to the Principles is a framework for academic institutions United States. for Responsible Management Education, to advance socially responsible corporate Illinois State is once again demonstrating behavior. its commitment to promoting respon- sible global citizenship,” President Al Bowman said. “Preparing students to be future leaders and engaged, ethical Residence halls decommissioned citizens has always been a key part of in nostalgic ceremony the University’s educational mission. I’m proud of the fact that Illinois State’s Col- Alumni gathered with members of the Illinois State community in April for a lege of Business is among the first public decommissioning ceremony that marked the end of an era on campus. The universities in the United States to join event was held prior to demolition of the Walker and Dunn-Barton residential this important global initiative.” complex, which will be razed this summer to make way for a $43.9 million building. The new facility will house a rec center and the School of Kinesiology Campus strategic plan and Recreation. under revision Dunn, Barton, Illinois State is a healthy and vibrant and Walker halls were institution, in high demand from moti- needed to help the vated students, and proud of its nation- University manage ally respected faculty and staff. It is also the growing number a university that faces many challenges, of students enrolling including dwindling state financial sup- at Illinois State during port, an aging infrastructure, and pro- the 1950s and 1960s. jections of a declining and diversifying high-school population. Dunn Hall was named With a pretext that further defines after Richard F. Dunn, Illinois State’s successes and challeng- who attended Illinois es, the first draft of Educating Illinois: State and became 2007-2017 Priorities for Illinois’ First Pub- legal advisor for the lic University, went before the Board of Teachers College Board. Dunn was the second men’s residence hall on campus, Trustees in February. Trustees will be with Smith Hall the first. asked to approve the updated strategic Barton was named after Olive Lillian Barton, an 1899 graduate who was a plan in May. faculty member and dean of women. The building was initially a residence hall President Al Bowman called for for women, who had previously been housed in Fell Hall. Walker Hall also was a revision of the plan during his fall 2006 State of the University Address. He intended for women when it opened in 1955. It was named after Lewis Walker, appointed students, faculty, and staff who was a member of the Teachers College Board. members to a task force chaired by Act- The rich history of the residence halls will be preserved, as some of the ing Provost Jan Murphy and Deb Smitley, bricks from Dunn-Barton and Walker will be salvaged and used in the construc- assistant vice president for Finance and tion of the new complex. It is expected to be completed in 2010. Planning. The document is available online at www.educatingillinois.ilstu.edu/ taskforce.
6 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 or can be requested by calling Alumni Greek life, the Daily Vidette, Preview, or Alumni Relations at (309) 438-2586 or (800) other areas of Student Affairs are invited. 366-4478. For more information e-mail Details are available at www.alumni.ilstu. young alumni survey underway Alumni Relations Assistant Director edu/events or by calling (309) 438-2586. Shanay Huerta ’03, M.S. ’05, at smhuert@ Due to building security, reservations are Members of the graduating classes of IllinoisState.edu. required and must be made by June 6. 2007 and 2003 received a letter this spring from President Al Bowman invit- Annual Alumni Association ing them to participate in an annual meeting announced alumni survey. Personalized instructions for completing the online survey were All alumni are invited to campus to attend Development mailed as well. the Alumni Association annual meeting at 9 a.m. on September 20. Agenda items Please take a moment to complete Alumnae work to revitalize include the election of members to the this survey, as information received will Special education scholarship be used to improve the educational expe- Alumni Association Board of Directors Once peers in the Department of Spe- rience at Illinois State. Participants will and board officers. cial Education, today Jean (Johnson) be eligible to win two roundtrip airline Alumni with active membership sta- Holcomb ’53 and Mary Ann (Wilson) tickets. Contact the University Assess- tus in the Alumni Association are eligible Shipton, ’53, M.S. ’69, are partners in ment Office at (309) 438-7021 for addi- to vote at the annual meeting. To be an effort to honor their beloved former tional information, or send an e-mail to active alumni must have made a gift to faculty member Rose Parker. [email protected]. the University through the Illinois State University Foundation in the current or Parker is remembered by Shipton and Holcomb as a special education Student Alumni Council offers preceding fiscal year. For more informa- pioneer in the 1950s. She invested nearly legacy scholarships tion contact Alumni Relations at (309) 438-2589 or (800) 366-4478, or e-mail 30 years at the University and retired as The University’s Student Alumni Coun- Executive Director Stephanie Epp, Ed.D. director of the Division of Special Edu- cil offers three $1,000 scholarships to ’07, at [email protected]. cation. During her tenure the campus children of Illinois State graduates. The model for educating children with spe- nonrenewable scholarships are made Reunion planning help available cial needs along with regular education possible by a donation from the family elementary students resulted in national of Marion H. Dean ’27, and continuous The Alumni Relations Office has com- attention. It also led to Fairchild Hall, contributions from the Student Alumni piled a reunion-planning guide to assist which opened as a laboratory school for Council. alumni who are interested in coordinat- children with disabilities. Recipients for 2007-2008 are soph- ing a reunion. Whether the intent is to get Parker left a bequest to the Univer- omore Brittany Caldwell of Normal, together with former classmates or club sity to fund the Rose E. Parker Teacher daughter of Rick and Colleen (Brandow) members, this guide makes reunion plan- Excellence Award, which has helped Caldwell ’80; freshman Hayley Ralph of ning simpler. The document is available 16 students finish undergraduate and Streator, daughter of Michael Ralph ’79; online at www.alumni.ilstu.edu/reunion, graduate degrees. Shipton and Holcomb and junior Benjamin Tiffany of Rock- with hard copies available on campus at want to raise funds needed to guarantee ford, son of Gary ’74 and Debra (Rogers) the Alumni Relations Office. For more the scholarship continues. They wrote Tiffany ’79. information e-mail Alumni Relations to fellow special education alumni who The scholarships help ease the strain Assistant Director Shanay Huerta ’03, received their degrees during Parker’s of college expenses, reward an accom- M.S. ’05, at [email protected]. tenure to raise part of the necessary plished student, and recognize legacy funds. The two are now broadening families for continuing the Illinois State Student Affairs hosts annual their call to all alumni—especially retired tradition. Recipients are chosen based Legacy of Leadership event teachers—to raise the remaining $2,500. on scholastic achievement, leadership The Division of Student Affairs and the Contact the Development Office at ability, service to community, parental Alumni Association will host the 5th (309) 438-8184 to make a contribution influence in the decision to enroll at Illi- annual Legacy of Leadership event from or for more information. Gifts may also nois State, and demonstrated potential 5:30-8 p.m. on June 19 in Chicago at be made online at www.alumni.ilstu. as a future alumni leader. Lake Point Tower’s Skyline Park par- edu/giving. The application deadline for the ty area. All alumni who were involved 2008-2009 academic year scholarships in student government, peer counsel- is October 20. Applications are available ing, the Association of Residence Halls, online at www.alumni.ilstu.edu/legacy
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 7 UniversityNews souri Valley Conference Tournament, finishing the regular season 26-6. Junior guard Kristi Cirone was the most valu- Athletics able player of the tournament. (See page 18 for a feature on Cirone). The win meant an automatic bid Volleyball, soccer teams to the NCAA, where the women faced soar throughout season Oklahoma in the first round in Indi- The fall 2007 season was a tremen- ana. The Redbirds were seeded 13th in dous success for Illinois State. Both the the tournament. It was the fifth NCAA volleyball and women’s soccer teams tournament appearance for the women’s enjoyed two of their best seasons ever team, with the last in 2005. and advanced to finals of their respective The men’s selection for the NIT was conference tournaments. the ninth Redbird appearance overall The volleyball team garnered an at- and the first since 2001. Illinois State large berth into its 11th National Colle- hosted Utah State in the first round of giate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tour- the tournament at Redbird Arena. The nament, advancing to postseason action men had a 24-9 record heading into the for the first time since 1998. In the final NIT. Jill Hutchison, M.S. ’69, is honored by Athletics Director nine matches of the season, Illinois State Sheahon Zenger center, and her brother, Jim Hutchinson. won 18 of 22 games, including 17-con- Banner added to Redbird “Illinois State has had a number secutive victories in the middle of the six- Arena honors Hutchison of pioneers in its 150-year history, and match winning streak, and five straight Jill Hutchison is one of those pioneers,” to begin the State Farm Missouri Valley A banner honoring nearly three decades Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger said. Conference Tournament. The Redbirds of coaching service at Illinois State was “With her merits alone as a head bas- were 8-2 in tournament play, and fin- unfurled at Redbird Arena in Febru- ketball coach, Jill is worthy to have a ished second in the nation in digs. ary to honor former head women’s bas- banner hang from the rafters of Redbird The women’s soccer team had their ketball coach Jill Hutchison, M.S. ’69. Arena, but then to add her contributions seventh 10-win season in program his- She was also inducted into the Mis- and vision in the sport of women’s bas- tory, and won their fifth regular season souri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in ketball as we know it today is truly Missouri Valley Conference title. Seven March, becoming the eighth person to be remarkable.” Redbirds received All-Valley recognition. enshrined in the Lifetime Achievement category. Senior Yvonne Northover tied the school Student-athletes set Hutchison led the women’s bas- record for assists in a season, was named academic records the Valley Player of the Year, and was ketball team for 28 seasons, compiling Illinois State’s student-athletes set a named to the Soccer Buzz and National a 461-323 record to become the win- school record of 3.03 cumulative GPA Soccer Coaches Association of American ningest coach in Illinois State basketball during the fall of 2007. Along with the regional teams. history. She led her teams to 19 winning overall record, the men’s and women’s Head coach Drew Roff became the seasons, seven WNIT appearances, and programs both achieved their best semes- first coach in conference history to win three NCAA tournaments. ters ever. the regular season title in his first season. Beyond campus, she led the United The seven men’s programs had a The Valley Coaching Staff of the Year States to a gold medal at the 1983 World combined 2.82 GPA, with 99 male stu- award went to Roff and his assistants. University Games, a silver medal at the 1978 Pan American Games, and served dent-athletes named to the AFNI Athlet- on the player selection committee for ics Honor Roll. The 10 women’s pro- Basketball teams extend season three Olympic squads. grams had a combined 3.25 GPA, with with tournament play A three-time president of the Wom- 144 female student-athletes achieving After exceptional seasons, both the wom- en’s Basketball Coaches Association, AFNI Athletics Honor Roll recognition. en’s and men’s basketball teams went on Hutchison helped shape the women’s The 243 total student-athletes on the to post-season tournaments. The women game. She was a part of the adoption of fall 2007 AFNI Athletics Honor Roll was were in the National Collegiate Athletic a smaller ball, the current format of the also a school record, breaking the mark Association (NCAA) tournament, while women’s tournament, and the first wom- of 215 from the fall of 2006. Thirty-eight the men were in the MasterCard National en’s television contract. She is the author student-athletes recorded 4.0 GPA’s, fall- Invitation Tournament (NIT). of Coaching Girls’ Basketball Successfully, ing just short of the school record of 39. The top-seeded women’s team an instructional book for coaches. The women’s record-setting 3.25 defeated Drake in the State Farm Mis- GPA surpassed the 3.20 GPA set in the spring of 2006. The women’s tennis
8 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 team led the way with a 3.66 GPA, which The men’s programs had their best In addition to all the time commit- was the highest of any women’s program combined semester ever with a 2.82 ted to studying, practice, and athletic at Illinois State. All eight members of GPA, eclipsing the previous record of events, the student-athletes contributed the team were on the AFNI Athletics 2.80 set in the fall 2005 semester. For the 1,240 hours to outreach activities. That Honor Roll. Every women’s team had a second-consecutive semester, the men’s total put the Redbirds well on their GPA above 2.9, and eight programs were golf team had the highest team GPA with way toward a third-consecutive year of above a 3.0. a 3.20. contributing more than 2,000 hours to community service work.
Letters
Editor’s Note: Letters on issues discussed in Illinois State To the Editor, or relating to university news or policies are welcome. All While reading Bob Aaron’s article on collegiate life (fall letters should be limited to 250 words or less and are subject 2007), the reference to The Cage caught my attention. to editing. Send e-mail to [email protected]; fax to The article placed The Cage on the first floor of the (309) 438-8411; or mail to Illinois State, Illinois State University Union. No problem with that reference. How- ever, the original Cage was located on the first floor and University, Campus Box 3420, Normal, IL 61790-3420. back entrance of Fell Hall. I worked there in the mid-50s. What a wonderful meeting place it was. To the Editor, As for social hangouts—the Pilgrim was overlooked While your story on Cook Hall (spring 2007) and Gary too! After The Cage, it was probably a close second meet- Theroux’s letter to the editor (fall 2007) were interesting, ing place. both overlooked the fact that “The Castle” was the long- The collegiate life article was great. I just wanted to running home of Tower Studios before WGLT was even set the record straight. Ancient alumni are always watch- born. The uppermost tower contained a small waiting ing and reading! room, control room, hallway, large studio, and small stu- dio. From here newscasts and programs were broadcast Darrell Davis ’57 over local Bloomington radio station WJBC. During the academic year there was a five-minute school newscast Monday through Friday at 7 p.m., fol- To the Editor, lowed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by various As I have been reading about the events for the 150th 15-minute programs—music, interviews, discussions, etc. anniversary at the University, I am so reminded of the The shows were done at 5 p.m. either live or on tape from time I spent at Illinois State as a faculty member in the Tower Studios via wire from Cook Hall to WJBC, where BTEA Department from 1978 to 1986. I served on the they were recorded for broadcast later that evening. committee for the 125th anniversary celebration. Originally oral interpretation professor Ruth Yates On that committee we were researching events from supervised the three or four male students who alter- the past and got a chuckle out of some of the old rules, nated each evening as newscaster. By the time I was a i.e., women teacher-education students could not wear junior, however, radio/television professor Ralph Smith red; coeds could not wear curlers on the first floor of the had come on board. Through my senior year I was the dorms; and male students could not go above the first only newscaster each evening, except for one time when floor of the women’s dorms. I lost my voice and our engineer had to substitute. Oh, Patsy A. Dickey-Olson and that sound effect door Gary Theroux mentioned was there then, too. If those walls could talk, indeed. I have always won- dered if Miss Yates really believed our story that a pigeon had hit and broken the waiting room window overlook- ing the roof of Cook Hall. Only three of us know the true story, and I’m not telling.
Gary Planck ‘61
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 9 BY tom nugent Alumna’s Hollywood savvy results in sitcom blockbusters
When the moment of inspiration suddenly arrived, it was so power- ful that it nearly knocked the veteran Hollywood casting director right out of her chair. Will Arnett…he’d be absolutely perfect for GOB! The sudden flash took place on a mild spring afternoon in 2003, just as Deborah Barylski, M.S. ’73, was getting ready to start ripping her hair out. For more than three weeks, the stressed-out casting director had been struggling to find “the perfect actor” to play a quintessentially wacky character—George Oscar Bluth II, also known as “GOB”—in a newly created TV sitcom called Arrested Development. Finding the right actor for the role of GOB—a quirky amateur magician whose absurdly complicated tricks often go comically awry—had been “a complete nightmare” for Barylski, who is one of Hollywood’s most successful casting directors. Remarkably gifted as a spotter of showbiz talent, and with an uncanny knack for matching actors to roles that would later become smash-hits, Barylski had earned industry-wide kudos for casting ABC’s wildly successful Home Improvement TV sitcom during the 1990s. Cast of the show included William O’Leary ’80, who played the part of Tim Allen’s brother. David McFadzean, M.S. ’74, was executive producer. Highly regarded among TV and movie execs alike for her savvy and ability to meet deadlines under even the tightest production schedules, Barylski was long accustomed to the high-adrenaline “race against time” that always takes place during the creation of a TV pilot. As always there were millions of dollars at stake with Arrest- ed Development, which had been created by Hollywood legends
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 10 Ron Butler Alumna’s Hollywood savvy results in sitcom blockbusters
Deborah Barylski, M.S. ’73, has found success in the tough job of Hollywood casting. She won an Emmy in 2004 for casting the pilot and first season of the highly acclaimed comedy Arrested Development. She also cast the successful sitcom Home Improvement. “Whenever you put together the cast for a new TV pilot, ences laugh with his subtle acting skills. When Arnett was dropped from the there will be one role that you can’t seem to fill, and sitcom “through no fault of his own,” Barylski noted, he had gone back home that role will take you to the brink of disaster.” to New York. Arnett was out of the California Mitchell Hurwitz and Ron Howard— They’d scrutinized hundreds of candi- loop. But now as she sat day after day two of the biggest names in the dates. They’d talked daily with agents in an office where “the telephone liter- TV-and-movie world of Southern in Hollywood and New York about the ally never stopped ringing,” she sud- California. acting persona they needed. With less denly recalled his insouciant, eyebrow- Armed with a hilarious script and than 48 hours remaining before pilot cocking brand of daffy humor. With her several brilliant performers who’d production was scheduled to begin, heart hammering against her ribs, the already been cast, the producers of the Barylski & Co. still hadn’t found their super-smooth professional grabbed the new sitcom were confident of success, GOB. nearest telephone and dialed his man- provided Barylski could find the perfect How bad was the pressure at that ager’s phone in the Big Apple. Within actor for the crucially important role of point? 24 hours Arnett was on a Boeing jet, GOB (pronounced like the name of the “It was brutal!” laughed the usu- 30,000 feet above the Grand Canyon Biblical Job). ally laid-back and easygoing casting and the Mojave Desert, to audition for But it wouldn’t be easy to find the director. “Whenever you put together and win the role of GOB. right guy to play the fruitcake magician the cast for a new TV pilot, there will “When I first called the manager,” with the bag of malfunctioning tricks. be one role that you can’t seem to fill, Barylski said, “Will was not available The actor had to have a proven track and that role will take you to the brink because he was in a play entitled The record in comedy and be somebody of disaster. Women of Lockerbie, coincidentally star- with enough whacko pizzazz to pull off “With Arrested Development, that ring Illinois State alum Judith Ivey. But a zany, oddball performance. But the role was GOB. We sweated blood over as fate would have it, the very next day GOB-character also had to be credible— it, and then at the very last moment, I American Equity kicked Canadian-born an “irritating older brother” type with suddenly realized that I hadn’t thought Arnett out of the play, making him enough genuine warmth and loyalty to of Will Arnett!” available for Arrested Development.” blend into a family sitcom. A quirky character actor with a One year later, during a glittering For several weeks Barylski and her proven talent for comedy, the Canadi- gala in Hollywood that was telecast staff of three Studio City-based casting an-born Arnett had been cast in the TV globally, the TV industry gave Barylski assistants had been burning the mid- sitcom Still Standing two years before their highest award: the golden-winged night oil in a frantic effort to pinpoint by Barylski. She had been “greatly angel who bears the magical name of the actor who could bring GOB alive. impressed” by his ability to make audi- Emmy.
Barylski has many fond memories from her days at Illinois State, including her performance as Nellie in South Pacific, left. She played opposite Robert Romeo, M.S. ’73, M.F.A. ’77, who had the role of Emile. She credits many faculty for her strong foundation, including retired professor Calvin Pritner, below. Pritner and his wife, Evamarii Johnson, attended an alumni reunion at Barylski’s home.
10 Illinois State WINTER / 2007-2008 She won the TV equivalent of an have been with new plays, including a major highlight. “My years at Illinois Oscar in 2004 in honor of the superb the world premiere of Solace, a play State were among the happiest of my job she did in casting a dozen differ- written by Illinois State alum Jacob Jay life, mainly because of the high level ent roles for one of television’s most Clark ’75. of talented students recruited by the critically acclaimed comedies: Arrested “I love the development process Illinois State University Theatre Depart- Development. Nobody was happier than with the playwright,” she said. Another ment. Arnett, who has told several reporters: Illinois State alumni connection arises “After I left for California, several “I just have so much respect for Debo- with the coincidence that the first the- student actors from the Illinois State rah. She’s a consummate professional.” ater company given the right to per- program got together and founded the Spend a few hours hanging out form Tracers was Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chi- with Barylski and her two cats (a gor- “In a lot of ways, of course, direct- cago—and that group included some geous calico named Katie and a sleek ing is very dependent upon good cast- huge talents like John Malkovich, Terry gray tortoiseshell named Hanna Chica), ing,” she said, “because you have to Kinney, and Laurie Metcalf, to name and you’ll soon discover that she loves discern what each actor can bring to just a few.” All are 1976 graduates. directing live theater even more than the production individually. If I cast Barylski noted that there are hundreds she loves casting blockbuster TV sit- well, half of my work as a director is of other actors, directors, and technical coms. done.” artists from Illinois State who are mak- “After 26 years as a casting direc- A St. Louis native, Barylski’s hard- ing a living all across the country. tor, I’m following my heart these days working, Polish-American father drove “I think I was very fortunate, really. and doing more theater, my first love,” a truck for a living and never finished Calvin Pritner was running the Theatre said the 50-something dynamo, whose high school. She gives a lot of the credit Department in those days, and the graduate degree at Illinois State was in for her success to her “high-spirited entire drama program was in the mid- directing and theatre management. “For and very supportive” mother, Rose- dle of this huge renaissance. I learned me directing actors on stage is an abso- mary Pusczek Preuss. a great deal there,” she said. “Over the lutely enthralling experience.” “She was a very loving mom, and Barylski was a contributing editor she very much wanted to keep me near and assistant director for the world her after I became an adult. But in the premiere of Tracers, a gripping 1980s end she sacrificed her own wishes and drama about Vietnam veterans, and sent me off into the world with her then watched it run for two years at blessing. And I’ll always be grateful to L.A.’s famed Odyssey Theatre. There her for that,” Barylski said. were subsequent productions in New Looking back on her grad school York, Chicago, Australia, and England. struggles, Barylski said the “thrilling Most of her recent directorial outings challenge” of theatrical directing was
The cast of Home Improvement was brought together by Barylski, who enjoyed a series rap party with the stars in 1998. Tim Allen, left, and Richard Karn, below, were integral to the comedy’s success. The sitcom’s executive producer was Illinois State alum David McFadzean, M.S. ’74, above.
Barylski’s directing credits include Solace, which was written by Jacob Jay Clark ’75. She rehearses a scene from the play, above, prior to its world premiere.
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 13 “All I can tell you right now is I’m following my heart. I’m following my bliss.”
years, Cal has become a good friend “It can be brutally tough,” Bar- before launching her own company and so he knows about my happy expe- ylski said. “Fortunately for me, I dis- two decades ago. She risked everything riences at Illinois State.” covered that I had the ‘balls’ required on her strong faith in herself as a cast- Describing how her love of the for putting up with all of the rejection ing director who had “an instinctive director’s craft “really took off” in grad and uncertainty, and for dealing with knack” for matching actors to roles, school, Barylski remembers a moment some of the big egos you find in Hol- and then leading them through the gru- when she was directing a student pro- lywood. Maybe it’s my working-class eling Hollywood auditioning process. duction of a play called Mrs. Dally Has background, but I just decided that I During the past 20 years Barylski a Lover, by William Hanley. was gonna find a way to work in this has won numerous industry awards “The play was about an older industry, no matter what.” and citations for her key contributions woman who’s having an affair with a In Barylski’s case eventual suc- to such high-voltage TV shows as Home younger man,” she recalled, “and the cess as a casting director required that Improvement, Just Shoot Me, Life with actor was a young guy name Gene she start at the very bottom as a sec- Bonnie, Frank’s Place, and The Famous Weygandt, who is playing the wizard retary for a TV production company, Teddy Z. She’s also tapped her skill at in Wicked in Chicago.” Weygandt is a which was a humbling experience after casting and directing to create a series 1974 graduate. The woman was played a teaching stint in the theatre depart- of regional acting seminars designed to by Ceal Phelan DeLaurier, M.A. ’73, ment at Cal State Long Beach and a help actors master their craft. who with her husband, Peter DeLau- couple other high-profile jobs. Ask this Hollywood phenom where rier, M.A. ’73, cofounded the Delaware “When I decided to try to break she wants to go next, and she laughs Theatre Company in Wilmington in into ‘Hollywood,’ I realized that the one out loud. “Who knows? All I can tell 1978. In 1980 they became members of thing I really had going for me were my you right now is that I’m following my People’s Light and Theatre Company in office skills. I could type 100 words a heart. I’m following my bliss, as they Malvern, Pennsylvania. minute, and I was very accurate,” she say. After working so hard for so many “We were in the middle of a scene said. “So I removed everything from years in Hollywood, I’m not letting my where the two of them were arguing. my resume that looked at all important, finances be the sole determinant of my Ceal kept playing with the [eating] or looked like I’d had some experience life choices. utensils at the table. We were going in theater. I knew that my only way “Right now I’m in the middle of through the scene, just feeling our way in, at that point, would have to be as a reinventing myself. I recently joined a along, and all at once it occurred to me: secretary. writer’s group, and I’m having a fabu- isn’t that driving him crazy, the way she “I sent the resume out, and the sec- lous time writing stories based on events keeps playing with those utensils? ond interview I got called to was for a in my life. I’m also eager to continue my “So I asked Gene about it, and job as a writer’s assistant on Lou Grant, work as a theater director, along with he instantly agreed: we could make a really popular CBS drama that starred occasional casting assignments, if they the scene more powerful if he erupted Ed Asner. I got the job and I worked look especially interesting. angrily because of her fiddling around very hard. At the end of a year, I asked “For me one of the most wonder- the forks and spoons.” for a meeting with the show’s producer, ful questions in the world is: ‘What do During that long ago moment in Gene Reynolds. I want to do today?’ I think of each day directing class Barylski realized that “When I told Reynolds that I was as a blessing, and as an opportunity to she truly dug directing, and that she interested in becoming a casting direc- create something—whether it’s a short had a real knack for it. “Something tor, he picked up the phone right in story, or growing a rose in my backyard clicked in me,” she remembers, “and I front of me and called Grant Tinker, garden, or cooking a lovely meal for a just said, ‘Hey, I can do this!’” who was then the head of Mary Tyler group of friends. But first she had to break into Moore Studios, and he told him: ‘Grant, “Life isn’t always easy, and you the California entertainment industry, I’ve got a gal here who wants to get into don’t get through it without a few which isn’t easy as an unheralded out- casting.’” wounds. But I’m truly thankful for the sider from Illinois without a single Within a few weeks Barylski was journey, and I can hardly wait to see showbiz contact. working in Tinker’s casting depart- what tomorrow will bring!” ment, where she spent several years
14XX IllIlliinoiiss SStatetate SPRING SUMMER / 2008 / 2005 Securing cyberspace
A t the Las Vegas airport rental car counter, Nick Percoco ’97 handed his credit card over and was slightly embarrassed when it came back denied. His credit card company had flagged it, suspecting fraud. The 32-year-old vice president of SpiderLabs, an advanced infor- mation security team that detects and investigates information security problems for the payment card industry, knew immediately what had Alum fights happened. In 10 days he’d flown from Chicago to New York to Amster- high-tech dam to Las Vegas, and someone took notice. SpiderLabs is a part of the Chicago-based company Trustwave, consumer fraud which has been hired by more than 30,000 organizations around the world—from banks to retailers and software developers—to safeguard the personal information of millions of consumers. by Kate Arthur It’s not that unusual for Percoco to start the week off in Singapore and wind up in D.C., as Trustwave has clients throughout South Ameri- ca, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. Percoco leads the security experts at SpiderLabs, which serves clients ranging from Visa and MasterCard to mom and pop sandwich
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 15 transcript appears to describe a music major, not a computer information systems grad. The fine arts training proved invaluable, however, as Per- coco credits collegiate performance experiences with making him comfortable speaking all over the world about security threats. “There’s no nervousness,” he said. “I’m really used to being in front of people, and I think that has really helped me out in my career.” Computers became a focal point for Per- coco while he was a resident of Watterson Towers’ Smith House, which was populated by computer Hackers intent on stealing shops. The work involves major sleuthing, includ- science majors. When the Internet was added to credit card information ing ethical hacking that put Percoco in a parking residence halls in the 1990s, the work started in are thwarted by Nick Per- coco ’97. He and a team of lot overnight as he tried to break into a company’s Smith House. Percoco became a troubleshooter experts work in a forensics wireless network from a van. for other students. lab, searching for ways to The Bloomingdale native has come a long A College of Education professor also asked secure network systems and protect consumers. way from a precocious 6-year-old who noticed an for his help. Rod Riegle wanted to start an online ad for a free computer on his parents’ coffee table. course, but needed a programmer. Percoco spent a He urged them to attend a timeshare seminar so summer writing the program on nights and week- he could get a 12-ounce computer with a black ends from his parents’ basement. and white display. “The fear was if I didn’t get this to work, what “I said, ‘Can we do this? It’s a free computer.’ would he do with his students that first day? I And they did,” he said, breaking into a wide smile. remember it being pretty stressful a few weeks Percoco plugged the toaster-sized computer with before school started.” But it came together, so bubble keys into the family’s TV, and taught him- well that Riegle taught the Educational Adminis- self BASIC programming. tration Foundations class virtually for years. Now he walks into a pink and grey marbled His senior year Percoco had dozens of job granite atrium on Chicago’s Madison Street and interviews. He accepted an analyst position in takes the elevator to his 10th-floor office, where Chicago with Andersen Consulting, which was he’s in charge of detecting and mitigating the lat- the only company that asked him what he wanted est threats from online hazards. to do. Once there he started out designing a new When he gets up to go out for lunch, he logs remote access system for all of Andersen’s global out of his computer, sometimes pulling a locked offices. door behind him. “It’s more paranoia than any- In 2003 he joined Trustwave, heading up thing else,” said Percoco, whose office isn’t far the new team called SpiderLabs, which had only from his boyhood home. one other staff member. Today there are about 25 He grew up in a Chicago suburb, the oldest of employees determined to protect consumers. two children. His parents, Dominic and Kathleen They all know too well what can happen. Percoco, told him he could go to any state college. While testing the security of a client’s network, 90 He chose Illinois State because he was familiar percent of the time a problem or a flaw that could with the campus after sweating through high lead to a compromise is found. Although Spider- school marching band competitions at the Univer- Labs looks at about 200 factors, from firewalls to sity. His sister, Dana (Percoco) Doyle, attended as how data is stored, sometimes a security breach well and is a 2000 elementary education alum. is caused by something as simple as misplaced A saxophonist for the Big Red Marching trust. Machine, Percoco joined Illinois State’s pep band, Major banks have hired Percoco for “social a symphonic winds group, and even a recorder engineering,” where he tries to work his way past ensemble where he learned baroque music. His security guards and keycard-entry doors. Once he’s in, he walks to the heart of the network and waits for an open door.
