Writer, Performer and Blues Singer Arthur Flowers to Perform at Washington College February 14th

Chestertown, MD, January 31, 2002 — In celebration of Black History Month, writer, storyteller and blues singer Arthur Flowers will present an evening of performance literature and music, Thursday, February 14, 2002, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington College's Norman James Theatre, William Smith Hall. The concert is free and the public is invited to attend.

Flowers is the author of two novels, De Mojo Blues and Another Good Loving Blues, a children's book Cleveland Lee's Beale Street Band, and the forthcoming nonfiction book, Mojo Rising: Confessions of a 21st Century Conjureman. He writes and performs as a "literary hoodoo man" to bridge the gap between Western literary culture and African oral traditions. He is the co-founder of the New Renaissance Writer's Guild and teaches creative writing at Syracuse University.

Flowers considers himself a contemporary griot, referring to the storytellers of ancient African societies who passed on the history of their people to future generations through the oral tradition. Using "performance literature" as the medium, Flowers accompanies his presentations with African instruments and rhythms.

Although a native of Memphis, Flowers did not discover blues music and culture until he moved to New York to become a writer after serving in Vietnam. While researching the blues and the Hoodoo religious tradition, he became more deeply dedicated to uncovering the African traditions that have influenced American culture and to making the African vernacular a greater power and living part of our nation's literary tradition and language forms.

The performance is sponsored by the Sophie Kerr Committee, the Washington College Chapter of Cleopatra's Daughters and the Office of Campus Events.

For more information on these or other events at Washington College, call the Campus Events Office at 410-778-7888.

Merrigan to Speak on Ensuring Farm 'Welfare'

Chestertown, MD, January 29, 2002 — The Washington College Center for the Environment and Society and the Chesapeake Fields Institute welcome Kathleen Merrigan speaking on "Ensuring Farming 'Welfare', Thursday, January 31, 2002, at 5 p.m. in 100 Goldstein Hall. Merrigan is the former Administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and current Program Director and Assistant Professor at the Agriculture, Food and Environment graduate studies program at Tufts University School of Nutrition, Science and Policy, in Medford, MA.

Congress is putting the finishing touches on a 10-year, $171 billion farm bill. Merrigan will review provisions of the bill, discuss the politics (good and bad) and ask whether the people of Maryland are well served by federal agricultural policy.

The event is free and the public is invited to attend. For more information, call Andrew Stein at the Center for the Environment and Society, 410-810-7151.

World-Renowned Guitarist to Speak, Perform in Chestertown February 22nd and 24th

Chestertown, MD, January 29, 2002 — Eliot Fisk—world-renowned classical guitar virtuoso—will speak on "Soul Music: The Importance of Art Music in a Democratic World," Friday, February 22, 2002, at Washington College, and perform in the newly renovated Prince Theatre in downtown Chestertown on Sunday, February 24, 2002. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Gertrude Goldenberg Education Fund for the Department of Education and Outreach of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Society.

A native of Philadelphia and educated at Yale University where he studied with harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick, Fisk found his musical voice through the guitar and was coached privately by his idol, Andres Segovia, for several years. In 1981, Segovia wrote: "I consider Eliot Fisk as one of the most brilliant, intelligent and gifted young musical artists of our time, not only among guitarists but in all the general field of instrumentalists. His clear and flexible technique, his noble style of interpreting the beauty of classic compositions as well as the colorful music of today, put him at the top line of our artistic world."

Fisk has not fallen short of Segovia's mark. Over the past two decades, he has earned a worldwide reputation as an innovative, risk-taking, imaginative interpreter of classical guitar, frequently including his own transcriptions in performance as well as specially commissioned works by composers as varied as Luciano Berio, Robert Beaser, Cristobal Halffter, Nicholas Maw, Xavier Monsalvatge and George Rochberg. In 1996, he was voted Best Classical Guitarist by Guitar Player magazine, and he has over 20 CD releases to his credit.

In addition to performing as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestras on four continents, Fisk is deeply involved in educational and outreach programs to bring the instructive and uplifting powers of music to schools, churches, prisons and senior citizen centers. He also teaches at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

On Friday, February 22, Fisk will speak on his musical outreach mission. His talk "Soul Music: The Importance of Art Music in a Democratic World" will be held in Washington College's Norman James Theatre, William Smith Hall, at 4 p.m., and sponsored by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs, the Sophie Kerr Committee and the Campus Events and Visitors Committee. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

On Sunday, February 24, Fisk will perform at 3 p.m. in the Prince Theatre, 210 High Street, Chestertown. His performance will include works by Bach, Scarlatti, Paganini, Beaser's "Mountain Songs" in duet with local violist Michael Strauss, and the D major guitar quintet of Bocherini, accompanied by the Mid-Atlantic String Quartet. Tickets are $20 for students, $35 for general admission, and $50 for prime, reserved seating. All proceeds benefit the music outreach programs of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Society. Tickets are available at the Compleat Bookseller in Chestertown or by calling 410-810-3403.

