PresRelease

This Thanksgiving week, our minds are occupied with many details of home and family: dinner gatherings and menus, coordinating family schedules with one eye on the Weather Channel, shopping lists for Black Friday, that paper due when we get back to UConn on Monday, that final exam to write.  In this whirlwind of activity, we can be thankful for the annual televised Detroit Lions football game on Thanksgiving afternoon, which offers all males in recliners across the nation three hours to catch up on their sleep.  And in the spirit of the season, I suggest that these same football fans offer to help with the dishes.

UConn’s Thanksgiving Recess allows us all a chance to catch our breath and gather momentum for closing the semester.  It’s not been an easy one for many of us.  Yet in rewarding or disappointing times alike, Thanksgiving Day stands at the gateway to winter and the winter holidays, with their promise of renewal and new opportunities.

George Washington delivered the first Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789, establishing a Presidential tradition that suffered only one hiatus (although a rather lengthy one, from 1816-1862).  That hiatus corresponded oddly with Senator John C. Calhoun’s political career, beginning as Secretary of War in 1817 and concluding with his death in 1850 while a Senator, in the midst of the Senate debate over the Compromise of 1850.  The Civil War would soon follow.  Abraham Lincoln revived the Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863 (although he and Confederate President Jefferson Davis each issued thankful victory proclamations in 1861 and 1862). It has continued to this day.  In 1989 President George H.W. Bush added a Presidential Pardon for a ceremonial turkey.President Truman presented with a turkey in 1949President Geo. W. Bush considers a pardon, 2008
I’m recalling President Jimmy Carter’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of November 13, 1980:

The greatest bounty of our Nation is the bounty of our heritage – our diversity as immigrants and descendants of immigrants, our common identity as Americans. We have set aside one day a year to give thanks for all that we have. Yet Thanksgiving is more than just a day of celebration. It is also a commemoration – of the day America’s earliest inhabitants sat down to table with European colonists.
That occasion was historic not only because it established a national holiday, but because it marked the start of a national tradition of cooperation, unity and tolerance.
Even in times of trial and frustration we have much to be thankful for, in our personal lives and in our Nation. As we pause on Thanksgiving . . ., we should not forget that we also owe thanks to this country’s forefathers who had the vision to join together in Thanksgiving, and who gave us so much of the vision of brotherhood that is ours today.

So wherever you’re from, and wherever you’re going, I hope you have a safe and inspiring Thanksgiving Week.  All the best!

Saturday, all of our UConn student-body Presidents got together in Hartford to discuss ideas and initiatives on their respective campuses and continue building a more unified vision for UConn student government.  They’ve had several meetings already this semester, including a day-long workshop and reception on the Storrs campus on September 13, when I had a chance to meet them at a reception in the Jorgensen Gallery:

I’m excited to see our student leaders reaching out to each other, to draw on their collective strengths and experiences from our different campuses and build a better organization – and a better experience – for all of our UConn students.  It’s the perfect example of synergy: “Increased effectiveness, achievement, etc., produced as a result of combined action or co-operation.” (OED)  When I was a kid in Iowa taking Biology, we learned about ‘hybrid vigor,’ also called heterosis,’ the genetic phenomenon that produces an unexpected dimension of strength when two different but related strains are combined.  Of course, in Iowa Biology we were talking about corn.  Here in Connecticut, I suspect the subject is introduced using nutmegs as examples.

UConn vigor!

UConn alum Wally Lamb autographed and read from his new, fourth novel, Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story last Tuesday evening at the UConn Coop.  His first two novels, She’s Come Undone (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, 1992) and I Know This Much Is True (HarperCollins/ReganBooks, 1998), were # 1 New York Times bestsellers and New York Times Notable Books of the Year.  He’s taught creative writing in the past at UConn and also facilitates a writing workshop at Connecticut’s York Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison for women. Wally’s been a Connecticut Department of Corrections volunteer since 1999.
Here’s a 1951 photo of Wally (front and center) on the book jacket of Wishin’ and Hopin’:

There’s a quote of his circulating on the internet: “As my early drawings warned me, where humans go, lions and tidal waves follow.”

UConn’s preeminent faculty rock band, “Off Yer Rockers,” warmed up the Coop the night before.  The first photo shows the backs or the tops of the heads of musicians/professors Davita Silfen Glasberg (Sociology): Vocals; Harry Frank (Chemistry): Vocals and Bass Guitar; Eric Jordan (Mechanical Engineering): Drums; David Miller (Psychology): Vocals and Rhythm Guitar; Ernie Zirakzadeh (Political Science): Lead Guitar. Special guest: Robert Birge (Chemistry): keyboards. In the second photo, bassman Harry Frank, drummer Eric Jordan, and tambourinist/vocalist Davita Silfen Glasberg rock it out. Professor Greg Anderson and his wife Mona were mesmerized:

Both events were fundraisers for the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic. Along with gift wrap donations, the Coop raised $1500. You should keep your eye on the Coop’s web page and Facebook page: there’s a lot going on over there.

