No.2, 2011 n $5 Life Saver Nick Shields makes the most of a second chance n ATOMIC POWERS n MRS. WaTKINS Contents | March 2011 22 28 34 28 22 34 COVER STORY Better to Give The Atom Smashers Rescued A diminutive doctor’s daugh- Using the most sophisticated When Nick Shields saved a ter who was shunned in her lab equipment ever devised, 7-year-old boy from drowning own time stands today as a KU physicists and their last summer, it wasn’t the first towering figure in KU history. students are helping unravel death-defying chapter in this Meet Elizabeth Miller Watkins: the deep mysteries of the nursing student’s remarkable KU’s most generous friend. universe. life story. By Chris Lazzarino By Don Lincoln By Steven Hill Cover photograph by Steve Puppe Established in 1902 as The Graduate Magazine Volume 109, No. 2, 2011 ISSUE 2, 2011 | 1 Lift the Chorus ment, and really impressive man, asked if I wanted to “go and inspirational stories about look for the tornado.” With- Your Jayhawks doing good, smart out hesitation (or rational opinion counts things out in the world. thought), I said, “Sure!” Please e-mail us a note Thank you for being We drove toward the at [email protected] thorough in your coverage and southwestern side of town, to tell us what you think of coming at this project with toward “the mound”—the hill your alumni magazine. what I believe is exactly the that, according to legend, was right spirit. supposed to protect Topeka Emily J. Randel, c’03 from harm, as long as no one I asked him to let me out so I Portland, Ore. built anything on top of it. could walk home. But first Unfortunately, we Topekans I picked an intersection and built a water storage tank on directed traffic for about an Tornado terrors top of it. hour. My mom was both Good for what n Editor’s note: Robert I looked to the northeast, furious and proud by the time ails you Campbell submitted this where Topeka lay below us. I I finally walked through the remembrance of the Topeka will never forget the sight: A front door that night. tornado of 1966, memories n I just wanted to send a nearly pure white tornado was Although my car had been spurred when he read our note to commend you for your coverage of Bonar Menninger’s cutting a 15-block swath hit by debris in the storm, that efforts in putting together such new book, And Hell Followed through town. It was surreal; it inconvenience paled in a wonderful publication in With It [“Judgment day,” Rock was enormous. Where homes, comparison to the enormous Kansas Alumni. Chalk Review, issue No. 1]. apartments and trees had been property damage suffered by I stayed home sick from before, I saw cement founda- others, and, of course, the 15 work one day last month and That evening, I was working tions and debris. lives lost. read the magazine cover to at my summer job as a My policeman friend I will never forget watching cover. When my boyfriend salesman at the Jack Boring declared that he had to go on Bill Kurtis, j’62, WIBW News, came home, I couldn’t stop appliance store. There were duty. It was getting dark fast. on a TV set in that appliance telling him about stories I had rumors about tornadoes south We both knew that we could store just before I jumped into read, and I actually pushed the of town and the early evening’s not drive back to the appliance the policeman’s car to chase a magazine into his hands to twilight atmosphere certainly store to my car. Power lines tornado. My youthful mind read two of the stories in felt like “tornado weather.” The were down everywhere; traffic could not imagine the scope particular. store manager was closing the was a mess. So he worked his when Mr. Kurtis pleaded, “For I found reference to many store in anticipation of trouble. way toward my home, near God’s sake, take cover.” people I knew, an article on my A fellow salesperson, who Burlingame Road, but had to Robert Campbell, j’68 beloved KU theatre depart- was also a part-time police- give up about a mile away. Encinitas, Calif. Capture the essence of the University of Kansas with symbols of KU. Choose from a variety of styles, available in 10K, 14K yellow or white gold. The inside of the ring can be engraved with initials, degree and class year. Shop at www.kualumni.org or call 877-475-7027. 2 | KANSAS A LUMNI March 2011 16 Publisher Kevin J. Corbett, c’88 Editor Jennifer Jackson Sanner, j’81 Creative Director Susan Younger, f’91 2 Lift the Chorus Letters from our readers Associate Editors Chris Lazzarino, j’86 Steven Hill Sta Writer Terry Rombeck 5 First word e editor’s turn Editorial Assistant Karen Goodell Photographer Steve Puppe, j’98 Graphic Designer Valerie Spicher, j’94 6 On the Boulevard KU & Alumni Association events Advertising Sales Representative Whitney Eriksen, c’08, j’08 8 Jayhawk Walk Rock Chalk etiquette, a battle-tested band, dance for a good cause and more Editorial and Advertising Oce KU Alumni Association 10 Hilltopics 1266 Oread Avenue News and notes: College honors alumni; Lawrence, KS 66045-3169 diversity eorts earn White House award. 