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Spring 1983 Columbia College Alumni News Columbia College Chicago

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This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Alumni at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has been accepted for inclusion in Alumni Newsletters by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. Columbia College__ ~-~~-~-NI Volume3, Number 1 Spring 1983 would go to Chicago to look for work. He was well acquainted with Chicago from his days as a radar expert in the Navy. A week later, after he had hitched hiked some 500 miles to Chicago, he was hired by WGN-1V He would stay there for the next 34 years. " I always knew I would work in Chicago," he says,"but I had absolutely no idea that I would ever teach, least of all at the college level. He started teaching at Columbia in 1949, when the collE:ge was in the Fine Arts building on South Michigan. That was shortly after a friend invited him to sit in on a radio class being taught by Clyde Caswell. " It was fascinating watching him teach," Lyman muses, "but my reaction at the time was," Hell, I can do that!" So he got an appointment with then Dean of the college, Dan Howard, who event­ ually hired him. Lyman's Fundamentals of Television course, still around after 34 years, was the foundation on which he built the television curricula at Columbia. " We didn't have a studio in those days," he says, and his blue-gray eyes started to mist a little. "Our cameras were made out of cardboard boxes, and the center core of toilet tissue rolls were used to make lenses- no kidding!" Cardboard television cameras were all right for awhile, but Lyman knew he would have to start using the rea l thing. His television fundamentals class, after all, was built around the idea of coping in the "real world" of television. In 1952, Columbia moved again - this time to 207 South Wabash - and Lyman finally got his cameras. "They were hand-built by Guillermo Cam­ erena in Mexico City," he says. Camerena, an internationally known electronics Thaine Lyman expert and close friend of former Col­ umbia College president Norman Alex­ androff, built two image orthicon cameras A lesson in Survival for Lyman's class - for only $4000 a piece. "There was no way we could afford $25,000 for an RCA camera," Lyman chortles. Thirty five years ago, Thaine Lyman's to get used to the idea of an extended Four years later, Camerena built Chi­ bride of one month gave him an ulti­ honeymoon when the get-a-job order cago's first color TV cameras. And matum: "Get a job, or else!" was issued. guess which schoo! and what class Lyman, then a fl edgling dance in­ " l knew I wasn't cut out for watching were the first to use them. " It was based structor, had recently settled in his fresh manure pushing up through my on CBS's mechanical wheel principle," hometown of Huron, South Dakota toes," he says of one of his options - to with his new bride and was just starting be a farmer - so he told his wife he (continued on page 4) News Briefs