Clifford and Jonathan

On Saturday evening I stopped by the reception at the Dodd Center for the 2009 Connecticut Children’s Book Fair.  The Fair filled the Rome Ballroom Saturday and Sunday with presentations and book signings by well known authors and illustrators, storytelling, crafts, holiday shopping, two breakfasts with Clifford the Big Red Dog, and presentation of the 2009 Raab Associates Prizes for Illustration and Writing.

The Connecticut Children’s Book Fair brings together prominent children’s authors and illustrators and the general public in an annual event designed to foster the enjoyment of children’s literature. Each year it’s open to the public without an entrance fee. Children, parents, grandparents, book collectors, and interested members of the public attend to meet the writers and artists, hear readings and storytellings, and meet some characters from their favorite books.

At the reception I met Katelyn Fox, 2009 Raab Prize in Illustration Winner and John Allie, 2009 Raab Prize in Writing Winner.  The Raab Associates Prizes are intended to promote the field of children’s book writing and illustration. The illustration competition was created in 1999 by Susan Salzman Raab, founder and co-owner of Raab Associates, a children’s book marketing agency based in Chappaqua, New York. Ms. Raab, who is also a 1980 UConn alumna with a degree in English, especially wants to encourage and support people who have interests in the arts and the world of publishing. The competition is held annually and the prize is awarded to students enrolled in the University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts’ illustration courses or in the English Department’s creative writing courses offered during the fall semester. In 2009, Susan Raab established the Raab Associates Prize for Writing in conjunction with faculty in the English Department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Brinley Franklin; children’s author Lois Lowry; children’s author PW Catanese; me; Lisa Catanese.

The Connecticut Children’s Book Fair is a project of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and the UConn Co-op. Proceeds from sales at the event are used for the growth of the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection in the Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries.

The Book Fair is a great program that reaches out to our younger readers while supporting writers and artists who produce children’s literature.  Thanks to Jean Nelson at the Dodd Center for the photos.

I remember watching a UConn basketball game some years ago on national TV when I was still at Ohio State.  Dick Vitale was the commentator, and throughout the telecast he kept referring to being in “beautiful downtown Storrs” and then laughing rather boisterously.

I recalled Mr.Vitale’s remarks the other day when I renewed my annual membership in the Mansfield Downtown Partnership.  It reminded me to review progress on the Storrs Center project, an initiative that’s been discussed and then in the planning stages for several years.  Mr. Vitale would be happy to know that the Storrs Center project is intact and moving forward.  In recent weeks the developer, LeylandAlliance, has announced several new signed letters of intent for businesses to locate in Phase 1A.  (That’s over on the north side of the existing Dog Lane.)  They include ventures new to the Storrs area and existing businesses planning to relocate because of future construction on the Storrs Center site:

The Vanilla Bean Café
Cosimo’s
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Wings Over Storrs
Storrs Automotive
Travelplanners
Campus Cuts
Body Language

And Leyland is actively pursuing several other possibilities.  You should check out the Storrs Center Fact Sheet, which has the updated project timeline and a lot of information about where the project is at the moment.

The University and the Town of Mansfield, members of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, continue working together on plans to make the new Storrs Center a reality.  This summer, the State Traffic Commission approved a permit for improvements to Storrs Road (Route 195) which marks the intersection of the University’s Storrs campus and the new Storrs Center.  Grant funds will allow the Town to improve pedestrian walkways along 195, add turn lanes and medians, and improve the Bolton Road and South Eagleville Road interchanges.  The addition of parallel parking zones, besides providing more parking capacity, will contribute to traffic “calming” and provide pedestrians with a better sense of security.  Pre-construction planning is now underway in the Town.

The Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. is the municipal development agency charged with the development of Storrs Center on behalf of the Town of Mansfield. The Partnership is an independent, non-profit organization composed of representatives from the community, local businesses, the Town and the University of Connecticut. Members are integral to the Partnership’s work.  They serve on committees, vote at the annual meeting, and serve as the community’s voice in the development of the Storrs Center.  Right now the Partnership is conducting its annual membership drive, and that’s why I got my renewal letter.  I hope that many in our community are considering joining the Partnership and helping make Storrs Center a reality.

I see the new Storrs Center as a win-win for both the Town and the University.  It’s a great opportunity for the Town to develop a larger commercial tax base, in partnership with existing businesses and the University, which will help free Town finances from the vicissitudes of State PILOT payments.  It will also put more stores in Storrs.  For the University, it makes the Storrs community more attractive to our incoming faculty, staff, graduate students, and all students who are also considering other universities that already boast vibrant, downtown amenities nearby, such as restaurants, shops, and a variety of residential opportunities.

As I said earlier, much has changed recently in our economic climate, but the Storrs Center project is moving forward and its central concept remains the same:

The town plan will knit architecture, pedestrian-oriented streets, small lanes, and public spaces into a series of small neighborhoods that will make up the new fabric of the town center. Ground floor retail and commercial uses opening onto landscaped sidewalks and intimate streets will reinforce traditional street front activity and shared community spaces and will be supported by residences above and throughout the neighborhood. Storrs Center will combine retail, restaurant, and office uses with a variety of residence types.  (LeylandAlliance statement.)