From The Register-Mail:
Volunteers from the community gathered in the lobby of the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg on Sunday to assist in a bi-annual cleaning effort.
“We’re doing brass work, cleaning carpet. You name it we’re doing it,” said Josh Damewood, operations manager at the Orpheum.
More than 20 people from a variety of age groups and backgrounds showed up to help clean the theater. Though standard cleaning is conducted on a regular basis by a hired crew, the theater requires additional cleaning twice a year that goes beyond routine measures…
“This seemed like a good community-based project to do,” said Ellen Ramsey, 21, a member of the Knox College Rotaract Club. Ramsey and four other club members pitched in during Saturday’s cleaning…
From The Register-Mail:
A few minutes before Jan. 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 quake struck Haiti…
Daniel and Kymber Beers were just two of the many who decided they had to do something. Daniel is a visiting professor at Knox College who is teaching in the political science department.
“In March of 2010, we were living in Seattle and, of course, I was reading about the quake in the paper and watching all the relief efforts unfold on television,” Daniel said. “I guess I had a heightened interest because I sponsor a child through Worldvision Children — and mine happens to live in Haiti.”
Over the course of a morning and afternoon, a plan started to take shape in Daniel’s head.
“I thought ‘Why not go there and help.’ It just slowly became what I was thinking about,” he said. “I started to do some research and make some phone calls.”
Daniel found an organization then called Hands-On Disaster Response, which was established in 2004 after the Indian Ocean tsunami. The organization’s efforts were based in Leogane, the city closest to the epicenter of the earthquake.
Daniel’s original plan didn’t include Kymber — but that changed once he told her about the Hands-On program. She, too, decided to go…
From The New York Times:
Last month, the thrill of my acceptance to Knox College and Mills College was cut short by my mother’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Naturally, with my mother falling victim to a body-ravaging, unpredictable and incurable disease, I was crestfallen. Additionally, an overwhelming sense of duty to my mother’s well-being and a responsibility for my family’s uncertain future washed over my already strained conscience.
My hard-earned acceptances and accompanying scholarships were meaningless to me if I couldn’t share the joy of these accomplishments with my life-long supporter and role model, and my college diploma would just be a piece of paper next to what she means to me.
Essentially, I was ready to throw my college future on the chopping block to help ease the discomfort of my mother’s disease, should it be necessary, even if my assistance and presence did nothing more than put a smile on her face.
However, I also feared the risk of postponing or never attaining college. Those four undergraduate years are a launching pad to higher thinking and a secure adult life, so would my sacrifice help me or hurt me in the long run?
Before uncertainty chewed a hole through my head, I sat down with my mom and disclosed my dilemma.
My mom and I had a long discussion that filled in the gaps of my understanding regarding her unique m.s. condition, from her daily challenges, to her treatment options.
From Galesburg.com Blogs:
Is there any better source for gossip and information than the barbershop or hair salon? My stylist Daniel Leahy at Strategic Hair Command tipped me off last night that Knoxville native and renowned jazz drummer Matt Wilson (pictured left) was performing Wednesday at the China State Dinner hosted by President Obama in the White House.
Sure enough, I got home and checked out the White House website to see Wilson was listed under the entertainment section on the official invitation for last night’s dinner. “An Evening of Jazz” concluded the state dinner and included performances by Chris Botti, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock, Lang Lang, and Dianne Reeves. Wilson was performing with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization established in memory of Thelonious Monk, the legendary jazz pianist and composer.
Attempts to reach Matt have so far been unsuccessful, but I did learn plenty about the former Knoxville resident through some internet research and from Daniel.
Here’s what Daniel, himself a well-known jazz musician, had to say about Matt Wilson:
“Matt plays with so many musical celebrities. He is getting a lot of recognition for being a brilliant musician globally.“Matt was recently here and did a clinic at Knox College and the Galesburg Public Library. The first time I played with Matt was at the old WDs when the Thursday night faculty and friends takes place for the Knox Rootabaga Jazz Festival. It was the year that pianist Benny Green was the headliner. I had played with so many drummers in my day but Matt, I would say, is the most melodic drummer of them all. He plays his drums with more than just rhythm in mind. And he doesn’t only use the heads of the drums, but also the hardware and anything else he can get his hands on that will generate a sound. Amazing!”
Matt’s bio on his website said: “I was born in the prairie town of Knoxville, Illinois September 27th 1964. I was lucky to have cool parents who encouraged me in my creative pursuits where it was music, theater, writing or weird art. I became interested in playing the drums in the third grade after seeing Buddy Rich on the Lucy Show.”
From The Register-Mail:
Applications are being accepted for a mentoring/tutoring program at Discovery Depot Children’s Museum.
The program will meet from 5 to 6 p.m. or 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays Jan. 27 through Feb. 24. Children ages 5 to 10 will be matched with Knox College students for one-on-one help with math, reading, literacy, motor skills, etc. The cost to enroll a child is $20 for the five-week session; space is limited. For more information or to register, call 344-8876 or e-mail susan@discoverydepot.org.
From The Register-Mail:
Knox College will present its annual Martin Luther King Day Convocation at 11 a.m. Monday in Harbach Theatre, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, on the Knox campus. It is free and open to the public.
Duane Oldfield, associate professor of political science, will give the convocation address, “The Civil Courage of Martin Luther King.” Two speakers will read their own poems — Fred Hord, professor and chair of Black Studies; and Monica Prince, a junior from Lakewood, Colo. Daniel McDavitt, visiting instructor in music, will conduct the Knox College Choir.
A member of the Knox College faculty since 1995, Oldfield studies social movements, religion and politics, and the impact of globalization on communities. King, a civil rights leader, minister and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was assassinated in 1968. Jan. 15 is the anniversary of King’s birthday, and the national holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in January.
Also on Monday, the Knox College Office of Admission will have an open house for prospective students and families that includes class visits; guided tours of academic, athletic and residential facilities; and workshops and informational sessions with faculty, admission and financial aid counselors, coaches and students.
Students can register for the open house with the Office of Admission, online at www.knox.edu/openhouse or by calling 341-7100.