"We need music in the schools," said Fisk in an interview with Hope magazine, summarizing his commitment to music outreach and education. "Music sensitizes us. Music makes people aware of other people. Music inculcates good study habits. Music activates the soul. It's a tragedy that in the feeding frenzy of the austerity budgets we've deleted music and art from the lives of our young people, and our republic will be the poorer for it."

Black History Month Events at Washington College

Chestertown, MD, January 28, 2002 — In celebration of Black History Month, Washington College has several events highlighting African-American history, culture and literature. All events are free and the public is invited to attend.

Tuesday, February 12
The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the Center for the Study of Black Culture, and the Black Student Union of Washington College, in celebration of Black History Month, present FREEDOM, FAITH, AND TERROR: THOUGHTS ON THE DAWNING AGE, a talk by Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington College, Norman James Theatre, William Smith Hall, 8 p.m.

Thursday, February 14
LOVE JONES, a poetry reading sponsored by the Washington College Chapter of Cleopatra's Daughters O'Neill Literary House, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 14
Writer, poet, storyteller and blues singer ARTHUR FLOWERS, performing in the Washington College's Norman James Theatre, William Smith Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 20
A night of POETRY AND MUSIC IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY. Participants include students, staff, and a surprise faculty musical performance! Washington College Student Center, Town Hall stage, 8 pm to 9:30pm.

Thursday, February 28
The Sophie Kerr Committee, in celebration of Black History Month, presents poet CALVIN FORBES reading from his work. Washington College, Sophie Kerr Room, Miller Library, 4:30 p.m.

Month of February, Lobby of Miller Library
FRATERNITY, CHARITY, LOYALTY: THE STORY OF CHESTERTOWN'S CHARLES SUMNER POST OF THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Display traces the history of the lodge built by African Americans as a Civil War veterans' meeting hall shortly after the turn of the Twentieth century. The Charles Sumner Post was an important part of Chestertown's black community for over a century. Now abandoned, the structure may be the only remaining example of its kind in Maryland, and serves as a monument to an all but forgotten aspect of Kent County's Civil War past.

Birnbaum Takes an Intimate Look at How Government and Business Are Working Together Since September 11

Chestertown, MD, January 22, 2002 — The Goldstein Program in Public Affairs at Washington College presents “THE WAY THINGS GET DONE IN WASHINGTON: THE CHALLENGE TO GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS SINCE 9/11,” a lecture by writer and political commentator Jeffrey Birnbaum, Washington bureau chief for Fortune Magazine, on Thursday, February 7, 2001, at 7 p.m. in the College’s Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

As chief of Fortune’s Washington bureau, Birnbaum specializes in covering the intersection of government and business with an emphasis on the White House, lobbying and national politics. He joined Fortune in January 1997 after two years as a senior political correspondent for Time Magazine. Before joining Time in 1995, Birnbaum worked forThe Wall Street Journal for 16 years, in his later years as a White House correspondent. Now, as Fortune’s senior writer in DC, Birnbaum annually authors the magazine’s “Power 25” survey that assesses which interest groups have the most clout and influence in Washington. He is also the author of the recently published book The Money Men: The Real Story of Fund-raising's Influence on Political Power (Crown, 2000).

Birnbaum is a popular television pundit and regularly appears on Fox’s Special Report with Brit Hume, PBS’s Washington Week in Review, and CNN’s Business Day. He has also appeared on The Today Show, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, Fox News Sunday, NPR’s All Things Considered, and CNN’s Inside Politics and Crossfire.

The talk is sponsored by Washington College’s Goldstein Program in Public Affairs, established in honor of the late Louis L. Goldstein, a 1935 alumnus and Maryland’s longest serving elected official. The Goldstein Program sponsors lectures, symposia, visiting fellows, travel and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders in public policy and the media.

Taylor Branch to Speak on Civil Rights in the Wake of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks

Chestertown, MD, January 17, 2002 — In celebration of Black History Month, the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the Center for the Study of Black Culture, and the Black Student Union of Washington College present "FREEDOM, FAITH, AND TERROR: THOUGHTS ON THE DAWNING AGE," a talk by Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Tuesday, February 12, 2002, at 8 p.m. in the College's Norman James Theatre, William Smith Hall. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Branch's talk will focus on reinterpreting the legacy of Martin Luther King in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and how the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement can be carried on amidst concerns for national security and public safety. Branch is the award-winning writer of a multi-volume history of the Civil Rights Movement and the work of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63" and "Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-5." These exhaustive treatments of the early history, personalities and politics of the Civil Rights Movement—representing 13 years of writing and research—have established Branch as a national authority, and he frequently advised President Clinton on racial matters and civil rights issues during his terms. Currently Branch is working on the third and final installment in this history, titled At Canaan's Edge.

