The Alumnus, V63n3, September 1978
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University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks The Alumnus UNI Alumni Association 9-1978 The Alumnus, v63n3, September 1978 University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright ©1978 University of Northern Iowa Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/alumnusnews Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association, "The Alumnus, v63n3, September 1978" (1978). The Alumnus. 77. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/alumnusnews/77 This Magazine is brought to you for free and open access by the UNI Alumni Association at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Alumnus by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Alumnus UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA September, 1978 The Clamdigger by Willem deKooning -see page 16 Would you trust these people with your money? ~ You should and· you do. These ore University of Norrhern Iowa students Fund uses the money for the UNI-Dome, Fine who use your money in many ways if you Arts Auditorium and scholarships, deferred supporr the UNI Foundation. Your gifts benefit giving usually supporrs academic areas of UNI students through scholarships, research special interest to the giver and special funds grants, cultural improvements, capitol ore directed toward class projects, memorials improvements, lecture series and supporr for or named scholarships. the library. Supporr the UNI Foundation to financially The Foundation's organization into four areas assist the University in academic and capitol mol~es it simple for you to decide how you improvements. For information ccntact the UNI wont your gift used. The U' nl Fund su pplements Office of Alumni Services and Development, other Foundation resources, the Centennial Cedar Falls, IA 5061 .3 or coll (.319) 27.3-2.355 . The Alumnus UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA Vol. 63 No. 3 September, 1978 UNI carillonneur gains national fame / 2 Bob Byrnes, UNI graduate, talks about being a finalist in the first National Carillon Performance Concert. The President goes to China/ 8 UNI President John Kamerick joins other university presidents on an educational trip to Taiwan and gets an education in many fields. All the years of courses add up to a bac helor's degree/ 10 Wilma Beichley, retired elementary teacher, receives the first Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from UNI. Volunteers - the people who make things tick/ 12 The who, what and why of Foundation and Alumni Association volunteers. Gallery of Art and KUNI/KHKE-FM make big plans/ 16, 18 The UNI Gallery of Art features de Kooning in an inaugural opening and KUNI/KHKE staff members tell how to move two radio stations. Departments Campus Avenews / 5 Director's Med Lee / 22 Alumni Avenews / 20 Class Notes / 23 The Cover -"Clamdigger," a bronze sculpture by Wi llem de Kooning, will be one of the artist's works exhibited at the UNI Gallery of Art inaugural opening Oct. 21 -Nov. 26. de Kooning is called the pioneer of abstract expressionism because his paintings exhibit freedom. He turned to sculpture in the early 1970s. See article on page 16. Editor - Carole Shelley Yates Alumni Director-Lee Miller Photographer - Dan Grevas UNI Alumni Association Board of Directors Carolyn Cummings Haurum, B.A. '53, President Joleen Caslavka, B.A. 7 4, term expires 79 Joan Nordly McCann, B.A. '54, Vice President Bernard Ceilley, B.A. '55, immediate past president Lee Miller, B.A. '52, Secretary Finn B. Ericksen, B.A. '31 , term expires '80 James L. Bailey, Treasurer Francis S. Uack) Orr, B.A. '26, term expires, 7 9 Marlene Wynn Behn, B.A. '64, term expires 79 Darrel J. Porter, B.A. '49, term expires 79 William Blake, B.A. '63, term expires 79 Michael Sheehan, B.A. '65, term expires, '80 The Alumnus is published four times a year in February, May, September and December by the University of Northern Iowa, 1222 W . 27th St., Cedar Falls, IA 50613. Member, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Alumni Association membership dues, including magazine subscription, are $12 annually. Signed letters to the editor are welcome and will be printed pending length. Send to Editor, Gilchrist Hall 169, UNI, Cedar Falls, IA 50613. Produced by the Office of Public Information Services, Second class postage paid at Cedar Falls, IA 50613. Postal number 016080. 