16 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 “It’s the human factor. We walk up and more “If you ever get a call from a credit card company or less tell a story that’s convincing enough and they let us in. We call the person who hired us and saying your card has been compromised and say, ‘Hey, we’re in your data center.’” they’re going to send you a replacement, it’s likely At a hospital he followed signs to the infor- your card data was detected by someone like us.” mation technology department, peered through a glass window, and noticed a frustrated employee pulling off reams of paper. He tapped on the door. replace a five-year-old computer if it still works. The employee let him in without a word. Within Aging software may fail as well, as Percoco dis- minutes he was pulling a copy of the hospital’s covered. encrypted password file. In 2004 he was doing a security audit with a That was before Sept. 11. Since then security software vendor when he found out there was no has strengthened, but so have hackers’ efforts. security standard among payment card industry At Wi-Fi cafes, for example, a customer might be software manufacturers. “If you bought a software sipping a latte while stealing the cafe’s credit card package from someone, you were sort of rolling data. It’s sold over the Internet, and the buyer has the dice.” a factory for producing counterfeit credit cards. A He drafted a two-page document explaining platinum card with a $5,000 limit might be sold what he thought a security program should look for $500, used in a spending spree, and tossed. like, proposed it to VISA, and six months later the “That whole world is an extremely large company rolled it out as best practice. It’s now business, and there’s an incredible amount of being adopted as a global standard, meaning any that going on,” Percoco said. “That bleeds into company that writes software for payment pro- forensics.” cessing systems has to be certified and audited. SpiderLabs performs about 100 forensic Trustwave is one of only a few dozen companies investigations a year. A team is sent to the busi- in the world with that certifying authority. ness site, takes images, clones the hard drive, With everything Percoco knows about online bubble wraps it, and drops it into an evidence bag fraud, you’d think he’d be wary of online shop- with chain of custody documents. ping. He instead calls it “notoriously safer” than The forensics lab next door to Percoco’s office retail because of the levels of security. At a restau- looks like an information technology department, rant he doesn’t hesitate to pull a credit card from with stools pulled up to a half dozen high-pow- his wallet. ered computers, quiet clicking going on, and fast- “All the liability is on the business owner. food wrappers tossed in wire wastebaskets. Even if someone racks up $10,000 in charges, the The team scours cloned drives for informa- liability rolls down. The company had systems tion, mapping out hacker activity, and providing a that were hacked into,” said Percoco, who often timeline of what happened. If cardholder informa- logs 80-hour weeks when traveling. tion is at risk, the company issues an alert. While his Blackberry never sleeps, Percoco “If you ever get a call from a credit card com- has cut down on travel since he and his wife, pany saying your card has been compromised and Chelsea, became parents. Their son, Massimo, they’re going to send you a replacement, it’s likely was born in 2006. Still his schedule provides con- your card data was detected by someone like us,” stant reminders that his work is far from done. he said. He’s gone to parties and been interrupted by Although SpiderLabs doesn’t get involved calls—sometimes because it wasn’t Friday night in in law enforcement, sometimes a criminal inves- Indonesia. tigation spins out of one of their cases. Percoco Such moments serve as a vivid reminder to has consequently worked with the United States Percoco that there is no lull in the business of Secret Service, which has a cyber threat unit. busting computer fraud. Sometimes security threats stem from old technology. A business owner doesn’t want to
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 17 Playing with a purpose Athletes work to spread Redbird pride by Susan Marquardt Blystone
neakers squeak and sweat falls “She was a high-profile recruit, and Cirone was named the Missouri from foreheads as the team the most talked about player in the Valley Conference (MVC) Freshman S returns to the floor at Redbird Midwest over the course of the summer of the year in 2006, and Player of the Arena. Kristi Cirone grabs the ball and going into her senior year. She took a Year in 2007 and 2008. During the charges to the basket, finding her way chance, believed in our staff, and was 2006-2007 season she led the team in through the maze of moving bodies to determined to help us put Illinois State scoring, field goals made and attempts, the hoop. The ball glides through the on the map,” said Pingeton, who joined free throws made and attempts, assists, net as she turns to charge down court— the University in 2003. steals, and minutes played. She ended with only a smattering of applause com- A former collegiate athlete who the 2007-2008 season as Illinois State’s ing from teammates and coaches. went on to play professionally before all-time free throw leader with 366. She There is no fan response because starting her coaching career, Pingeton is in seventh place on the all-time career Redbird Arena is empty. The scoring list with 1,460. Her baskets made on this winter ranking on national lists is afternoon count only as an equally long and impres- exercise to build endurance sive. and skill in the 16 student- “Basketball is in my athletes who make up the blood. I can’t imagine women’s basketball team. my life without it. I love And yet the players are as the competition, and the intense in their workout games are so much fun,” as if the clock is ticking said Cirone, who is a Chi- down in a contest against cago native. An exercise an archrival. They all know science major, she learned that champions are made long ago how to juggle the when no one is watching. demands of the classroom Cirone learned that and the rigors of being an lesson long before gradu- athlete. Coach Robin Pingeton, left, named Kristi Cirone team captain as a freshman. ating from Chicago’s Res- Involved in organized urrection High School. A sports since she was four, member of the varsity team as a fresh- had a plan to rejuvenate the women’s Cirone has played softball, baseball, man and a starter all four years, Cirone team. Cirone was part of the blueprint, volleyball, and soccer. Basketball has played with such intensity that she set and was named team captain as a fresh- been her focus since finishing middle school records and gained widespread man. She’s held the leadership role school, with a spot on a collegiate attention. She caught the eye of Illinois every year since. Now a junior, Cirone team a long-held goal. Offers came State’s Head Basketball Coach Robin is a stellar student-athlete who focuses from 20 universities. She knew Illinois Pingeton, who recruited Cirone as a more on the team’s goals and potential State was right for her the moment she point guard able to help take the wom- than her own accomplishments on the stepped on campus. en’s team to the next level. court. And there have been many. “I felt comfortable and at home,” said Cirone, who describes herself as
18 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 Playing with a purpose
Illinois State WINTER / 2007-2008 21 “Basketball is in my blood. I can’t imagine my life without it. I love the competition, and the games are so much fun.” master at calling the plays, and excels under pressure. A journal started at the suggestion of Pingeton helps her deal with the stress, and capture the highlights of her Redbird career. In it she logs her personal goals, which this year included improving her defen- sive moves and helping the team make it to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. That dream was realized, as the team won the MVC championship for an automatic tournement bid. Team memories will always be treasured by Cirone, who hopes to play professionally or pursue a coaching career after graduation. She knows her time on the court and in the classroom “a player with a little bit of everything. weeks of the semester. Student-athletes has prepared her for whatever challeng- I can drive in and do short jumpers or are also required to participate in com- es lie ahead. Cirone praises her coaches three-pointers. I am definitely a scoring munity outreach, which for Cirone has for making certain all team members point guard.” And yet despite such ver- meant spending time in nursing homes leave campus equipped for the future, satility and talent, Cirone found college and going to grade schools for recess which is Pingeton’s top priority. ball to be “faster and more intense with with the Redbirds. “There are certainly a lot of stronger players. Everybody playing in “I’d call it a job,” said Cirone, who demands on our student-athletes, but college was one of the best in high is attending Illinois State on a full schol- there are also so many perks that go school.” arship. She is quick to note that there way beyond the thrill of competition. Cirone welcomes the competition is plenty of fun, however, hard work The life skills that they take with them because it pushes her to reach full is expected of every team member. are invaluable,” Pingeton said. “What potential. Like all of her teammates, she Pingeton adds to that requirement the it takes to be successful on the court— is committed to a year-round condition- need for “drive, determination, perse- hard work, communication, trust, disci- ing routine. She shoots 500 free throws verance, class, integrity, attention to pline, goal-setting, perseverance—these a week, endures three-hour practices detail, and selflessness. are the same thing that it takes to be and scrimmages, and then heads for the “Without a doubt our players have successful in life.” weight room. to have great time management skills Mandatory hours in the Karin and discipline. But it is also important Bone Athletics Study Center are also to us to have players who are well Editor’s note: To learn more about Kristi part of Cirone’s routine. The Universi- rounded. We don’t expect them to just Cirone’s successes on the basketball court, ty’s Career Counseling Center, Student be gym rats,” Pingeton said. “That is go online to http://goredbirds.cstv.com/ Counseling Center, and Milner Library important but their academic success is sports/w-baskbl/mtt/cirone_kristi00. staff partner with the Athletics Depart- most important, and we also want them html. To learn more about how you can ment as well to make certain student- to enjoy college life.” help Illinois State student-athletes through athletes have the support they need to Cirone relishes her role as a rep- scholarship opportunities, call (309) stay on top of assignments. resentative of the University. The best 438-3803. That can be particularly challenging moments for her are on the court, for the basketball team, as the Redbirds preferably at Redbird Arena. She is a have extended road trips during several