Radio station bows term on the Columbta College alumni An aesthetic experience Columbia College's new radto station, Assoctation board of directors Robert Edmonds. Professor-at-large at WCRX-FM, went on the air OPe. 17, Columbia College, has two books on 1982 The I 0-watt station. which poten­ Making hits... for credit! the market The s1ghts and sounds of tially can reach some 425.000 listeners With the September 1982 filing of articles Cinema and telev1ston and Scnptu nt­ m downtown Chtcago, the South Loop of incorporatton for the AEMMP Record mg for the audto-L tsual medta Both and Ncar North Side areas, replaces Co. Columbia College became the paperbacks are published by the Teacher:; the rollege"s former radio station that only college in the nation to form its College Press (Columbta University) was h<'ard only in the main campus own record company, reports AEMMP In the first book Edmonds. organtzer building on South Michigan. chairman Fred Fine. Lou Simon, pres­ and first chatrman of Columbta College's The new station uses frequency88.l . ident of Pulse Records and former motton picture department. explains previously licensed to the University of executive vice-president of Mercury how the aesthetic experience influences Illinois Chicago. and, pending Federal Phonogram and Polydor Records, has feelings. 1n the second. he shows hou Communications Commission approval, been appomted faculty supervisor of -not what- to wnte for various audio­ the college plans to expand to 100 the company. visual medta. watts this year. Part of the music business specialty Columbia's journalism, theater/ music area in the AEMMP Graduate Division, and fine arts departments will be regu lar the AEMMP Record Company will give contributors to WCRX's programming. students first-hand experience in all COLUMBIA COLLEGE aspects of record company operations. ALUMNI ASSOCJATIO When Brinkley speaks... Students serve as officers of the company BOARD OF DIRECTORS with a faculty board acting as advisors. David Brinkley, host of ABC News' Julie Badel '67 "This Week with David Brinkley," was Allen Bates, Jr. '75 the keynote speaker at the 8th annual Doric Burman '75 Chicago Communications luncheon Many Geent '48 Nov 16, 1982. at Chicago's Marriott Stann Higgms '79 Hotel. William Hokm '70 Chicago Communications is sponsored Jerome Ho s~ li '67 by 31 communications and advertising Greg Hultman '72 organizations and was founded in Ronald Jenkins '77 memory of noted publicist and former Theodore Kundrat '39 Columbia College teacher AI Weisman. Donna Montgomery '78 Proceeds from last year's luncheon, as Barry Parnsh '68 in previous years, will benefit Columbia Dalia Ratner '78 Col lege students seeking funding for Cornelia Robimon - Coppage '76 communications projects. Paula Sinkler-Russell '69 Previous Chicago Communicati ons Earl Smith '72 luncheons featured such prominent James Vargas '69 communicators as ABC network news­ Clifton Wilkow '75 man Frank Reynolds; Pierre Salinger, Robert Edmonds Helena Wilson '76 Pari bureau chief for ABC Network News; Helen Thomas, U.P.I. White House Marsha Wetmore bureau chief; Ben Bradlee, editorofthe Tarini to head Ad Alumni Relations Director Washington Post; and Pulitzer Prize­ Department winning reporter author David Halberstam. John Tarini, a veteran of 20 years in advertising, has been named Chair­ Alumni News Readings published person of Columbia's Advertising De­ Theodore Kundrat's dramatic reading, partment. Tarini comes to Columbia Volume 3, N umber 1 Once The1e \1-'a A Village ( ATrueStory from Lee King Advertising in Chicago, Spring, 1983 That Must Be Told), recently was pub­ where he was a partner and executive lished by the Coach House Pres . Inc. vice-president. l:.ditor ...... Earl ~mi th Kundrat ("39) based his reading play Tarini has a Ph.D. in psychology Associate Editor ..... \1ar ha \\ elmo re on Edna St. Vincent ~lillay's poem. from the University of Chicago, and "The Murder of Lidice." held a joint appointment there in the Published quarterly by Columbia Kundrat currently is an assistant Psychology Department and the Law College at 600 S. Michigan Ave., profes or of speech at the Univer ity of School as a faculty research associate. Chicago, Ill. 60605, Telephone lllinots' Chicago Circle campu and He has published articles on motivation (312)663-1600, ext. 419. recently was elected to a three-year and consumer psychology Class Notes by Marsha Wetmore

Gaylon Emerzian's film "Giving Way" peared on are: Chips, LaVerne& Shirley, is with Editel...Diane McGough ('81), recently was shown on etherlands The Dinah Shore Show, Benson, The is a photography coordinator with Wesley­ 1V. After the film aired, the 1976 film Richard Pryor Show, The Hanna & Brown Ltd., a communications search graduate was interviewed by phone Barberra TV Special, and Bizarre (a firm ... Matthew Duntemann ('81) is from the Netherlands. Emerzian's film Canadian Broadcasting Co. special). an audio-visual technician at BHI Corp ... was also entered in Sydney, Australia's Robynecee Scott ('81), works at Burrell Women's Fi lm Festival last fal l, a few In the " Making It'' department: Judy Advertising... Pam Roberts ('81), a months before its Netherlands airing. Bailey ('81 ), a broadcast major, now Graphic Design major, is doing pro­ produces and hosts ( under the name duction design for YMCA of the USA Will Husa ('79), a photographer at Judith Lynn) "Open Circuit," a weekly National offices ... and Sara Jo Schwartz Automatic Electric in Northlake, says news and public affairs program, on ('75), a Photo major, has joined Scott he "found out the hard way'' about his WKQX- FM. .. Jeny Doskoczynsky ('80) Foresman Publishers. profession. "When the economy is good, (you're) working," he said. "When it's bad, (you're) looking." Husa, with the help of Communications Dept Chair­ man Thaine Lyman, managed to get a job in the video department at Michael Reese Hospital before going to Auto­ matic Electric. He offers this bit of advice to aspiring communications specialists: "Don't specialize in any one media field. The best way to survive in this field is to know as many different media applications as possible."

