NEWS BRIEFS

Cesar Chavez statue to be unveiled on Oct. 9

The unveiling of a statue of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez has been scheduled for Oct. 9 as part of a celebration honoring his legacy for social justice. It will become the first statue of a Hispanic person on the 123-year-old campus.

Stacy Torres, chair of the university’s Cesar Chavez Statue Committee, said the artist, Pablo Eduardo of Gloucester, Mass., plans to complete the sculpture this spring. Work on the site preparation and foundation are expected to begin in early summer. The statue will be placed on the West Mall between Battle Hall and the West Mall Office Building.

“Our committee is excited to move forward with plans for this historic event,” said Torres, one of the Student Government leaders instrumental in moving the statue project forward in recent years.

Chavez, who fought for the rights of farm laborers and minorities, was chosen by the We Are Texas Too student organization, which prompted the formation of the Cesar Chavez Statue Committee.

"Fireflies in the Garden" films on the West Mall

Photo contributed by Van Redin

The West Mall became the filming site for two scenes of the film, “Fireflies in the Garden,” on April 3. The production describes interactions within a family in crisis and how the tragic death of a family member affects family dynamics. The cast includes Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Ryan Reynolds and Ioan Gruffudd. Reynolds and Gruffudd were involved in the scenes filmed on campus.

Staff celebrate anniversary of Harry Ransom Center

Photo contributed by the Harry Ransom Center

Staff of the Harry Ransom Center celebrate the center’s 50th anniversary, with a nod to Texas photographer E.O. Goldbeck. Goldbeck (1892-1986) was known for his panoramic views of military personnel, famous sights around the world and numerous social and historical groups. He is especially known for his “living insignias” in which he positioned military servicemen, usually numbering in the thousands, to form the insignia of their division and then photographed them from above. In Goldbeck tradition, Ransom Center staff gathered to form the number “50” for an image to celebrate its anniversary. The Ransom Center holds Goldbeck’s archive, more than one million negatives and prints.

Texas Exes choose six notable grads to be inducted into alumni elite

The Texas Exes have selected six alumni who will be given the Distinguished Alumnus Award for distinguishing themselves professionally and through service to the university at a presentation on September 28. The 2007 award recipients are:

Juliet Garcia of Brownsville, B.A. 1970, M.A. 1972, is president of The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

Ambassador Tony Garza of Mexico City, B.B.A. 1980 is U.S. ambassador to Mexico and the former chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission.

Mark McLaughlin of San Angelo, B.B.A. 1952, L.L.B. 1954, is a successful rancher, banker and attorney.

Jane Monday of Huntsville, B.S. 1963, is an author, past president of the Texas Exes and the former mayor of Huntsville.

Charles Tate of Houston, B.B.A. 1968, is the chairman and founder of Capital Royalty, L.P., a private equity firm targeting investments in the healthcare industry.

Rex Tillerson of Dallas, B.S. 1975, is chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Created in 1958 by the Texas Exes, this award annually recognizes up to six alumni of the university. Recipients are chosen by a special Texas Exes committee from nominations submitted by alumni and other members of the university community. The Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest alumni award of the university.

Center for American History film wins International television award

The PBS documentary film “Last Best Hope: A True Story of Escape, Evasion and Remembrance,” made possible in part by the Center for American History, received a Silver Award in the documentary/history category at the 43rd annual Hugo Awards for Excellence in Television ceremony in Chicago.

The film producers include three alumni from The University of Texas at Austin: Ramona Kelly (B.S. 1977), David Grosvenor (B.F.A. 1975) and Wilson Waggoner (B.S. 1995). Mat Hames, Waggoner’s partner in the Austin production company Alpheus Media, Inc., directed, wrote and edited the film, which premiered nationally in October. It is also a co-production of KLRU TV.

“This extraordinary and historically significant film tells the little-known story of the Belgian resistance in its efforts to harbor and repatriate American and Allied airmen downed within the borders of occupied Belgium during the Second World War,” said Don Carleton, director of the Center for American History. “The center is pleased to have been instrumental in bringing to the public this World War II story of courage and sacrifice.”

Original footage shot for the film, as well as documentation and photographs amassed during the film’s research phase, will be archived at the center for scholarly research purposes.

More information about “Last Best Hope” is available on the Center for American History Web site.

James Joyce conference to be held at university

The Department of English will host the International James Joyce Conference June 13-17. The event features noted poets and scholars such as Vicki Maaffey, Paul Muldoon and Sean Walsh.

"Few books of the 20th century are held in higher esteem than those of James Joyce," said alan Friedman, professor of English and conference chair. "We're delighted to host this gathering of scholars and introduce them to the Ransom Center's impressive collection of Joyce manuscripts and correspondence."

All of Joyce's major works have been collected in depth by the HRC, especially "Ulysses," considered one of the most important works of Modernistic literature.

The highlight of the conference is the Bloomsday Banquet on June 16.

Bloomsday is annually observed on June 16 to celebrate the events in "Ulysses," all of which took place on the same day in Dublin 1904. The name derives from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of the book. Enthusiasts have been known to dress in Edwardian costume and hold marathon readings of the entire novel, lasting up to 36 hours.