The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College opened in Fall 2001 to encourage the broad study of American history and culture and the ways we give daily new meaning to what George Washington called "the great experiment." In keeping with the special history and character of Washington College, the Center focuses on the nation's founding moment, ideals and experiences by highlighting contemporary scholarship and research in these areas.

Campaign Exceeds $72 Million Goal Two Years Ahead of Schedule

Chestertown, MD, January 17, 2002 — Several major gifts and grants and two special fundraising efforts have pushed the Campaign for Washington's College beyond its $72 million goal to more than $74 million, just three years into the five-year campaign. Recent major gifts include $2.6 million from The Hodson Trust earmarked for the Hodson Challenge, $300,000 from Robert Thawley '43 for academic programs, and $100,000 pledged by Thomas H. Maddux. In addition, the Hodson Challenge is matching other recent gifts to endowment including, as follows: $250,000 from Jennifer and Ted Stanley and $100,000 from Jim and Dessie Moxley for the Center for Environment and Society, $200,000 from The Starr Foundation and $100,000 from the Seraph Foundation for scholarships, $407,000 from a group of donors to endow the men's and women's lacrosse program, and $105,000 from friends of the late Constance Stuart Larrabee to create an endowed scholarship in her name.

In addition, the final distribution of the Irma S. Heck Trust pushed the endowment fund for the Leroy Savin Heck '25 Scholarship to $433,000; this gift will also be matched by The Hodson Trust.

Nearly $9 million has now been raised in response to the Hodson Challenge. We are especially pleased that Hodson Trust Chairman Finn M.W. Caspersen has approved an extension of the Hodson Challenge from $10 million to $15 million. This special challenge has provided an important catalyst to donors who have welcomed the opportunity to double their dollars while providing for the long-term financial health of the College.

Addressing one of President John Toll's top priorities, the George I. Alden Trust issued a 3:1 challenge grant of $100,000 for the construction of a new addition to the Dunning-Decker Science Center. Dr. Ralph Snyderman '61 made the first gift, $102,000, in honor of his parents, in response to the Alden Trust challenge.

Plans are underway for a gala milestone celebration on Saturday, May 18.

Men and Women: Are We Hard Wired to Think Differently? Lecture Explores Sex Differences in the Brain

Chestertown, MD, January 11, 2002 — The Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi and Psi Chi the National Honor Society in Psychology, as part of the Women in Science Lecture Series, present "SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE BRAIN: FACT OR FICTION?", a lecture by Margaret M. McCarthy, Ph.D., University of Maryland, on Wednesday, February 13, 2002, at 7:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall, Dunning Hall. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

As a researcher with the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Department of Physiology, Dr. McCarthy focuses on the influence of steroid hormones on the developing brain. For humans and animals, perinatal life—the time period immediately preceding and following birth—is a sensitive period for hormone exposure during which permanent structures in the developing brain are established.

Males and females are exposed to different hormones and hormonal concentrations during this period that result in sex differences in the brain. These differences include alterations in the volumes of particular brain nuclei and patterns of synaptic connectivity. McCarthy believes that the mechanisms by which sexually dimorphic structures are formed in the brain need further exploration and can shed light on how hormonal differences in the perinatal period may contribute to gender differences neurological disorders. For instance, males suffer more from developmental disorders such as dyslexia, autism, stuttering, early-onset schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder, while females suffer more from adult-onset disorders such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Dr. McCarthy is investigating whether these gender differences are due to the difference in hormonal make-up during the perinatal period.

Dr. McCarthy has published widely in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Journal of "Neuroscience", "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", "Brain Research", "Hormones and Behavior", and "Neuroendocrinology". She also has presented her work at numerous national and international scientific meetings.

This Women in Science Lecture is cosponsored by the Washington College chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, a non-profit membership society of more than 80,000 scientists and engineers supporting excellence in scientific research, education, science policy, and the public understanding of science, and by the Washington College Chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology.