Michael Theis ('72), now working as general manager of Telemation Pro­ ductions in Denver, took a month off at the end of February to visit another alumnus, Dick Voss, who is a broadcast producer for J. Walter Thompson Ltd. in Australia.

Bradley Sanders ('76), who was part of the successful comedy team of Bohannon and Sanders during his stu­ dent years at Columbia, has been doing quite well since moving to Holly­ wood a few years ago. Among the nationally televised shows he has ap-

Marcia Richardson Best ('76) (pic­ editorial assistan~ helping to update tured above) recently was promoted to one of the university's publications: A associate director of publications at History: Chicago State University, 1967- Chicago State University. A three-year 1979. Best also is a former editor of veteran of CSU, Best began as an Observer newspaper.

Pamel a Hanson ('75) held an exhibit What$ News With You?. .. Edward Johnson of her works last fall at California State ('74) is a sales supervisor at Jos. Triner University in Long Beach. She titled the Corp ... Lynn Lidbury ( Fine Arts major exhibit "Seismic Smears", and it con­ '82) is working as a waitress at Rugens sisted of seismographs of a series of while pursuing a graduate degree in California earthquakes. Art Therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago Circle... Les Grobstein ('73), Melissa Pinney ('77) exhibited her WLS Sports Director, did play-by-play portraits, under the title "Rememberances", announcing of the Universi ty of Illinois last November at Chicago's Public Li­ Chicago Circle "Flames" basketball Will Husa brary Cultural Center. games this past season. palsanb~lH uonJaJJO:) ssaJppy

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Lyman points out. "But they were im­ says. the industry, even with more places to practical for our purposes. I used them That schedule came to a halt in July look for a job. The day has gone where for one semester, removed the color of 1982 when serious problems with a person can go in and say, ''I'm a wheels and quietly put them away­ breathing put him into the hospital director or I'm a producer," he says. forever." where the diagnosis was pneumonia "The video graduate today is expected One thing that can't be put away so and... lung cancer. to be able to wear the hats of director, easily is Lyman's impact on Columbia He has since cut back his workload writer, producer, cameraperson, sound College. Under Lyman, the Broadcast at Columbia. Nevertheless, Lyman's engineer, lighting director, editor and, department, which includes video as optimism has not waned. "I've been in cable access roles, public relations well as radio and television, has grown very fortunate," he says of his bout with expert and master teacher." from just two faculty members in 1949 cancer. " I am a survivor." Columbia's video students invariably to 80 today; it's the largest such de­ There is equal optimism for the get that lesson hammered into them by partment in the school, with some 800 future of Columbia and his students. Lyman, because that's part of his re­ students - roughly 20 percent of the With the advent of cable, low-power sponsibility too - to see that each of student body- enrolled in a variety of 1V and other technologies, such as them live up to the standards he's set. radio, television and video (non-broad­ satellite transmission, private video " Ego? Yes. I had an ego, and still cast television, such as industrial and ( industrial TV), multi-image, and video­ have. But I am a rebel. I could never cable TV) courses. tex, Lyman predicts tremendous growth accept something just because it was " I worked very hard to build the in the audio-visual industry, particularly there. I never worked for a director or a department," he says. " It's been a real television. station. I did it for me." stroke to put it together, and now I "But it will be tougher to get a job in don't think we need to take a backseat to anybody. Part of a chairman's responsibility is to make absolutely certain that the What's news with you? industry knows who he is, where his Columbia College is always interested in the promotions, honors and activi­ head is at, and what the department is ties of its alumni. Please send your news (along with photos, i f available) with all about," he says. " 1 try to engender the coupon below to Columbia College Alumni News, 600 South Michigan the most fertile ground possible in the Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60605 . Please use this coupon for change of job market." address, too. With that kind of responsibility, Lyman says, "It was not uncommon for me to Name work a hundred hours a week" And he Home Address ______did just that for 17 years, from 1964-81 , dividing his time between WGN and Business Address ______Columbia, working full-time at each. "I Home phone(__ ) Business phone(__ ) ------never gave either less than a full shot," he says. Degree and year What he had in dedication, however, Current position/employer he lacked in stamina. In 1981 he de­ cided he could no longer handle both ews (promotions, community activities, elected o ffices, etc.) jobs, so he retired from WGN. " I needed the 100 hours a week for one job," he