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Heritage Month 2012 to explore "Whitworth in the '70s"

January 20, 2012
Events marking university's 122nd anniversary to include gospel concert, film festival, and lecture on "Expo '74 and the Transformation of Spokane"

Each February, Whitworth commemorates its founding on Feb. 20, 1890, with a month-long celebration. Heritage Month 2012 will kick off Feb. 2 with the university's annual Founder's Day Convocation, when students, faculty and staff gather to remember Whitworth's past and dedicate themselves to building upon that legacy in the coming year. Other focal points of Heritage Month 2012, which is themed, "Whitworth in the '70s," will include the fourth annual Leonard A. Oakland Film Festival Feb. 16-18, a gospel explosion performance Feb. 10, and a Feb. 22 lecture, "Expo '74 and the Transformation of Spokane."

Members of the Spokane community are invited to join Whitworth students, faculty, staff and alumni for all Heritage Month events. Admission is free unless otherwise noted. Following is more information (for complete details, visit www.whitworth.edu/heritagemonth). To hear podcasts of lectures that took place during Heritage Month, please visit www.whitworth.edu/podcast.

  • Through Saturday, Feb. 11

    An art exhibit, "Smoke and Mirrors," showcases the work of Whitworth's art faculty. An artists' panel discussion will take place on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. in the Bryan Oliver Gallery of the Lied Center. The exhibit will run through Saturday, Feb. 11 in the Bryan Oliver Gallery, Room 201 of the Ernst F. Lied Center for the Visual Arts at Whitworth University. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

  • Thursday, Feb. 2

    Founder's Day Convocation
    11 a.m., Cowles Auditorium
    Each semester begins with opening convocation, which features music and worship, faculty in academic regalia, and an opportunity to honor top students. Provost and Executive Vice President Michael Le Roy and Campus Historian and Professor of History Dale Soden will speak.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 7

    A lecture, "The Real Israel: What You Haven't Heard and Don't Know," by Jonathan Adelman
    7 p.m., Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall
    Adelman is a professor in the Josef Korbel Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver and author of The Rise of Israel: A History of a Revolutionary State (2008). He served as the doctoral dissertation advisor to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, in Washington, D.C.

  • Thursday, Feb. 9

    A discussion, "The Lindaman Era: Whitworth in the '70s"
    7 p.m., Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall
    Whitworth in the '70s was challenged to look back at its heritage and forward to a very exciting future. During that era Whitworth was led by its 14th president, Christian futurist Edward B. Lindaman, whose previous professional experience was in the aerospace industry. Join two 1970s Whitworth alumni whose diverging professional and spiritual paths – and enduring friendship – capture the essence of this fascinating decade on campus. Glen Hiemstra, '71, founder and owner of Futurist.com, is dedicated to disseminating information about the future to assist individuals, organizations and industries in effective strategic planning. Rev. Dave Brown, '76, is the pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church, in Tacoma, Wash. A graduate of Princeton Seminary, he has served three congregations prior to Immanuel. In the 1990s, he left parish ministry and was a staff member for the National Council of Churches Committee on Public Education.

  • Friday, Feb. 10

    Fifteenth annual Gospel Explosion
    7 p.m., Seeley Mudd Chapel
    Join Whitworth students and choirs from throughout Spokane for this annual campus celebration of Black History Month, sponsored by the Black Student Union.

  • Sunday, Feb. 12

    Valentine's Day concert
    7 p.m., Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church's Quall Hall
    The Whitworth Choir, Whitworth Women's Choir, and Whitworth Men's Chorus will perform a special Valentine's Day concert.

  • Wednesday, Feb. 15

    A lecture, "Christianity and the Death of the Idol," by Peter Rollins
    7 p.m., Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall
    Rollins is a writer and public speaker, and founder of ikon, a faith group that creates "transformance art" with live music, imagery, theatre, ritual and reflection.

  • Feb. 16-18

    Fourth annual Leonard A. Oakland Film Festival, which pays tribute to Oakland, who is a professor of English and a member of the Core 250 team, has taught at Whitworth for 46 years. Since he moved into a half-time faculty position, the university has been working with his friends and family to create an endowment in his name. Since Oakland has identified film studies as the area he's most excited about funding for the long-term, the endowment is being used to fund an annual film festival. All movies will be shown at the Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall. Call 777-4250.

    Thursday, Feb. 16
    What Poor Child is This? at 7 p.m.
    Come watch the premiere showing of a 2011 documentary produced by Whitworth President Beck A. Taylor and directed by T.N. Mohan that investigates the plight of the poor in America. The film features insights from an array of national authorities, as well as suggestions for improving the future of America's poor.

    Also showing that night will be Young Frankenstein at 11 p.m.

    Friday, Feb. 17
    Breaking Away at 7 p.m.
    Directed by Peter Yates, this 1979 film blends sports, thriller, inspiration, coming-of-age sensitivity, tender romance, and cusp-of-the-'80s humor. It follows four buddies, high school grads who are working-class townies surrounding by the gownies who go to the big university in their Indiana town, and don't know what to do next with their lives. But one, at least, has a dream.

    Also showing that night will be Bad News Bears at 11 p.m.

    Saturday, Feb. 18
    Secret International Film at 7 p.m.
    Rights were still being secured at press time. Enjoy a contemporary international film that explores Europe in the '70s. The program will open with the winners of the 2012 student-made short-film contest.

    Also showing that night will be Harold & Maude at 11 p.m.

  • Feb. 21

    An art exhibit, "Infinitesimal," a site responsive installation by Gerri Sayler, will open Feb. 21 with a reception at 5 p.m. in the Lied Art Center, followed by a lecture by the artist at 6 p.m. in the Lied Center's Bryan Oliver Gallery. Sayler graduated from the University of Idaho in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. In the same year she was awarded the Jurors' First Prize in the Idaho Triennial at the Boise Art Museum. She has recently returned from a self-directed artist residency in New Zealand. The exhibit will run through April 5 in the Bryan Oliver Gallery, Room 201 of the Ernst F. Lied Center for the Visual Arts at Whitworth University. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Gallery will be closed on Feb. 24, and March 17-25. Call 777-3258.

  • Wednesday, Feb. 22

    A lecture, "Expo '74 and the Transformation of Spokane," by J. William T. Youngs.
    7 p.m., Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall
    Youngs is a professor at Eastern Washington University and author of The Fair and the Falls: Spokane's Expo '74, Transforming an American Environment (Eastern Washington University Press, 1996), which won the Washington State Governor's Writers Award. Youngs will chronicle the planning and expectation of Expo '74, which transformed the downtown of Spokane, the smallest city ever to have hosted a World's Fair, and also will highlight Whitworth's role in the fair.

  • Thursday, Feb. 23

    Great Decisions Lecture, "The Geopolitics of Energy," by Mary Verner
    7:30 p.m., Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall
    Former Spokane mayor and city council member Verner has an M.A. in environmental management from Yale and a J.D. in environmental law from Gonzaga.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Nancy Rau, associate director, donor relations and special events, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4250 or nrau@whitworth.edu.

Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu.