Excerpt from the Peoria Journal Star:
Knox College’s expanding environmental studies program recently received a new $1-million endowed faculty chair from Douglas L. and Maria Bayer of Bellevue, Wash.
Douglas Bayer is a 1966 Knox graduate who recently retired from Microsoft Corp.
The Douglas and Maria Bayer Faculty Chair in Earth Sciences will begin supporting the new position next fall.
“Doug credits his experiences at Knox, especially physics professors Wayne Green and Herb Priestley, with teaching him how to think, not what to think,” said Robert King, director of major and planned giving at Knox. Green is a professor emeritus of physics who taught from 1954 to 1989. Priestley, who died in 2006, taught from 1952 to 1982.
A native of Chicago and graduate of Stephen T. Mather High School, Doug Bayer received a bachelor’s degree in physics at Knox in 1966 and earned both his master’s degree and doctorate in nuclear physics at Michigan State University.
Excerpt from the Register-Mail:
The 150th anniversary of the famed Lincoln/Douglas Debate at Knox College will be celebrated during 2008. A multitude of “Star-Spangled” banners supporting both Abe Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were in evidence before and during the historical debate.
When Lincoln was escorted to the home of former Galesburg Mayor Henry Sanderson, a beautiful banner prepared by the ladies of Galesburg was given to Abe by Miss Ada Hurd with the inscription, “Presented to the Hon. A. Lincoln by the Republican Ladies of Galesburg, Oct. 7, 1858.” Very descriptive banners were in evidence from supporters from Wataga, Henderson and Monmouth.
The principal banner in behalf of Douglas near the debate stand was a very large blue one with the inscription in favor of Douglas and Popular Sovereignty. Hanging immediately above the speakers’ stand was a prominent banner bearing the inscription, “Knox College For Lincoln.”
Lombard College students gave it to Abraham Lincoln, Abe gave it to a close friend, Mark Delahay of Kansas, and 100 years after the debate the State Historical Society of Kansas gave it on permanent loan to Knox College.
Excerpt from the Register-Mail:
The past several days have been hectic for 18-year-old Colin Davis of Canton.
He started his second semester at Knox College, is battling a cold which has made him hoarse and he’s gotten very little sleep. Add to that the fact that he’s been in Iowa, working with the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Davis is one of about a dozen interns for Obama’s campaign in the state of Illinois. He has worked with the senator since August, after learning of the internship in July.
While most teens don’t spend their time juggling school, sports and the duties of assisting with a national bid for the presidency, political work is in Davis’ blood.
Excerpt from the Peoria Journal Star:
Even though its students are on winter break, the Knox College staff is gearing up for the 2008 commencement ceremonies.
But the one piece they don’t have in place just yet is the commencement speaker.
In the past, Knox students have pulled out some truly gangbusting speakers, including presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in 2005; TV’s “Comedy Central” talk show host Stephen Colbert in 2006; and former president Bill Clinton in 2007. And that list leaves some wondering who the Class of 2008 will bring to campus.
The process of choosing the speaker, which began in June with the senior class presenting its “wish list” to administrators, can take months.