785-864-4760 • 800-584-2957 www.kualumni.org 16 Sports [email protected] Men’s basketball wraps up seventh-straight Big 12 crown and prepares for NCAA tourney run. KANSAS ALUMNI MAGAZINE (ISSN 0745-3345) is published by the 38 Association News KU Alumni Association six times a year in January, March, May, July, Alumni gi benets Association programs; CASE September and November. $55 annual subscription includes member- ship in the Alumni Association. O¢ce of Publication: 1266 Oread recognizes Kansas Alumni excellence. Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045-3169. Periodicals postage paid at Lawrence, KS. 42 Class Notes POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kansas Alumni Magazine, 1266 Proles of a collossus collector, a Kodachrome Oread Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045-3169 © 2011 by Kansas Alumni Magazine. Non-member issue price: $7 developer, a press club president and more 60 In Memory Letters to the Editor: Deaths in the KU family Kansas Alumni welcomes letters to the editor. Our 64 Rock Chalk Review address is Kansas Alumni magazine, 1266 Oread Avenue, Antonya Nelson’s novel evokes Wichita and BTK; Lawrence, KS 66045-3169. E-mail responses may be sent Daniel Woodrell’s winter tale hits the big screen. to the Alumni Association, [email protected]. Letters appearing in the magazine may be edited for space and clarity. For letters published, we’ll send a free gift of 68 Glorious to view the KU Magnet Game, a $15 value. Scene on campus ISSUE 2, 2011 | 3 by Jennifer Jackson S anner First Word LS E R-Sedgwick, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and Senate Vice President JILL HUMM Sen. John Vratil, d’67, l’71, R-Leawood, have pledged to lead the effort, praising the collaboration of the three universities and industry partners. The Senate proposal builds on Gov. Sam Brownback’s recommended $1 million in funding for fiscal year 2012 and relies on revenue from the Expanded Lottery Act Revenue Fund for future years. The three universities would match every $1 from the fund with $2 from private industry. McGinn estimated that the engineering fund, to be administered by the Kansas Board of Regents, would grow to $4 million in fiscal year 2013 and $7 million in fiscal year 2014. When KU graduate Jim Lewis, e’74, chief administrative officer of Black & Veatch, began his career in 1974, the company had 800 employees. Now the staff includes 8,000 worldwide. “We rely on the state for our global ack Pelton, CEO of Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, has “We are ready to meet growth,” Lewis said, adding that the firm, Jgood reason for optimism about Kansas’ recovery the state’s need,” said founded by KU graduates, looks especially to from the brutal recession. “Our engineering needs in sources such as KU’s Self Engineering Leader- the next 24 months will be something we have not Chancellor Bernadette ship Fellows program, which helps students seen in three years. We’re coming back,” he said Gray-Little. The chancel- develop managerial as well as technical skills. March 10. Pelton made his declaration in the Kansas Self fellows made their presence known at Senate chamber, as Senate leaders unveiled a lor, President Kirk Schulz the Senate announcement. The program, proposal to increase by 60 percent the number of of Kansas State and funded by Madison, e’43, and Lila Self, engineering graduates produced by the University of sponsors 55 students across all disciplines in President Don Beggs Kansas and Kansas State and Wichita State the School of Engineering. Students can apply universities. of Wichita State joined for the program before their freshman and Surrounded by an all-star cast that included business leaders in junior years. Standing together in the historic higher education leaders and captains of industry, Senate chamber in their white KU shirts, the Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, explained endorsing the proposal young men and women symbolized the high the urgent need, as confirmed by a task force he to increase the number of hopes of the leaders behind the proposal. appointed in 2008. Kansas faces a shortage of KU’s dean Bell said the investment would engineering graduates. engineers, “and every year that we delay, we put our yield big returns.