1 UNI carillonneur gains national fame hen Iowa State Teachers College improvising a risky business. It's hard piano student he was disappointed W alumni donated funds for 15 to do for someone like me who was that there was no one who could carillon bells in 1926, the set of chimes trained in the old tradition." utilize the carillon. ~ter became was the best in Iowa and the best in all Byrnes, who has always been the carillonneur and after playing the United States educational institutions. fascinated with bells, admits he was bells for five years felt a need to UNl's carillon reputation is spreading anxious to try the Thomas Rees advance himself. He decided to earn a again through the United States. Bob carillon. "It's a heavier instrument than masters degree in carillon performance Byrnes, B.A. '71, M.A. '77, University our carillon so it takes more energy to and more fully use the carillon. Byrnes carillonneur, was a finalist in the first play. But, the keyboard is similar. It's a also gives private piano lessons and National Carillon Performance Concert Dutch keyboard unlike other key conducts the UNI Men's Glee Club. held Sept. 3 in Springfield, IL. He was boards that are English. Keyboards After asking Dr. Richard von also invited to give several carillon differ in length of the batons, Grabow, Iowa State cari llonneur, to recitals in Pennsylvania and Virginia in distances between keys and sharps and give him graduate level carillon August. flats." The UNI carillon has 47 bells lessons, Byrnes started two years of Byrnes, who is the only known compared to 66 in the Springfield lesson at Ames every two weeks. He person in the country with an M.A. in carillon. did his research and coursework at carillon performance, entered the When Byrnes came to UNI as a UNI. national competition because he'd always wanted to play the Thomas Rees 66-bell carillon, the instrument used for the contest. The contest was held to encourage carillonneurs to perform in public and professionally and to advertise the carillon in America in a new and unique way. Byrnes was selected as a finalist based on a performance tape he submitted. On the tape he played "Reflexies" by Jacque Maasen, a piece he played for his masters degree • graduate recital. " 'Reflexies' is probably the most difficult piece for carillon," Byrnes admits. He believes competition judges listened for contestants' abilities to play quickly and slowly, to bring out the melody, to accent passages and notes, to interpret a carillon piece musically and to use dynamics. In the competition Byrnes played several modern carillon pieces and a preludio by a 17th century composer. Each finalist also played a piece commissioned for the contest and written by the former carillonneur at the Thomas Rees Carillon. Carillon composition is a recent thing, according to the UNI car illonneur. Most carillon music has come from arrangements of folk songs and religious pieces. "There's also a lot of improvisation in European carillon playing but Americans are not as daring," Byrnes says. 'We like things to be more The only known per on in the country with a masters degree in ca rillon playing, Byrnes predictable. I myself consider competed in the fir t National Carillon Performance Concert, Sept. 3, in Springfield, IL. 2 UNI carillonneur Bob Byrnes in the top of the campanile by the bells donated by UNI alumni. 3 If you've never climbed up to the top of-the UNI Campanile, here's what the carillon looks like. The carillonneur hits batons arranged like a piano keyboard. The batons have wires connected to the bell clappers. UN/'s carillon has 48 bells: Like other music masters degree Church of Christ, Holland, PA; "It's less tiring to play now because I candidates, Byrnes took required Washington Memorial Chapel, Valley don't have to withstand the sound," courses, did six hours of research, Forge, PA; and the Netherlands Byrnes says. gave a graduate recital and took oral Carillon, Arlington, VA. Another major improvement Byrnes exams. His research included three Byrnes prepared a varied program envisions someday is a new keyboard. analyses usi ng the three Regents and was also asked by the St. Thomas 'W e have an exquisite set of bells but university libraries. He analyzed all the audience to play his Mickey Mouse the same can't be said of the key books on bells and ca rillons and read March. "The people there see the board. The one we have is functional all of the books published by the carillon as a serious instrument but and was the only keyboard available North American Guild of Carillonneurs also as a folk instrument. That's also when the rest of the bells were added si nce 1949. His thesis was a carillon how I like to think of it," Byrnes in 1968," Byrnes explains. recital for a crowd of UNI and agrees. But now a company produces a community listeners. At UNI it's usual to hear Byrnes highly sophisticated keyboard that Besides a recital for his masters playing and practicing every day about Byrnes calls appealing because it's degree, Byrnes also played for a jury of noon.