Pox Americana: Addressing the Strategic and Historical Role of Small Pox During the American War for Independence

Chestertown, MD, January 10, 2002 — The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College presents POX AMERICA: THE GREAT SMALL POX EPIDEMIC OF 1775-1782, a lecture by Professor Elizabeth Anne Fenn of George Washington University, on Wednesday, February 6, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Professor Fenn's newly published book "Pox Americana" discusses an oft-overlooked aspect of the American Revolution, one that oddly parallels our own contemporary concerns about bio-terrorism: the connection between the scourge of smallpox and the conduct and outcome of the war. The living conditions of soldiers during the Revolution lead to an outbreak of smallpox in 1775, and George Washington ended an outbreak in the North by inoculating American soldiers, perhaps, according to Fenn preventing an early defeat by the British who had increased immunity to smallpox from more frequent European outbreaks. Despite General Washington's efforts, the disease spread in the South, and, as the war ended, increased contact between populations spread the disease as far as Mexico and the Pacific Northwest.

Fenn traces the disease's effect on the North American balance of power in the late 18th Century—the strategic, cultural and historical consequences of disease that might have helped to pave the way for the United States' hegemony over North America. Fenn brings detail to the subject through diaries, letters, presidential papers, and church and burial records that document first-hand the spread of the disease.

The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College opened in Fall 2001 to encourage the broad study of American history and culture and the ways we give daily new meaning to what George Washington called "the great experiment." In keeping with the special history and character of Washington College, the Center focuses on the nation's founding moment, ideals and experiences by highlighting contemporary scholarship and research in these areas. For more information, call 410-810-7156.

Here Be Monsters: Jim Treacy of Monster.com Explains Marketing and Advertising Success in the Dot-Com World

Chestertown, MD, January 4, 2002 — The Washington College Department of Business Management and the J. C. Jones Seminar in American Business will host James J. Treacy, Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer of TMP Worldwide, parent company ofMonster.com—the web'smost popular employment and recruitment site—on Tuesday, January 29, 2002, at 7 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Described by one industry journal as a "management wizard," Treacy joined TMP Worldwide in 1994 as Chief Executive Officer for the company's recruitment division, bringing an impressive financial background to the world's largest yellow page and recruitment advertising company. In 1996, as Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategy, he helped to guide TMP through the company's initial public offering. He was named to the position of Executive Vice President and COO in February 1998, responsible for corporate strategy and development as well as company financing and investor relations. In November 2001 he became President and COO of TMP and assumed direct day-to-day responsibility for the company's business.

Treacy has been a guiding hand for much of TMP's recent successes, providing strategic direction and vision to the recruitment advertising division, and helping to lead TMP's purchase of The Monster Board. He received his business degree from Siena College, and a MBA with honors from St. John's University.

Known for its highly successful advertising campaign and strategic positioning on the web, Monster.com is the leading global online network for careers and recruitment. Currently spanning the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland, Monster.com began in 1994 under the name "The Monster Board" and quickly became the web's most popular employment site. In January of 1999, TMP Worldwide merged Online Career Center (the internet's first employment site started in 1993), and The Monster Board to form Monster.com. Today, with over 26.7 million unique visits, more than 12.0 million resumes, and more unique visitors than any other career site, Monster.com is an unabashed internet success.

This talk is sponsored by the J. C. Jones Seminar in American Business, in honor of the late James C. Jones, Jr., a Baltimore businessman and 1947 graduate of Washington College who remained active throughout his life in alumni affairs and served on the Board of Visitors and Governors of the College.

Concert Series Welcomes Pianist Paul Maillet & Friends January 25th

Chestertown, MD, January 4, 2002 — The Washington College Concert Series begins the New Year with a performance by accomplished American pianist Paul Maillet, accompanied by cello, violin and clarinet, Friday, January 25, 2002, at 8:00 p.m. in the College's Tawes Theatre, Gibson Performing Arts Center. This golden anniversary season of the Washington College Concert Series is dedicated to its cofounders Helen S. Gibson of Chestertown, wife of the late Daniel Z. Gibson, president of the College from 1950 to 1970, and the late Robert L. Forney of Chestertown, who chaired the concert series committee and supported it financially for many years.

Paul Maillet has received enthusiastic acclaim for his performances worldwide and played soloist with orchestras in Europe, North America, Asia and South America. Winner of numerous competitions, Maillet studied piano at the Eastman School with Cecile Genhart and with Leon Fleisher and Leonard Shure at the Peabody Institute. He currently studies with Dorothy Taubman and is a regular performer and faculty member of the Taubman Institute-Amherst Music Festival.

With him this performance are Sheng-Tsung Wang on violin, Louis Bianco on clarinet, and Benjamin Myers on cello. One of the pieces that they will perform will be Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time," written in 1941 when the French patriot and composer was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp.

Single admission tickets for the Washington College Concert Series are available at the Tawes Theatre box office before performances and are $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth 18 years of age and under. Season tickets are available for $50.00 and single patronage sponsorships begin at $75.00. Season tickets can be purchased by check or money order from the Washington College Concert Series, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620-1197. For information or a season program brochure, call 410-778-7839.