20 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 Lessons learned in the Amazon
Linguist’s findings contradict language theories
by Susan Marquardt Blystone
aniel Everett was eager for adventure in his adult D life, which explains why he had no qualms marrying as a teenager and taking up residency in a primitive Brazilian village with his wife and their three young kids. He settled into the lifestyle of the Piraha (pro- nounced pee-da-HAN) along the Amazon River with the goal of sharing the gospel. His focus shifted, however, from religion to research. “I began to lose my interest in mission work and transitioned from missionary to scientist,” said Everett, who is chair of Illinois State’s Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. What he subsequently learned during nearly three decades
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 21 Located deep in the Brazilian rain forest, Piraha villages are of submersion in the Piraha language and culture has made the former self- accessed most easily by a small plane. Daniel Everett spent proclaimed hippie a rebel in the academic world of linguistics. so many years living with the Piraha that he has become submerged in the culture, and knows the unique language Everett has created a great debate within his field by asserting that the fun- better than any other Westerner. damental tenets regarding language acquisition may be flawed. He has gained international attention for his scholarly publishings that challenge the theories of Noam Chomsky—who is to linguistics what Einstein is to physics. Chomsky’s claim that there is a universal grammar with laws that pertain to all languages has been accepted for more than half a century. Humans have the equivalent of a mental organ that allows grammar to grow as language develops “I was interested in what innately, according to Chomsky, who first published his theories in the book Syn- missionaries did, and tactic Structures in 1957. living in the jungle Everett voiced a different hypothesis. He postulated in an article published by Current Anthropology in 2005 that “some of the components of so-called core gram- sounded cool. I didn’t mar are subject to cultural constraints.” The paper titled “Cultural Constraints on want to be a part of the Grammar and Cognition in Piraha” sparked such controversy that Everett’s work is not only being debated by scholars, but reported in the popular media around middle-class culture.” the world. “If I’m right, then Chomsky is wrong,” said Everett, who reached his conclu- sions based on the oddities of the Piraha language. It is so unique and complicated that a decade passed before Everett had the knowledge needed to translate the Gospel of Mark for the tribe he first encountered in 1977 at age 26. At that point in his life Everett had completed a degree in foreign missions from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. His chose the program in part because he was then married to Keren, a high school classmate who had been raised in the jungle by missionary parents. “I was interested in what missionaries did, and living in the jungle sounded cool. I didn’t want to be a part of the middle-class culture,” said Everett, who grew up in Southern California during the 1960s. With his undergraduate degree completed, Everett joined the Summer Insti- tute of Linguistics (S.I.L.). The organization prepares individuals to work as Bible translators around the world. It was through S.I.L. that Everett relocated to Brazil. Once there he enrolled in graduate studies at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) because the Brazilian government was restricting missionaries. Ever- ett was able to live within the Piraha tribe only as a linguist. He earned a master’s and doctorate at UNICAMP, where all classes were taught in Portuguese. Everett didn’t know the language when he arrived in South America, but was soon fluent. It is one of six languages he speaks or reads with
22 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 fluency, excluding English. The others are Spanish, French, Italian, Koine Greek, and Piraha, which Everett knows better than any other Westerner. He was sent to the rain forest in Northwestern Brazil after other missionaries, who invested years, failed to learn Piraha. Yet Everett had no qualms. “I knew I could do it. There is no mystery to learning a language. You work very hard every day for many years,” said Everett, who enjoys languages and is gifted in his ability to grasp, decipher, and translate them. “But learning to speak a language and learning the grammar are two very different things.” Everett is one of few in the world who has conquered both aspects of Piraha. It is the only surviving member of the Muran language, but is not related to any other Everett was sent to the language in South America. Everett is a scholar of 23 other Amazonian languages as well, which he has studied for decades and published on extensively before rain forest in Northwestern becoming known for his work with Piraha. He has also studied MesoAmerican, Brazil after other mission- North American, and the Romance languages. aries, who invested years, He therefore knows with certainty that Piraha is unique. It is “the only lan- guage known without numbers, numerals, or a concept of counting,” Everett wrote failed to learn Piraha. Yet in the Current Anthropology article that sparked a firestorm. “It also lacks terms for he had no qualms. quantification such as ‘all,’ ‘each,’ ‘every,’ ‘most,’ and ‘some.’ “It is the only language known without embedding (putting one phrase inside another of the same type of lower level, e.g. noun phrases in noun phrases, sentenc- es in sentences, etc.). It has the simplest pronoun inventory,” the article stated. Everett documented that there are no terms for color, very few words for time, and no evidence of created stories or myths in Piraha. He also found that the “pho- nemic inventory of Piraha women is the smallest in the world, with only seven consonants and three vowels, while the men’s inventory is…only eight consonants and three vowels. The Piraha people communicate almost as much by singing, whistling, and humming as they do using consonants and vowels. “ Beyond these distinguishing characteristics that make mastering Piraha incredibly difficult, Everett was fascinated by the fact that the Piraha speak only their one language. “The Piraha continue to be monolingual in Piraha after more than 200 years of regular contact with Brazilians and other non-Piraha,” he said. Everett has no doubt that the Piraha have the intelligence to learn other Amazonian dialects, or the primary Brazilian language of Portuguese. They are familiar with other languages because they barter with individuals who stop in the eight Piraha villages as they travel the Amazon River. They do not embrace other languages, according to Everett, because the Piraha language is so intricately tied to Piraha lifestyles. “My argument is that their grammatical differences derive from cultural val- ues,” Everett said. He made the claim after living with the Piraha for seven years and returning for regular extended visits during summer breaks in his academic schedule. Such intense interaction allowed him to document that Piraha embrace only what they observe to be real. “They never talk about the distant past or distant future,” Everett said. “Everything is based on things they do today.” Everett concluded that because of this cultural constraint, the language is void of grammatical devices necessary for abstract generalizations. “The point is not that they cannot think like everybody else, but that they talk different due to cultural constraints. Their language avoids grammatical devices necessary for abstract generalizations, but this doesn’t mean that they cannot nor do not think
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 23 A look at the language With just three vowels and less than 10 consonants, Piraha is a decades deciphering Piraha. The following is a sample of the language so complicated few can grasp the alphabet, vocabulary, language taken from a story told by a native. Everett collected, or grammar. The fact much of the language is sung instead of translated, analyzed, and transcribed the text, which is titled spoken complicates comprehension further. Everett has spent “Killing the Panther.”
kopaíyai ?íb -ai k -oaí -s aagá -hai panther hit -do undergoer -die -animal -be temporary relative certainty ‘The panther hit the dog and it had died.’
?aí k -apá -g -ob aó then undergoer -expell away -completive -move horizontal -when s -ob -á -í -b -á -o To hear samples of the Piraha language, go animal-see -down -into -on/up -down -onto to www.llc.ilstu.edu/dlevere/Audio/song. mov or listen to a National Public Radio -hoagái -?ii -gá ?aí interview at www.npr.org/templates/story/ -inchoative action -continuative -incompletive do story.php?storyId=9458681. ‘Then when I had gunshot the jaguar, it began to fall.’
abstractly,” Everett said. “Part of the controversy about what I am saying is in that very distinction, that our thoughts are underdetermined by our language.” The premise explains why the Piraha have shunned other languages, accord- ing to Everett. Everett has created “Portuguese is incommensurate with Piraha in many areas and culturally a great debate by incompatible, like all Western languages, in that it violates the immediacy-of-expe- rience constraint on grammar and living in so many aspects of its structure and asserting that the use,” Everett wrote. fundamental tenets “The Piraha say that their heads are different. In fact, the Piraha language is regarding language called ‘apaitiiso ‘a straight head,’ while all other languages are called ‘apagaiso ‘a crooked head.’ Given the connection between culture and language in Piraha, to acquisition may be lose or change one’s language is to lose one’s identity as a Piraha,” Everett conclud- flawed. “If I’m right, ed in the Current Anthropology article, which created more intense and widespread then Chomsky is attention than he anticipated. “I knew there was a strong possibility it would rock the academic world, wrong.” because if I’m right the entire approach to linguistics is largely wrong,” Everett said, emphasizing that he welcomes the test of his findings. “I’m not a fan of the concept of truth. We always need to question and work from specific cases. The differences we find are just as important as similarities.” And yet he knew his probing of Chomsky’s theories would not be appreciated. Everett expected a harsh response from the man who had served as a professional reference in the past. Everett was once a student in Chomsky’s classes and held an office just down the hall from him while a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also expected Chomsky’s followers to disparage his work, however, the attacks have turned personal. Everett has been characterized as immoral, dishon- est, and a racist. He’s also been denied the opportunity to publicly debate Chom- sky, who now shuns Everett.
24 Illinois State SPRING / 2008 “He’s never really had a challenge. Nobody has come back and said his theory doesn’t work in a given language,” said Everett, who has accompanied interna- tionally respected scholars to Piraha villages so they could complete independent research. Some see Everett’s claims worthy of serious investigation, including one of Everett’s doctoral students—Ted Gibson—who is now a professor at MIT. Gibson is leading an MIT team in testing the claims, with findings to date that range from supportive to consistent with Everett’s conclusions. Everett lacks a strong network of U.S. scholars as allies because he was trained in South America and has spent much of his academic life overseas. He has researched and taught in Germany and Brazil. He served as chair of the linguistics department at one of the top institutions in the world, University of Manchester “I’m not a fan of the in England, before deciding to return to the United States. He accepted the Illinois concept of truth. We State position in 2006. “I like what this department does, as language and culture are embedded. always need to question That’s more interesting than a narrow view. I also like the goal of the University, and work from specific which is to teach and to train individuals to go be teachers,” said Everett, who has held other U.S. academic appointments at the University of Pittsburgh and Carn- cases. The differences we egie Mellon University. find are just as important He has secured nearly $3 million in grant funding to advance his research, as similarities.” which has appeared in every major linguistics journal. He’s been invited to speak at every conference significant to his field around the world, and hosted an inter- national conference on the Illinois State campus last spring. Now he’s the subject of growing global curiosity in the popular press, as media from Pakistan and India to Brazil, Germany, Italy, and across North America have carried the Piraha story. CNN and BBC have broadcast his findings, which have also appeared in The New Yorker and NewScientist. “Unfortunately because of all the publicity the government has cut off the Piraha from all outside contact,” Everett said, which puts a planned PBS documen- tary in jeopardy. “Cutting me off from the Piraha is very strange, as nobody in the Brazilian government can speak the language,” Everett said, noting the government states its actions are intended to protect the Piraha from outside influence and exploitation. Everett has a permanent visa to Brazil and grandchildren in that country, and so hopes to return again soon. Meanwhile he has plenty of research findings to move his work forward. He also has myriad stories to share about his personal experiences living with the Piraha, including a threat to his life. They are told in a book titled Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes: Lessons on Life, Language, and Thought from the Amazon. Random House expects to release the book this fall. Everett anticipates writing more for the general public in the future. He expects his work with the Piraha and languages in general will continue to be of interest to the layperson, as there is a deep curiosity about the universal questions linguists examine. “Where does language come from? Is the ability to communicate hardwired in our genes? Is it from our environment, or a mixture more complex than we’ve thought before? The Piraha are essential for our understanding the nature of language,” Ever- ett said. “They show us something about who we all are as human beings.”
Editor’s note: Learn more about Daniel Everett’s research from his Web page at www.llc.ilstu.edu/dlevere.
Illinois State SPRING / 2008 25